Welcome back, everyone.
The Chicago White Sox recently recalled one of their top prospects from The Show, so this week I figured it would be a good time to talk about him and the impact he will have in fantasy baseball. Let’s say hello Sam Antonacci!
(Wait, you thought I was talking about Braden Montgomery? Silly you. Let’s pause before we talk about him.)
Antonacci is making a name for himself with the White Sox, but if you didn’t know who he was before this season, no one would blame you.
Time to dive in and take a deeper look at Antonacci.
Mathematics
| A YEAR | LEVEL | G | R | HR | The RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The NCAA | 61 | 90 | 6 | 47 | 15 | .367 | .523 | .504 |
| 2024 | A | 23 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 7 | .333 | .471 | .432 |
| 2025 | RK|A+|AA | 116 | 78 | 5 | 57 | 48 | .291 | .433 | .409 |
| 2026 | AAA | 14 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 5 | .313 | .500 | .479 |
| 2026 | White Sox | 49 | 30 | 1 | 15 | 8 | .285 | .387 | .376 |
Antonacci never showed up on his way to the White Sox. He began his career at Heartland Community College, a Division II junior college, and was named the NJCAA DII Player of the Year after hitting .515 with 14 home runs and 103 RBI. Before the 2024 season, he transferred to Coastal Carolina, and in his one season there, he hit .367/.523/.504 with six homers and 47 RBI. He led the Sun Belt conference in OBP and had 50 walks compared to just 40 strikeouts.
Despite his impressive hitting skills, Antonacci fell to the fifth round of the 2024 draft before the White Sox snapped him up. Less than two years later, he made his mark with the Sox.
Tools
The reason you’re overlooking Sam Antonacci, and one of the biggest reasons why he fell off the list, is that he’s not a power hitter. In today’s game that is a huge sin. With Coastal Carolina in 2024, he hit just six homers. In his first full season in the minors in 2025, he hit just five balls over the fence. And so far in a combined 213 at-bats between Triple-A and the majors this season, he has hit just three homers.
Simply put, he is not a power threat. The numbers back that up as he ranks in the 29th percentile in Avg. EV, 33rd percentile in Barrel% and 26th percentile in Hard Hit%. His 20% fly ball rate is 6.5% lower than the MLB average.
OK, so Antonacci is not a power hitter. Guess what, not everyone is classy. What he does well, however, is consistent communication and drives all over the field. Despite being a rookie, he currently has a strikeout rate of 14.8%, ranking in the 85th percentile. He ranks in the 90th percentile in Whiff% (16.3) and 93rd percentile in Chase% (21.5). And even though he doesn’t hit for power, he can move the ball up, ranking in the 87th percentile in that category (31.2) and in the 93rd percentile in LA Sweet Spot% (41.0).
While Sam Antonacci does a good job of making contact, he’s not overly patient at the plate, as he only has a 6.6% walk rate. But as evidenced by his outstanding rushing rate, Antonacci is not out of place. The reason he doesn’t draw as many walks is because pitchers attack the zone as he isn’t a power threat, but he draws enough to add to his batting average to give him an OBP of .387, compared to an MLB average of .319
This is exactly what helps Antonacci’s importance. If he had been a solid hitter who covered the bases, his value would not have been so high. But when he’s on the bases, Antonacci is a threat to steal second. He’s not the fastest runner, but he does a good job of reading pitchers and knowing when to run. So far this season, he has eight steals with Chicago after swiping five in Triple-A. Last season, he stole 48 bases in 58 attempts.
Results
| MOON | G | R | HR | The RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| March/April | 14 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .225 | .347 | .425 |
| May | 28 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 8 | .296 | .378 | .337 |
| June | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 | .471 | .444 |
The stats above are what I am most excited about for Antonacci. He had a rough introduction to the majors in March/April, hitting .225/.347/.425. But he was no match at the plate as he had a staggering 6% strikeout rate. He was making contact, but was unlucky as he only had a .216 BABIP.
But in May, things began to change for Antonacci. In 26 games, he hit .296/.378/.337, thanks in large part to a .382 BABIP. His strikeout rate has increased, however, jumping to 19%, but that is still a very acceptable rate. The month of June is off to a much better start as he is slashing .333/.471/.444 with three walks and four strikeouts.
Home runs won’t be a part of his game, but his ability to hit line drives will allow him to rack up a lot of hits. He has seven doubles this season to go with a triple, resulting in a .762 OPS this year (MLB average is .715) and a 116 OPS+. Through 162 games, Antonacci is on pace for 50 RBI and 26 steals with that .762 OPS and .387 OPS
The decision
Sam Antonacci is not the sexiest player of all time, as his style of play is out of favor with many fantasy players and even real MLB general managers. But there’s a lot to like about a player who starts out and steals bases. Every league I know of still uses steals as a category and on base percentage, along with runs scored. Well, he excels in all three of those categories.
Now, throw in this cute little nugget – you’re perfect for so many positions. In both Yahoo and ESPN leagues, he can be pitched in left field, third base, and second base. In Fantrax, they added a shortstop position.
So here’s a player who will help your runs scored, your OBP, and your steals, who may play multiple positions again this season and likely at least two next year, yet is ranked in 26% of Yahoo’s leagues and 13% of ESPN’s leagues. Even in Fantrax leagues, which are aimed at major leagues, he is only owned in 74% of leagues. I’m sure there’s a player or two on your roster that doesn’t match what Antonacci does, so do yourself a favor and make a change and add Sam Antonacci.
Thank you!
Thanks for reading, and come back next week.
