White Sox Prospect Sam Antonacci Eyes Big Future After First Full Professional Season

One can point to several aspects of Sam Antonacci's game and find promise in the 22-year-old White Sox prospect.

From his .842 OPS across two levels in 2025 to his versatile defense, .291 batting average, 48 stolen bases and balanced strikeout-to-walk ratio, he put together a well-rounded first full season as a professional.

But for Antonacci, it's more about progressing toward his ultimate goal than his individual numbers this year.

"There’s a lot I still need to work on to get to where I want to be. But, it was a good season to lay the foundation," Antonacci said. "Just continue to be a good teammate and play the game the right way. That’s what I’m most proud about and not really any of the analytical stuff."

"At the end of the day, just be a winner and with that mindset it hopefully gives off that type of vibe between teammates and coaches that they want to win each and every day. Laid a good foundation to where I want to be, which is hopefully a Major-League All-Star one day and bring a championship to Chicago. There’s a lot I’ve got to work on to get to that point. I’m ready to get after it."

That winning mentality showed up as Antonacci helped Double-A Birmingham win its second straight Southern League Championship. Birmingham manager Guillermo Quiroz called Antonacci a grinder and a competitor, and said that in a perfect world, he'd have six Sam Antonacci's in the lineup.

"It's a guy with high baseball IQ, plays the game hard, always trying to take that extra base," Quiroz said. "He plays hard, he'll stay in there to get hit by pitches if needed, bases loaded, game situation. He's just one of those guys. It's just a pleasure to watch him out there, go out there and compete and be so hard-nosed and invested in what he does."

Antonacci now begins Arizona Fall League play on Tuesday with the Glendale Desert Dogs, where he'll team up with fellow White Sox prospects Hagen Smith, Braden Montgomery, Ryan Galanie, Tyler Davis, Carson Jacobs, Caden Connor, Connor McCullough and Jarold Rosado.

They're scheduled for 30 regular season games, a three-day playoff format concluding on Nov. 15, and a potential appearance in the All-Star game or home run derby. After playing all four infield positions and designated hitter in 2025, Antonacci is open to contributing at whichever position necessary –– even catcher.

Regardless of his position, he's looking forward to playing more baseball in even better weather, while keeping his long-term plans in mind.

"At the end of the day, I don’t want to be known as someone who played in the Arizona Fall League," Antonacci said. "I want to be known as an All-Star and a World Series champion. Just continue to get better."

Despite being a fifth-round pick in 2024 out of Coastal Carolina, Antonacci flew somewhat under the radar in 2025. Going into the season, FanGraphs had Antonacci outside the White Sox top-40 prospect list.

But by the end of the year, he moved all the way up to No. 11 in the MLB Pipeline rankings, establishing himself among the organization's fastest-rising prospects in 2025 with a .291/.433/.409/.842 slash line.

Antonacci takes pride in contributing in a variety of ways and works on all aspects of his game on a day-to-day basis. While he acknowledged there's not one skill that stands far above his peers, he considers himself a five-tool player.

He was even hit by pitch 35 times in 2025, second-most among all Minor League Baseball players.

"I like to take pride in little things like that, just staying in the box," Antonacci said. "There’s a little bit of art to it. At the end of the day, anyone can do it. I give a lot of gratitude towards Coastal Carolina, which if you get out of the way there, it’s a little scary because you’re getting yelled at. They taught us well, taught us how to do it the proper way."

"Just goes back to being selfless, wanting to get on base for your team. The way I look at it is if you’re in an 0-2 count and they throw a curveball at your feet and you’re getting out of the way, that shows me you don’t really want to win too much. Just staying in there, especially in two-strike counts when the odds are against your favor. You look at the statistics with two strikes, it’s really hard to get on base. Just finding whichever way you can and keep the train moving."

Perhaps the biggest room for growth in Antonacci's game is in the power department. He finished the year with just five home runs, four of which came in 64 games in High-A and just one occurring in his final 49 games after being promoted to Double-A.

Antonacci said he wasn't a fan of his results as he got tired toward the end of the season, so preparing his body to sustain a full season is among his top priorities this offseason. While in Arizona, he's also focused on ways he can create more bat speed and higher exit velocities, which in turn would translate to more home runs.

There's a balance to doing so, as he recognized his swing can get too big when he's intentionally seeking home runs. Antonacci also feels he has room to grow and put on more strength, which could aid his power, too.

Those steps are all part of his big-picture aspirations to have a successful MLB career, something he didn't realize was attainable when he had to go the Junior College route out of high school. But after making progress at Coastal Carolina and in the early stages of his pro career, it's all there for the taking.

"It’s exciting because I know what I need to get to where I want to be," Antonacci said. "It’s just a matter of work and time and effort I have to put in. Just excited to see how it all plays out."