White Sox top prospect developing a penchant for hitting homers in bunches
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Caleb Bonemer has showed off his power quite a bit while climbing through the White Sox system, and this season, multihomer games have become something of a trademark.
MLB’s No. 16 prospect went yard twice and plated four runs in Double-A Birmingham’s 7-6 win over Chattanooga on Wednesday night at Regions Field. It was Bonemer’s fourth career multihomer game and his third of this season, headlined by a three-homer night on April 28.
The 20-year-old lofted his 25th homer of the season to left field in the fourth inning off left-hander Nate Peterson (Reds). Bonemer flexed his power again off the southpaw in the sixth, hooking a two-run blast to left. He also logged two consequential walks, one that plated a run in the seventh and an intentional pass in the ninth that set up Alex Briley's walk-off double.
The adjustment to Double-A is sometimes considered the toughest one for up-and-coming players to make, but the top White Sox prospect has shown his ability to impact the baseball with eight homers and a .931 OPS in 31 games. Bonemer has boosted his on-base percentage by 10 points since starting the season at High-A Winston Salem, where he smacked 18 homers in 61 games.
The 2024 second-round pick got off to a strong start in his pro debut last year, utilizing his 55-grade hitting and 55-grade power tools to post a .281/.401/.473 slash line and an .874 OPS between Single-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. This year, though he’s taken both those tools to another level, both literally and figuratively.
In addition to that, Bonemer has also showcased his ability to add pressure on the basepaths with 42 stolen bases in two seasons. That and his arm strength should keep him on the fast track to the South Side. And all the homers won't hurt either.