The White Sox didn’t have a finalist in the American League Rookie of the Year race, but they still walked away from Monday with a strong sign that their young core is taking shape.
Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle won the award, yet Chicago placed three players in the top 10 of the voting. First baseman Munetaka Murakami landed fourth, just 15 points behind Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle. Center fielder Tristan Peters came in eighth, and left fielder Sam Antonacci checked in at ninth.
Chicago was one of only two teams with multiple top-10 finishers, joining the Cleveland Guardians, who had Parker Messick, Chase DeLauter, and Travis Bazzana in the mix.
For the White Sox, the rookie class was a major part of a 2026 season that saw more than a dozen players reach the majors for the first time. That kind of influx gives general manager Chris Getz plenty to feel good about as he looks ahead.
Murakami was the headliner, even if he missed finalist status. A hamstring strain limited him to 127 games, which likely hurt his case, but the production was impossible to ignore.
He led all rookies with 35 home runs and earned an All-Star nod. The strikeouts piled up - 196, second on the team only to shortstop Colson Montgomery - and he hit .207, but the power and patience were real.
His .207/.347/.478 line and a walk rate in the 99th percentile, per Baseball Savant, made him one of the most dangerous rookie bats in the league.
Peters also turned in a season that few would have predicted before the year began. He made the All-Star team and finished eighth in rookie voting after appearing in 156 games.
He hit .265/.337/.437 with 12 homers and 56 RBIs, while also giving Chicago strong defense. One of the biggest bursts in his season came during a five-game stretch in which he homered in each contest.
By the end of the year, he had locked himself in as the White Sox center fielder of the future.
Antonacci rounded out the group at ninth, and his path was different from the others. The former fifth-round pick spent the season learning a brand-new position, having never played the outfield before 2026.
The defensive results were uneven, but his bat gave the White Sox plenty to work with. He posted a .277/.370/.396 line with eight home runs, and his ability to get on base made him one of the team’s best sparkplugs.
For Chicago, that kind of production from a player still finding his way at a new spot only adds to the optimism around what comes next.
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White Sox Could Revisit A Cubs Connection At A Crucial Time
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That makes Chicagos search for help worth watching, especially if it leads back to a familiar Cubs connection. Several former Cubs have been floated as possible free-agent fits for the White Sox, including pitchers Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd, along with outfielder Seiya Suzuki, whose market comes with an added layer of complication. For a club trying to make the most of a crucial window, even a loose thread like this could become one of the more interesting storylines coming out of Las Vegas. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Big Right Field Decision After Rookie Breakthrough
The White Sox got real production from a rookie-heavy outfield in 2026, with Tristan Peters and Sam Antonacci both drawing AL Rookie of the Year votes. Braden Montgomerys debut was more uneven, but the bigger takeaway for Chicago is that the group gave the front office something to build around rather than forcing a total reset in the corners.
Right field still looks like the spot where the Sox could make their biggest move, especially if they want to turn a promising young outfield into a more complete one. Seiya Suzuki is expected to reach the market, and Chicago is at least positioned to be part of the conversation if it decides the next step is adding a proven middle-of-the-order bat instead of waiting for another internal leap. [Read more 🡒]
Colby Shelton Is Giving The White Sox A Reason To Revisit Him
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What makes Shelton worth tracking from here is that the bat is creating more certainty than the rest of his profile. Scouting reports have long flagged questions about his swing mechanics and speed, and his defensive future is still not settled. For a White Sox system looking for players who can force their way back into the conversation, Shelton is doing the one thing that matters most in the fall: giving the organization a reason to keep revisiting him. [Read more 🡒]