Caleb Bonemer blossomed into one of the top prospects in baseball during his debut season in 2025 in the Chicago White Sox minor league system.
And the former Okemos High School star has only strengthened his standing among the best young talents in the game with his play so far in 2026.
Yet for Bonemer, winning the Carolina League MVP at Low-A Kannapolis (N.C.) last season and being among the best power hitters in all of minor league baseball so far this spring, are just steps toward his overall goal.
“It definitely felt good to see the stuff I was working on was the right stuff and it was working,” Bonemer said about his MVP year. “I also try to put it in perspective that it was only Low-A and it was only the first year and it’s the minor leagues. Yeah, it’s cool and it matters, but at the end of the day really the only thing that matters is the big leagues. That’s kind of how I see it.
“Keep working and try to keep making my way up and hopefully make the big leagues. … Nobody really remembers the minor leagues. That being said, it does feel good to be able to put a good year together like that.”
Bonemer, who is rated as a top-100 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline, finished 2025 with a .281 average, 12 home runs, 30 doubles and an OPS of .874. And so far 2026 has brought more of the same after his promotion to the High-A Winston-Salem Dash.
The 20-year old shortstop and third baseman entered May 4 hitting .289 with 11 home runs, nine doubles, 27 RBIs and a 1.148 OPS through 26 games. His 11 homers are just one behind Chicago Cubs prospect Kevin Alcantara, who is in Triple-A, for the most among all minor leaguers.
“(The) first month has been pretty solid,” Bonemer said. “A lot of good things but also some things that I would like to work on. I’m just trying to take it a day at a time. Whenever they see fit to call me up (to Double-A), it’s up to them. I just try to be where my feet are and try to just enjoy where I’m at.”
The highlight of Bonemer’s strong start came Tuesday, April 28, when he slugged three home runs in a victory over Greensboro. That game brought back memories of his Okemos days for Bonemer from his three-homer performance in a district final against Grand Ledge during his junior season — the only other time Bonemer has hit three homers in a game.
Bonemer’s longball surge last week continued with another home run the following night, showing Bonemer’s improved power during his second pro season. His 11 homers in 26 games come after hitting 12 longballs in 107 games last season.
“I didn’t really try to change too much with my swing or anything,” Bonemer said. “It was pretty much to get stronger in the weight room, put on some bat speed, put on some size and some strength. I felt like if I just kept the same swing and put on some more size I’d be able to hit some homers and some of those flyouts to the wall or balls off the wall would get out. Luckily, so far this year that has happened.” I’d say pretty much a big offseason emphasis was trying to get stronger and put on some size.”
Bonemer spent his offseason in Nashville working at a facility with other players also represented by the Bledsoe Agency. That led to Bonemer working out with major leaguers like Colson Montgomery (Chicago White Sox), Vinnie Pasquantino (Kansas City Royals) and Brent Rooker (Athletics). Bonemer said being able to learn from everyone in the facility has been valuable as he continues his MLB quest.
Bonemer’s success so far as a pro doesn’t surprise Raul Presas, his coach at Okemos. Presas has closely followed Bonemer’s journey since he was selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2024 MLB draft and he made a trip to watch him play at Winston-Salem late in 2025.
“Caleb approaches his game like I’ve never seen anybody else,” Presas said. “He’s a true professional. He never takes a play off during a game or in practice. To watch him grow as a a ninth-grader to what he’s now doing as a man playing a boys game that he loves so much is not surprising and very exciting.
“His journey started well before he entered high school. This is a young man that took ground ball after ground ball, swing after swing and just watched as much baseball as he could.”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.cm. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Okemos’ Caleb Bonemer thriving as one of baseball’s top prospects — but he’s not satisfied
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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