Chicago White Sox director of player development Paul Janish saw a willingness to deal with adversity, grit and a desire to push through discomfort from left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz in 2025.
“The context is significant long term for when the time comes when he’s going to have to deal with that at the major-league level hopefully,” Janish said in a video conference Monday.
The Sox are focused on seeing the 2022 first-round pick return to health after he went on the injured list earlier this month.
“It’s still being treated as (right patellar) tendinitis (in his knee), and at this juncture I don’t think it’s going to be a surgical situation, so that’s a good thing,” Janish said. “You’re shutting him down for the season and then doing the appropriate stuff, starting immediately with the goal of next spring training. Having him as strong and as healthy as he could be.”
Schultz, an Oswego East alumnus, went 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 17 starts for Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the organization by MLB.com.
“I do give Noah a ton of credit for the way he handled this situation,” Janish said. “If we are being honest, he was dealing with it a little bit more than he led on at certain times of the year. To give him credit, he really wants to pitch and really wants to be on the field.
“At this point, get him healthy for next spring training going into next year to be as ready as he can be to hopefully at some point contribute to the major-league team.”
Janish provided several minor-league evaluations Monday. Here are three takeaways from the session.
1. Lefty Hagen Smith focused on attention to details.
Janish believes the organization has learned a lot about the 2024 first-round pick. He also said Smith has learned a lot about himself.
The left-hander, ranked the No. 5 prospect in the organization, is 3-4 with a 3.57 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 20 starts for Birmingham.
“As mundane as this might sound, a lot of what will help him moving forward is just continuing to pay attention to details,” Janish said. “It’s the daily drill work, the catch play, etc., from a maintenance standpoint, continuing to do the things that help him within the course of a season.
“I do think some of the quote-unquote small things are one of our takeaways this year with him. He knows that. We are going to help him. And his support group that he has on his side has done a really good job, and we are working with him to make sure we are all on the same page.”
2. Braden Montgomery’s work ethic earned high marks.
The Sox acquired Montgomery from the Boston Red Sox as part of the Garrett Crochet trade. The outfielder spent time at low-A Kannapolis, high-A Winston-Salem and Birmingham before suffering a small fracture in his right foot when he was hit by a pitch Sept. 6.
Montgomery won’t play for the Barons in the postseason, which begins Tuesday, but expects to participate in the Arizona Fall League after recovering.
He emerged as the top-ranked prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com, while slashing .270/.360/.444 with 12 home runs and 68 RBIs in 121 games.
“For somebody who didn’t get the opportunity to go out last year in the year that he got drafted due to (an ankle) injury, this was a pretty dang good first full season,” Janish said. “We all know the potential. The thing that sticks out about Braden is just the work ethic. It’s crazy how much he wants to be good.
“He’s got the ability. Does he need to continue to get better at decisions at the plate and being a little bit more focused at swinging at the pitches he can handle? Sure. But you talk about determination, he’s got it.”
3. Paul Janish saw growth from players throughout the farm system.
Caleb Bonemer, a second-round selection in 2024 who is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the organization, hit .281 with 12 home runs and 64 RBIs while playing for Kannapolis and Winston-Salem.
Jeral Perez, acquired in 2024 from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the trade that also landed Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas, had 22 home runs and 70 RBIs for Winston-Salem.
“With both of those guys, they finished the year strong,” Janish said. “It’s a long season, especially for a younger guy. Both of those guys are in pretty good shape, but it’s just good to see young players run through the finish line and not limp to the finish line.”
Janish saw growth from players throughout the system, including several who are aiding Birmingham: infielders Sam Antonacci, William Bergolla, Ryan Galanie and Rikuu Nishida and outfielder Caden Connor.
Antonacci is slashing .291/.433/.409 while playing for Kannapolis, Winston-Salem and Birmingham.
“It’s exciting to see some guys — and Sam is probably our best example of playing really well and arguably doing maybe more than we thought they were going to,” Janish said. “That’s a really good indicator … of our organization being in a pretty good spot because you’ve got guys that maybe we can’t promise you they’re all going to get to the big leagues, but we do want to make them as good as they can be and Sam’s a really easy example to point to right now.”