South Side southpaws serve as dominant 1-2 punch on Triple-A Opening Day
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Ever since the White Sox selected Hagen Smith (MLB's No. 72 prospect) with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, it’s been an unavoidable topic. When combined with Noah Schultz (MLB No. 49), the organization could have the best one-two left-handed-pitching tandem in all of baseball in the not-too-distant future.
Double-A batters got used to seeing Smith and Schultz on consecutive nights at the start of the 2025 season, but there was no such reprieve on Friday. The duo instead went back-to-back like a veritable prospect matryoshka doll en route to Triple-A Charlotte's 19-2 rout of Durham on Opening Day at Truist Field.
The piggyback plan isn’t permanent. It was Smith’s day to start and Schultz, rather than throw live BPs away from the in-game action, decided to take the mound behind him. The results were formidable.
Combined line for Smith/Schultz tandem:
7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K, 22 swings-and-misses
While the one run, high strikeout totals and whiffs may pop, the most important stat on the above line might be the walks. Both Smith (6.7 BB/9) and Schultz (5.5 BB/9) battled their command in 2025, serving as something of a blemish on their otherwise otherworldly pitch repertoire.
The game actually started inauspiciously for Smith, who served up a home run to the leadoff batter. But then he started to stack whiffs, particularly on his four-seam fastball. Batters swung 14 times against the offering, swinging and missing eight times. It was his slider (his other 60-grade offering, along with the heater) that accounted for three of his punchouts, though.
“He's a really talented pitcher,” Schultz said of Smith. “Being able to watch him and see how he's grown as a pitcher, as a player, it's really awesome to see.”
A tough act to follow, Schultz quickly retired the side in order during his first frame in the fourth. Then the wait began. An 11-run Knights frame -- highlighted by the first Triple-A home run for Sam Antonacci (CWS No. 9) -- led to a 32-minute wait for the 6-foot-10 southpaw. He first stayed loose by throwing plyo balls, before forgoing that for the bullpen after the runs didn't stop. (The 19-run output was Charlotte’s highest single-game total since putting up 21 runs on April 8, 2013.)
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If the layoff affected Schultz, he never showed it. By the time he was done, he had ramped his sinker up to 97 mph and higher nine times, maxing out at 99.2. (He threw just one pitch north of 97 during his two Cactus League outings.) Schultz had just one three-ball count and didn’t allow a hit across four frames. Of the six balls put in play against him, just one was hard-hit (95+ mph) and the events averaged out to a 71.3 mph exit velocity.
“It was really good to go out there and watch him dominate,” Smith said. “He threw really well, I’m happy for him.”
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The Smith-Schultz tandem has intimidated before, albeit never in this capacity. The two worked behind each other during Cactus League action twice in 2025, both coming out of relief with Schultz going first. Neither allowed a run on either occasion. So what makes it so hard to square either of them up?
“He throws everything for a strike, he attacks hitters,” Smith said, before adding with a laugh, “I’m not a very good hitter, so I couldn’t tell you.”
The question has been lingering since Smith and Schultz reported to spring camp in Arizona: when might they bring their wicked pitch mixes to the South Side? They’ve both stayed the course, citing continued development. For Smith, Friday marked his Triple-A debut; for Schultz, it was a leap in the right direction after a forgettable five-start stint for Charlotte at the end of 2025.
“I think it was a great start, but I think it's a long season,” Schultz said. “It's something to build off of. I know not to change any preparation or anything I do during the week.
“Just stack the days, and before you know it, the season's going along. You can just look at it week by week, but not change anything preparation-wise and keep the same mindset.”