The writers at Baseball America have been busy as it’s firmly the season for prospect rankings on the internet. The publication’s famous prospect handbook has been printed, ordered, and released to customers across the country. The first version of the top 100 prospect’s list is now live on their website. The Chicago White Sox landed two players on the list, with shortstop Colson Montgomery coming in at No. 15 overall and left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz slotting at No. 40.
Colson Montgomery Keeps Rising
Baltimore Orioles prospect Jackson Holliday is the #1 overall prospect in baseball, and he also leads the way for shortstops. Montgomery slots in as the fourth shortstop on the list behind Jordan Lawler (No. 7) of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Marcelo Mayer (No. 14) of the Boston Red Sox, who were also drafted in the same year the White Sox spent the No. 22 overall selection on Montgomery. The 6-3 205-pound infielder was taken out of Southridge High School in Indiana, where he starred in multiple sports. The 21-year-old hits from the left side as well.
Montgomery held his own in the Arizona Fall League this past year and flashed loud tools throughout game action against the league’s best prospects. His season was delayed by oblique injuries but he was still able to showcase his advanced hittability and power with on base skills. There are some defensive questions, but he clubbed seven homers, and the bat would play at third base if that’s the eventual destination. In 17 games with the Winston-Salem Dash in High-A, Montgomery hit .345/.537/.552 with a 198 wRC+. He posted an 18% strikeout rate with a 24% walk rate. After a promotion to Double-A, the infielder hit .244/.400/.427 while posting a 129 wRC+ with the Birmingham Barons.
Montgomery was also ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect in the sport by Baseball Prospectus recently. On their newest edition of the BP 101, southpaw Noah Schultz ranked at No. 57 overall, with catcher Edgar Quero checking in at No. 78. Montgomery and Schultz will likely crack the list for other prominent publications as well. The group at MLB Pipeline is in the process of rolling out their prospect content as well, and Schultz is initially ranked as the No. 4 lefty pitching prospect in baseball to start the season. Jim Callis highlighted his slider as the best of the entire group.
Breakout Performer
The White Sox drafted Noah Schultz with the 26th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Oswego East High School. The southpaw threw just 27 innings last season in Low-A with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, but he was stellar. The 20-year-old posted a 1.33 ERA with 38 strikeouts. The 6-9, 220-pound lefty displayed a plus fastball with a nasty slider that has earned praise from scouts and prospect writers. The left-hander had a delayed start to his season after the organization cautiously dealt with a flexor strain in his forearm. His season also ended abruptly with a shoulder impingement at the end of his initial campaign. Baseball America noted that he was a “force of nature” when he did pitch, however.
Schultz is the 10th ranked pitcher in the minor leagues according to the list at Baseball America. Ricky Tiedemann of the Toronto Blue Jays, Kyle Harrison of the San Francisco Giants, and Robby Snelling of the San Diego Padres are the only lefties ranked higher on the list. There is a big helium for Noah Schultz in the scouting community. Josh Norris of Baseball America listed the White Sox hurler as one of the prospects who is “primed to rise this year.” Norris noted that Schultz could be one of the best prospects in baseball, saying, “If he can stay healthy, he could vault into the conversation of the best pitching prospects in the sport.”
The Other Guys
The White Sox acquired multiple prospects at the trade deadline once their playoff hopes rapidly dwindled during the 2023 season. The club has high hopes for Edgar Quero, a 20-year-old switch-hitting catcher who was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in July. He was widely regarded as a top 100 prospect for most publications at the time of the trade. He’s fallen off the list at Baseball America this time around, but he still projects as the club’s catcher of the future. The 5-11, 200-pound backstop posted a 106 wRC+ with the Birmingham Barons after the trade. He is listed as one of the ten best catching prospects in baseball by MLB Pipeline however.
Nick Nastrini and Bryan Ramos were mentioned by the publication in an article highlighting the 15 players who barely missed the top 100 list. Nastrini and Ramos should both make their big league debuts with the White Sox this season. Nastrini is a 6-3 215-pound righty who has shown three above-average or better pitchers, including a double-plus fastball. The 23-year-old will likely start the season in Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights. Ramos is a 21-year-old Cuban third baseman with great makeup and big power potential. He slugged 14 homers in 77 minor league games in 2023, and he should spend time in the Queen City as well. Quero, lefty Jake Eder, and infielder Jacob Gonzalez received some support from the Baseball America staff as well.
