What Is Tanner McDougal's Future With White Sox After Breakout Season?

That was a continuation of what has been a breakout season for the 22-year-old right-hander. Last season, McDougal posted an uninspiring 6.04 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 92.1 innings with Single-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem.

The White Sox wanted McDougal to improve his command and control, and he did just that, lowering his walk rate from 13.6% last season to 10.1% in 2025 while also experience a slight uptick in strikeouts.

The result was a pitcher whose 3.28 ERA in High-A Winston-Salem earned him a promotion to Double-A Birmingham, where he became a key cog in the Barons' playoff run. Across 15 starts in Birmingham, McDougal recorded 10 shutouts and held opponents to three runs or fewer in all but three outings.

"He came into this year, the walks, strikes were something we were watching, and he went out and really attacked the zone at new rates," White Sox senior advisor to pitching Brian Bannister said Friday. "I saw him multiple times throwing 99 mph in the seventh inning. There's no shortage of stuff."

A 2021 fifth-round pick out of Silverado High School in Las Vegas, McDougal wrapped up his fourth professional season with a 3.26 ERA and 1.33 WHIP –– both career-bests –– along with 136 strikeouts and 49 walks in 113.1 innings.

In turn, McDougal has climbed to No. 7 among White Sox prospects in the MLB Pipeline rankings. The only pitchers ahead of him in the organization are left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, who were taken in the first round of the MLB Draft and rank inside the top 100 among all prospects.

What's next?

McDougal has yet to pitch in Triple-A, a level he'd likely have to beat before getting an opportunity in the big leagues. And somewhere down the road, he could be part of the White Sox starting rotation.

"I think he proved to everybody he can start and it's really about where does he fit, what's the best way to plug him in?" Bannister said. "He's going to be a guy that's going to have to be protected. He'll have an opportunity to prove himself at spring training. And with the stuff I saw on multiple occasions, it was overwhelming."

"So he can pitch in multiple roles like a Grant Taylor, but I think for now, especially with what he did midway through the year and second half, he proved that he's a starter for now and can handle the durability of starting. Even though we did have to throttle his workload a little bit just because he was so far past what he had thrown in the past, innings-wise, there's definitely a starter future for him. But breaking in, it's just the best way to fit him into a team, like everybody else."