In 2024, Noah Schultz debuted as the top lefty pitching prosect in baseball, and it was clear to see why. His 6’10” frame and deceptive arm angle often draws comparisons to Randy Johnson. He was bothered by persistent knee injuries in 2025, and his numbers suffered as a result, so the beginning of 2026 will see a focus on bouncing back for Schultz. Baseball America has Schultz as the #26 prospect in baseball going into 2026, but due to the injuries last season, MLB.com has him all the way down at #49.

When healthy, Schultz’s low-80’s slider has wicked break that gives hitters nightmares, and his fastball runs up to 98 MPH, though it lives closer to 95. He also has a high-80s changeup that fades in the opposite direction from his slider, giving him another weapon to drive hitters crazy. He doesn’t walk a lot of hitters, preferring to get outs on the ground.

The comps to Randy Johnson make sense, due to his size, arm slot and delivery, but I see Schultz more of a combination of Johnson and another 6’10 Major League pitcher, Chris Young. Schultz’s velocity sits somewhere between Johnson and Young, but Young relied much more heavily on ground balls and fly outs than Johnson, who is 2nd all-time in strikeouts. That is much closer to the neighborhood Schultz prefers to live in.

Schultz is good, really good. His ceiling is among the highest in baseball, which is another reason why people are mentioning him with The Big Unit. but the big question for Noah Schultz will be health. I expect to see him on the Southside in 2026, though it will probably be sometime in the summer, so the Big League club can see how he rebounds to his rough stint in AAA. If all goes well, I believe Schultz can be the ace of an ascending (albeit very slowly) White Sox team for years to come.