White Sox land 5 Top 100 prospects, led by Braden Montgomery

1:59 AM UTC

CHICAGO – The White Sox roster features several young players who already graduated from MLB Pipeline’s top prospect list to the Majors.

There’s Colson Montgomery at shortstop with his 21 home runs over 71 big league games during his 2025 season debut. There are catcher Kyle Teel and Edgard Quero, providing their athleticism and acumen behind the plate, and the gritty talent of Chase Meidroth across the infield. Let’s not forget Grant Taylor with his high-octane repertoire in the bullpen.

But based on Pipeline’s latest Top 100, released Friday night, there’s more on the way within the rebuilding White Sox. The South Siders featured five players in this latest Top 100 update, placing them tied with the Dodgers, Marlins, Pirates and Cardinals for fourth.

Seattle leads the way with seven in the Top 100, while the Mets and Guardians have six apiece. The White Sox also have 214 prospect points, putting them in a tie for eighth with the Red Sox and trailing the Mariners’ 365 points at No. 1.

Outfielder is the highest rated White Sox prospect at No. 36. The switch-hitter was acquired from Boston as part of the four-player return in the Garrett Crochet deal including Meidroth, Teel and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez.

White Sox general manager Chris Getz reiterated during a Wednesday Zoom how he wants the 22-year-old Montgomery to compete for a job during Spring Training. But again, it’s not about Montgomery making the Opening Day roster in the bigger picture.

“At some point he could come into the mix. We are open-minded, we always are with young players,” Getz said. “But I just want him to go out and focus and be the best player he can be. It’s really about the long term for Braden Montgomery and the White Sox.

“With players like Braden, obviously super talented, high engine type athlete that can play all three outfield spots. He has power from both sides. He’s only continuing to get better. He’s shown that. Once he got up to Double-A [in ’25] and finished in the AFL, it was really trending in the good direction.”

Left-hander follows Montgomery at No. 49, with shortstop checking in at No. 61. Bonemer, who turned 20 on Oct. 5, earned the ’25 Carolina League Most Valuable Player award.

, a left-handed hurler, and shortstop round out the White Sox five at No. 72 and No. 73, respectively. Carlson was the 10th selection overall in the ’25 Draft, and at 19, is considered one of the top infield prospects defensively.

Carlson recently talked to MLB.com about what makes a solid defensive infield presence.

“Sometimes being an infielder, stuff can get in your head,” Carlson said. “You kind of have the right mechanics and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, you have to let your instincts take over and just trust it.

“That’s how I go out there and play. I play real loose and free out at shortstop and just making sure I’m trusting my instincts.”

When asked if he’s as good of a defensive shortstop as people say, Carlson said, “I'd like to think so, for sure.”

“I think that’s half the battle,” Carlson said. “Knowing you belong, and you are there for a reason.”

These players will have a chance to continue learning and developing together with Spring Training only a few weeks away. White Sox pitchers and catchers report to big league camp at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 10.

“I’m excited,” Carlson said. “I’m excited to learn from some of the big leaguers who will be down here. I’m the kind of guy that asks a bunch of questions, trying to pick these guys’ brains. They have done it.”

“There’s just genuine excitement about everything that has been happening,” said White Sox manager Will Venable with an organizational view beyond prospects. “That’s happened and manifested in a lot of different ways from Day 1 here. The guys that we have, the guys that we’ve added, the progress that we’ve made with our infrastructure. The things we’ve been able to do on a big scale, on a small scale, all really good things that are exciting."