Here’s why Knights’ 6-10 pitcher Noah Schultz, a lefty, is optimistic about 2026
It’s the season of hope for baseball fans, and Noah Schultz says fans of the Chicago White Sox and their top farm team, the Charlotte Knights, have reason for some optimism this year.
“There’s plenty of reason for hope,” said Schultz, a 6-foot-10-inch left-handed pitcher who is among the top prospects in professional baseball. “There are a lot of really talented young guys moving up. These are guys who have learned to win.”
Schultz will start the 2026 season with the Knights, the Triple-A farm club of the White Sox. Many analysts expect him to spend part of the upcoming campaign with the White Sox. Regardless of where he’s pitching in 2026, Schultz said he hopes to help turn things around.
The White Sox are in need of turning things around. Their overall record the past three seasons is 162-324 — a .333 winning percentage. That included a 41-121 record in 2024, when the White Sox lost more games in one season than any other Major League Baseball team — ever.
The problems have spread down to the Triple-A level in Charlotte. Over the past four seasons, the Knights are a combined 244-352, for a .409 winning percentage.
It’s time to turn things around
The White Sox organization has taken steps in the past two seasons to right the ship. They’ve reorganized the front-office staff, invested in the minor league organization, and have even cut ties with some recent prospects that haven’t developed into stars. The most recent of those was outfielder Luis Robert, dealt to the New York Mets in the offseason.
Most analysts rank the White Sox minor league organization prospects near the middle of the MLB teams.
Schultz is a big part of the hope.
He was the White Sox’ first-round draft pick in 2022, taken 26th overall. Schultz is a hometown guy, a standout as Oswego East High in Naperville, Ill., about an hour from Rate Field, the southside Chicago stadium where the White Sox play.
He comes from an athletic family. His parents, Larry and Kim, completed in sports. His sisters played collegiate softball — Ashley at Northwestern and Emily at Stanford.
Noah has said that he was only 5-8 in eighth grade but grew more than a foot by the time he was a high school junior. Despite dealing with mononucleosis during part of his senior season, Schultz attracted plenty of professional scouts.
Schultz had committed to Vanderbilt but decided to turn professional., signing for a reported $2-plus million.
He had a standout 2023 season in Kannapolis (low Single-A) and played very well in 2024 with Winston-Salem (high Single-A) and Birmingham (Double-A).
Hitting a speed bump in 2025
Prior to the 2025 season, the buzz was that Schultz would be in the majors before the season ended. But he struggled with patellar tendonitis in a knee, and he missed most of the season after late June. In a few performances in Birmingham and then with the Knights, he compiled a 4-5 record with 76 strikeouts in 73 innings.
Schultz said he is coming into 2026 in great shape, after a couple impressive spring training outings.
“The knee is fine,” he said. “I did physical therapy and worked hard at it. I’m really ready to go.”
In fact, he said, the entire Charlotte Knights’ team is ready.
“Many of the guys on this team played with me in Birmingham, where we won back-to-back championships,” Schultz said. “These are guys who know what it takes to win, and they’re willing to put in the work.”
There’s no questioning his stuff; he often draws comparisons to another 6-10 lefty — Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 49 prospect overall and the No. 6 left-handed pitcher, with “wicked low-80s sliders with tremendous horizontal action that can eat up left-handers and right-handers” and a fastball that reaches 99 mph.
He said the White Sox organization is poised for success, both at Triple-A and in the majors.
When will he be a part of that MLB success?
“It’s not part of my mindset,” he said. “I’m like anyone else. I have short-term goals and long-term goals. But I think accomplishing the short-term goals is the way to finish those long-term ambitions.”
“I’m concerned about doing my best, each time I play,” he added. “And then we’ll see what happens. Right now, I’m concentrating on helping our team in Charlotte.”
“It’s always exciting at the start of a season,” Schultz said. “And fans here have plenty of reason to be excited.”
