4 prospects who could make an impact for White Sox in 2025

CHICAGO -- The future might not exactly be now for the White Sox. But as their rebuild progresses, it certainly will come much sooner than later.

This team could have a decidedly younger makeup in 2025, following a ’24 campaign in which it set a single-season Modern Era record (since 1901) with 121 losses. Several White Sox prospects already got a start this season, including right-handers Jonathan Cannon, Drew Thorpe and Sean Burke (the White Sox No. 29 prospect, per MLB Pipeline), left-hander Ky Bush (No. 9) and infielder Brooks Baldwin.

Here are four players to watch for in 2025 who should make an impact.

Colson Montgomery, SS (White Sox No. 3, MLB No. 37)
Onfield results seemed to come rather easily for Montgomery, who not only excelled in baseball at Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Ind., but fell 34 points short of 2,000 for his basketball career. The shortstop’s 2024 performance with Triple-A Charlotte marked his first extended struggles.

Don’t worry about one rough season for the 22-year-old Montgomery, who was selected 22nd overall in the 2021 MLB Draft. Those who know him certainly don’t seem to be panicking, and neither does Montgomery.

“[Montgomery is] super mature with how he handles kind of the goods and the bads,” said Burke of his teammate and friend, with whom he trains in Nashville during the offseason. “He’s the same guy every day, whether he’s hitting .400 or hitting .100.”

Montgomery finished with a slash line of .214/.329/.381, and his 164 strikeouts were uncharacteristic for a young hitter with such a polished plate approach. He also knocked out 18 homers and 21 doubles, refining his craft even more during a second straight year as part of Glendale’s roster in the Arizona Fall League.

“Hitting’s hard,” White Sox director of player development Paul Janish said. “I continue to embrace the thought that this is part of [Montgomery's] development.

“For all of us who have had the opportunity to be around the game, be around some really good players, good hitters, everybody goes through it at times. I think we’re going to look back and say this was good for him.”

Noah Schultz, LHP (White Sox No. 1, MLB No. 16)
The 21-year-old Schultz has been on an innings and pitch count limit since joining the White Sox as the 26th pick in the 2022 Draft. But he still has elevated to the top left-handed pitching prospect in the game, per MLB Pipeline.

“This year could not have gone much better for Noah,” Janish said. “The baseball side is pretty dang good, man. But fortifying him in a way that makes him even more able to endure a full season with the amount of innings we're going to ask him to throw is what that’s about. He's got his mind right.”

Schultz will work in Arizona during the offseason after striking out 115 and walking 24 in 88 1/3 innings between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, the Southern League champs. Continuing that physical buildup is the most important factor for Schultz, who has been compared to southpaws Chris Sale and Randy Johnson at such an early age.

Edgar Quero, C (White Sox No. 4, MLB No. 59)
The 21-year-old Quero spent the last week of the 2024 season as part of the White Sox taxi squad, picking up important information even though he was never active.

“Try to watch my pitchers,” the switch-hitting Quero said of his taxi squad responsibilities. “See the players play the game. Try to learn as much as I can.”

Quero hit 16 homers with 70 RBIs between Birmingham and Charlotte, and he has a target of breaking Spring Training with the White Sox in 2025.

“I think I can do that,” Quero said. “This offseason is going to be good for me, too. I want to try to be strong and try to come back for Spring Training to make the team for sure.”

Hagen Smith, LHP (White Sox No. 2, MLB No. 30)
There was surprise that the White Sox went pitching at No. 5 overall in the 2024 Draft when they needed position players. But it’s difficult to pass up someone with Smith’s poise and extreme mound talent.

Smith made three impressive appearances with Winston-Salem at the end of the 2024 campaign after averaging 17.3 strikeouts per nine innings for Arkansas. He could be a fast riser to the Majors in ’25.

“When you look at players and you evaluate players and you get a stronger understanding of their support system, [Smith is] well-positioned to have a successful Major League career,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “Very confident in that.”