After an efficient two-inning outing that featured improved command and increased changeup usage, Noah Schultz gave the Chicago White Sox a glimpse of the growth that could define his 2026 season.
Left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz, the top pitching prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization and the No. 49 prospect in all of baseball, made his first appearance of 2026 spring training on Friday.
Schultz took the mound against the Milwaukee Brewers in a split-squad game and got a good look at quality MLB players and top prospects alike.
Taking over for Tanner McDougal in the bottom of the seventh inning with the White Sox trailing 4–2, Schultz had a rocky first inning but ultimately pitched himself out of a jam.
He allowed a leadoff single to Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz and later surrendered a one-out RBI single to All-Star catcher William Contreras. A flyout and then a strikeout of former first-round pick Brock Wilken got him out of the inning and allowed Schultz to settle in for an easy and dominant bottom of the eighth.
In his second inning of work, Schultz retired the Brewers in order, including strikeouts of Luke Adams and Jesús Made, the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball. And for what it’s worth, Schultz had Made looking absolutely ridiculous on his swinging strikeout to end the inning.
The final line? Two innings pitched, three hits allowed, one earned run, no walks, and three strikeouts.
I’m most encouraged by how efficient Schultz was on the mound. He faced nine batters and threw only 33 pitches. That’s averaging between three and four pitches per at-bat, and 23 of those 33 pitches were strikes. He did not issue a walk.
The stuff for Noah Schultz has never been in question. It’s always been a matter of his health and his ability to find a repeatable delivery so that he can pound the strike zone. When he’s in the zone, he’s nearly unhittable.
The fastball was sitting in the mid-90s and topped out at 97.1 mph on Friday, and as he ramps up closer to the regular season, we should see him add a few ticks to that pitch. It’s complemented by a disgusting slider that’s one of the highest-rated pitches of any prospect in baseball.
The next big hurdle for Schultz is polishing his changeup and working it into his arsenal more frequently. That’s something he was actively doing in his outing on Friday — and that’s exactly what spring training is for.
“I really wanted to establish the changeup. It’s a pitch I want to increase the usage of this year… a lot of counts where I’d normally go slider, it’s good to throw hitters off with it,” Schultz told Elijah Evans of FutureSox.
I’m already bullish on Noah Schultz’s future with the White Sox. I have him as my projected breakout candidate in 2026, and I think he’s a prospect most people in the industry are sleeping on a bit after injuries derailed his 2025 season.
If he can find consistent control and even slightly improve the changeup, his ceiling is still that of one of the premier left-handed starters in baseball.
And by the looks of his first Cactus League appearance of 2026, it seems like Schultz has taken a step in the right direction in both areas. White Sox fans have every reason to be encouraged.