Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50 

With his 6-foot-9 frame and low three-quarters arm slot, Schultz conjures physical comparisons to Randy Johnson. He can't match the power in the Hall of Famer's arsenal, but Schultz is a lot more polished than Johnson was as a teenager. He's also difficult to figure out because he barely pitched as a high school senior and is strongly committed to Vanderbilt. 

Schultz's biggest weapon is an upper-70s slider with horizontal break that's nearly impossible for lefties to track because of the angle he presents, and he also can back-foot it against righties. His fastball sat at 89-92 mph and peaked at 94 with good carry and armside run on the showcase circuit last summer, and he's not afraid to work it inside on right-handers. He hasn't had much need for a changeup yet but shows some aptitude for throwing one with some fade.  

Schultz has unusual athleticism and body control for such a tall youngster and he keeps all of his moving parts in sync by working out of the stretch. Scouts would like to see him add some more velocity and he began to trend up a bit during the fall before dealing at 92-96 mph and also showcasing a sharper, harder slider in a two-inning outing to open his senior season. But he came down with mononucleosis soon afterward and displayed shaky control when he returned. 

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 70 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 60

Schultz barely pitched as an Illinois high school senior in 2022 while battling mononucleosis but did dominate the Prospect League, a wood-bat college summer circuit, leading up to the Draft. The White Sox ended a 21-year span of not taking prep pitchers in the first round by selecting him 26th overall and signed him away from a Vanderbilt commitment for $2.8 million. They handled him with care, as he missed the first two months of his 2023 pro debut with a flexor strain and his final couple of starts with a shoulder impingement, but in between he allowed a run in just one of his 10 Single-A outings while striking out 38 in 27 innings. 

Schultz had one of the best sliders in the 2022 Draft, and his low-80s sweeper with high spin rates continued to destroy lower-level hitters because he creates exceptionally wide angle with his huge 6-foot-9 frame and low three-quarters arm slot. His four-seam fastball has sat at 93-95 mph and touched 97 in short stints the last two years, and Chicago is helping him add a sinking two-seam version as well. He's in the nascent stages of developing his changeup, a fading mid-80s offering that shows signs of becoming average. 

With his size and arm angle, Schultz persistently draws physical comparisons to Randy Johnson. Though he's not as overpowering as the Hall of Famer, he's far more polished at the same stage of their careers. He has unusual athleticism and body control for a tall youngster, pounded the strike zone during his brief pro debut and exhibits very good feel for his slider. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55 

Hard to scout as an Illinois high school senior because he barely pitched after contracting mononucleosis, Schultz boosted his stock by heading to the Prospect League and posting a 0.93 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings in the wood bat college summer circuit. The White Sox hadn't taken a prep pitcher in the first round since Kris Honel in 2001 before they selected Schultz 26th overall in July and signed him away from a Vanderbilt commitment for $2.8 million. After a flexor strain in Spring Training delayed his pro debut until June 2023, he dominated Single-A hitters while working with a mid-90s fastball. 

Schultz's slider ranked among the best in the 2022 Draft, a low-80s sweeper with high spin rates that's death on left-handers because of the angle he creates with his huge 6-foot-9 frame and low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball parked at 89-94 mph on the showcase circuit and jumped to 92-97 in short stints in 2022, and Chicago has helped him add a sinking two-seamer that could give him another weapon. He's in the early stages of developing a mid-80s changeup with fade that shows the makings of becoming an average pitch. 

Because of Schultz's size and arm angle, the obvious physical comparison is Randy Johnson. He can't match the Hall of Famer's power -- though his velocity is on the rise -- but he has uncommon athleticism and body control for a tall teenager and is much more polished than Johnson was at the same stage. His control was scattered during his brief senior season but he generally throws strikes and commands his slider well. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50 

The White Sox went 21 years between drafting high school pitchers in the first round before they selected homestate product Schultz 26th overall this July. He was hard to scout during the spring because he came down with mononucleosis and barely pitched, but he helped his cause by dominating the Prospect League, a wood-bat college summer circuit, with a 0.93 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings leading up to the Draft. Chicago signed him away from a Vanderbilt commitment for $2.8 million. 

Schultz had one of the best sliders in the 2022 Draft, a low-80s sweeper with high spin rates that's nearly impossible for left-handers to deal with because of the difficult angle he presents with a 6-foot-9 frame and low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball velocity improved from 89-94 mph on the showcase circuit last summer to 92-96 this year, and he has some armside run on his heater and the confidence to bust it inside on right-handers. He didn't need a changeup as a prepster but shows aptitude for throwing one with some fading action. 

As a lefty with his size and arm angle, Schultz draws physical comparisons to Randy Johnson. He can't match the power in the Hall of Famer's arsenal, but he has unusual athleticism and body control for such a tall teenager and is much more polished than Johnson was at the same stage. His control was shaky during his brief senior season but should become average as he gains more experience. 

Awards

SOU Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2024

SOU Pitcher of the Year

Year	Team
2024

Baseball America Double-A All-Star

Year	Team
2024

Futures Game Selection

Year	Team
2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	07/16/2024	Birmingham Barons activated LHP Noah Schultz from the temporarily inactive list.
	07/14/2024	American League Futures activated LHP Noah Schultz.
	07/12/2024	Birmingham Barons placed LHP Noah Schultz on the temporarily inactive list.
	07/12/2024	American League Futures activated LHP Noah Schultz.
	05/25/2024	LHP Noah Schultz assigned to Birmingham Barons from Winston-Salem Dash.
	04/02/2024	LHP Noah Schultz assigned to Winston-Salem Dash from Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
	03/14/2024	LHP Noah Schultz assigned to Chicago White Sox Prospects.
	09/19/2023	Kannapolis Cannon Ballers activated LHP Noah Schultz from the 7-day injured list.
	08/20/2023	Kannapolis Cannon Ballers placed LHP Noah Schultz on the 7-day injured list.
	06/10/2023	Kannapolis Cannon Ballers transferred LHP Noah Schultz to the Development List.
	06/02/2023	LHP Noah Schultz assigned to Kannapolis Cannon Ballers from ACL White Sox.
	03/06/2023	LHP Noah Schultz assigned to ACL White Sox from White Sox Organization.
	08/16/2022	LHP Noah Schultz assigned to White Sox Organization.
	07/23/2022	Chicago White Sox signed LHP Noah Schultz.
	08/18/2021	LHP Noah Schultz and assigned to PG West.
	07/13/2021	PG National 8 - Purple activated LHP Noah Schultz.
	07/08/2021	National activated LHP Noah Schultz.
	07/08/2021	National activated LHP Noah Schultz.