The top of the ballot moved up one spot, with everyone’s favorite mini-figure Rikuu Nishida winning. Nishida received 18 of 60 votes (30%):
Nishida first appeared in our prospect poll a year ago, when he finished 28th overall.
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Past No. 23 in SSS Top Prospect Poll
2025 Nick Nastrini (21%)
2024 Tyler Schweitzer (21%)
2023 Tommy Summer (13%)
2022 Voting lasted only 17 rounds
2021 Bernardo Flores (36%)
2020 Andrew Perez (50%)
2019 Cody Medeiros (37%)
2018 Lincoln Huntsman (43%)
Nishida becomes the second fourth right fielder (second in a row) to advance, and the fifth outfielder. So far, we’ve advanced 13 pitchers and 10 hitters in the voting.
Righty starter Riley Gowens had a strong showing on the first ballot, receiving six votes and finishing fourth. On the ballot this round is another right-hander, Juan Carela.
South Side Red Sox top vote-getters white sox 202 Prospects6
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Braden Montgomery — 59% (Smith 17%, Bornemer 9%, Schultz 7%, Antonacci 3%, Adams/Carlson/McDougall 2%, Fuske/Opple 0%)
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Hagen Smith — 40% (Bornemer 28%, Schultz 18%, McDougall 5%, Antonacci 4%, Carlson 3%, Bergera/Opol 1%, Adams/Foske 0%)
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Caleb Bornemer — 47% (Schultz 34%, Antonacci 10%, Carlson/McDougall 4%, Bergera 2%, Adams/Fuske/Opple/Perez 0%)
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Noah Schultz — 49% (Antonacci 25%, Carlson 11%, McDougall 7%, Adams/Berglar/Opple 2%, Perez 1%, Fuske/Lodis 0%)
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Sam Antonacci — 41% (Carlson 25%, McDougall 20%, Bergera/Perez 4%, Obol 3%, Adams 2%, Fuske 1%, Diaz/Lodis 0%)
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Tanner McDougall — 39% (Carlson 36%, Bergera 7%, Adams 6%, Pallet 5%, Fuske 3%, Opple 2%, Lodis 1%, Diaz/Perez 0%)
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Billy Carlson — 52% (Adams 18%, Opple 12%, Bergera 9%, Fuske 5%, Lodis/Pallet/Volkov 2%, Diaz/Perez 0%)
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Christian Opor — 24% (Murphy 20%, Adams/Fusk 16%, Volkov 10%, Bergera 9%, Lodis/Pallet/Perez 1%, Diaz 0%)
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Sean Murphy — 34% (Adams 20%, Volkov 13%, Foske 16%, Bergera 9%, Parish 4%, Lodis/Pallet/Perez 1%, Diaz 0%)
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Mason Adams — 43% (Volkov 22%, Bergera 11%, Fuske/Pallet 10%, Lodis/Parlish/Perez 2%, Diaz/Hodge 0%)
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Jaden Fusk — 24.0% (Perez 23.5%, Hodge 13.4%, Bergera 12.9%, Volkov 8%, Pallet 5%, Diaz/Gonzalez/Lodis/Pallish 3%)
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Gerald Perez — 20% (Omberg 15%, Volkov 13%, Hodge 12.3%, Parrish 11.9%, Bergera 11.4%, Lodis 7.3%, Pallet 6.9%, Diaz 2%, Gonzalez 1%)
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Grant Umberg — 28% (Pallish 19%, Volkov 13%, Bergera 12%, Hodge 11%, Lodis 10%, Pallet 4%, Diaz 3%, Gonzalez/Larson 1%)
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Matthias Lakum — 41% (Bergera 19%, Volkov 17%, Pallet 7%, Pallish 6%, Gonzalez 4%, Hodge/Lodis 2%, Diaz/Larson 1%)
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William Bergera — 35% (Volkov 20%, Pallett/Parrish 13%, Larson 6%, Diaz/Gordon/Lodis 4%, Hodge 2%, Gonzalez 0%)
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george walco — 38% (Pallette 22%, Parlish 12%, Gordon 8%, Lodis 6%, Gonzalez 5%, Batista/Diaz/Larsson 3%, Hodge 0%)
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Peyton Pallet — 38% (Pallish 13%, Lodis 11%, Gordon/Larson 10%, Gonzalez 8%, Batista 5%, Diaz 3%, Hodge/Mogollon 2%)
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Blake Larson — 21% (Lodis 18%, J. Gonzalez/Pallish 15%, C. Gonzalez 11%, Gordon 10%, Batista 5%, Mogollon 3%, Hodge 2%, Diaz 0%)
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Kay Bush — 24% (Pallish 19%, C. Gonzalez/Lodis 16%, J. Gonzalez 8%, Gordon/Batista 6%, Mogollon 3%, Diaz 2%, Hodge 0%)
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Jack Parrish — 26% (Paez 21%, Lodis 19%, J. Gonzalez 13%, C. Gonzalez/Gordon 8%, Batista/Hodge/Mogollon 2%, Diaz 0%)
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Jedixon Paez — 45% (Nishida 20%, Gordon 14%, C. Gonzalez/Lodis 8%, J. Gonzalez 4%, Mogollon 2%, Batista/Diaz/Hodge 0%)
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Christian Gonzalez — 22% (Nishida 18%, Gordon 17%, J. Gonzalez 15%, Lodis 10%, Hodge 8%, Batista 5%, Mogollon 3%, Diaz 2%, Zier 0%)
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Xitian Luyu — 30% (Gordon 18%, J. Gonzalez 15%, Gowans 10%, Lodis 8%, Batista 7%, Hodge/Mogollon/Ziel 3%, Diaz 2%)
Aldrin Batista
right-handed starting pitcher
age twenty two
2025 SSS Outlook Poll Rankings 6
High level in 2025 Winston-Salem(High-A)
relative to high levels of age -1.2 years
Overall statistics for 2025 2-0 ▪️ 7 games (2 starts) ▪️ 14 IP ▪️ 5.79 ERA ▪️ 17 K ▪️ 7 BB ▪️ 1.429 WHIP ▪️-1.2 WAR
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Batista was the No. 6 player in our poll last year and the top right-hander, but disaster struck when he started just his third short game of the season on April 6 and subsequently missed more than four months with a stress fracture in his right (pitching) elbow. His return in late August was inconsistent, with poor performances in three of five games. But he ended the season with a scoreless (two innings) “opener” start that could hopefully reverse the 2026 curse.
Juan Carrera
right-handed starting pitcher
age twenty four
2024 Senior Level Birmingham(AA)
relative to high levels of age -2.5 years
2024 MiLB Overall Statistics (High-A/AA) 7-7▪️ 23 starts ▪️ 106 2⁄3 IP ▪️ 3.77 ERA ▪️ 114 K▪️ 45 BB ▪️ 1.238 WHIP ▪️ 1.5 WAR
Carrera has flown under the radar since being acquired from the Yankees at the 2023 trade deadline. But by this time he had forced his way into an increasingly crowded rotation, making seven solid starts for Birmingham in the process, finishing the 2024 season with a 3.58 ERA and 1.163 WHIP, a level he was well below. Just as Carrera was getting closer to Charlotte and/or possibly MLB, he blew out his arm last March and underwent TJS.
Rudis Diaz
right handed relief pitcher
age 20
High level in 2025 Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Rookie)
relative to high levels of age -2.1 years
Overall statistics for 2025 1-1 ▪️ 1 SV▪️ 21 games (4 shutouts) ▪️ 27 2/3 IP ▪️ 2.28.ERA ▪️ 18 K ▪️ 8 BB ▪️ 1.084 WHIP ▪️1.2 WAR
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WHO? You’d be forgiven for not being familiar with an extremely young arm that hasn’t even stepped out of rookie ball yet, but our No. 77 pick a year ago (when he was a starter, repeating DSL and killing it) made a successful adjustment stateside. He will return to the starting lineup in 2026, likely emerging in Arizona and being promoted to Low-A in the second half of the season.
Jacob Gonzalez
second baseman
age twenty three
2024 SSS Outlook Poll Rankings 9
2025 SSS Outlook Poll Rankings twenty four
High level in 2025 Charlotte(AAA)
relative to high levels of age -3.3 years
2025 Overall Statistics (AA/AAA) 134 games ▪️ 8 HR ▪️ 61 RBI ▪️ .232/.307/.345 ▪️ 17-for-20 (85.0%) SB ▪️ 48 BB ▪️ 86 K ▪️ .990 FLD%▪️ 3.1 WAR
After an incredible first half/terrible second half in 2024, Gonzalez bounced back with a solid season, the final third of which came in Charlotte. However, his time in Charlotte, a batter’s playground, resulted in a major regression offensively. He’s on the cusp of becoming a big man, but there are questions about whether he can play in the South Division.
Lucas Gordon
left handed starting pitcher
age twenty four
High level in 2025 Birmingham(AA)
relative to high levels of age -1.7 years
2025 Overall Statistics (High A/AA) 3-11▪️ 24 starts▪️ 107 2/3 IP ▪️ 3.59 ERA▪️ 116 K ▪️ 42 BB ▪️ 1.161 WHIP ▪️ 1.5 WAR
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Somehow, after completing the third season of his career, Gordon remains vastly underrated. All he’s done is put up a career 2.80 ERA while carrying a massive workload each season. Sure, there’s no overwhelming fastball there, but Gordon’s cup of coffee in Double-A (where he improved his ERA dramatically, to 2.11 in four games) suggests he might be able to avoid the wall that softer pitchers hit once they get to the upper minors.
Riley Gowans
right-handed starting pitcher
age 26
High level in 2025 Birmingham(AA)
relative to high levels of age +0.3 years
Overall statistics for 2025 7-6▪️ 27 starts▪️ 132 IP ▪️ 3.44 ERA ▪️ 151 K ▪️ 49 BB ▪️ 1.189 WHIP ▪️ 2.0 WAR
“Workhorse” isn’t the sexiest attribute to potential customers, but it’s not a liver-chopping adjective either. That’s the case with Govans, who leads the system among starters with 27 starts, 132 innings and 151 KM. However, he somehow shied away from praising 2025 prodigy Tanner McDougall despite some obvious similarities. He should receive a call-up from Charlotte, starting in 2026, and join McDougal on the shortlist for a major league start.
Landon Hodge
catcher
age 19
High level in 2025 Crespi Carmelite HS (Encino, CA)
Scout Level (Level 40-80) Hitting 45 ▪️ Strength 40 ▪️ Running 50 ▪️ Arms 55 ▪️ Field 50 ▪️ Overall 40
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White Sox first-round pick (No. 7 player in SSS Rookie of the Year voting) teammate Billy Carlson made history simply by being drafted (4th round, 107th overall). The No. 1 pick on Day 2 of the draft is a bit of an oddity, as MLB ranked No. 164 in the draft and passed on more intriguing talent on Day 1 (as high as MLB’s No. 35 prospect). Hodge has a killer arm (another trait he shares with Carlson) and a solid hitting tool that’s more average than power.
Kyle Lodis
shortstop
age twenty two
High level in 2025 Winston-Salem(High-A)
relative to high levels of age -1.0 years
Overall statistics for 2025 28 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 10 RBI ▪️ .185/.319/.370 ▪️ 7-for-8 (87.5%) SB ▪️ 15 BB ▪️ 21 K ▪️ .954 FLD%▪️ 0.4 WAR
The third-round pick got to work immediately after the draft last summer, reporting to High-A and adding another third to the already longest season of his career (55 games). While the hit was rough, at least nearly a quarter of the shortstop’s at-bats (4 of 17) left the field. Maybe facing easier competition (maybe not), Lodis posted a .329/.429/.667 slash line in his final collegiate season at Georgia Tech, with similar power, baserunning and batting discipline numbers.
Javier Mogollon
shortstop
age 20
High level in 2025 Kannapolis (Low-A)
relative to high levels of age -1.4 years
Overall statistics for 2025 51 games ▪️ 5 HR ▪️ 19 RBI ▪️ .220/.347/.387 ▪️ 15-for-21 (71.4%) SB ▪️ 30 BB ▪️ 56 K ▪️ .971 FLD% ▪️ 1.0 WAR
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Just a year ago we had a rising star who had to take a break from Mogollon after a lackluster first full season of ball in the minors. While still young for his level, and having managed to stay afloat in new leagues every season of his career, Mogollon’s undeniable hitting ability in rookie ball dropped off noticeably with the Gunners. However, how much of that was due to combat injuries is uncertain, as Mogollon was shelved for the season on July 2.
Xitian Lu Yu
right fielder
age twenty four
2025 SSS Outlook Poll Rankings 28
High level in 2025 Birmingham(AA)
relative to high levels of age +0.3 years
Overall statistics for 2025 115 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 31 RBI ▪️ .273/.403/.308 ▪️ 40-for-52 (76.9%) SB ▪️ 75 BB ▪️ 69 K ▪️ .986 FLD% ▪️ 2.6 WAR
In addition to three years in our top 100, Nishida’s flexibility is evidenced by his primary position changing from left field to second base to right field. You won’t find any unfamiliar profiles in the White Sox’s system, as Nishida’s profile is one of extreme on-base ability and baserunning hate at the expense of any power. At one point last summer, he seemed like a sure-fire winner with Charlotte, but stalled in Double-A.
Gage Zier
right-handed starting pitcher
age twenty two
High level in 2025 Somerset (AA Yankees)
relative to high levels of age -2.7 years
Overall statistics for 2025 (Low A/High A/AA) 7-6 ▪️ 22 games (21 starts, 1 finished) ▪️ 107 IP ▪️4.12 ERA ▪️ 90 K ▪️ 19 BB ▪️ 1.262 WHIP ▪️ 1.4 WAR
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Zier was the return piece the Yankees traded for Austin Slater at the trade deadline, and based on Slater’s worthlessness, the trade couldn’t be a loss for the White Sox. Even before the trade, the right-hander was already a busy arm, pitching at three levels for New York and High-A for the White Sox. Zier’s pitching is young for his level, and he’s doing pretty well.
Past Southland Red Sox Prospect Polls
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Round 24 is the final round for 2023 (we don’t have an actual summary of the votes, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick) and the full profile.
