The White Sox are promoting their top pitching prospect, 20-year-old left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz, to the AA Birmingham Barons per MILB Central. According to MLB.com, Schultz is the #2 prospect in the White Sox system and the #40 prospect in baseball. He has dominated every minor league level he has played at and will now have a new challenge at the AA level.
Drafted with the 26th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the 6’9 Schultz has shot up prospect lists since making his professional debut. He was incredible with the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers last season, pitching to a 1.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 12.7 K/9 in 27 innings. Schultz has followed up his outstanding 2023 season with a solid start to 2024. In 27.1 innings with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash this season, Schultz has a 3.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a ridiculous 13.8 K/9. He is striking out 38.2% of opposing batters while walking just 6.4%. Schultz rarely gives up hits and seldom walks anyone, either. His otherworldly stats have exemplified his professional career to date and granted him the title of one of baseball’s best pitching prospects.
It is worth noting that Schultz has only pitched 54.1 professional innings, a tiny sample for a former high school draft pick headed to the AA level. The White Sox organization promoting him this quickly is a testament to their belief in his talent. Going from High-A to AA is a significant jump for any pitching prospect, but his stats justify the decision to promote him. Schultz has a history of overpowering just about everyone he faces and has proven too good for the lower levels of the minors. Scouting reports have even compared him to Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, as Schultz is a king-sized left-hander with an elite slider.
Schultz will join a Birmingham Barons team with one of the best pitching staffs in all the minor leagues. Their starting rotation is loaded from top to bottom. Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, Ky Bush, Jake Eder, and Mason Adams have all had strong seasons, and now the top pitching prospect in the system will be joining them. It seems unlikely that the Barons will run a six-man rotation moving forward, so the organization will probably promote one of their current starters to AAA to accommodate Schultz’s arrival. That promotion will likely be Thorpe, who has been excellent this season and is also one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Bush’s performance this season could also warrant a promotion.
We will likely not see Schultz in Chicago until 2025 at the earliest. He is only 20 years old and very inexperienced. There is no reason to rush him, and he will likely stay at the AA level for a while to accumulate innings and settle in. However, one could not have asked for a better beginning to his professional career. He is worth paying attention to every time he takes the mound, and now AA hitters must deal with him.
