Tanner McDougal Can Become One of the Top Pitching Prospects in MLB
The 22-year-old hurler is barreling toward making his MLB debut in 2026, and a strong spring can get him started on the right track.
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One of the best pitching prospects in baseball could be a guy who had all but fallen off prospect lists this time last year after being drafted in 2021 out of high school.
Tanner McDougal has emerged as quite possibly the most valuable arm in the Chicago White Sox organization following a breakout 2025 season that has put him in position to debut in the near future.
That type of talent was on full display in his first outing of Spring Training, when he hit 100.7 mph through two stellar frames out of the bullpen. Not only is getting velocity up to that point in February ridiculous, but he had never thrown out of the bullpen in his MiLB-affiliated career.
“It’s a long run from the bullpen, and you’re just thinking about everything… I’ve never done that, so it was new,” said McDougal. “I got the game and blacked out there for a second.”
The outing itself was impressive beyond the velocity, with his slider and curveball performing quite well in a limited sample. Particularly his slider, which he has explained can be manipulated into a bit more depth or a tighter one, was great out of the gate. It garnered five whiffs or called strikes on nine pitches thrown.
“It was great to have something else to get in the zone. I think sometimes when I do get into trouble, I’m pitching solely off the heater, and I don’t have the other stuff in the zone,” explained McDougal.
This outing was just that: One outing in February. However, it’s a culmination of over four years of work for McDougal.
The path to this point has been anything but linear for McDougal, but the hype surrounding him this spring at Camelback Ranch is very real.
Tanner McDougal’s Stock Is Rising
After undergoing Tommy John Surgery during his first professional season, McDougal returned to the mound in 2023 at the Single-A level for his age-20 season. It was a productive, albeit marginally underwhelming year, but it set the stage for a potential big step forward the following year.
That was not the case for McDougal in 2024, who battled persisting command issues and ultimately was sent back to Single-A late in the year. However, he finished with a pair of exceptional postseason outings for Single-A Kannapolis.
Carrying that momentum into the 2025 season, McDougal had a huge uptick in not only velocity but effectiveness and the ability to utilize a third pitch frequently beyond his main fastball and curveball combination.
Velocity growth and pure ability to pound the top of the zone with his heater unlocked McDougal’s game, but his slider turning into a trusted third weapon was huge.
The pitch worked to the tune of a 49% whiff rate last season, while his ability to land it in the zone took a step as well.
His ability to manipulate the slider into more of a baby sweeper and sharper version helps offset his inconsistent and minimally utilized changeup.
Gaining more comfort to at least change the pace with the changeup against left-handers would go a long way to reduce his splits going forward.
Despite just tossing 62.2 innings, including a pair of postseason games at the Double-A level, McDougal has a shot to be one of the first prospects called upon by Chicago this season. He was an obvious add to the 40-man roster this winter ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, giving him a direct path to the big leagues.
The role he receives out of the gate remains to be seen, especially after the trajectory of Grant Taylor last season. McDougal proved to be a durable starter in 2025, but easing him into the majors with a relief role initially isn’t out of the question.
One way or another, he is going to debut just a year and a half after a demotion from High-A to Single-A. It’s abundantly clear that the organization views him as one of the most talented arms they have right now. Simply put, the reviews have been exceptional.
First-round picks Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith sit aside McDougal at the top of this system to form an extremely high-upside trio of pitching prospects.
With all of them slated to open the year in either Double-A or Triple-A, they’re all likely to get a shot in Chicago this summer. It has been made known that none will open with the team, but how soon that door gets kicked down is unknown.
The projected five starters, and others who may get a shot until then, are going to have to perform to hold off McDougal and other young arms.
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Elijah is the Chief Operating Officer for Just Baseball Media. He manages the operations of the company and oversees the management of our staff. Additionally, he…