White Sox Prospects Participate In Fall Stars Game

Smith took the ball second for the AL Fall Stars team. He got into early trouble, walking the first batter on seven pitches and giving up a line-drive single on a fastball over the heart of the plate. But Smith showed strong resilience, retiring the next three batters to escape the jam.

For the first out, he got ahead with two fastballs for strikes, then induced a ground out with his slider. Smith's slider was especially effective in the next at-bat, landing it at the bottom of the zone for all three strikes. He struck out the inning's fifth batter on three pitches, getting two whiffs with his fastball and a foul-tip strikeout with a low slider.

In one inning of work, Smith threw 25 pitches and 16 for strikes. He allowed a single and a walk, but held the NL Fall Stars team scoreless with two strikeouts. The lefty threw a two-pitch mix with a fastball that topped out at 97.7 mph and a slider that sat between 82-86 mph.

Prior to the Fall Stars game, Smith had made five starts in the AFL, pitching 14 innings with seven hits, four earned runs, one home run, two hit by pitch, six walks, 21 strikeouts, a 2.57 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a .143 batting average against. The 2024 first-round pick is ranked No. 5 among White Sox prospects and No. 88 overall, per MLB Pipeline.

Sam Antonacci

Antonacci hit seventh and played second base in the AL starting lineup. In his first at-bat, he grounded out at 91 mph on a 1-2 changeup below the zone, and he was hit by pitch in his second at-bat.

Antonacci helped the AL extend their lead in the fifth inning, as he walked with the bases loaded to bring home a run. And after a comeback by the NL to tie the game, Antonacci hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the ninth to give the AL a 5-4 victory. In that at-bat, he connected with a 3-2 fastball on the low and inside corner, and drove it 91.4 mph to left field to score a run.

It's been an impressive AFL showing for Antonacci, and not just because of Sunday's game-winner. In 71 at-bats, he's slashing .394/.511/.563/1.074 with three home runs, three doubles, 14 RBIs, 23 runs, 14 walks, 10 strikeouts and 11 stolen bases.

Among all AFL hitters, he ranks third in batting average, seventh in on-base percentage, 12th in slugging percentage and eighth in OPS. Antonacci is ranked No. 11 among White Sox prospects by MLB Pipeline, but his strong 2025 season and AFL performance could lead to a jump when new rankings are released.

Braden Montgomery

While Smith and Antonacci made the Fall Stars roster after the initial voting process, Montgomery was a late addition as the winner of the final vote. He missed the first half of AFL play as he recovered from a fractured foot, but he's made an immediate impact since returning to action.

Sunday night, Montgomery started in center field and hit second for the AL Fall Stars. After falling behind 0-2 in his first at-bat, he took four straight balls for a walk. Montgomery connected with a slider on the low and outside corner in his next at-bat –– making solid contact with a 98.7 mph exit velocity –– but it was caught for a 379-foot fly out.

He led off the fifth inning with a four-pitch walk, and came into score on Antonacci's walk. That sparked a two-run inning that saw the AL take a 4-1 lead. After two walks, a fly out and one run scored, he was replaced as part of a slew of substitutions in the sixth.

In 11 AFL games prior to Sunday night, Montgomery slashed .351/.529/.595/1.124 with one home run, four doubles, one triple, 10 RBIs, 10 runs, 13 walks, 12 strikeouts and three stolen bases. He's ranked No. 1 among White Sox prospects and No. 35 overall, per MLB Pipeline.

Here's the rest of the 2025 Arizona Fall League schedule.