Chicago’s future on the mound as top pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith take the spring stage
Today, Chicago (0-4) takes on the San Diego Padres (2-3) at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. While it’s warming up across the country as winter begins to settle in for its nap, the White Sox are ice cold.
Hopefully, the tides turn today with a double dose of dominance as the South Siders’ top two pitching prospects take the mound. Lefties Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith look to bring some heat as they make their Cactus League debuts this afternoon. MLB ranked both southpaws in the Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects, with Schultz at No. 16 and Smith at No. 34.
However, neither Schultz nor Smith will get the start, as that honor goes to 25-year-old Sean Burke. The righthander was a pleasant surprise late in the season last year. He appeared in four games (three starts) and had a 1.42 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and 22 strikeouts over 19 innings. Before that, Burke spent the bulk of the season with Triple-A Charlotte, where he amassed a 4.62 ERA and 1.290 WHIP over 16 starts. With a strong spring, he could slot right into the starting rotation.
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The offense, unfortunately, is an entirely different story. It’s been sluggish, to put it nicely, as the Good Guys have yet to score more than three runs in any of their four contests. And don’t look to today’s lineup to remedy that, as five of the nine players still don’t have a hit.
The two offensive players to watch today are infielders Miguel Vargus and Chase Meidroth. Vargus came to Chicago via the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Michael Kopech trade, and Meidroth was part of the swap with the Boston Red Sox for Garrett Crochet.
Here’s how skipper Will Venable will send them out today.
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Ryan Bergert gets the ball for the Friars. The righty has pitched one clean inning in one game so far this spring. On the offensive side, you’ll recognize old friend Gavin Sheets with the start at first.
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If you’re interested in watching today’s contest, you’ll have to tune into CHSN if you’re lucky enough to have it. The game starts at 2:05 p.m. CT.