Oswego’s Schultz will represent Sox in MLB Futures Game a second time
Oswego native Noah Schultz will make a second trip to the MLB Futures Game on July 12 in Atlanta.
Lineups for this year's Futures Game were announced Monday. Schultz and outfielder Braden Montgomery will represent the White Sox. Outfielder Owen Caissie and right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins were chosen from the Cubs.
Schultz, a 6-foot-10 left-hander, was charged with 3 earned runs in last year's game in one-third of an inning.
“I wouldn't say I was the happiest with my outing, but I know the experience as a whole is one I won't forget,” Schultz said in a Zoom call with reporters. “My family got to go out and I'm really excited for this year too. It's an honor.”
The No. 26 overall draft pick in 2022 out of Oswego East High School, Schultz is the White Sox's top-rated prospect by MLB Pipeline. He's No. 13 overall and the highest-rated left-handed pitcher.
After posting a 3.34 ERA in 12 starts at Double-A Birmingham, he was promoted to Charlotte a couple weeks ago. His first two starts in Triple-A have been rough, with 11 earned runs allowed. But the step up in competition is a challenge he felt ready for.
“My first outing, I felt like I had really good command with my fastball, but not great for the off-speed,” Schultz said. “I was hanging stuff a little bit. Then the opposite last week.
“It's definitely something I'm confident I can handle. The results haven't necessarily been there, but I'm working on a lot of things. There's a lot of things I'm excited to work on the rest of the year.”
The organization's goal for Schultz this year was to pitch on a major-league schedule — every fifth day, instead of once a week like last year. He's also going deeper into games this season.
“I'm really happy with how my body feels and how I've been able to stay healthy throughout the year,” he said. “Definitely staying strong and (holding) velocity through the game.”
It doesn't seem likely Schultz will make his major-league debut this year, but the start of next season could be realistic. White Sox director of player development Paul Janish explained the reasoning behind moving up a level.
“We just thought that it was a good opportunity to challenge Noah,” Janish said. “There's just better hitters, it's a tougher league to pitch in. Charlotte's obviously an offensive park, so it's all in an effort to kind of keep pushing him.”
Montgomery was Boston's first-round pick last year, No. 12 overall, out of Texas A&M, then joined the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade. He's playing at Class-A Winston-Salem.
On the Cubs' side, Caissie, 22, is the team's top-rated prospect, No. 42 overall. He's hitting .263 with 12 home runs in his second season at Triple-A Iowa. Wiggins was a second-round pick of the Cubs in 2023 after missing his final year of college at Arkansas with an injury. He's posted a 2.38 ERA in his first seven starts at Double-A Knoxville.