Schultz overtakes Montgomery in White Sox Top 30 Prospects re-rank
CHICAGO -- Left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz and shortstop Colson Montgomery are the top two prospects in the White Sox system, according to MLB Pipeline’s in-season re-rank announced on Tuesday.
Back at the start of the 2024 season, it was Montgomery at No. 1 and Schultz at No. 2, but Schultz’s impressive mound showing for Double-A Birmingham has jumped him to the top spot for the White Sox. But it’s Montgomery, the 22-year-old with 13 home runs and a .711 OPS in his first season for Triple-A Charlotte, who has a chance to see the Major Leagues before the conclusion of the ’24 campaign.
“Yeah, we’re considering Colson,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said during a recent interview. “He’s working on some things right now.
“He seems to be in a good place offensively. We want to see that on a more consistent basis and then we’ll make a decision when it’s best for him to come up.”
Here’s a look at other details from the White Sox re-rank, including some highly thought of Draft picks and Trade Deadline acquisitions making their Top 30 debut.
Here’s a look at the White Sox top prospects:
- Noah Schultz, LHP (No. 15 overall)
- Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 28)
- Hagen Smith, LHP (No. 32)
- Edgar Quero, C (No. 63)
- Jairo Iriarte, RHP
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list (all stats through Sunday):
Jump: Brooks Baldwin, INF (Preseason: No. 25 | Midseason: No. 8)
Smith, the team’s top pick in the 2024 Draft at fifth overall, would actually earn this honor as the No. 3 prospect even without throwing a professional pitch. But in sticking with the players who started with the White Sox for the earliest rankings, the switch-hitting Baldwin gets the nod. Although he has seen very few wins since joining the White Sox after the All-Star break, Baldwin has showed off his versality and talent.
Fall: Peyton Pallette, RHP (Preseason: No. 10 | Midseason: No. 28
Pallette is interesting in that he has seemed to find a home since moving to the bullpen for High-A Winston-Salem. After posting a 1-7 record with a 7.21 ERA over 12 starts, the right-hander has a 2-0 mark with a 0.92 ERA in 10 relief appearances to go with 29 strikeouts against four walks in 19 2/3 innings. Left-hander Jake Eder (from No. 8 to No. 23) also suffered a significant drop.
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New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
No. 3: Hagen Smith, LHP (Draft)
No. 5: Jairo Iriarte, RHP (Traded from San Diego)
No. 11: Caleb Bonemer, SS (Draft)
No. 14: Jeral Perez, 2B (Traded from Dodgers)
No. 15: Alexander Albertus, INF (Traded from Dodgers)
No. 16: William Bergolla, 2B (Traded from Phillies)
No. 17: Samuel Zavala, OF (Traded from Padres)
No. 19: Blake Larson, LHP (Draft)
No. 24: Nick McLain OF (Draft)
No. 25: Casey Saucke II, OF (Draft)
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 55 -- William Bergolla (Alexander Albertus, Brooks Baldwin, Edgar Quero)
Power: 60 -- Colson Montgomery (George Wolkow)
Run: 55 -- William Bergolla (Brooks Baldwin, Casey Saucke, Samuel Zavala)
Arm: 60 -- Casey Saucke
Defense: 55 -- Colson Montgomery (Brooks Baldwin)
Fastball: 65 -- Hagen Smith
Curveball: 60 -- Tanner McDougal (Mason Adams, Peyton Pallette)
Slider: 70 -- Noah Schultz
Changeup: 55 -- Aldrin Batista (Jairo Iriarte, Nick Nastrini)
Control: 60 -- Mason Adams