DirtySox Posted December 8 Share Posted December 8 (edited) Baseball America has updated the White Sox top ten for 2026. List below. Quote 1.) Noah Schultz 2.) Caleb Bonemer 3.) Braden Montgomery 4.) Hagen Smith 5.) Billy Carlson 6.) Tanner McDougal 7.) Jaden Fauske 8.) Christian Oppor 9.) Sam Antonacci 10.) Kyle Lodise https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2027-chicago-white-sox/prospects/?season=2026&ranking=preseason Edited December 8 by DirtySox 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2Jimmy0 Posted December 8 Share Posted December 8 That Christian Oppor write-up is very promising. He'll be a top 100 prospect by midseason. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted December 8 Author Share Posted December 8 (edited) Quote Christian Oppor - LHP Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 175 | B-T: L-L Age: 21 BA Grade/Risk: 50/High Adjusted Grade: 35 Track Record: Oppor took a leap forward in his development in 2025, his third pro season after being drafted in the fifth round out of Gulf Coast State College, a junior college program. The Wisconsin native spent two seasons in the Arizona Complex League before excelling in his first trip to full-season ball in 2025, which he split between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. His strikeout rate increased from 27.1% in 2024 to 31.7% in 2025, while his walk rate dropped from 16.5% to 11.5%. Scouting Report: Oppor’s stuff has been referred to as “electric.” He increased his fastball velocity by a few ticks in 2025, while flashing an improved slider, and is now credited as having the best changeup in the White Sox’s system. Oppor’s four-seam fastball averages 95 mph and touches 100, playing up as he combines velocity with life and extension. His 80 mph sweepier slider with good horizontal shape flashes above-average when he lands it. Batters swing and miss when he gets it in the zone, but he needs to improve the 32% in-zone percentage. Oppor’s 80 mph changeup, which he uses more often than his slider, took a jump forward in 2025 with better vertical separation from his fastball. He gets swings and misses with that pitch, landing it in the zone more than 50% of the time. A key factor in Oppor’s step forward was gaining better control, with more improvement still ahead. His low three-quarters arm slot provides deception, but he needs to get better at repeating it. The Future: Oppor projects as a potential midrotation starter with further improvements to his control and added strength to his lean frame. After a successful growth season at both Class A levels, he should be ready for an assignment to Double-A Birmingham in 2026. Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 Edited December 8 by DirtySox 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted December 8 Share Posted December 8 What is adjusted grade? Saw this the other day and it seems like a new metric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted December 8 Author Share Posted December 8 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said: What is adjusted grade? Saw this the other day and it seems like a new metric. Quote Internally, we have always fused the BA Grade and risk together into what we call an adjusted grade. For the first time, we are printing those adjusted BA Grades to provide maximum transparency. Here’s how it affects BA Grades: Low: No penalty Mild: –5 points Average: –10 points High: –15 points Extreme: –20 points Adjusted grades are designed to capture how different player types with varying levels of experience can line up on an ordinal ranking. A 40/Low, for example, carries the same adjusted grade of 40 as a 45/Mild or a 50/Average or a 55/High or a 60/Extreme. For those teams that chase upside and are tolerant of risk, a 60/Extreme prospect ranked four spots behind a 50/Average player may be preferable. For those who don’t want to be burned by the siren song of potential, the 45/Mild prospect may appear to be the better bet. Top 100 Prospects can be counted on to carry an adjusted BA Grade of 45 or better (e.g. 50/Mild, 55/Average or 60/High). Conversely, a farm system full of players with an adjusted grade of 35 or lower is either full of unproven, faraway prospects or low-ceiling role players—or some mixture of the two. This is a big adjustment for BA, and it doesn’t come without some concern about changing a system that we have maintained for more than a decade. Its roots trace back to the days when Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Nolan Arenado were still prospects. But we don’t want to let a reverence for history or tradition prevent us from improving something that can be made better. We always want to be striving to improve, and we hope this takes us forward. Edited December 8 by DirtySox 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrockway Posted Wednesday at 12:47 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 12:47 AM I think everyone in the top 10 will be a real impact MLB player. Cool that they put some respeck on Bonemer's name, that guy is so good. Hagen vs Carlson is interesting. Is that due to Hagen's strong AFL performance/end of season or are they docking Billy a little bit? I think Oppor and Antonacci could both rise up the ranks. Oppor seems like a surefire top 100 prospect, I almost like him better than our other lefty prospects, but I think Antonacci could be there too. OBP machine, I think he has a little more power in his game than he's shown. Not like 20+ homers, but maybe he could hit 10 next season and 30ish doubles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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