On January 24, the White Sox confirmed a list of 18 non-roster invites for 2025 Spring Training. It’s a hefty list, givent that quite a few top prospects will be in camp. Pitchers Noah Schultz & Hagen Smith, plus a couple of former first-round pick bats, are among the headliners.
Several of Chicago’s top prospects will be in camp as non-roster invites. Pitchers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith are among the group, as are Braden Montgomery & Kyle Teel.
Schultz may be the closest thing to the “Big Unit” as far as prospects are concerned, thanks to an overpowering arsenal and a build — including size and delivery — similar to the Hall of Fame lefty. The young left-hander can pump it into the high-90s with his fastball, a pitch that jumps on hitters, coupled with a plus slider.
Chicago has been careful with Schultz since he’s gone pro, limiting him to 83.1 IP over 23 starts last year. Schultz struck out 115 in those innings, ending the year in Double-A.
Smith, meanwhile, is coming off a terrific season with Arkansas. The 2024 first-round pick struck 161 over 84 frames with the Razorbacks, and profiles as a #1 or #2 starter at the MLB level. He threw 7.1 IP late last year with Winston-Salem (A+).
Sox fans will also get their first looks at Kyle Teel & Braden Montgomery, acquired as part of the Garrett Crochet.
Teel, as we documented in December, is a hit-first catcher with excellent pitch recognition and can hold his own behind the plate. The 22-year-old may be the White Sox’s catcher of the future. However, the team also has Edgar Quero — also a non-roster invite — in their system
Montgomery, meanwhile, will play as a pro for the first time in 2025. The former Texas A&M star suffered a season-ending injury during the NCAA Postseason and didn’t play in the Minors as a result. However, Montgomery is a five-tool talent who could move up quick, despite the delayed start.
The White Sox’s 2023 first-round pick, Jacob Gonzalez, will be in camp. Gonzalez hasn’t hit much as a pro, slashing .233/.313/.326 (.639 OPS) over the last two years.
Additionally, the White Sox invited prospects Mason Adams, Peyton Pallette, Trey McGough, Adam Hackenberg, Grant Taylor, Tim Elko, Eric Adler, Chase Meidroth, and Wilfred Veras to camp.
There are a few former MLBers among the non-roster invites, as well. Outfielder Corey Julks, who played for the White Sox, will be in camp. Julks got off to a good start with Chicago, slashing .297/.395/.486 (.881 OPS) in May 2024.
However, he went cold for much of 2024 afterwards and was DFA’d — but remained in the organization after being outrighted — in December.
Additionally, the White Sox signed former Oriole Jonathan Heasley, and ex-White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez to Minor League deals. The two will also be in camp as non-roster invites.
Heasley was a starter for the Royals in 2021-22 but moved to the bullpen with Baltimore. The 27-year-old has a low-90s fastball with good carry (18.7″ IVB) but didn’t show a lot of command with it, leaving it in the middle of the zone too much.
As for Narvaez, the Mets cut bait with him last year after hitting .154/.191/.185 (.376 OPS) over 28 games. Narvaez was signed in the 2022-23 offseason to a multi-year deal to be a stopgap for Francisco Alvarez. However, Alvarez quickly took the job as Mets catcher, leaving Narvaez on the outs.
The 32-year-old catcher played with the White Sox from 2016-18.
Yesterday, the Blue Jays and Nationals announced their non-roster invites, so check those lists if you haven’t seen them yet.