Noah Schultz is forcing the White Sox to keep looking. The 6-foot-10 Oswego East product has made three appearances this season for Triple-A Charlotte and struck out 19 batters over 14 innings while posting a 1.29 ERA and consistently touching 98 mph.
That start has only sharpened the questions around when Chicago will move its top pitching prospects. White Sox general manager Chris Getz said last week that Schultz looks like he is back and ready to go after battling a knee issue last year, and said the left-hander has his cutter working with real velocity and command.
Getz paired that praise with a clear caution. He said the club will continue to build Hagen Smith in three-inning outings for now and that it does not feel this is the right time to bring either of its top arms to the majors. The goal, he said, is to let the pitchers work through multiple pitches, handle both-sided hitters and turn lineups over before the White Sox make the next move.
The organization has been building anticipation for Schultz and Smith since spring training, and the calendar is working in its favor. Players need 172 days of roster time in a 186-day season to earn a year of service, and by the weekend the White Sox had already secured another year of team control for Schultz, Smith and others because two and a half weeks of the season had passed.
That caution sits beside a major-league staff that has not given the club much reason to rush. The White Sox entered Friday evening with a 4.88 team ERA, third-worst in baseball, but Getz said that kind of need does not mean the club should get jumpy with prospects it views as part of its future. Shane Smith was shipped to Charlotte after his third outing of the season, a reminder that Chicago is still managing its pitching depth with an eye on the long view.
For Schultz, the task now is simple and hard at the same time: keep dominating, keep showing the White Sox more than one weapon, and make the callup impossible to delay for much longer.
