Chicago White Sox No. 1 Prospect Struggles In Second Start At Triple-A

Noah Schultz, the White Sox No. 1 prospect and 2022 first-round pick, made his second start at the Triple-A level on Friday night for the Charlotte Knights.

On the road against the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers' affiliate, Schultz struggled from the opening pitch and lasted just two innings, but displayed swing-and-miss-stuff with four strikeouts. He finished with five hits and five earned runs allowed, along with four walks.

Schultz hit the first batter of the game on a first-pitch changeup. He responded to that well with a three-pitch strikeout in the next at-bat, getting Andy Ibáñez to whiff twice at his sinker. But Schultz walked the next two batters on 10 total pitches, as he had difficulty locating his fastball and off-speed pitches.

In the following at-bat, Schultz landed a curveball at the bottom of the zone for a strikeout looking and the second out. But he couldn't quite escape the jam, as Ryan Kreidler turned on an inside fastball and drove it to right field for a bases-clearing double with an exit velocity of 91.4 mph. That gave the Mud Hens a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

On a 2-2 count, Schultz gave up a leadoff triple in the second inning on an elevated sinker that left Manuel Margot's bat with a 99.4 mph exit velocity. Schultz's curveball induced a ground out in the next at-bat, but he walked the following batter on six pitches. Ibáñez connected with an inside curveball for an RBI single.

Schultz's next pitch was a sinker over the heart of the plate that Justyn-Henry Malloy grounded up the middle with a 105 mph exit velocity for back-to-back RBI singles, giving Toledo a 5-3 lead. Schultz walked the next batter on four pitches, but he ended his outing strong with two straight strikeouts. The 6-foot-10 left-hander's off-speed pitches were effective in those at-bats, getting hitters to whiff at his curveball and changeup.

Through his first two starts in Triple-A, Schultz has given up 11 earned runs in 7.1 innings. He began the season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, where he posted a 3.34 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP across 12 starts and 56.2 innings with 36 walks and 58 strikeouts.