Homegrown pitching pipeline on the rise for White Sox

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The White Sox have signed and developed just two All-Star pitchers this millennium, Chris Sale in 2010 and Carlos Rodón four years later. During that time, they've landed only one other fully homegrown arm who spent even one season as a regular in their rotation, Clayton Richard.

Chicago's projected starters for this year are four guys acquired via trades and a fifth through free agency. But after focusing on mound help with their first three picks in the 2022 Draft, the White Sox hope that their pitching pipeline will begin to flow again.

They made suburban Chicago high school left-hander Noah Schultz, No. 4 on the White Sox Top 30 Prospects list, the 26th overall pick last July, the first time they had taken a prep pitcher in the first round since Kris Honel in 2001. Then they followed up with a pair of Southeastern Conference right-handers: second-rounder Peyton Pallette (Arkansas), who was in the mix to become the first college arm taken until he had Tommy John surgery in January 2022, and third-rounder Jonathan Cannon (Georgia), one of the best strike-throwers in the class.

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Only Cannon has made his pro debut, and his consisted of just 7 1/3 innings. They've all stood out in Minor League camp this spring, doing nothing to dispel the notion that they could comprise 60 percent of Chicago's rotation of the future.

Schultz is a 6-foot-9 southpaw with a low arm slot, leading to obvious physical comparisons to Randy Johnson, though his athleticism and body control make him a much more polished pitcher than the Hall of Famer was at the same age. His slider, a low-80s sweeper with high spin rates and angle that destroys left-handers, was one of the best in the 2022 Draft. His fastball velocity continues to increase and the White Sox have helped him add a sinking two-seamer they believe will play well with his slider.

Schultz has been shut down briefly with a flexor strain, though that's more a cautionary measure than cause for concern. He pitched just four innings as a senior because of mononucleosis and 19 1/3 in the summer Prospect League, so Chicago was going to limit his workload at Single-A Kannapolis in any case. He lived up to his billing before the brief setback.

"Noah was filthy," Chicago assistant GM and farm director Chris Getz said. "It's a funky delivery, mid-90s and a wicked slider and command of the slider. The four-seamer and two-seamer were in the zone and his changeup had depth to it as well. He has a fairly short arm action and his delivery is pretty clean."

Before his elbow gave out, Pallette drew comparisons to Walker Buehler because of his arsenal and wiry 6-foot-1 build. Though he ran his fastball up to 99 mph at Arkansas, his best offering is a 78-83 mph downer curveball that rated as the top curve in the 2022 Draft. He has regained his stuff this spring.

"We're mindful of Peyton's health and monitoring his workload, but he looks very good," Getz said. "He's throwing strikes with a fastball in the mid-90s and his curveball is a real weapon for him. At some point, we'll probably play with a slider. He's playing with his changeup grip and that looks like it could be a plus pitch. His arm works well and his body looks good."

His stuff may not be as spectacular as Schultz's and Pallette's, but Cannon is more advanced and comes with a higher floor. He walked just 12 batters in 13 starts last spring at Georgia and turned his cutter into a plus pitch that now parks in the upper 80s.

"Jonathan has a cutter, sinker, four-seamer and changeup and pounds the zone with all of them," Getz said. "If you look at the sum of his parts, he likely isn't too far from the big leagues."

The White Sox also grabbed two more pitchers ranked on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 250 last July. Ball State's Tyler Schweitzer (fifth round), the Mid-American Conference pitcher of the year, is a finesse left-hander with a deceptive low-90s fastball. Wake Forest right-hander Eric Adler (sixth) owns a mid-90s fastball and a power breaking ball that combines slider velocity with curveball depth, but he doesn't have any track record of throwing strikes.

Camp standout: Cristian Mena

Oscar Colas has been the talk of big league camp, tying for the team lead with three homers while winning Chicago's right-field job as a nonroster invitee. On the Minor League side, 20-year-old right-hander Cristian Mena has served notice that he may be ready for the Majors in the not-too-distant future.

Signed for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, Mena led the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in strikeout rate (11.5 per nine innings) in his pro debut two years later. He dominated Single-A in the first half of last season, held his own in High-A and made three starts in Double-A as a teenager as part of the organization's Project Birmingham.

"Cristian has had some dominant outings," Getz said. "He has impressed every time he has gotten on the mound. He has really fallen in love with his changeup and he's throwing it for strikes. His curveball is still his biggest weapon but his slider is coming along and we may tack on a cutter. He's pitching at 93-94 mph and he's just 20 years old. He has moxie and competes."

Breakout potential: Loidel Chapelli

One of several intriguing Cuban prospects in the system, Chapelli was named MVP at the 15-and-under World Cup in 2016 and won rookie of the year honors in the island's top domestic league three years later. Signed for $500,000 last June, the second baseman crushed younger competition in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League during his pro debut, placing third in slugging (.636) and OPS (1.084). Listed at 5-foot-8 and built like a slightly taller Jose Altuve, Chapelli may skip two levels and open this season in High-A Winston-Salem.

"It's tough to make a lot out of performance in the DSL, but I believe in Loidel's bat," Getz said. "It's a low-maintenance swing and he has good hands with strength. For a 21-year-old, it's a pretty mature bat. He has a little bit of pop and can scoot a little bit."

Something to prove: Wilber Sanchez

Sanchez has ranked among the fastest players in the system since signing for $80,000 out of Venezuela in 2019, and his plus-plus speed has translated into 68 steals in 206 pro games. But the shortstop has gotten too pull-conscious and launch-happy since reaching Single-A in August 2021 and batted just .162/.277/.217 at that level last year.

Sanchez's batting average and slugging percentage ranked dead last among full-season qualifiers in the Minors. He has looked better at the plate in games on the back fields.

"Wilber is stronger and having pretty good at-bats," Getz said. "I've always liked him defensively and he can run. He's a smaller-framed guy, so he's focusing on adding strength, simplifying his swing and not trying to do too much."