NEW YORK -- The White Sox officially have gone back-to-back seasons with championships.
No, Thursday’s celebration was not at the Major League level, where the White Sox dropped a 5-3 decision to the Yankees, marking their fifth straight loss and their 11th setback in 12 games. Not much good news stemmed from that action, as the White Sox fell to 58-101.
But somewhere around four hours prior to first pitch, Double-A Birmingham completed its repeat Southern League title effort with a 6-3 victory in the deciding contest of a best-of-three title series in Montgomery. Winning has become contagious for the Barons, a trait the core hopes to bring to the Majors when its chance arrives.
“It’s a great glimpse of the future,” said left-handed hurler Noah Schultz, the White Sox No. 2 prospect and No. 37 overall, per MLB Pipeline, who posted a 3.34 ERA over 12 starts in Birmingham before being promoted to Triple-A Charlotte this season. “Just having winners in the organization is something that you can't really teach. It's something that kind of happens.
“You got different versions of players on certain teams, but the only real way to test if it works together is if you win. There's been kind of interchangeable pieces throughout the last two years, but I think the main core of that team that's in Birmingham, those are guys that are extremely talented and they've proven they can win."
Schultz texted a few of his one-time Barons teammates, who finally celebrated Thursday after the final game was suspended from Wednesday night due to rain, before getting on a media Zoom. The 22-year-old fanned 76 in 73 innings over 17 starts between Birmingham and Charlotte, walking 45 and finishing with a 4.68 ERA before being shut down on Sept. 4 with patellar tendinitis in his right knee.
An Arizona Fall League stint was set to follow in October for Schultz, but he’s currently going through physical therapy and rehab work resulting in his removal from the Glendale roster. The goal is for him to be fully healthy by Spring Training, when the 6-foot-10 southpaw will have his focus on breaking into the Majors.
“That's always something that is in the back of your mind. That's always the end goal, to be a Major League player,” said Schultz, who added he’s recovering well. “If you have that too much in your sights, you get distracted from working out every day and getting better.
“Every player has it in their mind, and that's always a goal of going into Spring Training, going into any part of the year. I think people, and me personally, always think of that, but I try not to. I just want to go out and compete and become the best version of myself I can this offseason and in Spring Training."
Caleb Bonemer, the White Sox No. 4 prospect and No. 83 overall, spoke prior to Schultz, discussing a 2025 Carolina League Most Valuable Player performance for Single-A Kannapolis, even with his final 11 games coming for High-A Winston-Salem. The talented shortstop slashed .281/.401/.473 overall this season, with 12 home runs, 30 doubles, 29 stolen bases, 64 RBIs and 77 runs scored.
Being named MVP is an honor for the 19-year-old, who was the team’s second-round pick in the 2024 Draft. But he also realizes it’s just the beginning.
“To be able to accomplish some things like that this year, it definitely makes you feel good,” Bonemer said. “But also, I've got to remember that I've got to do it again next year. And it is only [Single-A].
“Not to say it doesn't really matter, but nobody really remembers your [Single-A] MVP. I just look forward to next year. Hopefully I can put together another solid year and keep going from there. It feels good, but I'm looking forward to more to come.”
That same philosophy applies in large doses to the White Sox, who finish their regular season with three weekend games against the Nationals. But there are signs of improvement, such as Davis Martin, who finished a solid full season as part of the rotation with a 4.10 ERA after allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts against the Yankees Thursday night.
As for his next goal?
“Get better,” Martin said. “It’s great knowing that you got guys like Shane [Smith], you got guys like Sean [Burke], you have guys that are going in busting their ass every day.
“If you don't do your job, they're going to run away from you. Just doing my best to keep up with them or even outpace them. So just a little friendly competition.”