Top prospects Schultz, Smith among White Sox non-roster invitees
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CHICAGO -- SoxFest Live at the Ramova Theatre served as the weekend warmup act for six White Sox prospects, who were part of the 25 players receiving non-roster invites to big league Spring Training, as announced Friday by the team.
Left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz, who was the top White Sox representative at No. 16 on the MLB Pipeline new 2025 Top 100 released Friday, leads this list along with fellow left-hander Hagen Smith, who checks in at No. 34. They are the game¡¯s No. 1 and No. 2 left-handed pitching prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, and could reach the Majors by late in 2025, with a more realistic target of '26.
¡°It¡¯s awesome,¡± said Smith of going to Major League camp during a SoxFest Live interview. ¡°Being around all those guys, and picking their brains a little bit, it will be really cool.¡±
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¡°Yeah, for sure, it¡¯s an honor to be around the guys, the coaches, the big league staff,¡± Schultz said at SoxFest Live. ¡°Definitely going to learn a lot from them and get ready for this year.¡±
This overall non-roster invite group grew to 25 on Saturday when right-handed reliever James Karinchak and the White Sox agreed on a Minor League contract. Karinchak, 29, has a 3.10 ERA over 174 games with Cleveland, including a 2.08 ERA over 38 games during the 2022 season. He didn¡¯t pitch at the Major League level in 2024 due to injury, although he made seven appearances for Triple-A Columbus, but has struck out 253 over 165 2/3 career big league innings.
Right-handers Dan Altavilla, Justin Dunn and Jonathan Heasley, infielders Bobby Dalbec, Andre Lipcius and Cal Mitchell and outfielder Nick Maton are part of the nine free agents joining the team on Minor League deals. Catcher Omar Narv¨¢ez, who hit .274 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs from 2016-2018 with the White Sox, completes the nine.
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Fourteen players join Schultz and Smith from within the organization. That group includes catchers Kyle Teel (No. 32) and Edgar Quero (No. 66) and outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 55), who all rank on the new Top 100, and infielder Chase Meidroth, who was part of the four-player return from Boston in the Garrett Crochet trade. These six players were all part of SoxFest Live.
Power-hitting first baseman Tim Elko and infielder Jacob Gonzalez, who was the team¡¯s top pick in the '23 Draft, also will be with the White Sox Major League camp. Right-handers Mason Adams, Eric Adler, Peyton Pallette and Grant Taylor, left-hander Trey McGough, catcher Adam Hackenberg and outfielders Corey Julks and Wilfred Veras fill out the group.
Adams is a rising starter prospect, as is Taylor, with Adler and Pallette possessing closer¡¯s potential. White Sox pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 12, with position players following on Feb. 17.