Sam Antonacci isn't on a short list of American League Rookie of the Year candidates. The Chicago White Sox utility player has been valuable in the batter's box, but hardly a star, for the surprising South Siders in 2026. Antonacci derives most of his value by getting on base.
And, more than anyone in baseball, Antonacci gets on base the hard way. His 24 hit by pitches (through Sunday, Aug. 23) lead all of the American League. The 23-year-old has more than a month left remaining in the regular season to pad his HBP total (and his magnet-like extremities).
When Antonacci was hit by a Nolan McLean curveball in the bottom of the fifth inning of Chicago's game against the New York Mets on Sunday, he set a franchise record with his 24th HBP of the season — no small feat for a team that began play in the American League in 1901. Minnie Miñoso (1956) and Carlos Quentin (2011) previously shared the team record for being hit by pitches in a single season. Including all teams, only 38 players since 1901 have been hit by pitches more times in a season than Antonacci.
It's a difficult record to achieve, if only because being hit by a baseball has a tendency to injure the batter on the receiving end. Staying healthy long enough to break a 126-year-old HBP record is a challenge in and of itself. More news: Former Phillies, Yankees, Diamondbacks Shortstop Announces Retirement For Antonacci, the repeated plunkings have left him with a .363 on-base percentage through Saturday, Aug. 22, the highest mark on the team.
Although he only has eight home runs, Antonacci is third on the White Sox in hits (100) and strikeout rate (15.9), putting the ball in play at an impressive clip. Antonacci is on pace to finish the season with 29 HBP. That would be the 11th-highest mark in AL/NL history, and the most since Ty France was hit 34 times in 2023.
Ron Hunt holds the all-time record, with 50 for the 1971 Montreal Expos. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
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