Editor’s Note: During SoxFest Live 2026, the Sox On 35th crew had the chance to interview several members of the White Sox organization as part of a Podcasters’ Row event. This is one story based on their conversations at the event.
If you follow prospect rankings closely, you’ve probably noticed Sam Antonacci’s name popping up more and more.
If you don’t, he probably prefers it that way.
When asked to describe his own game, Antonacci didn’t reach for buzzwords, tools, or projections. He didn’t mention exit velocity, launch angle, or anything you’d typically see in a scouting report.
Instead, he went in the opposite direction.
“I’m a pretty boring ballplayer, to be honest,” Antonacci said with a laugh at SoxFest Live. “Not gonna knock your socks off or anything. But kind of gritty, bat-to-ball skills, doing anything I can to help the team win. You just kind of have to see it in the game.”
That answer tells you almost everything you need to know about him.
The path that shaped him
Antonacci’s journey to becoming one of the more quietly intriguing young players in the White Sox system didn’t start with hype. It didn’t start with a Power Five program or first-round expectations.
It started at junior college.
After high school, he wasn’t physically ready for Division I baseball. So he took the route many players overlook, one that continues to produce big leaguers.
“Coming out of high school, I was really small and not as athletic as I’ve become,” he said. “Physically, I wasn’t fit to be a Division I player. So taking those two years at JUCO and believing in myself… I feel like that benefited me most and helped me get to where I am today.”
At Heartland Community College, a place where all of your teammates are grinding together to receive another opportunity after two years, everything for Antonacci was about the next step.
“Yeah, definitely. No one has ever described it like that, so I appreciate that,” he said, when we asked about the JUCO mindset of shooting for that next opportunity. “That’s why those were the best two years of my life; no one really cares about their stats. They’re all looking to play at the next level and to go compete for a national championship. We were fortunate enough to do that there, so it was the most fun time of my life, and I talk to pretty much every guy still today.”
That mindset stuck, and it’s led to the skill set that’s starting to turn heads. Antonacci might call himself “boring,” but evaluators across the industry have noticed something else: production. Strong on-base skills. Contact ability. Plate discipline. A willingness to grind out at-bats.
And yes, a knack for getting hit by pitches at an almost absurd rate. It’s not luck. It’s a strategy.
“It’s definitely not luck… it’s a little bit of a strategy,” he said. “ I gotta give a lot of credit to Coach [Gary] Gilmore, Coach [Kevin] Schnall, all of them at Coastal Carolina. They kind of shape that mindset of getting on base anyway you can, and they take pride in those hit by pitches down there… Well, taking pride and also being afraid of getting yelled at if you get out of the way of a hit by pitch. Someone’s gonna be in your ear. But out there in Conway, we practice those things.”
That approach is in part what helped him climb three levels in two years and continue to trend upward on prospect lists from outlets like FanGraphs, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus.
And while he may know the numbers or see the prospect rankings, he doesn’t live in them.
“I’m not really thinking about having a chip on my shoulder, especially with all this stuff being kind of new to me. In my head, I’m always that little skinny JUCO player that’s scrappy and trying to fight the odds. So it’s just confidence and the mindset of trying to be the best player on the field. The number, the prospect ranking by your name, doesn’t determine getting a 100 mph fastball in front of 40,000 in Game 7 of the World Series. It’s just a number at the end of the day.”
It’s a grounded perspective, especially for a player whose rise has accelerated quickly. And it’s a sentiment that John Schriffen echoed in his interview with us: this young system doesn’t care about the outside noise.
“There are a lot of guys here, especially from the minor leagues, that couldn’t care less about that,” Antonacci continued. “We’re just here to win … especially at the big league level, there’s so much young talent that hasn’t kind of established themselves yet. Hopefully I’ll get to play with these guys for a long time.”
Playing with an edge
Antonacci might not be flashy, but he’s not passive either.
That became clear last season when a routine pickoff attempt turned into a benches-clearing moment on April 9, 2025, in a game between the Dash and Grasshoppers. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Grasshoppers’ pitcher attempted to pick off Antonacci at first base. Somehow, Antonacci offended first baseman Maikol Escotto, and the two had words. Eventually, Escotto took a swing at Antonacci, and the benches cleared. It’s not clear what offended Escotto.
Antonacci’s reaction? Calm, but competitive.
“It was gonna be another day at the office, and it turned into a little bit more,” he said. “I apologized to him. At the end of the day, he’s competing, I’m competing. A little stuff was said … but when I cross those lines, it’s me and my team versus the other team. I’m not gonna take anything lightly. So other than making my mom maybe a little bit mad … I don’t know if I’d say I’d do it again, but just standing up for my team.”
It’s the kind of edge teams value. It’s hard to find, and it can’t be taught, but it aligns with the culture the White Sox are trying to build. We’ve seen it in how players such as Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth have handled the hype surrounding their arrival: playing with an edge, but remaining grounded.
Looking ahead
Antonacci’s rapid climb has brought new opportunities, including a big league Spring Training invite and a chance to prove himself against top competition.
But his mindset hasn’t changed.
“It’s the same game,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to break camp in the big leagues … but wherever they put me, I don’t really care.”
Instead, he focuses on perspective.
“Five years ago, I was dreaming to be in this position. And some people who dream that get here, and they dream for more and want more stuff, and they’re always gonna dream more. But you gotta be where your feet are at the end of the day. I’m gonna do what I can out there, but it’s the same game, nothing’s changed. These older guys, they helped me realize that it’s the same game, just be comfortable with what you provide.”
It’s a maturity that stands out, but has also become more common in this intriguing young system.
Defining success
Antonacci is also set to represent his heritage in the upcoming World Baseball ClassicZ, another sign of how far his profile has risen in a short time. For a player who once wondered if he’d even reach Division I baseball, it’s another reminder of how quickly things can change.
But if you ask him what success looks like in 2026, he won’t talk about rankings or promotions.
He’ll talk about something else.
“If people just see me as a good teammate, a good person, and someone who plays the game the right way and respects the game,” he said, “that’s success.”
For a player who calls himself boring, that answer is anything but. Because in an era obsessed with tools and flash, Antonacci’s rise is a reminder of something that’s often talked about in baseball: sometimes, the most valuable players are the ones who simply find ways to win.
And right now, the White Sox system has one of those players climbing fast.
Some more fun from the interview
As always, we ended our interview with some rapid-fire questions:
- Finding good food on the road has often been a struggle for minor league guys. In those cases, Antonacci has gone back to his Italian roots; apparently, there’s a great chicken parm and pasta dinner he found while in Winston-Salem that he was getting once a week.
- A baseball-focused individual at heart, Antonacci has never attended a concert. Which band would he like to see live first? Coldplay.
- Ryan Galanie (2023 White Sox 13th Round Pick) is the teammate who’s had the biggest influence on Antonacci’s career: “He’s always teaching me the ways, how to go about things. Sometimes it’s a lot, but he’s kind of taken me under his wing and helped me.”
- If Sam could have any superpower, he’d want it to be teleportation, but not so he could steal second base safely every time: “Because if you’re standing out there and it’s windy as can be and it’s snowing, I’m just going to teleport to somewhere tropical. And when I’m too hot, I’ll come right back.”
We want to thank Sam for taking the time to talk with us during SoxFest this year, and we look forward to seeing his continued growth and rise through the system. He’s a player that’s easy to root for because of his journey and outlook on the game, and it’s certainly a personality that fits the core that the White Sox are trying to build for their future.
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