Arizona Fall League action is underway, with nine White Sox prospects competing for the Glendale Desert Dogs.
Through the first two weeks of play, the Desert Dogs have a 3-6 record, placing them at the bottom of the AFL standings; however, several of the organization’s top prospects have already made an impact.
This group includes Braden Montgomery, the White Sox’ top-ranked prospect and 35th overall in MLB, as well as Hagen Smith, the organization’s fifth-ranked prospect and 88th overall in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
Smith has tossed six shutout innings across two starts, racking up nine strikeouts and allowing just four hits. However, command issues that have plagued Smith early in his professional career have reared their ugly head once again, with four walks and a hit batter during that stretch.
Montgomery appeared in his first game on Tuesday after suffering a small fracture in his right foot after being hit by a pitch in September. The injury ended his first professional season, which saw the 22-year-old post a .270/.360/.444 slash line with 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases over 121 games between Low-A Kannopolis, High-A Winston Salem, and Double-A Birmingham.
Montgomery didn't miss a beat, connecting for an RBI double in his first at-bat, then drawing a pair of walks in his next two trips to the plate.
The pair is joined by Sam Antonacci, Ryan Galanie, Tyler Davis, Carson Jacobs, Caden Connor, Connor McCullough, and Jarold Rasoado as the White Sox AFL representatives.
Caden Connor and Sam Antonacci have been the biggest standouts at the plate. Antonacci has gone 7-for-31, which includes a home run and two doubles. He’s also walked five times and swiped three bases.
This comes after an encouraging 2025 campaign, where he slashed .291/.433/.409 across three levels. Anotnacci finished the regular season in Double-A Birmingham, where he posted a .819 OPS across 49 games. While it is a small sample size, the home run is notable for a player who hit just five in 116 regular-season games.
Meanwhile, Connor has gone 9-for-25 with nine runs scored and five RBIs while drawing 11 free passes and stealing four bases, making him the most productive White Sox prospect this fall.
The 25-year-old outfielder spent the bulk of the season in Double-A (95 games) before being promoted to Triple-A Charlotte for the final 13 games of the season. In 126 games across three levels, he finished the year hitting .272/.358/.366 with seven homers and 64 RBIs.
There are still four weeks remaining in AFL play before the championship on Nov. 15th.
