MLB Pipeline released its newest Top 100 Prospects list on Monday, and a combined 10 prospects from the Cubs and White Sox organizations were included.
The Cubs had four prospects on the list, while the White Sox had six.
The highest ranking among those 10 went to a Montgomery, but not the Colson Montgomery that’s made a big impact with the White Sox over the last month-plus since being called up to the big leagues — although he’s on the list, too.
Rather, White Sox farmhand Braden Montgomery received the highest ranking among Cubs and White Sox prospects, at No. 33. An outfielder acquired in the December trade with the Red Sox that sent ace left-hander Garrett Crochet to Boston, Braden Montgomery was promoted up to Double-A Birmingham in late July.
The highest prospect ranking for the Cubs, meanwhile, went to outfielder Owen Caissie at No. 45. Caissie has been mashing the ball at Triple-A Iowa this summer and seems likely to be called up to the majors soon, especially with the Cubs’ slumping offense needing a boost.
The No. 1 overall prospect in MLB Pipeline’s rankings was Konnor Griffin, a shortstop/outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Rounding out the top five, in order, were shortstop Kevin McGonigle (Detroit Tigers), shortstop Leo De Vries (Athletics), shortstop/third baseman Sebastian Walcott (Texas Rangers) and shortstop Jesús Made (Milwaukee Brewers).
See the full Top 100 Prospects list HERE.
MLB Pipeline also released updated Top 30 Prospects lists for each franchise. See the Cubs new Top 30 HERE and the White Sox new Top 30 HERE.
Here’s more on the Cubs and White Sox players ranked among MLB Pipeline’s Top 100:
Cubs
Owen Caissie, OF
Team ranking: No. 1; MLB ranking: No. 45
How acquired: Drafted in 2020, 2nd round, by San Diego Padres; traded in December 2020 in the deal that sent Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini to the Padres.
Current level: Triple-A
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2025
Lowdown: Caissie hasn’t been called up to the big leagues yet, but he’s right on the verge and could be up before the end of this season. He’s the highest-drafted Canadian outfielder ever and has shown plenty of power from his left-handed swing in the minors. He’s been at Triple-A Iowa all season after moving up in 2024 and has an impressive slash line of .292/.393/.574 entering Wednesday, with 22 homers and 52 RBI. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Moisés Ballesteros, C
Team ranking: No. 2; MLB ranking: No. 52
How acquired: Cubs international signee in 2021, from Venezuela.
Current level: Triple-A, made MLB debut this season
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2025 (already arrived)
Lowdown: Ballesteros has already spent some time in the majors this season, logging four hits and six RBI in 18 at-bats over six games with the Cubs. He’s been mainly at Triple-A Iowa, however, posting a slash line of .328/.390/.493 entering Wednesday, with 10 homers and 63 RBI from his smooth left-handed swing. He was named the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year in both 2023 and 2024. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Jefferson Rojas, SS/2B
Team ranking: No. 3; MLB ranking: No. 62
How acquired: Cubs international signee in 2022, from Dominican Republic.
Current level: Double-A
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2026
Lowdown: Rojas, still just 20 years old, was the youngest regular player in the Single-A Carolina League in 2023 and the second-youngest batting qualifier in the High-A Midwest League in 2024. The right-handed hitting middle infielder has been promoted up to Double-A Knoxville this summer, where he’s slashing .163/.269/.225 entering Wednesday as he makes the adjustment to a higher level. He likely won’t be in the big leagues for another year or so. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Jaxon Wiggins, RHP
Team ranking: No. 4; MLB ranking: No. 84
How acquired: Drafted in 2023, 2nd round, by the Cubs.
Current level: Double-A
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2026
Lowdown: Wiggins, a 6-foot-6, 23-year-old righty, becomes the franchise’s top pitching prospect after Cade Horton’s “graduation” this season. His fastball touches triple-digits, along with a slider and change-up in the mid-80s, but he’s still trying to refine his control and command. He’s been promoted to Double-A Knoxville this season, where he’s 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 0.972 WHIP entering Wednesday, with 48 strikeouts and 15 walks in eight starts covering 36 innings. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
White Sox
Braden Montgomery, OF
Team ranking: No. 1; MLB ranking: No. 33
How acquired: Drafted in 2024, 1st round, by the Boston Red Sox; traded in December 2024 in the deal that sent Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox.
Current level: Double-A
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2027
Lowdown: Montgomery was one of the best two-way prospects in the 2021 MLB Draft as a high schooler from Mississippi, but he went undrafted because he committed to playing in college at Stanford. He transferred to Texas A&M for his final college season and became that program’s highest draft pick ever when the Red Sox took him in the first round in 2024. They dealt him to the White Sox at the Winter Meetings in the deal that acquired Crochet, and Montgomery has made his way up to Double-A Birmingham this summer. He’s a switch-hitter with plus-power and a strong outfield arm, hitting 11 homers this season in Single-A and High-A before the White Sox promoted him to Double-A. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Noah Schultz, LHP
Team ranking: No. 2; MLB ranking: No. 38
How acquired: Drafted in 2022, 1st round, by the White Sox.
Current level: Triple-A
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2025
Lowdown: Schultz is a Chicagoland native who was born in Naperville and drafted by the White Sox right out of Oswego East High School in 2022. The lefty is a towering 6-foot-10 and delivers from a three-quarters arm slot, making his low to mid-80s slider a wipeout pitch and garnering obvious comparisons to Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. He can also power four-seam fastballs past hitters, clocking a top speed of 99 mph so far as a pro. Injuries limited his innings in 2023, but he pitched a full season in 2024 and has been promoted up to Triple-A Charlotte in 2025. He’s struggled there, getting tagged for 15 earned runs so far in just 11 1/3 innings over three starts entering Wednesday, but with the South Siders way out of playoff contention again, Schultz could get called up to the big leagues before the end of the season. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Colson Montgomery, SS/3B
Team ranking: No. 3; MLB ranking: No. 71
How acquired: Drafted in 2021, 1st round, by the White Sox.
Current level: MLB, called up from Triple-A in July
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2025 (already arrived)
Lowdown: Montgomery is already well-known among White Sox fans, and he’s turning heads all over MLB since making his big-league debut on July 4. He’s shown exceptional power from the left side already, belting 10 homers in just 125 plate appearances entering Wednesday, with an OPS of .855 in his first 33 games. On Sunday, he crushed a 452-homer at Rate Field with an exit velocity of 114.5 mph. He’s played both left-side infield positions so far, 22 games at shortstop and 12 at third base. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Billy Carlson, SS
Team ranking: No. 4; MLB ranking: No. 79
How acquired: Drafted in 2025, 1st round, by the White Sox.
Current level: Rookie League
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2029
Lowdown: Carlson, drafted right out of Corona (Calif.) High School by the White Sox this year, is already one of MLB’s top prospects, despite just turning 19 and starting his pro career in the Arizona Complex (Rookie) League about a month ago. His signing bonus of $6.236 million was the most the White Sox have ever given to a prep player. With an exceptionally strong arm, Carlson is regarded as a possible future Gold Glove infielder. He can throw a fastball in the mid- to upper 90s, making him a legit pitching prospect, too. The major development necessary for Carlson to eventually become a big-league regular will have to be with the bat. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B
Team ranking: No. 5; MLB ranking: No. 88
How acquired: Drafted in 2024, 2nd round, by the White Sox.
Current level: Single-A
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2028
Lowdown: Bonemer, drafted right out of high school last year, is fashioning a strong first season at Single-A Kannapolis this summer. He’s been an on-base machine, with an OBP of .401 in 409 plate appearances through 91 games entering Wednesday. He also has a .275 batting average and a .437 slugging percentage, with eight homers and 52 RBI. He’s shown significant power from the right-hand side, which can be a rare trait for middle infielders. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)
Hagen Smith, LHP
Team ranking: No. 6; MLB ranking: No. 93
How acquired: Drafted in 2024, 1st round, by the White Sox.
Current level: Double-A
MLB Pipeline’s ETA for MLB arrival: 2026
Lowdown: Smith, drafted by the White Sox with the No. 5 overall pick out of the University of Arkansas in 2024, forms the other half of the dynamic duo of the organization’s left-handed pitching prospects, along with Schultz. He’s been at Double-A Birmingham this season, starting 14 games entering Wednesday, with a 3.60 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, 75 strikeouts and 37 walks over 50 innings. There is some concern, however, as Smith’s four-seam fastball velocity has dropped a couple mph, into the low to mid-90s, and his slider has lost some velocity, too. He has good action on his change-up, but it’s a pitch he’s struggled to consistently throw for strikes. Smith missed his entire junior season of high school after having Tommy John surgery, and though he recovered to dominate his senior year of high school and then in college, there could be some concern about the drop in velocity in 2025. (Full MLB Pipeline profile)