Three White Sox Prospects Crack Baseball Prospectus Top 101 List

Baseball Prospectus has released its top 101 prospects for the upcoming 2024 season and three White Sox prospects made the list. The White Sox top three prospects, shortstop Colson Montgomery, left-handed pitcher Noah Shultz, and catcher Edgar Quero all cracked the top 100. 

Last season Montgomery and Oscar Colas were the only two White Sox players included in Baseball Prospectus’ rankings. Nine Chicago Cubs prospects appeared on this year’s list, giving the White Sox crosstown rivals the most prospects included amongst any team. Here is how the White Sox compared to the rest of the league. 

1. Chicago Cubs-9
2. Baltimore Orioles -7
3. ST. Louis Cardinals-6
4. Detroit Tigers-5
5. New York Mets-5
6. San Diego Padres-5
7. Arizona Diamondbacks-4
8. Boston Red Sox- 4
9. Los Angeles Dodgers-4
10. Milwaukee Brewers-4
11. San Francisco Giants-4
12. Tampa Bay Rays-4
13. Washington Nationals-4
14. Chicago White Sox-3
15. Cincinnati Reds -3
16. Cleveland Guardians-3
17. Colorado Rockies-3
18. Minnesota Twins-3
19. New York Yankees-3
20. Seattle Mariners-3
21. Texas Rangers-3
22. Atlanta Braves-2
23. Miami Marlins-2
24. Pittsburgh Pirates-2
25. Toronto Blue Jays-2
26. Houston Astros -1
27. Kansas City Royals-1
28. Los Angeles Angels-1
29. Oakland Athletics-1
30. Philadelphia Phillies-1

Colson Montgomery, SS, No. 11

To nobody’s surprise, Colson Montgomery is the highest-rated White Sox prospect on the list. The 21-year-old is slashed .287/.455/.485 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs across three different levels last season. He began the year in the Arizona Complex League due to injury but was promoted after just 10 games after posting a 1.099 OPS. He then received another promotion back to Double-A after slashing .345/.537/.552 in  High-A during 17 games with the Winston-Salem Dash. 

Scouts have been impressed by his patience at the plate. Montgomery rarely chases pitches outside the zone, which is evident by his 14.9% walk rate in the minor leagues. In 2022 he reached base safely in 50 straight games between April 24th and July 117th which was tied for the second-longest streak in the MiLB during the season. 

His 6-foot-4 left-handed swing has also drawn comparisons to Corey Seager. While his power numbers don’t jump off the page, Montgomery has shown the ability to consistently drive the ball while using the entire field. Scouts grade him as a 60 overall on a 20-80 scale which includes 60 grades on his hitting and power. 

Baseball America also named Montogmery as the athlete and the player with the best strike-zone discipline in the White Sox organization last season.  

Noah Shultz, RHP, No 57

Noah Shultz is by far the White Sox best pitching prospect in the organization. The White Sox No. 2 overall prospect. Shultz was selected by the White Sox with the 26th overall pick in the MLB draft in 2022. 

He suffered a flexor strain in Spring Training which delayed his professional debut. It was worth the wait. Shultz posted a 1.33 ERA in ten starts in Single-A Kannapolis. Opponents hit just .175 off the left-hander who also boasted a 0.85 WHIP. 

Scouts say his slider was one of the best of his Draft class due to its high spin rate and the tough angle his tall 6-foot-9 frame creates on left-handed hitters. Meanwhile, his fastball can touch 97 mph which adds to the difficulty of teeing up his slider. 

However, there are some injury concerns with Shultz. On top of the flexor strain, he also missed some time due to a “shoulder impingement” which landed him on the IL in August. 

Edgar Quero, C, No.  78 

Edgar Quero is the most recent addition to the White Sox crop of top prospects. The 20-year-old was added at the trade deadline in a deal that sent Lucas Giolito to the Angels. 

Quero is a switch-hitter who moves well behind the plate and has solid arm strength. He has more power from the left-hand side, but like Montgomery has shown excellent plate discipline in the early stages of his career. In 101 games he was able to draw 57 walks last season. 

Quero slashed .255/.380/.351 last season but managed to post a .759 OPS after being traded to the White Sox organization.  In his first 20 games with the Birmingham Barons, Quero slashed .295/.383/.436 with 23 hits, 19 RBIs, 12 walks, and three home runs. In 2022 he launched 17 home runs in Single-A while he was still a member of the Angels farm system. 

The front office hopes Quero will be their long-term starting catcher of the future.