MLB's No. 27 prospect Bonemer recaps Fall League stint: 'A great three weeks'

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Caleb Bonemer arrived in the Arizona Fall League with clear instructions: pack your outfield glove, and get as much in-game action as you can.

Three weeks into the AFL season, MLB Pipeline’s No. 27 overall prospect is repacking that same glove and headed into the offseason, leaving the desert after 13 games with Glendale. As expected given his offensive reputation, the right-handed slugger exits the Fall League as its co-leader in extra-base hits (nine) and ranking second in total bases (31). He finishes with a .286/.364/.633 line and three homers over 55 plate appearances.

But most importantly of those 13 games, 12 came on the grass: eight in center field, three in left (including his finale on Saturday) and one in right.

“The main reason coming out here -- getting some outfield reps, playing some center -- I definitely got a lot of good work out there,” said Bonemer, who also started nine games in center for Double-A Birmingham during the regular season. “A lot of in-game reps, which was good, and then obviously getting a few [at-bats] here as well. Overall, I think it was a great three weeks. I'm very pleased with it.”

Drafted in the second round of the 2024 Draft out of a Michigan high school, Bonemer got the lion’s share of looks at shortstop during his first full season at Single-A Kannapolis last year but started to get most of his reps at third base following a late promotion to High-A Winston-Salem. He prioritized the hot corner again with his return to the Dash in ‘26 and after a move to Double-A Birmingham in mid-June.

By late August, the White Sox made public their intentions to move Bonemer to center, first in the Southern League and eventually the AFL. The move came because of a crowded group on the dirt, both in the Majors (Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth) and the Minors (Roch Cholowsky, Billy Carlson to name two other Top 100 prospects).

As one might expect, Bonemer’s reads and routes will be an area of focus beyond the desert.

His lone AFL error was in the first game of the Fall League season on Oct. 3 when he came in initially on a ball hit to center, only to drop back soon after and miss the catch in left-center. But 16 days later, he also had a miscue when he lost a Kyle DeBarge (Twins) flyball to center in the sun while sprinting back from the shallow position necessitated by the AFL’s defensive rules in Salt River.

It’s all part of the process, as is getting exposure for Bonemer to both of the corners.

“There’s different things at different spots, but I played more center during the season in Double-A, so I was a little bit more comfortable there,” Bonemer said. “But playing the corners, I got to deal with different spin on the ball and stuff like that. Overall, I think I felt pretty comfortable.”

Bonemer has significant strength in his right-handed swing and often hits the ball in the air, a good combination to get his power to play in games. It certainly did in 2026 as he clubbed 37 homers between High-A and Double-A, up from 12 in ‘25. It showed up in the AFL too, where he had a 50 percent hard-hit rate and a max exit velocity of 111.9 mph -- a mark achieved on Oct. 16 -- 11 days after his 21st birthday.

What’s more promising is that Bonemer’s contact rate has slowly improved at each passing level in ‘26 from 67.8 percent at High-A to 73.6 percent at Double-A to 77.3 percent in the AFL.

“I was definitely really cheating a lot, cheating to certain pitches,” Bonemer said. “I think as I moved into Double-A and guys started mixing and matching different stuff, I had to kind of know how to pick my spots and know how they were attacking me. Think along with the game, pretty much.”

Bonemer heads into his third professional offseason hoping to build on that offensive trendline ahead of a possible 2027 MLB debut, now that he’s pushing his way into Chicago’s future (and even current) plans. He’ll also try to stay creative in ways to keep that outfield glove fresh throughout the winter.

“We'll try to figure that out,” he said. “But luckily I have some good people I can work with. Soon we'll just head out to the field, maybe set up a machine, just start ripping some balls.”