Noah Schultz had a down year in 2025 due to knee issues, but the White Sox believe he’s closer to the big leagues than most people realize.
At the start of the 2025 season, Chicago White Sox prospect Noah Schultz had ascended to be the highest-ranked left-handed pitching prospect in baseball.
The 6-foot-10 southpaw, a homegrown product out of Oswego East High School, was selected 26th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft by Chicago. The White Sox bet on a local arm with electric stuff and endless upside, trusting their track record of developing left-handed pitchers. And after the success of first-round draft choices Chris Sale, Carlos Rodón, and Garrett Crochet, who could blame them?
Schultz was productive early in his professional career, even if he didn’t yet have the workload you’d typically expect from a up-and-coming starter. That wasn’t surprising — he was young, raw, and had plenty of runway to grow.
But 2024 changed everything. After earning a promotion to Double-A Birmingham, Schultz broke out in a massive way. He posted a 1.40 ERA in 16 starts across 61 innings for the Barons and racked up 115 strikeouts in 88.1 innings on the year.
His fastball velocity increased to 99 mph, exploding on hitters from a unique frame and arm slot. And somehow, that’s still not his best pitch. The 88 mph wipeout slider? At times, it’s flat-out unfair.
It didn’t take much imagination to understand why Schultz entered 2025 as one of the most hyped arms in the minors.
Knee Injuries Ruined His 2025
Despite reaching Triple-A Charlotte, Schultz’s 2025 season was a rare stumble. He finished with a 4.68 ERA, including a 9.37 ERA after his promotion to Charlotte. His control was all over the place and his prospect ranking dipped — he’s now No. 2 in the White Sox system behind Braden Montgomery and the No. 40 prospect in baseball, though still the fifth-highest-ranked lefty.
As a result, his MLB timeline has never felt more uncertain.
But internally? The optimism hasn’t wavered.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz made it clear the club still believes Schultz is very close to contributing in Chicago. And in Getz’s eyes, one issue — not talent — explains the entire season.
“For Noah, it was an inconsistent year,” Getz said to David Laurila of FanGraphs. “Much of that was related to his knee — he had patellar tendonitis — and he needed be to shut down. He’s doing [physical therapy] and strengthening right now. I anticipate that once the knee is completely healed, once it is healthy and completely strong, we are going to get the version of Noah that made him a top prospect in our game."
“In regard to his proximity to the big leagues, I think a lot of that is going to [depend on] his knee,” continued Getz. “If he’s healthy and ready to go, I’m very confident that he’s going to be able to get major league hitters out.”
Maybe it really is that simple.
Noah Schultz Can't Be Overlooked
It’s not that White Sox fans have written off Noah Schultz. There’s still a strong foundation of belief. But his down year pushed him out of the spotlight at a time when so many other prospects and rookies were making noise.
And honestly? That could be a good thing. The Sox finally have enough organizational depth that day-to-day Schultz updates don’t need to be front-page news. There's no pressure on Schultz to rush his recovery or get fast-tracked to MLB.
But it also shouldn’t surprise anyone if Schultz storms his way into the majors in 2026 — or even makes a serious push during spring training if he’s healthy. The ceiling hasn’t changed. The sky is still the limit.
This is exactly why I prefer the White Sox to add only one veteran starting pitcher this offseason. You don’t want to clog the path for a talent like Schultz to earn his place. If he’s right physically, he could grow into the kind of frontline arm this core needs.
It’s not a talent issue. It’s not a stuff issue. It’s just a health issue.
And once Schultz’s knee cooperates again, he’s going to look like the top-tier prospect he’s always been — and regain the attention of the baseball world.