Top 10 Pitching Prospects

[Chicago White Sox]

Given the shittiness of the major league squad, I’ve been looking for reasons for optimism elsewhere in the org.  And nothing stands out more than the quality of our minor league pitching.  There’s some real talent across all four levels with a few more legit prospects on the IL and in Complex ball.

However, it’s a very diverse group of pitching prospects in terms of age, ceiling, variance, repertoire, & proximity and I’d imagine there is likely to be quite differing opinions in how these guys are viewed.  Below is my current top 10, but I’d love to see who other posters here would include in their own.

Rank | Prospect | Age | Level | ETA | FV

1. Noah Schultz* | 20.7 | A+ | 2026 | 60
2. Drew Thorpe | 23.5 | AA | 2024 | 55
3. Nick Nastrini | 24.2 | AAA | 2024 | 50
4. Jairo Iriarte | 22.3 | AA | 2024 | 50
5. Jake Eder* | 25.5 | AA | 2024 | 45+
6. Jonathan Cannon | 23.8 | AAA | 2025 | 45+
7. Payton Pallette | 22.9 | A+ | 2025 | 45
8. Tanner McDougal | 21.0 | A+ | 2026 | 45
9. Grant Taylor | 21.9 | IL | 2026 | 45
10. Ky Bush* | 24.4 | AA | 2024 | 45

[oldsox]

Eder?

[Chicago White Sox]

13 minutes ago, oldsox said:

Eder?

What’s your question on Eder?

[southsider2k5]

1 hour ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Given the shittiness of the major league squad, I’ve been looking for reasons for optimism elsewhere in the org.  And nothing stands out more than the quality of our minor league pitching.  There’s some real talent across all four levels with a few more legit prospects on the IL and in Complex ball.

However, it’s a very diverse group of pitching prospects in terms of age, ceiling, variance, repertoire, & proximity and I’d imagine there is likely to be quite differing opinions in how these guys are viewed.  Below is my current top 10, but I’d love to see who other posters here would include in their own.

Rank | Prospect | Age | Level | ETA | FV

1. Noah Schultz* | 20.7 | A+ | 2026 | 60
2. Drew Thorpe | 23.5 | AA | 2024 | 55
3. Nick Nastrini | 24.2 | AAA | 2024 | 50
4. Jairo Iriarte | 22.3 | AA | 2024 | 50
5. Jake Eder* | 25.5 | AA | 2024 | 45+
6. Jonathan Cannon | 23.8 | AAA | 2025 | 45+
7. Payton Pallette | 22.9 | A+ | 2025 | 45
8. Tanner McDougal | 21.0 | A+ | 2026 | 45
9. Grant Taylor | 21.9 | IL | 2026 | 45
10. Ky Bush* | 24.4 | AA | 2024 | 45

That's a solid list.  Plenty of breakout potential too.  Guys like Taylor or McDougal could be top 100 guys if they get going. 

[Chicago White Sox]

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

That's a solid list.  Plenty of breakout potential too.  Guys like Taylor or McDougal could be top 100 guys if they get going. 

Yup, both of them are super interesting.  And beyond them, there is probably another half dozen or so legit SP prospects in full season ball.  I spent quite a bit of time debating whether to put Keener or Bush at 10.  Burke would be in the mix if I knew his shoulder was completely healthy.  I know Adams has his fans (haven’t actually seen him pitch).  Gordon has pitched really well against less advanced competition.  And Batista is a kid who really intrigues me.

[southsider2k5]

3 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Yup, both of them are super interesting.  And beyond them, there is probably another half dozen or so legit SP prospects in full season ball.  I spent quite a bit of time debating whether to put Keener or Bush at 10.  Burke would be in the mix if I knew his shoulder was completely healthy.  I know Adams has his fans (haven’t actually seen him pitch).  Gordon has pitched really well against less advanced competition.  And Batista is a kid who really intrigues me.

You could make an argument for like half a dozen different kids for the end of the list.

[Timmy U]

3 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Yup, both of them are super interesting.  And beyond them, there is probably another half dozen or so legit SP prospects in full season ball.  I spent quite a bit of time debating whether to put Keener or Bush at 10.  Burke would be in the mix if I knew his shoulder was completely healthy.  I know Adams has his fans (haven’t actually seen him pitch).  Gordon has pitched really well against less advanced competition.  And Batista is a kid who really intrigues me.

I think you have the right 10 guys on the list. Thank you for it.  I'm higher on Eder, MacDougal, and Taylor than maybe you are, but I think these guys are clearly ahead of Gordon and Batista for now. That may change in Batista's case as he's looked really good so far since the Sox acquired him.

[Chicago White Sox]

4 minutes ago, Timmy U said:

I think you have the right 10 guys on the list. Thank you for it.  I'm higher on Eder, MacDougal, and Taylor than maybe you are, but I think these guys are clearly ahead of Gordon and Batista for now. That may change in Batista's case as he's looked really good so far since the Sox acquired him.

Out of curiosity, where would you place Eder?  I think you can make a legit argument he has the second highest ceiling after Schultz if the stuff is fully back (which seems mostly to be the case), but he’s also on the older side and still needs to prove he can work through his control / command issues.  I put him a tier below Nastrini & Iriarte for now given those reasons, but can totally see the reasoning to have him ranked higher.

[Timmy U]

7 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Out of curiosity, where would you place Eder?  I think you can make a legit argument he has the second highest ceiling after Schultz if the stuff is fully back (which seems mostly to be the case), but he’s also on the older side and still needs to prove he can work through his control / command issues.  I put him a tier below Nastrini & Iriarte for now given those reasons, but can totally see the reasoning to have him ranked higher.

I have Eder ahead of Iriarte. I think they are both 50 FV, but Eder has both a higher upside and more track record.

[Timmy U]

Okay, figuring Keller and Clevinger get the first cracks at the rotation, how many of thes top ten get a shot at some point?  Flexen and Soroka look like short-timers and they don't have a 5th starter.  I am going to say that Nastrini, Thorpe, Eder, and Cannon all get at least 1 mlb start this season.

[Chicago White Sox]

25 minutes ago, Timmy U said:

Okay, figuring Keller and Clevinger get the first cracks at the rotation, how many of thes top ten get a shot at some point?  Flexen and Soroka look like short-timers and they don't have a 5th starter.  I am going to say that Nastrini, Thorpe, Eder, and Cannon all get at least 1 mlb start this season.

Keller is a little bit of a wild card.  I’ve been assuming that Nastrini would get called up in the next couple of weeks with Flexen getting moved to the bullpen or DFAed.  Keller definitely could mess up that theory though.  Regardless, I do think Nastrini is the first man up amongst the actual prospects though.  I could still see him ultimately making 20+ starts for us this year.

But assuming that Keller isn’t given a rotation spot, I think we’re looking at a rotation of Crochet, Fedde, Clevinger, Nastrini, & Soroka through at least May.  If Soroka doesn’t flash something during this period and one of the kids force the issue, I could see a swap take place then.  Otherwise short of injury, I think it will take trades or Crochet being shut down to open up some rotation spots.

I do think there will eventually be at least two more open spots and I’d place my money on Eder & Thorpe getting them.  Obviously it’s all dependent on actual results, but Eder would be a guy I’d prioritize given his age and 40 man roster status.  Of the other two, I think Thorpe will force a call-up.  I think both him and Eder end up getting around 10 starts with us this season.

Based on the above, I think you’re looking at Clevinger, Nastrini, Eder, & Thorpe as your core rotation post deadline.  If Crochet is shut down by then, I’d expect Davis Martin to take his spot if healthy.  Otherwise, Cannon would probably be the favorite.  I do think at minimum Cannon makes a couple spot starts and possibly more if injury arises and/or the other prospects underperform.

Should be a much more fun second half…just need to survive White Sox baseball until then.

[oldsox]

3 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

What’s your question on Eder?

I just don't see him in the top 10 of anything.  Horrible trade got him here.

[Chicago White Sox]

47 minutes ago, oldsox said:

I just don't see him in the top 10 of anything.  Horrible trade got him here.

Take away what we gave up…you really think there are 10 pitching prospects better than him?

[southsider2k5]

11 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Take away what we gave up…you really think there are 10 pitching prospects better than him?

Last year was his first past TJS, and he even dealt with another injury before he could return.  Putting too much into his '23 season is a bad idea.  Coming into this season he has now barely pitched in 2.5 years.  Give him a chance to recover his arm, conditioning,  and mental comfort on the mound.

[DirtySox]

1 hour ago, oldsox said:

I just don't see him in the top 10 of anything.  Horrible trade got him here.

You should probably get over it and try to assess Eder from an objective standpoint.

Edited April 14 by DirtySox

[oldsox]

Geez, it looks like I ran into the Jake Eder Fan Club.  After reflecting, I'll put Jake in the same list but at # 10.  But, I'm pulling for him.

[southsider2k5]

52 minutes ago, oldsox said:

Geez, it looks like I ran into the Jake Eder Fan Club.  After reflecting, I'll put Jake in the same list but at # 10.  But, I'm pulling for him.

You asked a question and multiple people explained it to you.  If that bothers you, toughen up.

[TaylorStSox]

4 hours ago, oldsox said:

I just don't see him in the top 10 of anything.  Horrible trade got him here.

The real Jake Burger is a 28 year old, .750 OPS, below average defender. Even if he wasnt traded, he wouldn't have been on the team by the time the Sox are ready to compete. He was worth a lottery ticket starter. If it doesn't work out, it's still not a bad trade.

[T R U]

39 minutes ago, TaylorStSox said:

The real Jake Burger is a 28 year old, .750 OPS, below average defender. Even if he wasnt traded, he wouldn't have been on the team by the time the Sox are ready to compete. He was worth a lottery ticket starter. If it doesn't work out, it's still not a bad trade.

I don’t get the Burger love affair. He’s exactly what you said above, and would have zero impact on the next good Sox team. 
 

Actually I take that back, because we got Eder for him so it’s possible he will have impacted the next good Sox team. 

[caulfield12]

4 hours ago, TaylorStSox said:

The real Jake Burger is a 28 year old, .750 OPS, below average defender. Even if he wasnt traded, he wouldn't have been on the team by the time the Sox are ready to compete. He was worth a lottery ticket starter. If it doesn't work out, it's still not a bad trade.

Just try to find a good 3B for fantasy leagues, lol.

I have about 5 SS already, but third is really bereft of impact talent once you get past the top 5-6 guys.

At the very least, Burger was a fan favorite...would be the top offensive player on this year's team (after Robert went down) and the obvious replacement for Moncada at third.

Now Colson could certainly end up at third, or even Ramos, but that would leave the Sox a SS short again, unless you believe in the sudden resurgence of last year's first round pick after less than two weeks of action.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

On 4/14/2024 at 7:06 PM, T R U said:

I don’t get the Burger love affair. He’s exactly what you said above, and would have zero impact on the next good Sox team. 
 

Actually I take that back, because we got Eder for him so it’s possible he will have impacted the next good Sox team. 

I don't get the love affair about having guys ready for the next good Sox team. No one knows when that will be. By you're argument if Eder is struggling in 1.5 years on a bad Sox team they should trade him for another injured prospect ?

It's fine you like Eder but he may not be good enough and if he is good enough there's no guarantee  that the Sox will be a good team in his tenure with them. He'll be 30 in 5 years. When do you expect the Sox to be above .500 again ?

You know you can still be a bad team with plenty of good players on it. Look at the Angels with multiple years of having Ohtani and Trout. Those 2 are superstars and they had other good players but to be a good team you need 20 good players and depth behind those 20.

Your MLB team isn't going to get good any time soon trading 27 year old MLB talent for 24 year old injured minor league talent very often.

 

Edited April 16 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

On 4/14/2024 at 6:13 PM, southsider2k5 said:

You asked a question and multiple people explained it to you.  If that bothers you, toughen up.

I don't understand your compulsion to not add to the argument on either side but to comment on other posters fragility or lack of toughness. You do this constantly.

Did your daddy beat you as a child and tell you to stop being a crybaby and toughen up and be a real man while he beat your mother ?

You want people to show sensitivity on social issues but that doesn't seem to line up with your constant harassment of those you perceive as too sensitive.

You can't pretend to have big heart towards others while berating others over nothing. You either have kindness in your heart or you don't.

[T R U]

1 hour ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I don't get the love affair about having guys ready for the next good Sox team. No one knows when that will be. By you're argument if Eder is struggling in 1.5 years on a bad Sox team they should trade him for another injured prospect ?

It's fine you like Eder but he may not be good enough and if he is good enough there's no guarantee  that the Sox will be a good team in his tenure with them. He'll be 30 in 5 years. When do you expect the Sox to be above .500 again ?

You know you can still be a bad team with plenty of good players on it. Look at the Angels with multiple years of having Ohtani and Trout. Those 2 are superstars and they had other good players but to be a good team you need 20 good players and depth behind those 20.

Your MLB team isn't going to get good any time soon trading 27 year old MLB talent for 24 year old injured minor league talent very often.

 

The Sox, right now, might be the worst team in baseball. In 3 years they may be the best team in baseball, or they may still be the worst team. The difference is we KNOW they are terrible right now, and a 28 year old 1 - 1.5 WAR player does nothing for the current team.

If Eder puts it together and becomes something, that's a win. If he doesn't, it was still worth it given the state of the franchise and what needs to happen to have any chance to be good again.

[southsider2k5]

2 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I don't get the love affair about having guys ready for the next good Sox team. No one knows when that will be. By you're argument if Eder is struggling in 1.5 years on a bad Sox team they should trade him for another injured prospect ?

It's fine you like Eder but he may not be good enough and if he is good enough there's no guarantee  that the Sox will be a good team in his tenure with them. He'll be 30 in 5 years. When do you expect the Sox to be above .500 again ?

You know you can still be a bad team with plenty of good players on it. Look at the Angels with multiple years of having Ohtani and Trout. Those 2 are superstars and they had other good players but to be a good team you need 20 good players and depth behind those 20.

Your MLB team isn't going to get good any time soon trading 27 year old MLB talent for 24 year old injured minor league talent very often.

 

Run along.

[oldsox]

2 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I don't understand your compulsion to not add to the argument on either side but to comment on other posters fragility or lack of toughness. You do this constantly.

Did your daddy beat you as a child and tell you to stop being a crybaby and toughen up and be a real man while he beat your mother ?

You want people to show sensitivity on social issues but that doesn't seem to line up with your constant harassment of those you perceive as too sensitive.

You can't pretend to have big heart towards others while berating others over nothing. You either have kindness in your heart or you don't.

His comment to me to toughen up was so fucking stupid, that I just ignored it.