The Chicago White Sox have a lot of talent developed through their farm system.

With players like Colson Montgomery and Sean Burke making their way through the White Sox system, they are in a position where they need to replenish the minors. Chicago holds the first pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, so it’s safe to assume they will do that.

But where do they rank for the 2026 season? Let’s take a look at what one outlet believes.

The Chicago White Sox drop to 18th in Bleacher Report’s 2026 farm system rankings

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report ranked all 30 MLB teams’ farm systems for the 2026 season. The White Sox saw a significant drop from last year’s rankings, going from third to 18th. Below is what Reuter wrote while highlighting prospect Braden Montgomery:

“The White Sox received four prospects in the deal that sent Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox, and Montgomery is the only one that has yet to reach the majors. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft racked up 50 extra-base hits in 121 games last year while reaching Double-A, and the everyday right field job and a spot in the middle of the lineup awaits before 2026 is over.”

In addition, he would write the top 10 prospects in the system. Below is the list he curated:

1. SS Caleb Bonemer
2. LHP Noah Schultz
3. OF Braden Montgomery
4. SS Billy Carlson
5. LHP Hagen Smith
6. RHP Tanner McDougal
7. 2B Sam Antonacci
8. OF Jaden Fauske
9. LHP Christian Oppor
10. SS Kyle Lodise

With the White Sox promoting a lot of their young prospects to the majors, it makes sense to see a dropoff.

Do not be surprised to see them climb up rankings by next season if they are sellers at the trade deadline once again.

It will be intriguing to follow the prospects and see how many get their shot in Chicago this season.

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The Chicago White Sox have a lot of young talent littered throughout their farm system. As a result of struggling at the major league level, the team has been able to draft high and get quality talent. However, it is also a statement of being able to develop the players themselves in their minor league system. The White Sox have some major names in their system who could be on the fast track to the bigs. Let’s take a deeper dive into who one outlet is considering to be the White Sox’s top prospect heading into the 2026 season.

Chicago White Sox prospect Caleb Bonemer ranks as the team’s top prospect

Bleacher Report created a list of the top 100 prospects entering the 2026 season. The White Sox are featured heavily on there as they have five players noted on this list. Their top prospect finds himself 48th on this list in shortstop/third baseman Caleb Bonemer. Below is a snippet that was written about him from the article:

“There’s a new No. 1 prospect in the White Sox system after Caleb Bonemer debuted with a bang in 2025. The 20-year-old hit .281/.401/.473 with 30 doubles, 12 home runs and 29 steals while logging a 15.8 percent walk rate. His future is likely at the hot corner, but he has more than enough offensive upside to be a clean fit.”

At only 20 years old, Bonemer is expected to take some time before finding himself in the majors. He was selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft and only made appearances in Single-A last season. There is still a lot of developing that needs to take place in order to be the star he’s projected to be. Expect it to be a few more seasons before Bonemer finds himself as the everyday third baseman for Chicago. It will be interesting to track how he does throughout the minor league season.

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The Chicago White Sox have a deep farm system with a lot of talent coming up the pipelines over the next handful of seasons. The team has a lot of players who can climb through the minor league system and make an impact. However, one has been selected as the organization’s breakout prospect for the 2026 season. Let’s take a closer look at who it is and what they have done to get to that point.

Chicago White Sox prospect George Wolkow is predicted to break out in 2026

In an article co-written by Jesse Borek, Sam Dykstra, and Ben Weinrib discussing minor league prospects poised to break out, they highlight the 10th-ranked prospect in Chicago’s system, George Wolkow, as the team’s top candidate. Below is what they wrote about him:

“Few players in the Minors have as big of a difference between their ceiling and floor as Wolkow. The 6-foot-7 slugger has near-top-of-the-line raw power but hasn’t yet been able to tap into it because of swing-and-miss and chase issues. The good news is he cut his K rate from an untenable 40.3 percent in 2024 to a still-high 29.6 percent in 2025. Further improvement, especially against breaking balls, could enable him to reach that long-awaited breakout.”

Wolkow has been in the White Sox system since 2023, but spent all of the 2025 season in Single-A Kansas. He would play 116 games and finish with a .679 OPS with 13 home runs, 69 RBI, 58 runs scored, and 33 steals. Still only 19 years old, the seventh-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft should be able to continue improving. He is a 6-foot-7 left-handed hitter who plays solid outfield defense as well. If he is able to continue to develop and cut down on his strikeout rate, he could be a solid addition to the White Sox in a few years.

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Entering the 2025 season, Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth seemed like a man without a home. Known for his hitting prowess, one of the only questions the club seemed to have about him was: “What position should he play?”

At the plate, the 23-year-old rookie is currently hitting .296 with an on-base percentage of .385 and 21 runs scored. But his offensive output wasn’t what befuddled the big club. Last season at Charlotte, Meidroth played all three infield positions on a fairly regular basis. He made 98 appearances at third base, 74 at shortstop, and 65 as a second baseman. So, there was some question about where he would be most effective.

Without having a ‘natural position’, Sox management had concerns about where he fit best on the diamond. Thus far, Meidroth has played 14 games at second, but he’s currently settled in at short, appearing in 41 games at the position. The former University of San Diego standout has easily exceeded expectations in the field, committing three errors in 154 total chances. He has a .986 overall fielding percentage. Not too bad for a guy who was mostly known for his bat.

Chicago White Sox management has high hopes for Chase Meidroth

When a player can hit like Meidroth, a smart manager will always find a place for them. It’s more than likely that he will eventually be settled at second or third base, as fellow youngster Colson Montgomery is expected to be the long-term solution at short for Chicago.

For now, Meidroth gives the team some defensive flexibility and looks to be a cornerstone of the team for the next several years. In the meantime, he’s also settled in quite nicely as the team’s leadoff hitter.

“If there’s one thing that I’ve been on him about is just letting it loose in the heart of the plate more and being more aggressive at times,” Venable said earlier this season. “At the same time, that’s just in his DNA to be a selective hitter. I don’t want to change who he is, but I think in time that he’ll learn that he needs to be aggressive and get some good swings off early in the count on pitches over the heart.”

Chase Meidroth is part of an impressive White Sox youth movement

It’s well-documented how things have gone on the Southside over the last several seasons. The club’s decline hit its lowest depths last season, when the team set an MLB record for the most losses in a season with 121, and home games looked like a wasteland.

But help is on the way, and a much brighter future looks to be on the horizon. Alongside Chase Meidroth, the Sox have some top-line starting pitching prospects, like right hander Grant Taylor, who made his MLB debut this week and threw a dominant inning against the Houston Astros. Standing right there with them are left handed pitchers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, outfielder Braden Montgomery, and catcher Kyle Teel. So, the cupboard certainly isn’t bare.

The Pale Hose don’t want to push their prospects too soon, but that may end up being Chicago’s best option in the end. The club is focused on winning now, according to their skipper. But if a young player can help the lineup, he will most likely be on Will Venable’s lineup card.

“That’s the bottom line,” Venable stated. “For us, regardless of the results, we’re going to focus on the things we believe are going to help contribute to wins.”

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The Chicago White Sox have a future star for them at the keystone position with this prospect.

The Chicago White Sox are an organization filled with young talent that should be future stars for them one day. One of those future stars could be number nineteen overall prospect Willam Bergolla.

William Bergolla (No. 19 prospect)

The 20-year-old William Bergolla was acquired by the Chicago White Sox in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies that sent left-hander Tanner Banks over to them in exchange. Last season Bergolla had his time down at both High-A affiliates for the Phillies (Jersey Shore) and the White Sox (Winston-Salem).

During his 2024 campaign the Venezuelan native played in 89 games, having 93 hits, 12 doubles, 5 triples, 27 stolen bases, for a slash line of .300/.359/.381 for an OPS of .740. Per Bergolla’s scouting report he is a low Chase and high contact hitter with a high baseball IQ that will help him at the major league level.

Rated as a top defender in the infield according to MLB.com they say:

Bergolla’s instincts, hands and feet all give him the chance to play shortstop, and he has enough arm for the premium position. He has played primarily second base this year, and some think the keystone may be a better spot for him long-term because of his range. He’s a solid runner who’s doing a better job of using his speed on the bases in 2024.

The future at second base?

The Chicago White Sox currently have a need at the second base position which bodes well for William Bergolla. With his eta to debut in the majors set to be sometime in 2026, if  Bergolla can continue his success he should advance quickly through the minor leagues. Figuring Bergolla will start the year at Double-A possibly, but given Bergolla’s defensive prowess, the ability to play shortstop, and shows signs he could be a solid hitter, the White Sox may not hesitate to advance him quicker than most.

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This Chicago White Sox top prospect could be a future foundational piece in the starting rotation.

The Chicago White Sox have a pitcher on their 40-man roster who could potentially be a future rotational piece for them for this season. With a need for starting pitcher the White Sox number twenty-nine overall prospect Juan Carela could figure to be up with the team at some point this season.

Juan Carela (No. 29 overall prospect)

The 23-year-old Juan Carela was added to the Chicago White Sox 40-man roster earlier this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Juan Carela was traded to the Chicago White Sox from the New York Yankees for Keynan Middleton on August 1st, 2023. Sine his acquisition Carela has spent time at both Single-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. Last season Carela made 23 starts, went 7-7 with a 4.05 ERA, collecting 114 strikeouts in 106.2 innings pitched. According to MLB.com Juan Carela has a four-pitch mix consisting of a fastball (50/80), a curveball (50/80), a changeup (50/80), and a slider (55/80) which is his favorite pitch.

What will the 2025 season bring for Juan Carela?

The Dominican Republic native will figure to start the year down at Double-A to see if he can have a little more success and get more reps as a starter. With top pitching prospect Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith being above Carela on the depth chart and who have a clearer path to the starter rotation than Carela, he could figure to have a slow trek to get to the big leagues. With Juan Carela being able to repeat his delivery well but being a slider happy pitcher and not having the best control Juan Carela could slot better in the bullpen as a middle reliever. According to MLB.com if Carela:

“find a second better-than-average pitch, he could slot in the back of a rotation. Otherwise, he’ll probably wind up as a slider-happy middle reliever”

If he can find another secondary pitch to get hitters out than Juan Carela could be a solid fourth or fifth option for the starting rotation.

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The Chicago White Sox have one important question that looms over them for this upcoming season.

Coming into spring training the Chicago White Sox will have a lot of questions they will need to have answered like can their young starting staff give them a full workload for a full season, what will they get from their top prospects who figure to play a key roles for the Chicago White Sox in 2025, and what will they get out of their highest paid players and veterans in outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr.

The most important question however, which will fall into the hands of newly minted skipper Will Venable will be, how will he manage the balance of playing his veteran players as well as mixing in the young players who need their reps as well?

The offseason for the Chicago White Sox thus far

The White Sox and Senior Vice President and General Manager Chris Getz have had a very productive offseason up to this point. The Chicago White Sox biggest moves this offseason were trading away their most valuable asset in Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox for a package of prospect that will be key parts to their rebuild and could help the White Sox as soon as this year. As well as signing versatile infielder Josh Rojas to a one-year deal who will be in the running to be the starting third basemen and hope he can bounce-back offensively in the hopes of trading him at next year’s trade deadline.

The White Sox also added to their pitching depth by signing veteran Bryse Wilson to a one-year deal in the hopes he has a bounce back season. The White Sox also went out and made a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies acquiring lefty Tyler Gilbert to give them a look from the left side out of their starting rotation.

Spring Training 2025

The White Sox will look to enter 2025 having a better season than they did in 2024 which led them to having the worst loss record in MLB History at 121 losses. The White Sox set the record with a 4-1 loss to division rival Detroit Tigers in a game played back in September of last season. The likelihood of that happening again is very slim, but the White Sox still may be looking at over 100 losses, so they’re not fully out of the woods yet.

With that being said, there is something to be excited for when watching the 2025 Chicago White Sox and that’s the plethora of prospects they have coming up and having a young and hungry manager in Will Venable providing guidance to those young players along with having those key veterans in Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. looking to show they can come into spring healthy and ready go.

In particular Luis Robert Jr. and the question of his health which limited him to only one hundred games last year and affected him offensively. Both Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. need to have bounce-back seasons offensively so it can boost their trade value, which will be important for the Chicago White Sox.

The important question that needs to be answered?

The biggest question for the Chicago White Sox coming into this season will be, how will manager Will Venable balance playing his veteran players as well as mixing in his young players who will need their reps as well? Getting their young guys in is key for their development in order for the White Sox to see who will sink or swim. It is also important that the veteran guys like newly signed outfielders Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman to see time as well, being they need to have good seasons for the White Sox to get at least somewhat of a decent prospect in return for them in a trade.

Some of the young guys who will figure to be in the mix for some of the positions that the Chicago White Sox have open are number two overall prospect catcher Kyle Teel who could be in play to win the starting catching position. As well as number six overall prospect Edgar Quero who will start the season in Triple-A so he can work on his defense, but with his bat being ready to go, if an injury occurs at the catching position, could figure to be the first to get the call up.

Then there’s the White Sox top two pitching prospects in lefties Noah Schultz (No. 1 overall, MLB No. 16 prospect) and Hagen Smith (No. 3 overall, MLB No. 30 prospect) who will both start the 2025 season down in the minors. However, both Schultz and Smith could quickly force the hand of the Chicago White Sox and call them up if they prove to have success in the first month or two of next season.

Finding the balance will be key to being decent in 2025

The Chicago White Sox striking the balance of mixing in their veterans in with their young prospects will be key for them to at least be decent in for the 2025 season. Yes, it still could be a little ugly, but if both the veterans and the young guys can contribute better than they did last year, there are some bright spots coming down the way for the White Sox.

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With the agony of the 2024 Chicago White Sox season now in the history books with the calendar turning to 2025, could there be hope for White Sox fans in the new year?

The Chicago White Sox come into the 2025 season hoping to not have a repeat of last season where they set the all-time record for losses in the history of Major League Baseball surpassing the 1962 New York Mets with going 41-121 in 2024. Sadly, for fans the White Sox are potentially looking at another 100-loss season come this year, which honestly comes with the territory of the rebuilding. However, I think this potential “100-loss” season could be a blessing in disguise.

The Struggles of 2024

The 2024 Major League Baseball season was a disastrous to put it mildly with the Chicago White setting the single season loss record with losing an astonishing 121 games. It also didn’t help that the White Sox had to fire their manager Pedro Grifol in August of last year after they finally won a game after losing 21 straight games prior.

The White Sox then gave former big leaguer Grady Sizemore a chance to be the intern manager where he finished with a record of 13-32. It also didn’t help that the Chicago White Sox ranked either near or at the bottom for most major offensive statistics. Now as we turn the page as we ring in a new year there is hope for the Chicago White Sox and the fan base.

What is Instore for 2025?

The White Sox should be in good hands with having both Chris Getz and former manager Phil Nevin manning the front office acquiring talent for newly hired manager Will Venable to take the reins and bring the best out of the young players he will have on his roster. Having all three of these savvy baseball minds leading things in Chicago should get fans excited. Especially with Will Venable being a former big leaguer who can guide the young core through the trials and tribulations of going through the grind of a 162-game season, the Chicago White Sox are in capable hands.

One of the biggest things for fans to be excited about for this year is the plethora of young talent that is either ready to get called up to the Major Leagues, or at the very least on the precipice of getting the call. Some notable names that fans could see in 2025 get the call are all top four prospects in the organization such as left-handers Noach Schultz and Hagen Smith, who given the rotational needs and the White Sox needing a left-hander in the rotation since trading away Garrett Crochet could get the call early in the season.

Fans could also see catching prospects Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero get the call given the need at catcher and with Korey Lee not being able to put it together offensively yet. Finally, there is shortstop Colson Montgomery, who figures to be the first of the lot to debut next season with already being added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, as well as the Chicago White Sox needing an everyday shortstop Montgomery getting the callup first makes sense. As well as infielder Chase Meidroth who was also acquired in the Crochet deal getting the opportunity to win the starting second base job.

As well as having a good crop of young player currently on the roster such as Jonathon Cannon who figures to be the new “Ace” of the starting rotation. Along with Drew Thorpe, Brooks Baldwin, and Lenyn Sosa to name a few the Chicago White Sox have plenty of options to choose from and hopefully have success in 2025.

Even though there may still be some doom and gloom ahead for White Sox fans, the skies aren’t all that gray with some streaks of light peering through the clouds. With it being a new year there should be a sense of optimism for White Sox fans. Though Chicago White Sox won’t be the best team in baseball for 2025, they certainly can be as bad as they were last season.

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The Chicago White Sox have been prospect hunting all off season thus far and with that being their prerogative the White Sox should go out and trade for the San Francisco Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge.

The gameplan for the Chicago White Sox this off season has been a two folded one with the first way of improving the roster coming by the White Sox trading away any valuable assets they have and bringing back in the necessary prospects to refill the farm system. This occurred when the White Sox traded Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox for a package of positional player prospects back. As well as signing veteran players such as Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman to one-year deals in the hopes they have a resurgence in their careers to flip them at next year’s trade deadline.

No Primary First Base Positional Prospects in the Pipeline

Currently in the White Sox organization there are ZERO position players whose primary position is first base. FanGraphs list recently signed minor leaguer Andre Lipcius as being the top choice if Vaughn got injured, but he’s a natural third basemen. On the entirety of the roster from top to bottom Andrew Vaughn is currently the only primary first basemen the Chicago White Sox have.

With one of the Chicago White Sox modus-operandi being selling off their assets in order to acquire prospects in the hopes that they hit on one becoming a star being the route they’re taking going out and acquiring a first base prospect should be a must. Insert trading for the San Francisco Giants top prospect first baseman Bryce Eldridge.

Bryce Eldridge

The 20-year-old Eldridge is ranked as the San Francisco Giants top prospect in their organization and ranked as the 35th overall prospect in all of Major League Baseball. Eldridge is a physical specimen standing at a towering six-foot-seven-inches tall and weighing in at 223lbs, Eldridge is the perfect embodiment of what a prototypical first baseman should look like. According to MLB.com they list Eldridge’s best tool as being his ability to hit for power grading him at a 60/80 with his hit tool not lagging far behind with grading out at a 50/80.

These two impressive tools are what really made Bryce Eldridge standout in 2024 and really turn some heads. This 20-year-old concurred a feat that few prospects even at his age can do, he jumped four levels in the minor league system in one baseball season. I’ll repeat that one more time Bryce Eldridge showed the ability to hit the baseball at four different levels of the minor league system. That is what you call impressive. In 116 games between each of those four levels Eldridge really stood out collecting 130 hits, 27 doubles, 2 triples, 23 HRs, 92 RBI, for a slash line of .292/.374/.516 for an OPS of .890.

What do the San Francisco Giants need?

Given how talented Bryce Eldridge is, if the White Sox want to acquire talent than they will have to give up some talent in return. When browsing the San Francisco Giants depth chart, the Giants from my estimations currently have a need at catcher. Currently the San Fransico Giants starting catcher is 25-year-old Patrick Bailey with long time veteran backstop Tom Murphy being his backup. So far in his two seasons with the San Francisco Giants Bailey in 218 career games has 170 hits, 34 doubles, 2 triples, 15 HRs, 94 RBI, with a slash line of .234/.292/.348 with an OPS and OPS+ of .637 and 84.

In 2024 Patrick Bailey played in 121 games (starting 101 games at catcher) where performed right around his career averages. However, Patrick Bailey was bestowed the 2024 Gold Glove Award for catchers where he had a .997 fielding percentage and had 26 defensive runs saved according to his Baseball Reference. As well as looking at his baseball savant it’s not hard to see why Bailey is ranked as one of the better defenders behind the plate and why he won the Gold Glove. Bailey ranks in the 100th percentile for both Framing and Fielding Run Value, as well as the 97th and 98th percentiles for caught stealing and pop time.

What will it take to acquire Bryce Eldridge?

The San Francisco Giants receive: catcher Edgar Quero (White Sox #6 prospect, MLB #59 prospect)

The Chicago White Sox receive: first basemen Bryce Eldridge (Giants #1, MLB 35th)

Even though Patrick Bailey is an outstanding defensive catcher which is invaluable, he hasn’t showed so far that he can take that outstanding defensive play and bring it to the plate. Also, when looking at the pipeline of catching prospect in the Giants organization they’ll only have one in Yohendry Sanchez who MLB.com projects to debut in 2029. I think given the lack of catching depth and the White Sox having an abundance of it I think sending the Giants number six overall prospect in the org and 59th overall for the MLB Edgar Quero should get the job done.

Quero who the Chicago White Sox acquired in their trade they made with the Los Angeles Angels in which they sent over pitchers Lucas Giolito as well as Reynaldo López to the Los Angeles Angels for Edgar Quero (minors) and Ky Bush. In 2024 Quero spent time between Double and Triple-A where he found success. Playing in a total of 98 games where Quero had 98 hits, 16 doubles, 16 HRs, 70 RBI, for a slash line of .280/.366/.463 and an OPS of .829.

Blocked on the Roster

The White Sox currently at catcher will have three guys competing for the starting job as well as the backup position. Currently on the Chicago White Sox 40-man roster they have two catchers Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss who was recently acquired for cash considerations from cross town rival Chicago Cubs. Lee who currently holds the starting job has so far not impressed in his short time with the White Sox. Last year in 125 games Lee only managed to hit .210/.244/.347 and an OPS of .591.

As well as now having number two overall prospect in the organization Kyle Teel, who the White Sox acquired as part of the Garrett Crochet deal, being in the mix to win the starting catching job out of Spring Training Quero does not have a clear path to an everyday starting job as the current Chicago White Sox roster is constructed.

So, trading Quero away to the San Francisco Giants where he could see more consistent everyday playing time makes sense for the White Sox to do in order to fill another positional need which is finding someone to be the future first basemen of the future Chicago White Sox team if they choose to not have that be Andrew Vaughn.

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The Chicago White Sox have a very nice future ahead of them for a whole new starting rotation and it could come as soon as 2025.

When the Chicago White Sox set out this winter, they had one goal in mind and that was to trade their highest assets which was their Ace left-hander Garrett Crochet. The Chicago White Sox finally completed that blockbuster deal during the Winter Meetings in which Crochet was dealt over to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a package of prospects back. Since then, the Chicago White Sox have been rather quiet making mid-level moves for minor league players like Andre Lipcius and making another trade with the Boston Red Sox for reliever Cam Booser.  However, with Spring Training now getting closer, it may be time to think of some prospects we could see make an impact in 2025.

The Void Garrett Crochet Left

The departure of Garrett Crochet leaves the Chicago White Sox without a player on their Major League roster to really build around, and as well as not having an Ace to anchor the starting rotation. Crochet departure leaves the White Sox needing to find someone to fill the void of having a 3.58 era, making 32 starts, going 146 IP, and having 33 BB, 209 K’s, and a 1.068 WHIP.

The options the Chicago White Sox have for their starting rotation in 2025 may seem grim, but there are some signs for optimism. According to FanGraphs they project the Chicago White Sox rotation to be 1. Jonathan Cannon 2. Davis Martin 3. Sean Burke 4. Bryse Wilson and 5. Drew Thrope. This rotation would be considered one of the youngest in all of Major League Baseball with their average age of their starters being 25.7. These aren’t the only names that fans should be paying attention to when watching the rotation in 2025, top prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith could be debuting at some point this season which would bring new life into the Chicago White Sox.

Noah Schultz

Schultz who is the White Sox #1 overall prospect and MLBs #16 overall prospect is slated to debuted at some point in 2025 according to MLB.com. Schultz who was drafted in the 1st round of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft from Oswego East High School. Since being drafted Schultz has quickly climbed the minor league ladder ascending all the way to the Double-A level in 2024. During the 2024 season Schultz split time between High-A ball and Double-A in which he fared far better when facing competition in Double-A than he did in High-A ball and I’m being nice.

While at High-A ball Schultz went 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA, in 7 starts (27.1 innings) and collecting 21 strikeouts which was good for a 13.8 strikeout per 9 rate. Naturally when a prospect is advanced through the minors to the next highest level, some tend to struggle while they try to find the needed adjustment, this wasn’t the case for Noah Schultz. Upon stepping into Double-A Schultz showed that he was more than capable of stepping up to the challenge. In 16 starts at the Double-A level Schultz went 0-3 with a 1.48 ERA in 61 innings striking out 73 for a strikeout per 9 rate of 10.8.

Noah Schultz figures to have top of the rotation and Ace like stuff which the Chicago White Sox need now that Crochet is gone. Standing six-foot-nine Schultz is a dominating presence when on the mound. Having electric stuff which MLB grades both his fastball and slider as his best pitches and as being elite. On a scale of 20-80 with 80 being elite for both positional players and pitchers his fastball rates at a 60/80 and his slider rating a 70/80. According to MLB.com they say:

“Chicago is helping him add a sinking two-seam version as well. He’s in the nascent stages of developing his changeup, a fading mid-80s offering that shows signs of becoming average.”

Schultz figures to get some appearances during Spring Training to get some eyeballs on him and get him up against some top big-league hitters, but he should figure to start the year in Triple-A. I would say if Schultz replicated exactly what he did during his stint at Double-A last year for the first month at Triple-A next season, then he will for sure be called up to the Major Leagues before May begins.

Hagen Smith

Hagen Smith is another southpaw that Chicago White Sox fans should be interested to see come and pitch for the club in 2025. Drafted in the 1st round fifth overall in this year’s amateur draft from the University of Arkansas Smith is currently the Chicago White Sox #3 prospect and MLBs #30 overall prospect. Being drafted just this year Smith saw sometime down at High-A Winston-Salem where he logged three starts where he went 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA, with seven strikeouts in 7.2 innings. Smith was predicted by MLB.com Jim Callis that Hagen Smith as well as Noah Schultz will debut at some point this season.

For 2025 MLB.com has Smith making his debut in 2025 just like his teammate and fellow prospect Noah Schultz. However, Smith may take just a little longer, being that he may need just a little more time down on the farm to develop. Being that he was drafted out of college Smith does have a leg up having a little more seasoning than most with the college season becoming more and more used as a secondary development option for high level prospects. We saw this with the likes of both Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews who both were drafted in 2023 and quickly made their way to the Major Leagues not long after being drafted.

Smith according to MLB.com already has two elite pitches just like his fellow prospect Noah Schultz. Both his fastball and slider on a scale of 20-80 both graded out at 65/80, with a splitter grading at a 50/80 which if he can develop it could be a massive weapon for him. I think the plan for Smith is similar to that of Noah Schultz, I think Smith will most likely start the season at Double-A where he should get a couple of starts and if he shows he can dominate in those starts, than he will quickly move up to Triple-A and if he continues to dominate there will eventually make his way onto the Chicago White Sox roster.

The Chicago White Sox will need some rotational help if not this season, then for sure moving forward. Bryse Wilson is currently on a one-year deal and is looking to have a breakout season with the hopes of finding a long-term deal somewhere. Then there’s question marks on what Jonathan Cannon and Drew Thorpe can be with Davis Martin figuring to be a solid depth piece, there’s a possibility there will be three openings in the rotation after this year and barring injury possibly sooner. Both Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz figure to be the first two options to fill those opens once they become available and hopefully fan can see them both at some point this season.

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