GLENDALE, Ariz. — Noah Schultz is the White Sox' No. 2 prospect, No. 4 left-handed pitching prospect in the game and No. 50 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
But the 6-foot-9 southpaw is also…a chef?
Well, he may not be at the level of a chef, but to help his overall growth, he has added cooking to his home routine.
“I definitely take better care of my body. I eat better. [I’ve gotten] Schultz spoke to reporters Monday morning at the White Sox' minor league side at Camelback Ranch. “I'm going to recover with my mind and my baseball. I'm getting better overall so I can stay on the field this year.”
When asked about his expectations for 2024, Schultz talked about staying healthy, staying on the mound and becoming the best pitcher possible.
“We're getting better every day,” Schultz added.
The White Sox have the same plan in mind. The team's top pick in the 2022 draft, he pitched for Single-A Kannapolis in 2023 and had a 1.33 ERA with 38 strikeouts, six walks, and 17 hits in 10 starts (27 innings). Although he was completely dominant, he was shut out after that. Started with shoulder impingement on August 13th.
Schultz is still only 20 years old and doesn't have enough innings of base to make it to professional baseball, so the White Sox will continue to move forward cautiously with an elite hurler. White Sox pitching coordinator Matt Zaleski said Schultz's 24-year goal is to pitch 65 to 80 total innings, but he believes he should start this season with an affiliated team rather than return to Arizona. .
“Right now he's doing live BP. His first game is scheduled to be on the 16th,” Zaleski said. “Just building him up slowly and taking better care of him for his Tommy John rehab. Shoot from 65 to 80.”
“We want to extend him and be able to increase his workload. That's the number one priority for us,” general manager Chris Getz said at Cactus League media day. Told. “[He’s] He's still a very young pitcher. Physically, he has become much stronger. The bottom line is that the quality of his pitches is elite. It really is, much less coming out of a 6-foot-9 left-handed hand. Please help him have a healthy season. ”
Clinging to such lofty honors has nothing to do with Schulz's work or existence. In fact, he really loves the game, so he hardly listens to such talk.
He is currently working on his sinker, slider and changeup, with the changeup getting the most attention. He's confident in all of his pitches, buoyed by his huge success at Kannapolis.
“I always have something to focus on,” Schultz said. “There’s always a way to get better every day, but I think the specific things are command, staying healthy, location and everything else.”
Part of everything we do on and off the field is working on our recovery from pitching on the mound. This list includes tracking her nightly sleep, knowing when to take her supplements, and creating an advanced meal plan to ensure Schultz's body feels 100 percent every day.
So what was Schultz's go-to meal in the early stages of his culinary career?
“Steak and potatoes. Steak and rice. Steak and pasta,” Schultz said. “We know it’s healthy, easy to make and can help with recovery.
“Increase your calories anyway. Everything a little bit, more calories and more potatoes. It's enough to stay healthy, recover and gain positive weight.”
Schultz will be cooking for the White Sox in the not-too-distant future, but at that point, of course, it's the opposing batters who will be cooking the meals. While some believe that Schultz's advanced skill set could allow him to play at the major league level right away, there is no need to rush such extraordinary potential at any stage of his development.
Clearly, the White Sox understand and value what Schultz can do, with early comparisons pointing to former White Sox ace Chris Sale and Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.
“When you look at the weapons he has, I don't think there's an arm in baseball that has as much potential as Noah Schultz,” Goetz said. “We want to be as responsible as possible.”
“It's a video game. It's easy,” Zaleski said. “He's just going through the motions, and it looks like he's not even trying, but the results are 96, 98.” [mph]. He has two great offspeed pitches. He sits there as a pitcher and is like, “This is fun to watch.'' ”
