White Sox urged to prioritize perfecting the development of their top pitching prospects

There will be a ton of new faces playing for the Chicago White Sox in 2026. Unlike previous offseasons, where they haven't done much, the front office kept itself plenty busy over the winter. 

They added a few arms to the starting rotation, like Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde, while also acquiring swingmen Jordan Hicks and Sean Newcomb, and added Seranthony Dominguez to the bullpen. 

Offensively, they acquired Austin Hays, Luisangel Acuña, and most notably, Munetaka Murakami. That is quite the haul for a team that has not had much to cheer about in recent years. 

MORE: Anthony Kay warns the rest of MLB that Munetaka Murakami is the real deal

White Sox urged to prioritize perfecting the development of their top pitching prospects 

One thing that the White Sox did not add was a frontline starting pitcher. Anthony Kay is coming off two years in Japan, and Fedde was a good signing, but his struggles late last season cannot be overlooked. 

This leaves Shane Smith, someone coming off their rookie year in 2025, to lead the rotation. 

That is a ton of pressure to put on someone who has only logged 146.1 innings of work in MLB. 

While it is too late to add a frontline starter, unless they can quickly get something done with Zac Gallen, it would be smart for the club to focus on developing their top arms, via ESPN's Bradford Doolittle.

"Now it's time to perfect those pitching development programs with a near-term focus on minor leaguers Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, and Tanner McDougal, among others. If a couple of Chicago's top pitching prospects can turn the corner in the way Rule V revelation Shane Smith did a season ago, we'll know the ceiling on this surging White Sox rebuild is sky high."

The White Sox could focus on turning their top prospect pitchers into near-MLB-ready level talent right before the club is set to have the No. 1 selection in the 2026 MLB Draft. 

If one or two of these arms can show they are ready, the White Sox will be a team that everyone needs to start paying attention to in the near future.

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