Still growing, Oswego East grad Noah Schultz works to live up to top billing for White Sox

Noah Schultz never played basketball.

Some of the buzz ahead of SoxFest was about the left-handed pitcher growing another inch to 6-feet-10. The Oswego native and Oswego East High School graduate is the White Sox' top-rated prospect and No. 16 overall, according to MLB Pipeline. Despite his size, he’s always been a one-sport athlete.

“I was about 5-8, 5-9 in eighth grade, then grew 13 inches over the next two years,” Schultz said Friday before the start of SoxFest at the Ramova Theatre on the South Side. “That’s when I was committed to Vanderbilt and they were like, ‘Just stick to baseball,’ so I did.

“So I never really was tall with the opportunity to play basketball, but I know I chose the right sport and I’m happy where I am.”

The state of the White Sox can be summarized pretty quickly. Last year was awful, this season may not be much better, but an interesting youth movement should start to take shape in 2026. Schultz and last year’s first-round draft pick, Hagen Smith, are the top two left-handed pitching prospects in all of MLB.

“I think we both know it’s a cool thing,” Smith said. “We haven’t really said anything about it to each other. But it’s going to fun to hopefully pitch together in the big leagues someday.”

It’s possible one or both lefties could make their major-league debuts this summer, but they will almost certainly start in the minors. Smith pitched in just three games at High-A Winston-Salem after finishing college at Arkansas.

Schultz, 21, was given a careful workload last year, pitching just once a week, four innings at a time. But he was terrific at Double-A Birmingham, with a 1.48 ERA, 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and he averaged just one walk per start.

General manager Chris Getz explained the White Sox' plan for Schultz on Thursday.

“We’re talking about a high school kid from a cold climate, didn’t have a lot of innings under his belt,” Getz said. “We wanted to get him through a full season. Now it’s time to get him on more of a starter’s routine that would mirror what he would do on a major-league level.”

Schultz spent the winter at the White Sox complex in Arizona, focused on adding weight and strength.

“I feel like I’m really prepared for it [the increased workload],” Schultz said. “I feel like I put in the work this off-season. I feel like this was just put on delay because I was hurt [in 2023] a couple times. Last year was building up and this year we’ll have the leash off and go as far as I can in games and see what I can do.”

Schultz is obviously in unusual company with his height. But 6-10 Randy Johnson is in the Hall of Fame and the White Sox once drafted 6-11 Jon Rauch, who played 11 years in the majors. So the template for success exists.

“Definitely it’s cool seeing those guys, but I feel like I’m my own pitcher,” Schultz said. “I don’t try to copy other pitchers, but it’s cool to see guys like that and the success they’ve had.”

White Sox prospects George Wolkow, left, and Noah Schultz appear at SoxFest on Friday in Chicago. Mike McGraw/mmcgraw@dailyherald.com

Wolkow stays home

Two suburban natives are top-10 White Sox prospects. Schultz is one, the other is 6-foot-7 outfielder George Wolkow, a Downers Grove North grad.

A seventh-round draft pick in ’23, Wolkow moved all the way up to No. 9 in the organization by posting an .808 OPS last year between rookie league and Low-A Kannapolis, with 13 home runs.

Wolkow, 19, decided he wasn’t afraid of colder winters and spent the off-season living at his parents’ house. It’s a convenient location, because he works out downtown at Bracey Performance with major-leaguers like Jake Cronenworth and Steven Kwan, then does extra hitting at Bo Jackson Elite Sports in Lockport.

“I really like the city, so I like being local, being home,” Wolkow said. “It’s not like Florida where I could get outside, but definitely getting my work in. Maybe in the next couple off-seasons I’ll move downtown. For now there’s not a lot to do when you’re not 21.”

Sox notes

Pitcher Drew Thorpe, who made his major-league debut last season, revealed he had some soreness and may get a late start to spring training. He had surgery to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow last fall. …

The White Sox announced the signing of eight free agents to minor-league contracts. The list includes veteran catcher Omar Narvaez, who played for the Sox from 2016-18; right-handed pitcher Justin Dunn, a former first-round draft pick coming off shoulder surgery, with 32 career starts; and third baseman Andre Lipcius, who hit 25 home runs for the Dodgers' Triple-A team last year. Schultz and Smith are among 16 prospects invited to major-league camp for spring training. …

Outfielder Braden Montgomery, who joined the Sox from Boston in the Garrett Crochet trade, said his stepfather is from the South Side and the family used to visit Chicago every couple of years. Friday was his first time in Chicago since the trade. So was stepdad a Sox fan?

“I don’t know,” he said with a smile. “The past couple of years, he obviously hasn’t been too loud about it, but when my uncle picked me up from the airport yesterday, he was wearing his White Sox hat. It looks like it’s about 15-20 years old, so it runs deep.”