At this point in the White Sox rebuild, the main concern for general manager Chris Getz should be to acquire and develop as much young talent as possible. So far, Getz has done a solid job on the acquisition front, as the White Sox currently have six top-60 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Now, the next step is the most important, as the White Sox need to make sure that these players pan out to be good major leaguers.
2025 will be a big year for development, as the White Sox could have three or four of the top-60 prospects make their debut at some point. That is important on many levels, as it will be good to get them low pressure major league experience, but it can also help the organization in another way.
In the last few years, Major League Baseball has implemented a Prospect Promotion Incentive program, which rewards teams with an extra first round pick at the end of the first round if one of their top prospects wins the Rookie of the Year Award.
According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, there are a few requirements that a player must meet to earn their team an extra first round pick.
First, the player must be ranked as a top 100 prospect on two out of the three main prospect lists: ESPN, Baseball America, and MLB Pipeline. Second, the player must spend 172 days on the major league active roster, and lastly the player must win the Rookie of the Year award or finish in the top three for MVP or Cy Young.
This is an interesting system that the MLB has implemented, and it rewards teams who can successfully develop their draft picks, something that the White Sox haven’t had a track record of. However, the White Sox will likely have three players that could net them an extra first round pick.
As of right now, Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Edgar Quero would all meet the requirements to potentially net the White Sox another first round pick if they were to win the Rookie of the Year award. Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz would also be eligible, but the chances they spend the required amount of days on the roster are very low.
The White Sox will have three solid chances to get an extra first round pick, as Teel, Montgomery, and Quero could all have good rookie seasons, potentially giving them a chance to win the Rookie of the Year award. They may have some competition, as Boston will also have a trio of prospects coming up that could give them a run for their money, such as Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell.
If one of the White Sox three win the award, the first round pick would be granted in 2026, as the pick is based on the 2025 season award winners. While that is a ways away, Chris Getz should be chomping at the bit to continue to add elite prospects to their farm system. If the White Sox play their cards right, they could have a winner in 2025, and if Noah Schultz comes up and dominates in 2026, they could get an extra first round pick in 2027.
Regardless of the pick, it will be nice to see how the trio of young hitters develop with the White Sox this year and getting an extra first round pick for their success would be the cherry on top.
