No lollygagging for Lally: Scout's impact on White Sox

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- A line near the end of the White Sox press releases announcing the signings of 2022 first-round MLB Draft pick Noah Schultz and '23 seventh-round selection George Wolkow stated that they were “recommended by White Sox scout J.J. Lally.”

The 26-year member of the organization takes pride in the long-range research and connections developed in homing in on such unique talents and integral individuals for the White Sox. But Lally also understands one man alone does not produce these significant sorts of Draft results.

“I don’t want to overstate it, but I think the relationship that we had with Noah and George both really helped get this done. I really believe that,” Lally told MLB.com during a recent interview. “It’s not just me. It’s the entire White Sox organization.

“Everybody took the time to get to know both guys. We had meetings with [director of amateur scouting] Mike Shirley and our group had meetings with Noah before we drafted him. We had a private workout with George before the Draft at the ballpark with him and his parents and his family.

“Mike really spent a lot of time getting to know George as much as I did,” Lally added. “I wanted everybody to know what I did about these guys, and the makeup portion of what we do is almost as critical in my opinion as the talent evaluation.”

Schultz, 20, was taken 26th overall out of Oswego (Ill.) East High School. The left-handed hurler and White Sox No. 2 top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is part of the rotation for Double-A Birmingham -- the Southern League North first-half champs -- and he has struck out 23 while conceding only one walk over 19 2/3 innings since his 2024 promotion to the Barons on May 25.

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Wolkow, 18, Chicago's No. 14 prospect, was an overslot pick at $1 million after the power-packed left-handed-hitting outfielder out of Downers Grove (Ill.) North High School reclassified and gave up potential first-round money in the ’24 Draft. Lally grew to know these young players originally through the White Sox area code tryouts and team -- and in the process of watching them in action, he grew to know their families.

That connection gave Lally an edge to confirm the high-end personalities and abilities of these players where other teams might have missed. It also meant something to the players themselves.

“J.J. is an amazing human,” Wolkow told MLB.com, following his promotion to Single-A Kannapolis on June 3. “Being able to have someone like that in my corner, not only on the baseball side, but just all the off-the-field stuff, it’s really unbelievable.

“Not a lot of guys can say that, especially about a scout. It was really like a blessing. I might not be in the place I’m at now if it wasn’t for a guy like J.J. rooting for me. Being able to not just talk to him before the Draft and during all that process, but even after the fact. I really appreciate J.J. and everything he has done for me so far.”

General manager Chris Getz and the entire White Sox front office seem pleased with the progress of their Minor League system at the core of this rebuild, as they look to build the best prospect group in baseball. That goal will be aided by the 2024 Draft -- one of the team’s most important Drafts in recent memory -- with Chicago's overall pool checking in at $14,593,300 and the White Sox holding the No. 5 pick -- and five picks in the first 107 selections.

Draft picks don’t truly play out until four or five years down the line, with the rare Chris Sale and Garrett Crochet exceptions. It’s up to people such as Lally to continue laying the groundwork in search of impact players and people.

“We are dreamers,” said Lally, who has been scouting for the White Sox since January 2013. “What can they be, what will they look like in the end. We are going to be wrong a lot. I can show you a list. I’m wrong far more than I’m right. Even when you swing and miss, you can’t be afraid to swing.

“This is really a team effort. We don’t always agree and that’s part of the process, but Mike Shirley believes in what we do. And when you believe in something so much, he gets behind us.”