The hope of things getting better for the Chicago White Sox rests in their highly regarded farm system. The strength of the prospect pool lies in the pitching, headlined by the top left-handed prospect in baseball, Noah Schultz.
Schultz is the No.1 prospect in the White Sox organization and the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball at just 21 years old.
In his first two years of professional baseball, Schultz had been a domainting force. But in 2025, he has not been pitching like the future ace that Sox fans are hoping he becomes. With 4.50 ERA in eight starts for Double-A Birmingham, is it too early to be worried about Chicago's top prospect?
Schultz struggling in 2025
It's normal to have some concern when a young pitcher is struggling with command, but it's too early in the season with too small of a sample size to have legitimate worries about Schultz' future.
He dominated last Tuesday with five strong innings, where he struck out seven, walked one, and allowed a run on five hits. Then he faced the Chattanooga Lookouts' (Reds AA) strong lineup again on Sunday, and he struggled.
Schultz walked four batters and allowed five runs over 3.1 innings on Sunday. He's had a few rough starts this year when he's not dialed in on the strike zone. His WHIP has skyrocketed from 0.98 last season to 1.75 in 2025.
The stuff is still nasty, but it has not looked as impressive or overwhelming as it did last year. His velocity has dipped this season, too. Schultz's slider is not getting nearly as many whiffs as it did before, and he has increased the use of his cutter, which does not have the velocity of his other pitches.
Small sample size
With all this mind, why is it too early to have legitimate worries? Because the sample size is still relatively small and Schultz is pitching more this year than he has over the past two seasons.
Schultz entered the 2025 season having tossed only 115.1 career innings. Schultz was only throwing four innings every Saturday last season.
Eight starts in, he is almost halfway to his innings total from 2024. Schultz has already tossed a third of his career starts in the minors this season, and nearly a third of the innings. Being able to handle an increased workload is the next hurdle to clear in his development and right now, the results are mixed.
There's more tape out there on Schultz now. He is facing some hitters who have seen his stuff before, and the game plan now is he make him throw strikes. He has had starts this season where he has commanded the ball and has looked unhittable. He just has to be more consistent at pounding the strike zone while navigating fatigue.
This is all a normal part of the development process. Which is why it's too early to have concerns about Schultz and his future with the White Sox.