White Sox announce 2026 promotional calendar at SoxFest

SoxFest Live kicked off Friday evening at the Ramova Theater as the baseball season winds down and pitchers and catchers prepare to report for Spring Training. The White Sox had quite a bounce-back season last year, while playing with a very young team in 2025 and coming off a historically horrific 2024. However, spirits were high on the South Side all night long as fans are more optimistic about the future of the organization.

Of course it was the part of the night that provided the most excitement announcement of the 2026 promotional itemsand believe me, they are SHARP.

Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Kyle Teel all opened a gift bag on stage containing their own bobbleheads, including a catcher duo bobblehead with Teel and his counterpart, Edgar Quero. While they’re all great, the real star of the show in my opinion is Bobby Jenks and AJ Pierzynski’s bobblehead celebrating winning the 2005 World Series. A perfect tribute to the glue of the championship-winning team and to Bobby, who was lost far too soon last year.

The house’s opening weekend is packed with fun giveaways, including the Bobby and AJ bobble, an Opening Day T-shirt with Munetaka Murakami on it, a few jackets, and plenty of City Connect swag. I know I initially commented on the lack of creativity of the new City Connect jerseys, but they do make some pretty epic gear. And let’s not forget the Mexican heritage items, because every year these games are more than fun with a sold out crowd and the Los White Sox jersey is always a hit.

When talking to several season ticket holders, the consensus is that they have more confidence in the front office over the past year, and there is an increased positivity surrounding the Rebuild 2.0 that GM Chris Getz has had to undertake. Many players seem to share the same sentiment, as everyone the SSS reporting team was able to speak with here said they were “excited to get back together with the guys, and get back to playing and working on being consistent.”

There were ten South Siders in the building Friday night. The legendary Gene Honda started the evening by introducing everyone, his smooth, iconic voice easily pumping up the crowd like it was a Saturday night game at the Rate. Kind of a scary starting lineup, yes, considering there were only four position players and six pitchers, but maybe Davis Martin or Shane Smith are a secret weapon at the plate.

First up was the broadcast team, with in-game reporters Brooke Fletcher and Connor McKnight, followed by members of the TV and radio crew (Chuck Garfien, Len Kasper and John Schriffen). Getz and manager Will Venable represented the front office and coaching staff, followed by two minor league players who joined this year: infielder Sam Antonacci and righthander Tanner McDougal.

Finally, it was the turn of the major leaguers: the stars of the show. Grant Taylor, Anthony Kay, Davis Martin and Shane Smith represented the South Side pitching staff. Kay joined the team this offseason after opting out of NPB in Japan and is excited to meet some of the guys and is looking forward to Spring Training and a new opportunity in the MLB.

Last but certainly not least were infielders Vargas, Meidroth and Montgomery, and catcher Teel, who recently committed to play for Italy in the World Baseball Classic in March. However, there was one player who couldn’t attend…but Munetaka Murakami was there in spirit and shared a message to the fans, prompting a roar from the crowd as he shouted “Go White Sox!”

Fans were also able to ask Getz and Venable questions in a segment called “Pardon the Pitch Clock,” which gave them four minutes to answer some questions from the audience. The five categories before a final ‘lightning round’ were: the 2026 outlook, off-season acquisitions and selection philosophy, players to watch, new initiatives and innovations, and clubhouse culture and leadership. This year was likely much easier to manage as the White Sox are not coming off their worst season ever, but Getz and Venable’s positivity and buy-in seem to be boosting fans’ hopes for the team’s future.

Kudos to the White Sox for putting on a great event on the first day, and many thanks to the players for their hospitality and willingness to talk to us and answer questions. We’ll be back with more coverage throughout the rest of the event!