This Chicago White Sox top 30 prospect is silently making a name for himself

Outside the big names, the White Sox have a few prospects playing at the lower levels that will soon become household names. That includes Sam Antonacci, the White Sox’s No. 27th overall prospect, who has been lighting it up this season at High A+ and rookie ball.

Through 40 games between Winston-Salem and rookie ball, the 22-year-old has shown the ability to hit, by slashing .331/.473/.538 for an OPS over 1.000, which stands at 1.011. Antonacci is not known for his power, having a grade of 30/80, but he has a nice distribution of his hits, with 12 doubles, three triples, and four home runs this season.

Even better, the former fifth-round pick from last season has taken a page from Chase Meidroth’s book, as he has close to a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, with 28 walks to 29 strikeouts in 145 at-bats (188 plate appearances). The former Coastal Carolina University product had his power on full display in yesterday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays’ Single-A affiliate, the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

Antonacci led off the game with a home run, which led to Jeral Perez and Montgomery following with solo shots of their own, which led to the Dash going back-to-back-to-back. Antonacci’s home run marked his first hit in his first game since being activated from the injured list.

“Coming. In. Hot.”

A future building block for the rebuild?

Antonacci’s success further adds to the hope that these prospects bring and how the White Sox can be competitive in the next few seasons. Thanks to the news that Justin Ishbia will begin to take over and infuse some capital into the team, that’s what it could take to be competitive again.

At 22, Sam Antonacci is a bit old for the lower levels of the minors, but it’s a good sign to see, and a promotion to a higher level could be in order. With the White Sox needing infielders for the future, Antonacci could become a valuable depth piece once he becomes big league ready.