The Chicago White Sox have one of the better farm systems in the league and those talented players the Sox have down in the minor leagues should all be making their debuts at some point during this season.
The White Sox are deep in their pitching depth, which sees their top three arms in their system, Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, and Grant Taylor leading the Birmingham Barons to be first in the Southern League North standings.
Schultz, Smith, and Taylor could all be headlining the White Sox pitching staff as soon as this season. While they still have some seasoning to do down in the minors before they’re ready for The Show, Smith and Taylor are off to incredibly hot starts. With the White Sox needing help in their starting rotation to eat innings, both could be options for the White Sox to call upon.
Smith and Taylor both deserve a promotion
Smith and Taylor are both off to hot starts to begin the 2025 season, and they are showing the White Sox organization that they might be deserving of a promotion to the big leagues. Smith (21) is pitching to a 2.28 ERA in six starts (23.2 innings), while Taylor (22) has an even better 0.63 ERA in five starts (14.1 innings).
Smith has struck out 38 batters in 23.2 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .143 average. Taylor has struck out 16 batters in 14.1 innings and held them to a .130 batting average. High strikeout totals have both pitchers with a K/9 over 10, with Smith having a 14.45 K/9 and Taylor a 10.05 K/9.
Despite their inexperience and age, Smith and Taylor are showing that it could be time to start giving them both a look at a higher level, which should include the big leagues.
The White Sox need the help
The White Sox don’t have the best starting rotation in baseball, but they’ve also suffered injuries to their rotation, with Martín Pérez missing most of this season with a forearm injury.
That leaves the Sox with innings to fill, which is exactly why Smith and Taylor should get a look at the big-level soon.
With the Sox in rebuild mode at 10-26, calling up the young prospects wouldn’t hurt the trajectory of the big league club, but it could benefit them in the long run. Granted, it's a bit unconventional and it's not normal for franchises to call up guys at their age, but the White Sox have shown that they’re willing to do so in the past with Garrett Crochet debuting the same season he was drafted.
The White Sox could use any the talent they can find. This season is supposed to be dedicated to finding a new core of young players to lead this team back to the playoffs. With fans clamoring for players like Tim Elko to get promoted, players like Smith and Taylor shouldn’t be far behind those calls. It's time to see what they've got.