GLENDALE, Ariz. -- While the White Sox were losing an MLB-record 121 games last season, their farm system moved in the opposite direction. No organization rose more in MLB Pipeline¡¯s biannual prospect talent rankings, improving from 20th to sixth over the past 12 months.
Chicago¡¯s system features six Top 100 prospects, tied for the third-most in baseball. Five of them -- left-handers Noah Schultz (No. 16) and Hagen Smith (No. 34), catchers Kyle Teel (No. 32) and Edgar Quero (No. 65) and shortstop Colson Montgomery (No. 39) -- could arrive at Rate Field sometime this season. The sixth, outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 54), is healthy now but has yet to make his pro debut since breaking his right ankle while at Texas A&M last June.
We checked in with farm director Paul Janish about what finishing touches are needed before those five will be ready for the big leagues.
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Schultz, baseball¡¯s best lefty pitching prospect and the owner of perhaps the best slider in the Minors, has dominated with stuff and strikes since the White Sox made him a first-round pick out of a suburban Chicago high school in 2022. He reached Double-A at age 20 last year and earned Southern League pitcher of the year honors with a 1.48 ERA and a 73/17 K/BB ratio in 61 innings. Chicago had him start every seven days and limited him to four innings or 65 pitches per outing, so the final step will be going deeper into games and adjusting to a five-man rotation.
¡°The next step is pitching every five days, getting used to the demands and the recovery,¡± Janish said. ¡°That's kind of it. Noah is unique for his size [6-foot-10] and age. There¡¯s not really a comparison from a command standpoint. His personal development is very clear. He¡¯s much more comfortable in his own skin and more interactive with his teammates.¡±
Teel arrived along with Braden Montgomery and two other prospects in the Garrett Crochet trade with the Red Sox at the Winter Meetings in December. He has a higher offensive ceiling than most catchers, thanks to his combination of hitting ability, power and plate discipline, and he slashed .288/.386/.433 between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He didn¡¯t become a full-time catcher until his sophomore season at Virginia, so he¡¯s still gaining experience behind the plate.
¡°Kyle is going to hit and he¡¯s a real competitor,¡± Janish said. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t caught a lot of games. He¡¯s working on game-planning and getting to know the pitchers he¡¯s catching now. He has looked good to me, our staff and other players. His athleticism allows him to be serviceable at this point and he¡¯s going to continue to get better.¡±
Smith set an NCAA Division I record with 17.3 strikeouts per nine innings last spring at Arkansas before the White Sox drafted him fifth overall last July. His mid-90s fastball and mid-80s slider are well-above-average pitches, while his splitter and control aren¡¯t as dominant. He¡¯s still getting acclimated to pro ball after working just 7 2/3 innings at High-A in his debut last summer.
¡°Physically, Hagen is where he needs to be,¡± Janish said. ¡°The stuff is all there. He just needs to adjust to the pro schedule, learn how to use his stuff and game plan for specific hitters.¡±
Amid expectations he would claim Chicago¡¯s shortstop job last year, Colson Montgomery instead endured his worst season as a pro, batting .214/.329/.381 with 18 homers in 130 games at hitter-friendly Triple-A Charlotte. A 2021 first-rounder from an Indiana high school whose physicality and offensive ceiling have prompted constant comparisons to Corey Seager, he looked more like his normal self in September and in the Arizona Fall League.
¡°I think Colson¡¯s struggles will be good for him in the long run,¡± Janish said. ¡°He tried to do too much and had some mechanical issues, but he looked free again in the Fall League. He just needs to stay healthy and be as good as he can be, wherever he is. He assumed he was going to be in the big leagues and is too good of a player to struggle for as long as he did, but he got over that mental speed bump.¡±
Acquired in the Lucas Giolito/Reynaldo L¨®pez trade with the Angels in July 2023, Quero enjoyed a strong first full season with his new organization. He reached Triple-A at age 21 and topped all Minor League catchers his age or younger in OPS (.829) and wRC+ (139). A switch-hitter with good bat-to-ball skills and average power potential, he needs to improve his receiving, blocking and throwing accuracy.
¡°We¡¯ve been very impressed with Edgar,¡± Janish said. ¡°He did a good job in the offseason with his body after having some minor back issues at the end of last season. He¡¯s a little more polished defensively than Kyle right now. He has a good rapport with his pitchers and does a good job of game-planning.¡±
Camp standout: Grant Taylor
Taylor (No. 7) was pushing his way toward the first round of the 2023 Draft before his elbow gave out in February, leading to Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for Louisiana State¡¯s national championship season. Selected in the second round that July, the right-hander pitched just 19 1/3 innings in his pro debut last year because he strained his lat in June, but his 32/2 K/BB ratio hints at his potential dominance.
Taylor¡¯s upside has been evident this spring as well, with his raw stuff just as impressive as Schultz¡¯s and Smith¡¯s. He struck out nine in four scoreless innings in the Cactus League, with his fastball reaching 101 mph and his upper-80s slider and low-90s cutter also looking overpowering.
¡°Grant just needs health,¡± Janish said. ¡°He hits at least 99 every outing. We¡¯re going to spend this year figuring out how ready he can be for the big leagues next year. He hasn¡¯t messed with a changeup much but his combination of his fastball, cutter and breaking balls is fairly unique.¡±
Bounceback candidate: Jacob Gonzalez
Gonzalez (CWS No. 14) starred in college, winning national freshman of the year accolades in '21 and a College World Series championship in '22 with Mississippi, not to mention starting at shortstop for the U.S. collegiate national team both years. He hasn¡¯t enjoyed the same success since the White Sox drafted him 15th overall in '23, batting .233/.313/.326 while reaching Double-A. He continues to make consistent contact but hasn¡¯t shown the power he did with the Rebels, though he did slug .688 in the Southern League playoffs to help Birmingham win the title last September.
¡°Jacob is in better shape this year,¡± Janish said. ¡°He got beat up last year in his first full season. His DNA is more geared to contact than power, but he can learn when to take a shot at the plate. I was skeptical initially of whether he was a big league shortstop, but he knows what he can and can¡¯t do and makes all the plays. He was the shortstop on the Double-A champions and he¡¯s better than he gets credit for.¡±
Draft sleeper: Sam Antonacci
The Division II Junior College Player of the Year in '23, when he led that level in hitting (.515), on-base percentage (.618), runs (105), hits (106), doubles (32) and RBIs (103) while sparking Heartland (Ill.) CC to the national title, Antonacci transferred to Coastal Carolina and topped the Sun Belt Conference with a .523 OBP last spring. A fifth-round pick last July, he stands out with his skills, baseball IQ and constant energy more than his tools. He made an immediate appreciation by batting .333/.471/.432 in his 23-game pro debut at Single-A.
¡°Sam hits good pitches and has good at-bats vs. everyone,¡± Janish said. ¡°The physical part is the question, but I do think he can hit doubles. He tends to hit balls to the opposite field and low, so if he can figure out his contact point, he could incorporate some more pop. He has a very good baseball IQ, he¡¯s a good baserunner and makes some plays at second base and third base with more range than we thought.¡±