Several local players shine in White Sox farm system

Noah Schultz began the season as the top-ranked left-handed pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline.

The former White Sox first-round pick will end the year at No. 6 and on the injured list with right knee patella tendinitis. His last appearance was Aug. 30.

Obviously, it wasn't a great year for the Oswego native, but White Sox director of player development Paul Janish expects a fresh start when 2026 spring training begins.

“I do give Noah a ton of credit for the way he handled the situation,” Janish said on a Zoom call with reporters Monday. “I think if we're being honest, he was dealing with (the knee issue) maybe a little bit more than he let on at certain times through the year.”

The 6-foot-10 Schultz pitched a total of 73 innings this season, 15 fewer than last year. The goal coming in was for the Oswego East High School grad to get used to more of a major-league workload, pitching every five days rather than once a week.

He posted a 3.34 ERA in 12 starts at Double-A Birmingham, then moved up to Triple-A Charlotte and had a 9.92 ERA in five appearances. For reference, Birmingham plays in the Southern League, which is considered very pitcher-friendly, while Charlotte's ballpark is extremely hitter-friendly.

“Noah showed us some willingness to deal with adversity, some grit, some want-to to push through maybe some discomfort at times,” Janish said. “The context of that is significant, long-term, when the time comes when he's going to have to deal with that at the major-league level.”

Schultz's left-handed partner, 2024 first-round pick Hagen Smith, stayed in Birmingham all year and produced a 3.57 ERA in 20 starts. Smith will be pitching in the Southern League playoffs, then head to the Arizona Fall League.

Janish said the goal for Schultz is to be completely healthy next spring, with a goal of making his major-league debut at some point.

Growth for Gowens

A bright spot for the White Sox this year is the Birmingham Barons went 81-57, and will open the Southern League playoffs Tuesday against Chattanooga.

That team featured two pitchers ranked among the top seven Sox prospects, Smith and right-hander Tanner McDougal. But unranked right-hander Riley Gowens from Libertyville can make an argument for being the team's most valuable pitcher.

Gowens, 25, led the Barons in starts (27) and innings pitched (132). He delivered a 3.34 ERA, while his strikeouts per nine innings was a very respectable 10.3.

“Quietly one of my favorite guys in the organization, just from a competitor's standpoint,” Janish said. “I joked about this to Riley the last time I was in Birmingham, you watch him pitch in a game, walk on and off the field. He walks different. He is a fierce competitor. So it's not an accident that he's pitched well. He answers the bell.”

There's a reason Gowens is not ranked higher on the prospect list. Scouts don't think he has the same elite stuff Schultz, Smith and McDougal possess. But success comes in all shapes and sizes.

“From an arsenal standpoint, he relies on having really good command,” Janish said. “I'm not betting against Riley Gowens, just from a competitors' standpoint. What does that mean long-term? When he gets his opportunity, hopefully, to get called up to the big leagues, is that in a reliever capacity, is that a starter? We'll figure that out down the road.

“What I do know is whatever the ceiling is, he's going to get to, just because of the kid. He may be able to overachieve what we perceive his stuff to be, if that makes sense.”

Wolkow waiting

Six-foot-7 outfielder George Wolkow was a sensation of the Sox system last year as a seventh-round pick out of Downers Grove North High School in 2023. He showed plenty of power in his pro debut at Class-A Kannapolis.

For his second year, the Sox wanted him to cut down on his strikeouts and this turned out to be a season of adjustments. Wolkow, 19, stayed at Kannapolis and hit .223, with 13 home runs and 69 RBI.

“He had a tough year from a numbers standpoint, I think George would tell you that,” Janish said. “I really think some of his most important development was on the emotional side. George is a crazy, crazy competitor, which we value, and we're trying to get him to harness that.”

Wolkow, the team's No. 10-ranked prospect, helped start the trend of the White Sox drafting local players they got to know and coach during the Area Code Games. The past two second-round picks — Caleb Bonemer from Okemos, Mich., and Jaden Fauske from Nazareth Academy — joined that list.

“We know he can hit the ball as hard or harder than anybody in the organization, maybe in minor-league baseball,” Janish said of Wolkow. “At the end of the day, it goes back to making good decisions at the plate. I tell this to him personally, 'We're not going to get there tomorrow, man.' He is still very young and has a ton of time.”