Antonacci ranks fifth among Arizona Fall League players with a .378 batting average.
One of the most intriguing developments among White Sox prospects in 2025 has been infielder Sam Antonacci.
Posting an OPS over .800 with a near-even strikeout-to-walk ratio in the Double-A and Single-A regular season, he moved up to No. 11 among White Sox prospects, per MLB Pipeline. And now he’s carried that over into a successful month in the Arizona Fall League.
Across 74 at-bats and 19 games, he’s slashing .378/.505/.541/1.046 with three home runs, three doubles, 14 RBIs, 24 runs, 15 walks, 11 strikeouts and 11 stolen bases. That led to Antonacci’s selection to the Fall Stars game, along with fellow White Sox prospects Hagen Smith and Braden Montgomery.
Antonacci recently spoke about his successful fall and what lies ahead.
On what he’s been working on in the AFL…
Antonacci: “Just sticking to my approach, knowing what works best for me and then finding out the routines and the advantages that other people from different organizations like to take from here. Whether that’s players from our team, other teams, coaches. Just a lot successful people around here, so every opportunity I get to pick someone’s brain, especially on the days I’m not playing and watch a good baseball game, just taking advantage of that. Not taking an off day and taking advantage of every little thing that I can get.”
On lessons learned in the AFL…
Antonacci: “Stick to who you are and know what works for you and not try to be someone else. Gotten to this point so far doing what works best for me, so I’m not trying to be someone outside of who I am. Just trust the process.”
On seeing his regular season success carry over to AFL…
Antonacci: “It’s good to see. I know there’s still a lot of flaws that I have and a lot of stuff that needs to be worked on if I want to get to where I want to be some day. That’s what the offseason is for, big offseason coming up. A lot of room to grow in and I’m excited.”
On whether he made an adjustment after a slow start in the AFL that sparked his ongoing hot streak…
Antonacci: “Not really. I’d say I just got pitched pretty darn good. Every day I’d go and look at the report and every pitch that I was getting was on the edges, on the black. I was just getting pitched pretty darn well. Not stressing. A lot of people when they look at that, look at a rough stretch to start, they want to change something right away. I just go back to if I’m swinging at good pitches or not, just looking right away am I getting good pitches to hit, am I swinging at strikes. That for the most part tells you the story. Your swing is what it is, from where I am now. You go so far in this game, your swing is kind of what it is and there’s not really going to be a whole lot of changes. It’s more of an approach thing and see if you’re getting good pitches to hit. At that time, I was getting pitched pretty good and I wasn’t swinging at the best pitches, either. So understanding what my zone was and the zone is a little tighter out here. So not being afraid to take a couple of pitches, too.”
On the difference between the AFL and playing for Double-A Birmingham in the Southern League…
Antonacci: “The ball flies a lot better. Some balls that you know you get actually go outside the fence rather than an outfielder coming in. That’s just part of the game. Still the same game. A lot of better arms, better hitters, but at the end of the day you’re still in compete mode and it’s just the same game. It’s been fun to be around a good group of guys and still being able to play the game.”
On whether it’s been a confidence boost to perform well in the AFL…
Antonacci: “I would say it’s no confidence booster because you’re not in the big leagues putting up these numbers. I don’t really want to be known as a good Fall League player. I want to be known as a productive big leaguer that brings a championship here to Chicago. But, it’s obviously better than not succeeding here. But, like I said, there’s still a lot of work to be done to get to where I want to be.”
On what he thinks of the direction of the White Sox organization…
Antonacci: “Just a lot of people who have the same goal in mind and want to get to the same place. After this year and the success that a lot of us had and a lot of just the organization had, I think it’s definitely trending in the right direction and we’re getting the people that we want. I think it’s just trending in the right direction and there’s just a lot of good overall human beings here that have the same mindset. When you get that group together, I think it’s going to pan out.”
On how Hagen Smith has pitched in the AFL…
Antonacci: “I think he’s come along real well. Especially just the last outing, it was kind of like ‘whoa.’ Just seeing him from Birmingham to now, seeing him in spring training, I saw him throw a couple of times in spring training. I think he’s come a long way and just his work ethic says a lot about him and just who he is as a person. He’s really even keeled, very humble and I’m proud to call him a teammate because I sure as hell wouldn’t want to face him. I’m proud that he’s on my side and I hope to play on the infield behind for a very long time. Just proud that I get to call him a friend and that I met him.”
On what his offseason will look like…
Antonacci: “The offseason shift probably starts right when that last pitch is thrown here in Arizona. A lot of people say they want to take a week off or take a month off, but I just like to keep going. I don’t believe in burnout or all of that. Obviously I’ll probably take a few days off just because I’ve got to drive home. Just working out everyday, picking out the little things that I don’t think I did as well and then doing what I think I did well but still just get better at it. Just the most obvious stuff: a lot of fielding work, a lot of hitting work, I need to get stronger as well. Dialing in on that and on the nutrition side of things and just spending time with family. I’m looking forward to it but I’m also going to miss playing a little bit.”
On playing different infield positions…
Antonacci: “I feel like it’s good. Definitely feel comfortable wherever they put me. But I’m just having a lot of fun playing wherever they put me. Do a lot of fielding work before the games and I think I’ve just gotten a lot better just understanding how a lot of other people here go about their routines and learning what works for them in the infield. Just reading hops and glove work and stuff like that. I think it’s benefitted me to be out there around this quality of infielders. I’m just looking forward to what’s ahead.”
On players he’s enjoyed working with lately…
Antonacci: “All of them are very skilled. I like Jim Jarvis. He’s been a good one, a really great guy. He’s got a different pre-ready stance that I like talking to him about and see how it works for him.”
