Among the Knights (81-68), Barons (61-77), Dash (73-58) and Cannon Ballers (71-61), this was a solid year for White Sox affiliates. On top of the combined regular season record of 286-264 (.520), the Dash won the South Atlantic League Championship, marking the third consecutive year of a White Sox affiliate winning a title, joining the 2024 and 2025 Barons.
Let’s take a look at the players who performed well enough to earn spots on our Minor League All-Star team. The criteria were the number of weekly
and monthly awards earned by each player. Each Player of the Week award was worth one point, while each Player of the Month award was worth four points.
Catcher Boston Smith, 23, claimed the top spot in the organization with 13 award points in little more than half a season, putting together a monster offensive year across multiple levels before his departure from the system. Across his 79 games with White Sox affiliates (Kannapolis, Winston-Salem and Birmingham), Smith slashed .291/.445/.596 with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs. He captured Player of the Month honors at three different stops, including a dominant stint for Winston-Salem (.288/.449/.595, 166 wRC+) and Birmingham (.306/.485/.667, 197 wRC+), alongside a Dash Player of the Week award in mid-May. Smith was traded to the Mariners along with Seranthony Domínguez, Nolan Jones, and cash on August 2 as part of the package that brought pitcher Luis Castillo to Chicago. The White Sox probably have some regrets about dealing away such a productive young bat, especially after how Castillo has performed since the trade. Hopefully, Castillo can turn it around and justify the return. While Smith is in Seattle’s organization, his early dominance left a sizable imprint on the South Siders’ farm system.
Outfielder Samuel Zavala, 22, finished second in the organization with 11 award points, providing a massive spark down the stretch for Birmingham. Zavala spent his entire minor league season in Double-A, posting a .235/.390/.389 (118 wRC+) line with 14 home runs, 44 RBIs and elite patience at the plate (94 walks in 118 games). After struggling in May and June, Zavala picked up the pace, capturing back-to-back Baron of the Month awards in August and September while adding three Player of the Week honors throughout the year. His late-season surge saw him post a 1.045 OPS in August and an even better 1.147 OPS in September.
There is a two-way tie for third place with 10 award points apiece. Shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, 24, delivered a standout performance in Charlotte, slashing .317/.385/.648 (171 wRC+) with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs in 53 Triple-A games. He took home March-April Player of the Month honors before capturing the award again in May, alongside two weekly awards in May. Gonzalez was promoted to the White Sox at the end of May, then was traded to the Pirates in July (along with reliever Brandon Eisert) in exchange for relief prospect Jaden Woods and the 34th overall draft pick in 2026, which the White Sox used on Landon Thome. Although Gonzalez is no longer in the White Sox organization, his hot start in Triple-A was a driving force for Charlotte’s early success.
First baseman Ryan Galanie, 26, matched Gonzalez with 10 points after putting up huge numbers on the farm. Across 118 games with Birmingham and Charlotte, Galanie slashed .277/.348/.499 (111 wRC+) with 20 home runs and 71 RBIs, headlined by his stint with the Knights where he posted a .283/.343/.516 line. Galanie earned consecutive Player of the Month honors with Charlotte in June and July, in addition to collecting two Player of the Week awards.
Three players share fifth place with nine award points each. First baseman Anthony DePino, 23, enjoyed a dominant summer across High-A and Double-A, finishing with a .262/.363/.481 (123 wRC+) line, 25 home runs and 82 RBIs in 125 games. He broke out early with Winston-Salem (.265/.380/.479) and claimed back-to-back Baron of the Month honors in May and June as well as a weekly award in June.
Infielder Colby Shelton, 23, picked up nine points across two levels, slashing .244/.338/.488 (114 wRC+) with 24 homers and 82 RBIs on the year. Shelton started with a Winston-Salem Player of the Month selection in April, where he dominated High-A pitching, posting a .339/.464/.661 line (184 wRC+) and going on a tear with five Player of the Week awards split between the Dash and Barons. Early on, Shelton and Bonemer dominated Dash of the Week awards before being promoted. Shelton cooled off after being promoted to Birmingham. However, Shelton picked up the pace down the stretch, and there is no doubt that his performance went a long way for the Dash early on.
Pitcher Max Banks, 23, rounded out the fifth-place group with nine points, logging a 3.41 ERA across 103 innings pitched between Kannapolis and Winston-Salem. Banks was nearly unhittable with the Cannon Ballers, delivering a 1.84 ERA in 58 2/3 innings for Kannapolis to take home back-to-back Cannon Ballers Player of the Month honors in April and May along with a weekly award in May. Given Banks’ strong performance with Kannapolis, it is no surprise that Minor League Baseball announced that he made the Carolina League All-Star team. Banks was one of two White Sox prospects to earn an All-Star nod from Minor League Baseball, with Triple-A awards yet to be announced.
Outfielder Braden Montgomery, 23, sits alone in eighth place with six award points. Montgomery anchored the Birmingham outfield early on, earning Baron of the Month in April before picking up weekly awards with Birmingham and Charlotte. In 56 minor league games between Birmingham (.313/.429/.606, 166 wRC+) and Charlotte (.315/.417/.495, 134 wRC+), Montgomery crushed pitching to the tune of a .314/.422/.548 slash line with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. That performance earned him a call-up to the majors, where he made his major league debut on June 9 and hit a walk-off home run to beat Atlanta, in one of the most memorable games of the season. In 86 games with Chicago, Montgomery has posted a .212/.305/.341 (85 wRC+) line with six homers and 38 RBIs while serving as the starting right fielder.
A six-way tie for ninth place features players who all reached five award points. Infielder Caleb Bonemer, 20 (MLB’s No. 2 White Sox prospect and No. 27 overall prospect), collected five Player of the Week awards between Winston-Salem and Birmingham. Bonemer put on a fireworks display across High-A and Double-A, posting an overall .251/.380/.550 line with 37 home runs and 92 RBIs in 132 games, including excellent stops in Winston-Salem (.238/.381/.556, 139 wRC+) in 61 games and Birmingham (.261/.379/.545, 140 wRC+) in 71 games. Minor League Baseball announced that Bonemer earned an All-Star nod for his time in the South Atlantic League with the Dash. It is worth noting that Bonemer’s numbers were almost equally as excellent, even at the higher level, as he showed no signs of slowing down.
Third baseman Efren Teran, 19, earned August Player of the Month honors in Kannapolis while adding a weekly award. In 73 games with the Cannon Ballers, Teran posted a .274/.356/.311 line, as power is not a big part of his game, but he found other ways to provide value.
Outfielder Jaden Fauske, 19, matched Teran’s path in Kannapolis, earning Player of the Month in July and adding a weekly nod while putting together a .250/.388/.360 line in 118 games with Kannapolis. Additionally, Fauske swiped 46 bases in 56 attempts (82.1%). Both Fauske and 2026 White Sox draftee Landon Thome were teammates Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois.
Shortstop Kyle Lodise, 22, was a vital part of Winston-Salem’s infield, becoming Dash Player of the Month in August and adding a weekly award in June as he slashed .230/.380/.440 (118 wRC+) with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs in 111 games. Lodise added 42 stolen bases in 51 attempts (82.1%), as he was also a serious threat after reaching base.
Shortstop Ryan Burrowes, 22, also shined for the Dash, taking home July Player of the Month honors along with a weekly award. Burrowes slashed .261/.379/.421 in 88 games with the Dash before earning a promotion to Birmingham. Across the two levels, Burrowes was 45-for-56 in stolen bases (80.3%).
First baseman Tim Elko, 27, wrapped up the five-point tier by earning Charlotte’s Player of the Month in September and adding a weekly award that same month after finishing his year with a .949 September OPS. Across 39 overall games, Elko slashed .224/.300/.403 with six home runs and 17 RBIs, including a .237/.313/.430 line in 34 games with Triple-A Charlotte. Elko returned in July from a torn ACL that he suffered last season, getting off to a slow start but accelerating down the stretch.
Rounding out the list is a three-way tie for 15th place with four award points each, all earned via Player of the Month honors. Pitcher Blaine Wynk, 23, claimed the award for Kannapolis in June after posting a strong 2.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP across 70 1/3 innings between Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, including a 2.71 ERA in 66 1/3 innings with the Cannon Ballers.
Utility player Riley Unroe, who played mostly second and third base for the Knights, captured the monthly honor for Charlotte in August. Across 90 minor league games Unroe, 31, slashed .214/.347/.421 with 14 home runs, but he erupted in Triple-A Charlotte where he posted a .241/.384/.571 line (.955 OPS) with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs in 45 games. Most of Unroe’s production took place after the Astros released him and the White Sox snapped him up.
Pitcher Grant Umberger, 24, earned Dash Player of the Month in September. Umberger put together a workhorse regular season for Winston-Salem by pitching 120 2/3 innings and picking up 108 strikeouts. Although Umberger had a 4.70 ERA and a 4.88 FIP in the regular season, he elevated his game to an entirely new level when it mattered most: Umberger completely shut down opposing hitters in the postseason with a microscopic 0.64 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 14 playoff innings to spearhead Winston-Salem’s South Atlantic League championship run. It is also worth noting that Umberger posted a 2.84 ERA in August and September prior to the postseason, so he was effective down the stretch of the regular season, too.
Here are your 2026 White Sox Minor League All-Stars, sorted by award points.
