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Last offseason, the Cardinals traded Sonny Gray, creating a hole in their rotation. Through trades, the Cardinals added pitching depth, but the Cardinals clearly wanted them to be pitching depth and not Plan A. So they signed Dustin May to take Gray’s spot. Dustin May didn’t really become an ace, but it was wildly successful in the only way that mattered: he netted two great outfield prospects and from a rival to boot.

(Yes, I know the Brewers won the World Series so it’s not like Brewers fans are ever going to regret this, but you better believe I will be annoying as hell if Josiah Ragsdale or Alex Frias become a star, because May was legitimately awful and 8 excellent playoff innings from Romero probably is not worth a star – mostly because they dominated the playoffs so much that there’s no way Romero was the difference maker. I’m already warning you I’ll be annoying about this, might as well start now!)

The Cardinals might be tempted to duplicate that plan. They are returning every member of the rotation from last season, at least as of now, however they might trade either Andre Pallante or Matthew Liberatore. Or Liberatore will be moved to the bullpen. Or maybe they want to go into spring training with Liberatore as the contingency plan, which by the usual Cardinals’ methods, would require an outside addition. Yes, maybe Cooper Hjerpe can be slotted in, but the very likely innings restriction is certainly going to complicate things. I doubt they enter Opening Day ready to put Jurrangelo Cjintje on the MLB roster either. Maybe Richard Fitts, but he missed most of last year and only threw 75 innings in 2025. It would hardly be surprising if they felt like they needed another starter.

The Cardinals could of course re-sign Dustin May, but May probably has different goals on his next contract than he did last offseason. Last offseason, he was coming off a not very good year following multiple injury-filled seasons. He needed to prove he could be good and healthy to set himself for a bigger contract later. Well he did that. With his injury history and being 29, I feel like someone will give him a multi-year deal and I think it would require a level of faith in himself some might call unwise to not go to the highest bidder. Maybe he thinks he has another gear and can get a better contract at 30, but I would imagine he’d be disappointed at a one-year deal.

No a true Dustin May parallel is coming off a bad year. The kind of year where a one-year deal is the best you can do, or some underwhelming two-year deal. He is probably too good to qualify, but Freddy Peralta might fit the bill. He did make all 32 of his starts, but he had his lowest K% of his career, he had his highest ERA since 2019, and his highest FIP and xFIP of his career. He unquestionably had a down season.

You might be thinking: but he was great in the playoffs and that might change things? Analytically, he was actually not very good with the Rays, either after the deadline or in the playoffs. The Rays were very lucky because Peralta wasn’t actually a better pitcher with them, but he got better results. Mainly in the form of home run luck, a talent he hasn’t actually shown in his career. He also struck out less with the Rays. It was even worse in the playoffs: he struck out just 17.6%, walked over 10%, almost nothing was on the ground, and…. somehow that became a 2.62 ERA. It was a 5.62 xFIP.

In the modern age, teams are not fooled by ERA, so I would be surprised if the playoffs had a positive effect on his free agency or his time with the Rays in general. Taken has a whole, he had the kind of season that significantly lowers your free agency prospects. That doesn’t mean he’s destined to get a one-year deal, but he’s merely a candidate for it.

Of course, everything I just said is also a reason to not sign him. The logic for why May’s stats might get better was a lot stronger. May had missed the 2024 season and barely pitched in the three seasons prior, so naturally when he was healthy enough to throw a full season, he was rusty. Naturally, May’s stats were even worse after he was traded because he was tired. He wasn’t used to throwing that many innings. Now that he had a season to work the kinks out, his true talent can shine through in the season after he returns from injury.

With Peralta however…. he might have just permanently declined? It would hardly be the most shocking thing if a 30-year-old got worse and then never actually returned to his former glory. In fact that’s a story that’s been told many times in baseball. Maybe it being his walk year, he fought through some injury stuff that affected his stats and he’s destined to miss significant time in the future.

I know he made some adjustments with the Rays and changed his pitch mix, but I’m actually a little worried his underlying stuff didn’t actually get any better. Some of the results could just be that the Mets are awful defensively and the Rays are very good defensively. By fielding runs, it doesn’t appear to be a huge difference, but when you see the breakdown of how the Rays are +11 in fielding runs by Statcast and the Mets -3, then it looks a little more stark. The Mets catchers are really driving up their fielding run values because infielders and outfielders had -17 range. The Rays had +10 range.

Good news of course: the Cardinals should have a good defense. And I hear it’s hard to hit homers at Busch Stadium. He may very well have a similar advantage with the Cardinals.

Another aspect of Peralta that probably shouldn’t be overlooked is…. I don’t think he has as much upside as you would think. He kind of has this perception, or had anyway, of being ace-adjacent, but that’s never really been backed up by the numbers. He had a 4 fWAR season and a 3.6 fWAR season and they are separated by four seasons. One of those seasons was 2025, so it’s not ancient history. But also his third best season is 2.2 fWAR.

At 31, what is the probability that he reaches his former glory? Former glory that isn’t really ace level. (Again, his 2025 came with an 85.5 left-on base% which is just absurdly high for a starting pitcher – 80% is the absolute upper limit for true talent and Peralta’s career is 74.8% – which is high too to be fair!). I want to talk myself into Peralta, but coming off the season he just had, I think I’ll need the Cardinals to actually sign him to talk myself into it.

Because that’s the thing. Maybe there’s something the Cardinals see. We don’t have any behind-the-scenes info. The Cardinals have more information than me on what Peralta needs to change, how likely he is to change it at this point in his career, maybe how healthy he appears to be, a lot of things. All I have is his down season, moving to a smart organization that enacted changes and it did not result in a fundamentally better pitcher, and I just need a reason to think this wasn’t the beginning of a decline and not a temporary setback that can be fixed.

I may have just wasted everyone’s time however, because here I wrote a whole thing premised on him getting a one-year deal so then I went to Google to see what estimates were for his contract and AVOID AVOID AVOID if any of these are even in the vicinity of being accurate. Jim Bowden said 5 years, $140 million. Hell no. An NYT article said 5 years, $125 million is reasonable. Any team who signs him for over $100 million is insane. I’m very skeptical about these estimates, but it at least tells me that one year is simply not realistic.

Book Corner

I’m currently in the middle of a short, quick book and a much longer book that I’ll reveal later. I was hoping to finish the quick book by now, but Halloween weekend made things difficult. Between work and a party on Friday, a terrible hangover on Saturday plus a block party, and then watching You Can See Everything followed by a family get together, I simply did not have much time to read. So you’ll get my reaction to the short book Thursday.

Quick aside: do not watch You Can See Everything before a social event. I went to see it at 11 am yesterday. I drove straight from the movie theater to my parents’ house. My cousin was in town for the weekend. I ate lunch, found out nobody else had seen it yet, sat on the couch to “watch football”, and inadvertently scrolled my phone for reactions to the movie for the next two hours and barely interacted with anyone. Maybe you go to a social gathering where people have actually seen it. I bet that would result in something different.

In the meantime, I have been meaning to ask a difficult question. I have two books by the same author and no real way to know which to prioritize. Keeping in mind there’s a good chance that the loser of this question won’t be read this year, pick the better book by Cormac McCarthy: The Road or Blood Meridian. I haven’t read a book by him so if that somehow matters to your answer, let me know why. These titles are helpfully not very descriptive towards telling me what the book is about, so as best you can, don’t reveal too much about them in why I should read one or the other first. That’s all I have for you in book corner today.

Good morning.

• The Gold Glove Awards were announced last night. We’ve already covered Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman winning, but there are the rest of the winners.
• ESPN picks an All-October team from the playoffs.
• David Adler has the top Statcast numbers of the playoffs.
• Matthew Robinson looks at just how good Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt was in October.
• Jeff Passan explains how the Brewers became World Series champs.
• Jay Jaffe sings the praises of the Brewers invincible bullpen (Fangraphs paywall) and breaks down why they were so good.
• Tyler Kepner profiles Brewers manager Pat Murphy and his trip to the top. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Jesse Rogers writes of how the spirit of the late broadcaster Bob Uecker was everywhere during the Brewers victory parade.
• Now that the Brewers/Pilots have won, Jesse Yomtov has the longest current title droughts in baseball.
• Now let’s turn to the winter markets. The Red Sox have exercised the $8.25 million option on pitcher Garrett Whitlock.
• The Rays have picked up pitcher Drew Rasmussen’s $20 million option.
• The Orioles declined the $20 million option on outfielder Luis Robert Jr. He becomes a free agent.
• Reds reliever Emilo Pagán declined his player option, becoming a free agent.
• NPB’s Hanshin Tigers have officially posted Teruaki Sato, who won Japan’s Triple Crown last year.
• Mike Axisa looks at what free agents will get qualifying offers from their teams.
• Mark Feinsand has 30 names to watch in free agency this winter.
• Jake Mintz and Jordan Schusterman have the top 50 free agents.
• Mike Axisa also presents his top 50 free agents. Clip and compare! Axisa adds some possible teams for the free agents.
• Travis Sawchik asks who is the best free agent starter this winter other than Tarik Skubal.
• David Schoenfield has his “best fits” for the top free agents. I think you’ll like his “best fit” for Skubal.
• Mark Feinsand tries to predict where Brewers breakout star Jake Bauers could land this winter.
• If you don’t like the free agents, Dayn Perry has the top 25 trade candidates this winter.
• The Astros have hired former Cardinals executive Randy Flores as their new general manager. Kristie Ackert has a profile of Flores.
• Sad news as legendary Mets lefty Jerry Koosman died at 83. For those too young to remember, Koosman was the “other” great starting pitcher on the 1969 Mets. Our condolences go out to Koosman’s family, friends and the Mets organization. He also arguably had his best season with the Twins in 1979. Most people forget that.
• Sam Blum has a guide to the upcoming trial of the Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz trials for game fixing. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Johnny Flores Jr. explains how the data shows that “Ron Washington” was right: Playing first base is incredibly hard. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Going back to the Brewers, they appeared on Saturday Night Live this weekend after their World Series title. I’m old enough to remember Joe Piscopo on “Weekend Update” saying the Brewers lost the 1982 World Series because they were slobs, complete with several video clips of them spitting chewing tobacco.
• Matt Monagan has the story of a long-suffering Milwaukee (Braves and Brewers) baseball fan’s celebration that went viral.
• And finally, Zack Meisel explains how the Hall of Fame museum manages to collect all these items from baseball’s biggest moments, (The Athletic sub. req.) including the World Series.

Good morning, Purple Row!

Here’s what’s going on with the Colorado Rockies and the rest of Major League Baseball.

Rockies News & Links

Here are 2026’s Minor League Gold Glove winners | MLB.com

While TJ Rumfield did not end up winning the MLB Gold Glove at first base (that honor went to Matt Olson), third base prospect Ethan Hedges (HM PuRP) won a minor league Gold Glove for his work with the High-A Spokane Indians.

Arizona Fall League Week 4 top performers | MLB.com

Jared Thomas continues to perform well in his second AFL stint. He went 9-for-18 with 7 runs scored, a double, three triples, four RBI, four walks, six strikeouts and two stolen bases. Fall Star Game rosters will be announced tomorrow — Jack O’Dowd is reportedly participating in the Home Run Derby on Saturday, will Thomas join him?

Around MLB

MLB’s New Outfield Positioning Rules Are Producing Dramatic Results In The AFL | Baseball America ($)

MLB is continuing its tradition of experimentation in the Arizona Fall League. This year, they are experimenting with defensive positioning of both the infielders (with nobody on base) and outfielders. The outfield positioning rules are creating dramatic results. Ian Cundall writes that through October 26 at Salt River Fields — the only park where the positioning rules are being used due to technology infrastructure — runs per game are up 34%, hits per game are up 32%, doubles per game are up 81% and triples per game are up 236%.

A lot of that is due to the corner outfielders in particular playing both shallower and closer to the line, which means they have to cover a lot more ground and makes for more balls in the gap. This also means teams might not be able to hide defensive liabilites in the corners anymore.

As Jared Thomas said, “Everybody in center, right, left… they’re all going to be center fielders at the end of the day. You’re going to have to have some speed and have good reads on the ball.”

Sunday Notes: Matthew Wood Caught Jacob Misiorowski in the Minors | FanGraphs

David Laurilla provides his notes column from the Arizona Fall League this week. While the main focus is on Wood the Misiorowski, he also asks Rafters pitching coach Jerry Sullivan about Sean Sullivan (No. 21 PuRP) and his own AFL plan.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Perla Paredes at MLB.com checks in on how Royals prospects are faring in the Arizona Fall League.

OF Angeibel Gomez (Royals’ No. 2 prospect/MLB Pipeline’s No. 76 overall)
At just 17 years old, Gomez became the second-youngest player in AFL history, making his stateside debut on Oct. 4 after appearing in 47 Dominican Summer League games earlier this year.

The outfielder, who signed with Kansas City for $2.9 million in January, has impressed against older competition. Through nine games, Gomez is slashing .333/.421/.485 with a .906 OPS, three doubles and one triple. His 70-grade speed has also been on display on the basepaths with four stolen bases. 

Jaylon Thompson looks at how top pick Zion Rose has fared in Arizona.

“The last four months have been a whirlwind, for real,” Rose said. “Just starting off with the draft, that was a blessing in itself. I was just kind of caught off-guard, not by where I went, but you know, by the social media and all that.

“In my head, I knew I could go up there (being a top-10 selection). So I’m super grateful the Royals chose me.”

Mike Gillespie at Royals Keep considers what the Royals should do with Nick Loftin.

Loftin, however, helped ease some of the pain of losing Garcia for half the season. He made the best of his first extended opportunity to play regularly, parlaying the chance into a serviceable 118-game, 426-plate-appearance .240/.322/.388 line with career highs in doubles (27), home runs (8), RBI (45), and fWAR (1.3); he also posted a 98 wRC+, .710 OPS, and 100 OPS+.

And he blossomed defensively as a hot corner replacement for Garcia. Loftin’s 6 OAA and 5 DRP tied Boston’s Caleb Durbin and Minnesota’s Brooks Lee for the American League lead in both categories; he also had 6 DRS and, with Durbin and Brooks, is in the running for the AL’s third base Gold Glove to be awarded Nov. 1.  

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep looks at the roster moves the Royals need to make.

Japanese pitcher Kaima Taira will be posted for MLB teams.

Pitcher Hiromi Itoh is also posted.

Korean third baseman Si-Hwan Roh will also be posted for teams.

The Rays exercise the $20 million option on pitcher Drew Rasmussen.

Why this Brewers bullpen was one for the ages.

Dayn Perry at CBS Sports looks at the top trade candidates this offseason.

What to know about a potential MLB lockout.

How did last year’s free agent class fare this year?

The Yankees part ways with Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean.

Former Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman dies at age 83.

Manager Pat Murphy and some Milwaukee Brewers make a cameo on Saturday Night Live.

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won their second-consecutive Japanese Series title.

The Golden State Valkyries win a WNBA title in just their second season.

The Big 12 admits a replay review error in the BYU/Arizona State game.

Why did EA shut down production of BioWare?

Binance resumes withdrawals after a temporary freeze following a $6.3 billion hack.

What are the best gory horror movies?

Your song of the day is Bikini Kill with Rebel Girl.

Welcome to our final GM approval poll concerning the 2026 season, next month’s poll certain to focus on a potential flurry of activity in November before the owners lock out the players on December 2nd. I’m sure we all wish the Yankees had played more baseball in October, but unfortunately we only got three games as they were unceremoniously dumped out of the postseason getting swept by the Rays in ALDS. Given that this is somewhat functioning as an end-of-season poll as there was scarcely any activity to cover in October, we’ll focus more on the narrative of the campaign rather than zooming in on the month we just completed.

The Yankees raced out to a fast start, pulling out to an early 3.5-game lead after winning seven of their first eight games. They hit their first speed bump in mid April, going 3-8 including a five-game losing streak to temporarily fall behind in the standings. However, winning streaks of eight and five games toward the end of April and in the first week of May meant that the Yankees were back atop of the division, earning Brian Cashman a 41-percent approval rating in both April and May.

However, results had already begun to crater in the middle weeks of May as Aaron Judge attempted to play through what we later learned was a fractured rib. The captain was a shell of what we expect from the three-time MVP, and he finally landed on the IL on May 31st, where he would stay for more than three months. Understandably, the offense lost a lot of its potency, yet somehow managed to stave off the annual Boone June Swoon for half the month.

As it turns out, that was just delaying the inevitable, the downturn in form arriving swiftly thereafter as the Yankees won just four out of 18 games before a modest four-game winning streak to enter the All-Star break with a modicum of positive momentum. The nadir of their season saw them get swept in four games by the last-place Red Sox at Fenway, which to add insult to injury kickstarted the winningest 30-game stretch in Boston franchise history to rocket them back into playoff contention. Cashman’s approval rating predictably plummeted to just nine percent in June, which only improved to 11 percent for July with his team treading water in the standings while the Rays rode a scorching April and May to grab a commanding lead in the division that they would never relinquish.

With Judge and Giancarlo Stanton absent from the lineup all summer, the onus fell on Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger to shoulder the load, and that proved too heavy a burden to bear. Both hitters’ production cratered in June and August, Bellinger also missing a month from the end of July through the end of August to a left hamstring strain. It didn’t help that the pair were dragged down by all the deadwood in the lineup. Austin Wells and Ryan McMahon were two of MLB’s worst qualified hitters through the opening months of the season, though Wells’ production rebounded impressively after he recovered from the cervical headaches that had been plaguing him. Jazz Chisholm Jr. did himself no favors with the bat or glove and missed almost a month’s worth of games injured. Anthony Volpe was sent down to the minors for five weeks and Trent Grisham reverted to the pre-2025 version while suffering through persistent hamstring ailments.

Despite playing to a winning record in August and September, the damage of their summer swoon had already been done. They never looked like threatening the Rays’ lead in the division, though were able to rebuild some momentum and goodwill in the final two months. Trade deadline acquisition Luis García Jr. proved a much-needed shot in the arm (Heliot Ramos not so much), and the promotions of top prospects George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones breathed some youthful life into what had become a stale clubhouse. Lombard started hot before committing a bunch of errors in a short stretch, while Jones was the opposite, taking some time to adjust to major league pitching but looking more assured of himself with each passing week in the majors. These factors allowed Cashman’s approval rating to recover to 29 percent for August, and it jumped up even further to 34 percent in September after the Yankees posted the best record in the AL in the final month.

After he suffered a calf strain in September, the Yankees ultimately left Judge off their Wild Card and ALDS rosters. He wasn’t needed in the ALWCS as the Yankees boat-raced the Red Sox, scoring nine runs in both games to sweep and punch their ticket to the ALDS for a date with the Rays. This offensive outburst proved a mirage of hope as they got one-hit in Game 1, committed four errors in Game 2, and saw their season come to an abrupt end with a 4-3 loss in Game 3. That the Yankees lost the three games they played in October and the manner in which they did so does not bode well for Cashman’s approval rating.

Otherwise it’s been a quiet October in New York. Owner Hal Steinbrenner held a year-end press conference in which he blamed the players while absolving Cashman and Aaron Boone of any responsibility for the team’s demise. For some extra salt rubbed into the wound, Steinbrenner confirmed that Boone would be retained for the final year of his contract in 2027 while also announcing a contract extension for Cashman that will likely take him beyond 30 years at the helm of the team. It’s been crickets since then, with only vague rumors linking the Yankees to possible reinforcements at third base, center field, and the bullpen.

There are some big questions that may or may not get answered in the month before the CBA expires. The Yankees appear ready to let Jazz walk in free agency and hand the keys at second to Volpe. There is little indication that McMahon will not be the Opening Day starter in 2027. David Bednar could return on the QO after stabilizing the closer role, but there are additional departures to address. Most importantly, the Yankees have to start asking why they have collapsed in such similar fashions in the last three postseasons. Why is there a team-wide lapse in concentration in the most important games of the year and why has there been zero accountability for this three-year trend?

Having said this, all is not doom and gloom in the Bronx as there are legitimate causes for optimism. Between Rice and presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler, the Yankees have developed a pair of franchise cornerstones who should help keep the team’s window open as Judge and Gerrit Cole get deeper into the latter half of their 30s. New York boasted the best pitching staff in the league and are returning the vast majority of those arms. With a few impactful additions, this team is not far from the top of the AL, though it remains to be seen whether ownership has the appetite to increase payroll given Steinbrenner is leading the charge among the owners to institute a salary cap.

That brings us to today’s task. Do you approve of the job Brian Cashman has done through the end of October? On one hand, the player development staff that he is in charge of staffing can boast some real wins between Rice, Schlittler, Lombard, and Jones. On the other hand, there is little to suggest that any team under his direction can turn over a new leaf and play more fundamentally sound baseball in the playoffs. The polarizing GM certainly elicits stronger feelings than can be captured in a one-word response — you may feel a question such as the one being posed requires more nuance, greater elaboration, or a wider selection of options than just a “yes” or a “no,” however for the sake of this exercise, a binary question works best.

Note: This is the same poll that is currently appearing on the Feed, so if you’ve voted there, that should already be counted.

It is the 10th year of Top Prospect voting at South Side Sox!

First, let us review past years:

• Here is how 2018 wrangled out — all 42 picks. Also, here is an archive of every article in the 2018 series.
• Here is how 2019 came together, all 50 picks, and the archive as well.
• Now 2020, with the archive.
• Here is the 2021 wrap-up of just 35 picks due to flagging participation, along with the full archive.
• Here is the 2022 link to the 27-pick wrap, along with the full archive.
• Round 24 of voting was the last of 2023 (we did not do an actual wrap for the voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick), and the full archive.
• In 2024 Abraham Núñez was our 34th pick to end the series, and here is the wrap-up post and full archive of each profile.
• In 2025, we did 31 picks, ending with Eric Adler. Here is the wrap and full stream, of every article.
• And last year, we got through 37 picks, ending with Reudis Diaz. Here is the wrap, and full stream of every article.

We are starting the Top 100 Prospect countdown on the same day as our first poll, with the goal of running a new poll every day. At that rate, we should get through 35 Votes before the Top 100 meets our polling, giving SSS readers 35 chances to weigh in on our Top 100. From there, we will stop the polling and run through the remaining players, finishing up as all players report to camp in mid-February.

As of now our countdown will start with Jarold Rosado as our Mr. 100 this year. We’ve customarily turned over the Prospect Vote to the next round as soon as the top vote-getter seems to have an insurmountable lead, but if there’s a rout, we’ll call it in a day. In order to get as many votes as possible in, we’ll try to wait no longer than two days before the next round.

For 2027, after the White Sox had a top overall pick for the first time in almost 50 years, our staff ballots were almost unanimous in picking one player as the top White Sox prospect. Do you agree?

Four players from last year’s Top 10 Prospects have lost their prospect status due to MLB service (Braden Montgomery at No. 1, Noah Schultz at No. 3, Hagen Smith at No. 4 and Sam Antonacci at No. 7). As an indication that there is some continuity in the system, four players on last year’s initial ballot appear in this year’s as well. With Mason Adams having been traded, that means just one player, Christian Oppor, performed poorly enough to drop off of our initial ballot.

Six of the 10 players on this first 2027 ballot played in the White Sox system in 2026, including two who made their major league debuts during the season. As to be expected drafting so early, we have four 2026 draft choices rounding out on the first ballot.

This year, the grandfather of our Top 100 is Tanner McDougal, marking his sixth year on our list and having moved from No. 21 to 22, 26, 63 and 6 so far. If all goes well, it will be his last, as he’ll see significant MLB time.

All right, let’s have some fun. And get voting!

Two rounds in, we’ve had two routs, as Roch Cholowsky ran up an even bigger winning margin than Caleb Bonemer did to open our proceedings, earning 48 of 64 votes (75%):

Cholowsky, just drafted in July, is making his debut in our Prospect Vote.

Past No. 2s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote
2026 Hagen Smith (40%)
2025 Noah Schultz (21%)
2024 Noah Schultz (34%)
2023 Colson Montgomery (71%)
2022 Jake Burger (43%)
2021 Garrett Crochet (42%)
2020 Michael Kopech (57%)
2019 Michael Kopech (44%)
2018 Michael Kopech (75%)

Another infielder joins the fray this round, as Kyle Lodise hops on the ballot.

South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2027

1. Caleb Bonemer — 71% (Cholowsky 25%, Fauske 3%, Prosek 2%, Bergolla Jr./Carlson/McDougal/Sandlin/Thome/Volchko 0%)
2. Roch Cholowsky — 75% (Sandlin 8%, Bergolla Jr. 6%, Carlson 5%, McDougal 3%, Fauske/Mogollón 2%, Prosek/Thome/Volchko 0%)

William Bergolla Jr.
Shortstop
Age 22
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 15
2026 high level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -5.1 years
Overall 2026 stats (ACL/AAA) 11 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 9 RBI ▪️ .444/.524/.556 ▪️ 2-of-4 (50.0%) SB ▪️ 5 BB ▪️ 4 K ▪️ 1.000 FLD%▪️ 0.6 WAR

The epitome of a “Chris Getz player,” Bergolla offsets his Punch-and-Judy bat with deft baserunning, a killer glove and incredible plate discipline. Well young for his level, this legacy player (dad, also William Bergolla) has cut through the White Sox system like butter since his acquisition at the 2024 trade deadline (from Philly, for Tanner Banks). After getting some heavy run in Spring Training 2026, Bergolla was on the fast track to Chicago before a collision with left fielder Sam Antonacci in an April game for the Knights gave him a serious bone bruise in his leg; after a lengthy stint on the IL, Bergolla broke his injured leg in his first rehab game in the ACL.

Billy Carlson
Shortstop
Age 20
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 7
2026 high level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -1.3 years
Overall 2026 stats (ACL/Low-A) 60 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 21 RBI ▪️ .252/.380/.335 ▪️ 14-of-16 (87.5%) SB ▪️ 41 BB ▪️ 59 K ▪️ .976 FLD%▪️ 1.5 WAR

It was a star-crossed pro debut for the 2025 first-rounder, who broke his left thumb in May and was later shut down for the season with a skin infection on his left leg. Let’s hope Carlson can get right for 2027, as the crush of blue-chip shortstops in the system (led by, of course, 2026’s overall No. 1 pick, Roch Cholowsky) could end up drowning him. Positives? Honestly, in his cameos at the plate Carlson flashed more pop to the gaps and on-base ability than expected.

Jaden Fauske
Center Fielder
Age 20
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 11
2026 high level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -1.3 years
Overall 2026 stats 118 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 48 RBI ▪️ .250/.388/.360 ▪️ 46-of-56 (82.1%) SB ▪️ 94 BB ▪️ 125 K ▪️ .948 FLD%▪️ 2.8 WAR

A year ago, we were not certain where Fauske would play, as a high school catcher announced at the draft as an outfielder-only. That proved to be the case in his first professional season, but what ho, Fauske saw more time in center than right field. And with quicks that saw Jaden snatch 46 bags in 118 games, the youngster might well stick in center.

Kyle Lodise
Shortstop
Age 22
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 24
2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level 0.0 years
Overall 2026 stats 111 games ▪️ 20 HR ▪️ 77 RBI ▪️ .230/.380/.440 ▪️ 42-of-51 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 92 BB ▪️ 141 K ▪️ .957 FLD%▪️ 3.6 WAR

Lodise made a return visit to Winston-Salem in 2026, and his first full professional season went extremely well. With a low average and slug to burn, the shortstop fits right in with the org profile of swinging hard, damn the contact. Thankfully, Lodise is selective enough at the plate to produce astronomical OBPs. And his power bat is showing better than advertised at this point.

Tanner McDougal
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 33
2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking N/R
2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 6
2026 high level Chicago (MLB)
Age relative to high level -6.2 years
Overall 2026 stats (High-A/AAA/MLB) 2-3 ▪️ 27 games (7 starts, 3 finishes) ▪️ 50 IP ▪️ 4.86 ERA ▪️ 53 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.480 WHIP ▪️0.2 WAR

The good news is that McDougal was enough of a core piece to be promoted to Chicago in the second half of 2026. The bad news … well, where to start. McDougal’s presumptive march to the South Side rotation was stopped dead early in the season, when he was sidelined for weeks with forearm tightness. While the injury was thankfully not severe enough to necessitate a second TJS, Tanner was a relief arm for the rest of the season and not a stable one at that. His brief cameo in Chicago saw him rack up one out along with three walks.

Javier Mogollón
Second Baseman
Age 21
2026 high level Winston-Salem (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.0 years
Overall 2026 stats (Low-A/High-A) 91 games ▪️ 14 HR ▪️ 57 RBI ▪️ .262/.368/.448 ▪️ 36-of-44 (81.8%) SB ▪️ 53 BB ▪️ 123 K ▪️ .965 FLD%▪️ 2.5 WAR

The diminutive (5´8´´, 160) infielder wowed in rookie ball and though his climb has slowed, Mogollón has steadily risen up our ranks, from No.62 in our 2024 Top 100 to the cusp of the Top 10 today. That said, he’s seen two straight seasons shortened by hamstring issues. At least in 2026, Mogollón was able to return before season’s end, providing a clutch bat coming that provided a .313/.389/.813 slash and eight RBIs en route to sweeping to a SALLY title.

Cole Prosek
Third Baseman
Age 19
2026 High Level Magnolia Heights (H.S.)
Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 41 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 79 RBI ▪️ .545/.678/1.177 ▪️ 62 R ▪️ 7 SB ▪️ 31 BB ▪️ 12 K

Coming to Chicago as a second-rounder, Prosek seems more highly-regarded by evaluators than the guy picked ahead of him by the White Sox, low first round choice Landon Thome. That’s a curious thing, but Prosek dominated his prep competition even more thoroughly than Thome. Plus, while the White Sox regard Prosek as a second baseman, his prep time was spent significantly at the hot corner, and he has experience behind the plate as well.

David Sandlin
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 26
2026 high level Chicago (MLB)
Age relative to high level -4.2 years
Overall 2026 stats (High-A/AAA/MLB) 7-2 ▪️ 24 games (22 starts) ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 1 SHO ▪️ 109 2/3 IP ▪️ 3.36 ERA ▪️ 115 K ▪️ 48 BB ▪️ 1.231 WHIP ▪️ 1.8 WAR

Sandlin entered the season late to the White Sox organization after coming over from Boston as the “real piece” of the Jordan Hicks deal. And it didn’t end up mattering much that he was perhaps the No. 10 starter in the organization as the balls rolled out for play in March, because Sandlin was the sole reliable starting pitcher to be promoted throughout 2026, and his numbers were scalded a bit (-0.3 WAR) by being the reliever who had to wear it when Will Venable’s gaffe saw Noah Schultz prematurely pulled from a game back on August 7. As much hype as there will be to wedge Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz or Grant Taylor into the 2027 rotation, Sandlin should have the inside track for a spot.

Landon Thome
Shortstop
Age 19
2026 High Level Nazareth Academy (H.S.)
Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 7 HR ▪️ 29 RBI ▪️ .545 AVG ▪️ 49-of-50 (98.0%) SB

How crazy is it to have two high school teammates (Thome and Jaden Fauske) on our first ballot of the voting year … or any ballot, ever? The White Sox were so hot to dip back into Nazareth’s roster that they dealt promising 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh to acquire the draft pick to snag him; clearly the club was not confident Thome would drop into the second round. Unlike his father, Hall-of-Famer and White Sox adviser Jim, Landon is better regarded for his speed and defense than his ability to put the ball over the fence. Slugging will come in time for junior, however.

Joey Volchko
Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 21
2026 high level University of Georgia (NCAA)
Age relative to high level +0.1 years
Overall 2026 stats 11-2 ▪️ 18 starts ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 95 1/3 IP ▪️ 3.68 ERA ▪️ 119 K ▪️ 46 BB ▪️ 1.343 WHIP ▪️ 2.1 WAR

This big-armed righty can touch 100 mph with his fastball, but wildness concerns might have precipitated Volchko’s drop to the White Sox in the third round in spite of MLB ranking him as a second round (68th-best) talent. He’s a big-game pitcher who dragged the Bulldogs to their first College World Series win in 18 years with a complete-game effort over the University of Texas. There’s a chance Volchko ends up as a high-leverage bullpen arm, but he will get every chance to stick as a starter.