Minor League Baseball

Chicago White Sox Have a New No. 1 Prospect, Based on Revised Rankings of MLB Expert

The Athletic's Keith Law named fast-rising outfielder Braden Montgomery as the top Chicago minor leaguer.
Jami Leabow|
Apr 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Staduim signage is seen outside in a general view prior to a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox at Rate Field.
Apr 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Staduim signage is seen outside in a general view prior to a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox at Rate Field. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

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Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox farm system has a new top prospect, according to Keith Law, a former major league front-office staff member and now a senior writer at The Athletic.

On Thursday, Law reordered his Top 50 prospects in baseball, based on what he has seen in the first two months of the season and with two rules: the player must currently be playing in the minor leagues (injured list OK) and must not have exhausted his eligibility for Rookie of the Year consideration.

That eliminates Chase Meidroth from the White Sox list, for instance.

Shooting up to the top of the Chicago prospect ranking was outfielder Braden Montgomery, currently at High-A Winston-Salem and sitting at No. 20 on Law’s list. He had the 22-year-old ranked No. 38 in the preseason.

Here’s what Law had to say about Montgomery:

“There’s been a lot of good news on the hitting side for the White Sox’s farm system this year, and Montgomery’s pro debut might head the list. Acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade, Montgomery didn’t play after the draft last year due to a broken ankle, so the White Sox started him in Low A, where he did what an SEC product should do at that level by hitting .304/.393/.493. They moved him up to High A and he has continued to hit (.295/.388/.534 through Sunday), with a strikeout rate under 20 percent. He’s played more center than right, although I think in the long run he’ll end up in the corner spot. He was No. 4 on my draft rankings last year, and so far he’s living up to that potential.”

Other White Sox prospects on Law’s list: catcher Kyle Teel at No. 24 (No. 37 preseason) and left-hander Noah Schultz at No. 30 (No. 20 preseason).

Out of the Top 50 was left-hander Hagen Smith because of what Law called “real concerns about his control, 18.7 percent walk rate this year.”

The good news is the White Sox have genuine prospects in their system, no matter what number is assigned to them – essential as they continue their rebuild.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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