April anticipation grows for next wave of White Sox talent from Triple-A Charlotte
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s only the second week of April, but the Triple-A anticipation is already well under way for White Sox fans.
It’s been that way since spring training, pining for the likes of top pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith to make their way to Rate Field. Heck, it’s been that way since the powerful left-handers were drafted in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
But while the Sox aren’t necessarily playing the service-time manipulation game with the arms of the future still being cultivated down on the farm, the calendar now favors the organization when it comes to team control.
General manager Chris Getz & Co. have said their top pitching prospects will get the call sometime this season, and with two and a half weeks of the calendar checked off entering this weekend, they’ve guaranteed another year of team control for Schultz, Smith and more in the next wave of the rebuild (players need to log 172 days of roster time in the 186-day season to achieve a year of service).
The team certainly has some plausible deniability in slow-rolling the pitchers, both of whom dealt with injuries to go along with some developmental growing pains last season.
But Schultz in particular has looked ready for The Show at Charlotte over his first few appearances of the season, along with right-hander Tanner McDougal and some promising position players: infielder-turned-left fielder Sam Antonacci (.342/.500/.526) and second baseman William Bergolla Jr. (.457/.525/.571).
“After last year, battling a bit of a knee issue, [Schultz] looks like he's back and ready to go. Multiple pitches. He's got his cutter working, with some real velocity and command,” Getz said last week. “And Hagen has been doing well. His outings are only in three-inning [range] right now. We're going to continue to build that,” Getz said.
The 6-10 Oswego East product Schultz has consistently topped 98 mph while striking out 19 over 14 innings across three appearances this season, posting a 1.29 ERA for the Knights.
Smith has struck out nine in a pair of outings, giving up two runs across six innings, while McDougal has racked up 11 K’s in two starts and nine innings, giving up two runs.
“To have three significant arms like that at the Triple-A level is very comforting as we're looking into the future of this season. But we certainly don't feel like it's the right time to bring those guys. We want to make sure that those guys are throwing multiple pitches, being able to navigate, you, both-sided hitters, turning lineups over,” Getz said.
“You don’t want to get too jumpy. I know it could be enticing to bring those pitchers up, but these guys are such a significant part of the future of the White Sox, and we want to handle this with care,” the GM added.
But their early results look all the more tempting as the Sox’ big-league staff has floundered out of the gate, with a team ERA of 4.88 sitting third-worst in baseball Friday evening.
Opening Day starter Shane Smith got shipped to Charlotte after his third outing of the season with his ERA at 10.80. The Sox have gotten better results lately from Anthony Kay and Davis Martin, but they’ve already resorted to utilizing Grant Taylor as an opener to extend an outing for Sean Burke (0-1, 3.60), leaving manager Will Venable scrambling for length out of an overtaxed bullpen.
Still, he’s in no rush to welcome the touted rookies.
“You don’t want to put them in situations where we’re asking them to do stuff that they’re not prepared for, even if they might be the best option,” Venable said. “With those guys, as talented as they are, as young as they are, they have a development path that is important that they continue down.”