The White Sox are continuing their organizational promotions.
Just a day after right-handed starting pitcher Tanner McDougal was called up to Double-A Birmingham, top left-handed pitching prospect Noah Schultz is headed to Triple-A Charlotte. FutureSox’s Elijah Evans was first to report the Schultz news, with MLB.com’s Scott Merkin later confirming the report with his sources.
Schultz, 21, has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.34 ERA over 12 starts for Double-A Birmingham this season. MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 prospect has struck out 58 batters while issuing 30 walks over 56.2 innings so far. In his most recent start on June 12 at Montgomery, the lefty struck out seven, walked five, and surrendered one hit in 5.2 scoreless frames.
The White Sox apparently don’t view his recent control issues as a significant enough reason to hold Schutz back, even with Charlotte being notorious for being a hitter-friendly ballpark. Shultz will instead be rejoining his manager from last season, Sergio Santos, and will have the opportunity to work alongside pitching coach Scott Aldred over the coming months. A major league promotion later this season is still a possibility, especially if Schultz impresses over the coming weeks.
Schultz was originally drafted by the White Sox in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Our very own prospect guru, Michael Suareo, had this to say about Schultz in his preseason prospect rankings.
After an incredibly impressive showing throughout the 2024 season, Noah Schultz is the unquestioned White Sox’s top-ranked prospect and is even in the conversation to be the best pitching prospect in baseball. While very few scouts questioned Schultz’s abilities on the mound, it was his lack of innings that caused caution with his expectations heading into last season. He has put all those concerns to rest, however, as he reached 88.1 innings and stayed healthy the entire season. While pitching on an innings limit and a college-like schedule that saw him only start on Saturdays, Schultz has been able to build up his arm and take the mound every week for the duration of the 2024 season and did nothing but impress doing so.
The 6’10 (yes, he reportedly grew another inch) southpaw showcased his elite stuff all season, striking out 42 batters in 27.1 innings prior to his promotion to the Double-A Birmingham Barons, and was almost even more impressive through his stint there. What has been the biggest surprise, however, is his ability to repeat his delivery despite his length and low release point, leading to a much better command of his arsenal.
Schultz has gained some velocity since being drafted in the first round back in 2022, sitting in the mid-90s. He has also started to pair his 4-seamer with a 2-seamer, adding another way to throw batters off. His best pitch is easily his slider, however, sitting in the low-80s and posting elite spin rates, which generate a ton of horizontal movement. Combined with his nearly side-arm delivery with his long arms, the slider is extremely hard for batters to get a read on, especially left-handed hitters.
Schultz’s arsenal, delivery, and command all combine to give him some of the highest upside of any minor-league pitcher in baseball. He has risen the ranks quicker than initially expected and has been able to handle the more advanced competition admirably. At this rate, a debut in 2025 is not out of the question, and there is little question that he is capable of developing into the ace of the White Sox pitching staff.
We will continue to monitor Schultz’s development with the Charlotte Knights and will provide further updates along the way.
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Featured Photo: Birmingham Barons/X
