South Side Surge! White Sox Rebuild Fueled by Electrifying Pitching Prospects
Chicago White Sox fans know the names of the top-ranked, up-and-coming pitchers: Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith. But there’s another one worth watching.
MLB.com’s Scott Merkin said that’s right-hander Grant Taylor, whom Merkin named as the Chicago prospect “who has been making noise this spring.”
Of Taylor, Merkin wrote:
“The White Sox are heavier in the pitching prospects, so the natural choices would be Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, the top two left-handed pitching prospects in the game, per MLB Pipeline, who threw back-to-back scoreless innings on Feb. 26 at Camelback Ranch. But instead this nod goes to Taylor, who topped out at 101.2 mph during his first appearance in Surprise on Feb. 23. The right-hander is a starter to watch, after being drafted while he was recovering from Tommy John and dealing with a lat issue in ‘24. He has the stuff to be a high-end member of the rotation.”
That’s certainly good news for Chicago as it tries to find its way back to respectability following an MLB-record worst 41-121 record in 2024.
The White Sox have six players in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list – and Taylor isn’t even among them. Baseball Prospectus ranks him No. 90 overall. That bodes well for Chicago.
Taylor, 22, was the second-round pick (No. 51 overall) of the White Sox out of LSU. Given his injury history, the White Sox brought him along slowly last season, giving him five starts between rookie ball and Single-A Kannapolis. He threw just 19.1 innings and posted a 2.33 ERA with two walks and 32 strikeouts and a 0.72 WHIP.
Entering Cactus League play on Monday, Taylor had appeared in two spring training games, throwing two innings, giving up one hit and striking out three with no bases on balls.
Schultz is projected to land in Chicago in 2025 and Smith next season. Should Taylor continue to develop, the White Sox could have a young group of starting pitchers for years to come.
