The MLB Draft is long. There are a lot of rounds and a lot of names and a lot of names you haven’t heard of. There are a lot of names I haven’t heard of. There are a lot of names you probably will never read again after you read this article.
Still, the White Sox put a lot of time and thought into each of their selections, even the Day 3 picks, of which there were 30. So I’ve always felt it only right to find out everything I can about each and every player the White Sox picked. Some of these guys are interesting. Most of them are not. Likewise, some of these tidbits might be interesting, while most probably aren’t!
As an extra wrinkle, just for fun, I listed a few notable players the White Sox took in these respective years in the past. Even if they didn’t ultimately sign with the White Sox, I listed them. Because why the hell not? So without further adieu, here’s everything you need to know about the White Sox Day 3 picks.
Round 11, Pick 318
Kelvin Maldonado, SS, Pro Baseball HS & Academy
Listed at 6-foot-0, 160 lbs., the Puerto Rican shortstop was the White Sox No. 1 target on Day 3, according to scouting director Nick Hostetler. Perfect Game’s report on the 18-year-old (he’s the White Sox first pick born in the year 2000. We’re all old) highlights his speed and defense, nothing that those will likely be his carrying card until the bat comes around.
Notable White Sox 11th round picks: Doug Drabek (1983), Al Levine (1991), Charles Leesman (2008), Rusty Kuntz (1977).
Round 12, Pick 348
Isaiah Carranza, RHP, Azusa Pacific University
Carranza was the No. 166 prospect in the draft, according to MLB Pipeline. He spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Oregon before transferring to the Division II school for his junior season. At 6-foot-5, scouts note that there’s some projection in his frame and his fastball sits comfortably at 92, hitting 95 at times. He could be groomed into a potential back-end starter, though many think his future is in relief. The Texas Rangers took him in the 35th round of the 2015 draft.
Notable White Sox 12th round picks: Buddy Groom (1987), Chris Stewart (2001), Donnie Veal (2003)
Round 13, Pick 378
Jason Bilous, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Carranza was the start of a stretch of four straight picks by the White Sox of collegiate arms that Hostetler noted provide the White Sox with a stable of power arms who dropped in the draft because of inconsistency or mechanical issues. Bilous was drafted in the 29th round of the 2015 draft and offered a $600,000 signing bonus despite missing all of his senior season of high school because of Tommy John surgery. He went on to help lead Coastal Carolina to a College World Series championship in 2016. The White Sox have two other guys from that team in their organization — Zach Remillard and Mike Morrison — So he’ll have some friends, which is nice.
Notable White Sox 13th round picks: Chad Bradford (1996), Craig Wilson (1992), Jack Egbert (2004)
Round 14, Pick 408
Davis Martin, RHP, Texas Tech
The third of the four power arms in a row, Martin was the highest ranked of the Top 200 players the White Sox got outside of the first 10 rounds, checking in at No. 153 on MLB Pipeline’s list and projecting as a potential second or third round pick prior to the season. Martin, a junior, has been part of Texas Tech’s rotation since his freshman year, although he did miss two months with shoulder tendenitis in 2017. He struck out 70 in 66 IP this year with a 4.64 ERA, and has both a slider and changeup that scouts are apparently mixed on in terms of which is his best secondary.
Notable White Sox 14th round picks: Bob Meacham (1978)
Round 15, Pick 438
Luke Shilling, RHP, University of Illinois
The final of the White Sox string of collegiate arms, Shilling seems the most volatile. His career ERA is 7.11 with more walks than strikeouts, and he missed all of 2018 with an injury. While he’s “local” in the sense that he went to school down the road in Champaign, he was born and raised in Michigan. Shilling was drafted in the 20th round by the Texas Rangers, so the five round bump means his decision not to sign was somehow a good thing despite his collegiate trevails.
Notable White Sox 15th round picks: Mike Sirotka (1993), Nate Robertson (1998), Carlos Torres (2004), Chris Carter (2005)
Round 16, Pick 468
Ty Greene, C, UC Berkeley
When you Google “Ty Greene” the first result is a former University of South Carolina Upstate basketball player who was the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2015. This is not the same Ty Greene … I don’t think. This one’s full first name is “Tyrus,” like the dude for whom the Bulls once traded LaMarcus Aldridge. He hit a lot — although not for power — for the Cal Bears this year, going .320/.414/.393 with 28 walks and 35 strikeouts.
Notable White Sox 16th round picks: Chris Young (2001), Chris Bassitt (2011)
Round 17, Pick 498
Travis Moniot, SS, University of Arizona
Moniot was drafted out of high school in the 34th round by the San Francisco Giants. He didn’t sign, obviously, and had a miserable freshman season at the University of Oregon. After a season at Orange County Community College, he transferred to another Pac-12 school, Arizona, where he had only eight hits in 50 at-bats. So, uh … yeah.
Notable White Sox 17th round picks: Brandon McCarthy (2002), Calvin Schiraldi (1980)
Round 18, Pick 528
Romy Gonzalez, 3B, Miami (FL)
Gonzalez stole 22 bases for the Hurricanes, which seems unusually high for a corner infielder. One would have to imagine his Cape Cod League performance in which he went .318/.342/.509 was most notable on his draft profile. His full name is Roman. Hostetler mentioned Gonzalez in the same vein as Maldonado earlier, so that probably means something.
Notable White Sox 18th round picks: Mike Cameron (1991), Scott Hairston (1999)
Round 19, Pick 558
Gabriel Ortiz, C, PJ Education School
Hey, another high schooler! Ortiz is listed as Gabriel Ortiz Abreu on his Perfect Game profile, which has this to say about him: “Big and strong build, especially in the lower half, has good body life for his build. Left handed hitter, big leg lift trigger, gets it down in time, short and strong swing, straight pull approach, patient hitter who looks for his pitch and looks to drive it, has very good raw bat speed and the ball comes off the barrel hard, lots of carry on his line drives and will get occasional lift, strong hitting tools. Has good lower half flexibility for his size and showed surprising agility getting out in front of home plate to make plays, long arm action, gets some tail on his throws, can shorten up his actions throwing, 2.06 best pop time. Has a definite chance with the bat.”
Notable White Sox 19th round picks: Randy Velarde (1985), Aaron Bummer (2014), Jordan Danks (2005), Adam Engel (2013)
Round 20, Pick 588
Jimmy Galusky, SS, West Virginia University
Galusky was a consistent performer for the Mountaineers the last three seasons, but beyond that I honestly couldn’t find much interesting about him. He is from West Virginia, after all. His Twitter handle appears to be @Juicyjg2.
Notable White Sox 20th round picks: Boone Logan (2002)
Round 21, Pick 618
Nick Johnson, RHP, University of Rhode Island
URI’s player profile for Johnson lists his favorite athlete as Clay Buchholz, which is so, so sad. He pitched primarily in relief for the Rams, striking out 14 batters per 9 with a 1.21 ERA this season.
Notable White Sox 21st round picks: None
Round 22, Pick 648
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 1B, UC Irvine
Fitzpatrick, not to be confused with the NFL quarterback, is one of those senior signs every draft class needs. UC Irvine is the Anteaters, which has always been one of the best collegiate nicknames, but he also played for a Summer League team called the Rochester Honkers. He had a .962 OPS with nearly as many walks as strikeouts as a senior.
Notable White Sox 22nd round picks: None
Round 23, Pick 678
Lane Ramsey, RHP, Oklahoma
Ramsey can look up to fellow former Sooner Alec Hansen in the White Sox farm system, but he won’t be literally looking up to him, as he’s listed at 6-foot-9. He only appeared in 14 games for the Sooners this season, walking 14 and striking out 18 in 22 IP. He had shoulder surgery prior to college.
Notable White Sox 23rd round picks: Donn Pall (1985)
Round 24, Pick 708
Rigo Fernandez, LHP, Cal State Dominguez Hills
Fernandez’s pro sports heros, according to his college bio, are Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, and LeBron James. Which is a helluva lot better than Clay Buchholz. He’s still just 20 despite being a college junior.
Notable White Sox 24th round picks: None
Round 25, Pick 738
Jack Maynard, RHP, UNC Greensboro
Google informs me Jack Maynard is the name of some sort of celebrity. A YouTube star, maybe? I’m not sure. I wasn’t going to click on the links. He was a 21st round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks last year and should’ve signed, I guess. He struck out 81 in 63 innings of relief this season.
Notable White Sox 25th round picks: Chris Devenski (2011), Charlie Haeger (2001)
Round 26, Pick 768
Devon Perez, RHP, Oklahoma
Another Sooner! And another tall Sooner! (6-foot-5). Perez pitched the first two seasons of his collegiate career at a community college in Iowa. He split time between the bullpen and the rotation the last two seasons. Oklahoma is the new Louisville for the White Sox, apparently.
Notable White Sox 26th round picks: None
Round 27, Pick 798
Ian Dawkins, OF, Cal State Sacramento
Dawkins’ grandfather played soccer professionally for Rangers F.C. in the Scottish Premiership, which is probably the coolest and most random family tie I’ll find in this exercise. Dawkins hit the crap out of the ball throughout his college career, which he should have, since he went to Cal State Sacramento.
Notable White Sox 27th round picks: Brendan Donnelly (1992)
Round 28, Pick 828
Logan Sowers, OF, Indiana
Hey, a name I know! Sowers was one of the top performers for a Hoosiers squad that came very close to advancing to Super Regionals, only losing out to Texas. (Hook ‘Em!) The senior was second-team All-Big Ten in 2017 and third-team All-Big Ten this year, hitting .309/.423/.505 with 10 home runs. He lasted until Round 28, of course, but that’s three rounds better than when he was taken in the 31st round by the Padres out of high school.
Notable White Sox 28th round picks: None
Round 29, Pick 858
Taylor Varnell, LHP, Oral Roberts
The White Sox went on a seven-pick stretch of all college seniors starting in the mid-20s, and Varnell is another. While he started at Oral Roberts last season, the White Sox made their intentions with him known when they announced him as a reliever. His Oral Roberts bio said he was also recruited by Oklahoma, so suddenly the White Sox decision to draft him makes perfect sense.
Notable White Sox 29th round picks: Jason Coats (2012), Jabari Blash (2007)
Round 30, Pick 888
Micah Coffey, SS, Minnesota
A local kid from Batavia, Coffey has been one of the most consistent performers for a Golden Gophers squad that is set to take on Nick Madrigal’s Beavers in Super Regionals. Another senior pick, Coffey’s upside is likely not high.
Notable White Sox 30th round picks: Eric Gagne (1994), Hector Santiago (2006)
Round 31, Pick 918
Austin Conway, RHP, Louisville
Finally, the White Sox get back to their Louisville roots. Conway was the last of their stretch of college seniors (also known as easy signs). When you Google his name, you get a wide receiver for Wyoming before the Louisville pitcher, which seems weird. But this Conway’s favorite TV show is Impractical Jokers. He’s not the first player I’ve seen that listed for, but this is the first time I’m mentioning it because I’m sensing a trend, and also have no idea what the hell that show is.
Notable White Sox 31st round picks: James McCann (2008)
Round 32, Pick 948
Aaron Soto, LHP, Florida International
Hey, cool, another name where if you Google it, you get a different person. The more Google-able Soto is a Mexican filmmaker with such films as “Barbarous Mexico,” “Sanguijuelas,” and “Omega Shell” to his credit. Mostly short films, it looks like. Our Soto started his career at Tennessee, has had Tommy John surgery, and didn’t appear to pitch at all this season.
Notable White Sox 32rd round picks: Joe Borowski (1989), Jeff Abbott (1993)
Round 33, Pick 978
Bryce Bush, 3B, De La Salle Collegiate HS
Unlike these boring college players, Bush actually has a scouting report. Perfect Game has this to say about him: “Strong athletic build, still has room to get stronger. Right handed hitter, low hand still start, very quick hands create outstanding bat speed, ball explodes off the barrel, has barrel control and the ability to drive the ball long and far, high ceiling hitter. 6.76 runner, clean actions in the infield, plays under control with soft hands and steady feet, gets plenty of carry on his throws. Corner infield tools with the athleticism to play left field as well. Bat is his carrying tool. Good student, verbal commitment to Mississippi State. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.” Can’t imagine he’s signing.
Notable White Sox 33rd round picks: Tony Sipp (2002)
Round 34, Pick 1,008
Alec Valenzuela, C, Great Oak HS
I found an Alec Valenzuela on Twitter. His profile picture is of someone playing football, and he has two tweets, including one from 2011 that says “hello tweet world.”
Notable White Sox 34th round picks: Geoff Zahn (1966), Chad Bradford (1994), Marcus Semien (2008)
Round 35, Pick 1,038
Jason Morgan, RHP, UNC
The latest and the last of the college seniors, Morgan didn’t pitch at all in 2018. Look we’re at more than 2,000 words at this point, alright?
Notable White Sox 25th round picks: Nate Robertson (1995)
Round 36, Pick 1,068
Adrian Del Castillo, C, Gulliver Prep School
Castillo isn’t signing, I’m sure. Here’s his Perfect Game scouting report: “Strong prototypical catcher’s build. 7.11 runner, has a very good arm behind the plate and makes accurate on line throws, good athletic looseness to his defensive actions, 1.86 best pop time. Left handed hitter, uses his hands very well in his swing, creates bat speed and has some barrel whip, quick hands, ball comes off the barrel hard and has some lift on his pitch. Interesting left handed hitting catcher with some pop. Good student, verbal commitment to Miami.”
Notable White Sox 36th round picks: Jason Bere (1990), Jeff Bajenaru (1999)
Round 37, Pick 1,098
Cannon King, 2B, Beverly Hills HS
Last year, the White Sox drafted Larry King’s son, Chance. This year, they did it again with Cannon, who I wish they would sign because what a sweet name.
Notable White Sox 37th round picks: Art Kusnyer (1966)
Round 38, Pick 1,128
Matthew Klug, OF, Brookwood HS
Here’s your feel-good story of the late rounds for the White Sox, used with the same pick that netted them Mark Buehrle 20 years ago. Give DVS’s story on Klug a read. Kudos to both Klug and the White Sox.
Notable White Sox 38th round picks: Mark Buehrle (1998), Tom Gorzelanny (2000), Jake Petricka (2006), Steve Sparks (1995)
Round 39, Pick 1,158
Mason Montgomery, LHP, Leander HS
Montgomery is committed to play ball for Texas Tech next season.
Notable White Sox 39th round picks: Marvin Benard (1988)
Round 40, Pick 1,188
Kyle Salley, LHP, Homewood Flossmoor HS
The White Sox ACES program selection, Salley is slotted to play for Duke next season.
Notable White Sox 40th round picks: None
Lead Photo Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports