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

Gordon Beckham hit absolutely everywhere he played for his whole life, including his first 400 major league plate appearances and then he couldn’t hit. This stuff is really, really hard to get right.

But the White Sox have given themselves about as good of a shot of landing a quality pro as they could have last night in selecting Madrigal.  As you’ve likely read by now, the 5-foot-7 middle infielder has superb bat control and contact skills.  He also gets high marks for his speed, instincts, and work ethic.  The knocks are his size, potentially limited power, and a middling throwing arm.  Beyond that profile, here are the general factors working in his favor:

• Long track record.  As we’ve discussed with, say, Alec Hansen a few years ago and countless others — Brice Turang went from a 1-1 candidate to 21st overall this year, Brady Singer slid to the teens, Kumar Rocker is still on the draft board, etc.  Draft boards are incredibly volatile, and guys can crater from the top five to the fourth round based on a few bad months.  After all a full college season will net a player approximately 200-250 PAs. We’ve seen Giancarlo Stanton of all people have bad half seasons.  Players slump, play through injuries, and so on.  That’s not to say scouts don’t do a really good job of figuring out how a player projects regardless of whether some grounders find holes or gloves in a small sample, but if the draft happened in February or October you’d probably get wildly different outcomes.  This brings us back to Madrigal: Madrigal’s performed consistently for years now.  As a freshman in the Pac 12 he hit .333/.380/.456 and improved in each column of the triple slash line in his sophomore and junior seasons.
• Hit tool is hardest one to find.  Baseball fans, and White Sox fans in particular, have seen plenty of Big Power /Bad Contact prospects fail.  Joe Borchard was one of those. Courtney Hawkins a more recent vintage, just to name a few.  The thinking is obvious. A guy with huge raw power is tantalizing, and if you can improve his approach and cut down the swing and miss enough you can have a superstar on your hands.  Madrigal is certainly a different type of player, as his K% has fallen from 6.25 to 5.67 to 3.70 (!!) in his three years at Oregon State.  The guy has crazy bat-to-ball skills. Pair that with perfectly solid walk rates and you have a guy who projects to get on base and run well, which is a really stable floor for a guy to work from. Maybe he doesn’t have a plus-plus hit tool in pro ball, but there’s every reason to think he will based on the information we have now.
• Positional value.  You should always go best player available in the baseball draft.  You can never have enough pitching, and pitchers tend to be the only players who can really blitz through the minors in less than a year these days, and those guys are exceedingly rare — Chris Sale, Mike Leake, or various relievers come to mind.  And even the faster college bats like Kris Bryant took a year and a half to the majors.  Madrigal could very well do something similar, but we don’t know what the White Sox’ needs will be in two years, let alone three or four if there are any hiccups. That said, Madrigal might be able to stick at short and projects to be a plus defender at second base.  Yeah, that’s not an elite defensive catcher or Andrelton Simmons or anything, but again, it represents a higher floor than the Jake Burgers or Zack Collins picks who seem more likely than not to wind up at first.
• Bats are safer than arms.  A.J. Puk was the best college arm in 2016, he just got Tommy John.  He rated ahead of Cal Quantrill because Cal Quantrill was coming off Tommy John.  Matt Manning is a mystery box, with inconsistent velocity readings and command. Riley Pint has yet to post an ERA below 5.00 in pro ball. Braxton Garrett is out for the year with Tommy John. Jason Groome is getting Tommy John.  Ian Anderson is motoring along steadily if unremarkably, I suppose.  Those are the top seven arms who were drafted in 2016.  Some or all could still have good careers, but I think I’ve illustrated the point.
• He’s short.  Being short can mean a lack of power.  Our prospect team also ran an excellent feature on how to think about shorter players like Madrigal, particularly in light of the recent success of undersized hitters like Ozzie Albies, Jose Altuve, and Andrew Benintendi.  I will limit my thoughts as follows: If it’s basically the only knock on a player and he slides as a result, there can clearly be some value to be had there.  There’s a risk, I suppose, he’s Kevin Newman.  That said, Newman is hitting .313/.350/.391 in Triple-A and is still likely to be a major league contributor even if he’s not going to be a star.  Moreover, in the same conference, Newman slugged .421 with a .084 ISO in college compared to Madrigal’s .512 and .145 marks respectively. If Madrigal has even below average power, the rest of the profile can mean he’s a significant contributor and he slid to the White Sox are four simply because he’s 5-foot-7 instead of 5-foot-11.

In sum, I’d have been rooting for the White Sox to take Madrigal at two if they’d been selecting there, and regardless of how the pick works out I’m really pleased this is the direction they went.  Now all that’s left is the little detail of seeing how his pro career turns out.

Lead Image Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The 21-year-old Madrigal hit .406//.470/.586 in 133 at-bats as a junior with more walks (13) than strikeouts (5). Despite being listed at just 5-foot-7, he was considered by many scouts to be the best hitter in this draft. Whether he develops much power relative to his size is uncertain, but the consensus seems to be that he has a keen sense of the strike zone and superb bat-to-ball skills.

Madrigal is listed as both a second baseman and a shortstop, but where he ends up long-term is to be determined. There will be a lot of questions about how the White Sox infield situation will turn out with Madrigal in the fold and both Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada going nowhere soon. But Nick Hostetler said recently that the White Sox were focused on best player available instead of positional fit, a completely logical stance given the unpredictability of how a roster is going to look three or four years down the road.

The pick, according to most projections, came down to Madrigal or Florida pitcher Brady Singer, and that wound up the case when the Phillies passed on Madrigal in favor of Wichita State’s Alec Bohm. As an advanced college bat, Madrigal is also seen as someone who could potentially move quickly through the system, but will likely head out to Arizona once Oregon State’s season comes to an end.

In the second round, the White Sox drafted Oklahoma University outfielder Steele Walker. Walker is a 5-foot-11 junior who hit .352/.441/.606 for the Sooners this season. A 21-year-old lefty, Walker’s carrying tool is his bat, as MLB.com says that’s his lone above-average skill and his glove will likely wind up in left, although he played both right and center in college. He performed well both with Team USA and in the wooden-bat Northwoods League in recent years.

While the White Sox may have merely been drafting strictly “best player available” on their board, as Hostetler indicated, in Madrigal and Walker they appear to have grabbed two of the more advanced college bats in the draft.

Lead Photo Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

1. On a team in contention for the number one overall pick, which has somehow also been ravaged by injuries, you’re going to have playing time for organizational soldiers.  Daniel Palka homered again, and continues his pleasantly strong 26-year-old rookie year.  He’s hitting .283/.315/.557, which is probably not sustainable unless he starts getting a little more selective, and his glove is an issue, but let’s not get overly cynical here.  The guy put in 2,500 minor league plate appearances and is getting a chance to finally earn some decent money and potentially earn future major league jobs as a bench piece as his power so far looks like it plays against major league pitching.

To a lesser degree, as he was just bounced back to the minors to activate Matt Davidson from the disabled list, the 28-year-old former prospect Matt Skole got his major league debut after 3,000 minor league plate appearances.  He only made it into four games, but he hit .273/.385/.545 and hit a home run in front of his parents.  His career was derailed by injury, but again, on a human level, this was a Good Thing.

2. Let’s keep rolling with these.  Alfredo Gonzalez, the fourth string catcher on the depth chart, got his first major league hit–driving in a run in the process–and was clearly extremely happy about it.  Kevan Smith is back off the disabled list so Gonzalez will bring his glove-only game back to Charlotte, but if you can’t enjoy moments like these I’m not sure what we’re doing.

3. James Shields turned in another quality start, going seven innings allowing three runs on three solo homers against a good Brewers lineup on Saturday.  He struck out six and walked one, so even though Tim Anderson bailed him out of a jam on a Ryan Braun line drive double play, the peripherals don’t necessarily reflect a mirage of an outing either.  Prior to the past few seasons where teams started getting odd about money and whether they are going for it or not, I’d say Shields is even pushing himself into the territory where you might be able to trade him, but it’s hard to imagine him bringing back anything more useful than his ability to protect the bullpen, turn in credible performances, and mentoring the younger players.

4. Dylan Covey has started four games and has an ERA of 2.82.  This goes with a FIP of 2.57 somehow.  Covey is unusual in a lot of ways.  He is not without pedigree, as he was the 14th overall pick in the 2013 draft.  The White Sox claimed him in the Rule V draft and actually successfully stashed him throughout 2017 as he got pummeled in the majors and got hurt a lot.  In hindsight, perhaps we were too hard on him for his ERA of almost 8.00 last year as he had pitched all of 30 innings above High-A in his pro career previously.

But 2018 has seen Covey throwing his sinker about two ticks harder than in the past, averaging 94.56 mph (!!) on the pitch.  He’s throwing it twice as often too, up to 66.40% of the time while having completely abandoned his four seam offering.  He’s still walking too many batters, but a power sinker can play up, particularly–as has been the case thus far–when you don’t allow many/any home runs.

I’m not saying Covey is the White Sox Rebuild version of Dallas Keuchel, but he’s still only 26 and he looks better to go with his better results.  If he can spam a 93-96 mph sinker and avoid injury this can work, and is probably what the White Sox hoped Carson Fulmer could do.  He got 13 swinging strikes on 97 pitches against the Brewers on Sunday throwing primarily a sinker! That ain’t nothing.  For all that we’ve written about Carlos Rodon or Michael Kopech coming to the rotation’s aid, Covey has to have won a rotation spot until proven otherwise, no?

5. The draft is tonight! The White Sox have the fourth overall pick, which is a pretty big deal and means it’s a chance to acquire a really good prospect.  I think it’s fair to say our prospect team is reticent about amateur coverage.  It requires basically a full time staff devoted to that purpose and BP’s focus is on pro prospects.  Based solely on general principles which should be followed–e.g. draft the best player available, bats are safer than arms, a guy who can mash but is non-traditional might be great value, etc.–I am personally hoping for Nick Madrigal, but he may not be available and he might also not be the best player available! Feel free to sound off in the comments with your own preference.  We’ll know this time tomorrow.

6. Bonus Thing: Carlos Rodon’s rehab start on Sunday went relatively smoothly.  He walked a few more batters than you’d like to see but made it through 5 innings on 92 pitches, meaning he’s roughly stretched out and should be ready to rejoin the major league rotation at some point this week.

Lead Image Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

But alas, the MLB Draft drags on for another 30 rounds after that. And it’s virtually impossible to familiarize yourself entirely with all 40 of the players added to the White Sox organization over these three days. Besides, why would you? Several of these late round picks will never be part of the organization, while many — if not most — will cycle through their careers without ever doing much to create a blip on the average fan’s radar.

Sure, I can sell you on caring about these guys because of the exceptions. Mark Buehrle went in the 38th round! Hector Santiago was found in the 30th round, and turned into Adam Eaton who turned into Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dane Dunning!

So, yeah, gems can be found. But while it’s fun to dream on one of these guys turning into the next draft steal, the likelihood is minimal. Still, at least for the time being, each one of these players is, as of this typing, a White Sox draft pick. So it is our duty to learn something about each one. So learn we will. Below I’ve listed all of the White Sox draft picks from rounds 11-40, and tried to find at least one interesting thing about each one.

11th round, 327th overall: Will Kincanon, RHP, Indiana State

Kincanon is a local kid, born in Berwyn, and was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 29th round of the 2016 draft out of Triton College in River Grove. I found a video of someone talking about him on MLB.com. That video says he has starter potential but his command issues might relegate him to relief at the professional level. He tossed 79 innings in his lone season with the Sycamores, striking out 93 but walking 35 and posting a 5.24 ERA. I found his Twitter account, but he hasn’t tweeted since last August.

12th round, 357th overall: Justin Yurchak, 3B, SUNY-Binghamton

Yurchak spent his freshman season at Wake Forest, where he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team, before transferring to SUNY-Binghamton. In his lone season with the American East school, he hit .320/.474/.442 with just 12 strikeouts to 41 walks. This Fangraphs article from August 2016 after Yurchak spent a summer in the Cape Cod League suggests he could be a “legit prospect.”

13th round, 387th overall: Tate Blackman, 2B, Ole Miss

If you Google Tate Blackman the first suggested search is “Tate Blackman hair” because, well … yeah. He hit .302/.420/.525 in his junior season with the Rebels but was suspended along with teammate Colby Bortles back in March for “not meeting the standards of the Ole Miss baseball program.” Blackman was drafted in the 20th round by the Milwaukee Brewers out of high school. He has three older brothers named Trey, Teddy, and Tanner, which is notable to me because my parents gave all three of their kids names that started with the letter “C.” Here’s his Twitter account.

14th round, 417th overall: Alex Destino, OF, South Carolina

Destino seemed well regarded as a prospect coming into the 2017 season, but his numbers dropped a bit from his sophomore to junior seasons with the Gamecocks. He went from .321/.373/.509 as a sophomore to .255/.338/.441 this season. He still showed plenty of pop, though, hitting a team leading 10 home runs, which matched the total from his sophomore campaign. Also, Twitter.

15th round, 447th overall: Tyler Frost, OF, Gonzaga

Frost is like Destino in that his batting average dipped a bit from his sophomore to junior seasons, but he increased his power from seven home runs to nine. This is literally the most interesting thing I can find about Tyler Frost.

16th round, 477th overall: Logan Taylor, OF, Louisville

Looking up Taylor led me to figure out he shares a name with a current Modesto Nut. The White Sox infatuation with Louisville players is starting to get weird, but his bio has taught me that his favorite athlete is Ben Revere (what?), and he was a two-time intramural badminton champion in high school. He hit one home run in 530 career at-bats in college. Oh, now I get why he likes Ben Revere so much.

17th round, 507th overall: Blake Battenfield, RHP, Oklahoma State

Battenfield made just two starts in his first three seasons with the Cowboys, and 11 this season. He walked 31 in batters in 69.2 innings. He went to high school in a city called Broken Arrow.

18th round, 537th overall: Hunter Kiel, RHP, LSU

Kiel was a former 29th round pick by the Diamondbacks who threw only 6.1 innings this season, giving up 13 earned runs in the process. He can supposedly throw 97, though, so *shrug.” His Twitter handle is Kiellionaire, and I still can’t decide if that’s a point for him or against him.

19th round, 567th overall: Anthony Herron, RHP, Missouri State

Not to be confused with the former NFL defensive lineman from Bolingbrook, Herron has now been drafted three times, going in the 32nd round to the Cardinals out of high school and the 34th round by the Mets after his sophomore season at Jefferson College. He apparently developed tendinitis while playing in the Cape Cod League last summer and didn’t pitch at all for Missouri State this season. Can’t confirm whether or not the White Sox drafted him solely in order to make sure Jake Burger has a friend in Rookie Ball.

20th round, 597th overall: David Cronin, 2B, University of Illinois-Chicago

A local kid from Orland Park, there’s a David Cronenberg joke to be made somewhere in here. He hit .313/.429/.435 for the Flames and walked more often than he struck out. He’s listed at just 5-foot-9 and majors in Crimenology. Here’s a story about how he’s best friends with UIC teammate Ricardo Ramirez.

21st round, 627th overall: John Parke, LHP, South Carolina

Parke, the third White Sox draft pick from South Carolina, shares a name with a United States Army engineer and Union general from the American Civil War. Gave up 24 runs in 25.1 innings for the Gamecocks in 2017.

22nd round, 657th overall: Joseph Benitez, LHB, University of South Carolina-Aiken

Benitez was great for a school I’ve never heard of after spending three seasons at Old Dominion. He struck out 135 batters and posted a 2.63 ERA in 116.1 innings as a senior. Also, he apparently overcame thyroid cancer early in his collegiate career while still at Old Dominion.

23rd round, 687th overall: Mikey Duarte, SS, UC-Irvine

Duarte hit .320 in 194 at-bats with the Anteaters in his redshirt senior season, and has baseball in his blood. He’s cousins of the Laird brothers (Gerald and Brandon), and his grandfather’s cousin was apparently Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr.

24th round, 717th overall: Vince Arobio, RHP, Pacific

Arobio spent most of his four years of college as Pacific’s closer, saving seven games this season and 22 in his career. He has 119 strikeouts in 112 career innings pitched.

25th round, 747th overall: Jose Garcia, OF, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley

Another season, Garcia spent two years at community college before transferring to RGV, where he hit over .300 in each season with more walks than strikeouts. Am I holding your interest?

26th round, 777th overall: Michael Staudinger, OF, Azusa Pacific University

Hit .359 with 11 home runs as a junior and is from Sammamish, Wash. I could really go for a Sammamish right about now. Hello? Is this thing on?

27th round, 807th overall: J.J. Muno, SS, UC Santa Barbara

Muno is a redshirt junior who hit .246 with 14 stolen bases this season. His sister goes to UCLA and it apparently created some family tension when the Gauchos and Bruins faced off this year.

28th round, 837th overall: Laz Rivera, IF, University of Tampa

Rivera mashed at the Division II school, which makes sense because he was Baseball America’s Division II Preseason Player of the Year coming into the season. (I know, I also was unaware BA gave such awards). Rivera’s family came to the United States from Cuba when he was 2 years old and he started his collegiate career at Miami before winding up at Tampa. This is the story from which I learned all of this.

29th round, 867th overall: Joe Mockbee, LHP, Michigan State

Mockbee is another senior arm whose numbers got progressively worse during his collegiate career. He posted a 5.15 ERA in 43.2 innings as a senior, but did strike out 56 batters in the process.

30th round, 897th overall: Ryan Erickson, LHP, Iowa

Another Big Ten senior left-handed arm, Erickson’s story is actually kind of interesting. He starred in junior college, then had to beg for a tryout at Iowa after spending his first year there as a traditional college student. You can read about it here, but Erickson’s senior season consisted of 75 innings with a 3.00 ERA, which was a solid comeback from a junior year where he pitched mostly in relief and had nearly as many walks (24) as strikeouts (25).

31st round, 927th overall: Parker Rigler, LHP, Kansas State

Rigler threw the first no-hitter by a Kansas State pitcher since 1991 back in March (against my alma mater) and looks kind of like Clayton Kershaw (look), so I’m totally sold. In 76 innings as a senior he struck out 51, walked 44, and posted a 3.67 ERA. His K-State bio says he aspires to own a construction company.

32nd round, 957th overall: Greg Minier, LHP, Washington

Minier attended both Bethune-Cookman and Ventura College before making his way to Washington, where he pitched primarily in relief. He’s apparently learning (or maybe learned at this point) the art of Tai Chi.

33rd round, 987th overall: Kevin George, LHP, Menlo College

George transferred to Menlo from Santa Clara University, and was probably pretty good because he went to Menlo and got drafted. What’s Menlo College, you ask? Turns out, current Kannapolis Intimidator Max Dutto, drafted by the White Sox in the ninth round a year ago, also went to Menlo. As did Lucas Erceg, who the Brewers took in the second round last season.

34th round, 1,017th overall: Michael McCormick, RHP, Eastern Illinois University

Hell yeah. EIU for life. Go Panthers.

35th round, 1,047th overall: Riley Crean, RHP, Bloomington North High School (Indiana)

The White Sox went from round eight to round 35 between taking high school players, and this particular one is the son of former Indiana University basketball coach Tom Crean. Crean was an Indiana commit who will apparently forgo becoming a Hoosier and instead attend IMG Academy next year, which will make him eligible for the MLB Draft again a year from now.

36th round, 1,077th overall: Alex Widmer, RHP, Norwayne High School (Ohio)

Widmer is committed to Malone University. I’ve never heard of Malone University and that’s literally the only thing I can find on him. I’m sure he’s a nice kid with a fine future in front of him.

37th round, 1,107th overall: Ted Andrews, RHP, Tulane

Andrews spent three years at Furman before transferring to Tulane for his senior season. Has battled injuries throughout his career and already has had Tommy John surgery.

38th round, 1,137th overall: Dylan Horvitz, C, New Trier High School (Illinois)

I’ve got nothing, honestly.

39th round, 1,167th overall: Chance King, RHP, IMG Academy

Chance King is seriously the son of Larry King. This somehow isn’t a joke. He’s 18 years old and 6-2, 190. I hope he becomes the best player in baseball history.

40th round, 1,197th overall: Angelo Smith, LHP, Harold R. Richards High School (Illinois)

Smith is from the White Sox fantastic ACE program, and is signed to play baseball at Michigan next season. Something tells me he’ll be sticking to that commitment.

Jake Burger may very well wind up sticking at third base, which would certainly be helpful, as it would mean whatever production he could add with the bat would be that much more valuable and increase roster flexibility.  And, if the White Sox’ third baseman of the future is in the organization already, it’s not clear who that is.  Gavin Sheets is evidently first base only, but not in the “this dude is going to be a DH by age 25″ way, in that he can handle the position well.

I spotted some discussion last night of how these picks create “problems” moving forward based on the assumption that Jose Abreu may still be around when one or both of them reach the majors and/or given that Zack Collins may yet wind up at 1B/DH as well.  That line of thinking is a very close cousin to the traps that I wrote about in yesterday’s draft article.  If, in fact, Sheets, Burger, and Collins need to play at 1B/DH but they’re all hitting well enough such that you want to play them all, that’s still a pretty good outcome.  Collins is still in High-A and neither Burger nor Sheets has signed a contract yet.  If they all start forcing their bats into a major league lineup that’s a pretty excellent problem to have. The overwhelming likelihood is that at least one of them won’t make it.

It’s also premature in the sense that, as mentioned above, Burger may very well stay at third, and Collins has made strides defensively at catcher.

Zooming out a little, these players fit strategies that have worked for good organizations in the past — Theo Epstein and the Cardinals have frequently picked “best bat available and figure out the rest later” in recent years and had it work out quite well for them.  Similarly, although you can never have too much up the middle talent, the White Sox’ organizational prospective depth among position players has improved of late. Obviously the plan is to have Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada up the middle for the foreseeable future, with Leury Garcia and Yolmer Sanchez suddenly looking like serviceable second division starters or quality back-ups.

Going further down the depth chart, the aforementioned Collins still hopes to represent the catcher of the future, while Luis Alexander Basabe and Luis Robert offer further hope up the middle.  Meaning, as Nick Hostetler mentioned after his first two picks last night, that the White Sox need bats. Just dudes who can mash. First basemen, left fielders, even players who will rotate through the DH slot.

When it comes to baseball, you should be extremely skeptical of those who will take minor league prospects and pencil them into some sort of future lineup.  And, even if you think you have “too many” shortstops or whatever similar fictional problem you may have, it doesn’t hurt to draft more of them if you think they’re the best player available when you select.  All of that said, the White Sox appear to have a credible major leaguer in his 20s and a credible backup for both middle infield spots, and potentially in center field as well.

That makes it that much easier to grab what Craig Goldstein might refer to as “beefy boys” with the hopes that they will help drive the offense while Anderson and Moncada are doing all the premium athletic stuff.

The White Sox may not ultimately get what they hoped for out of Burger or Sheets or any of these guys. But you can certainly see how it all could fit together if they do.

Lead Photo Credit: Kim Klement – USA Today Sports Images

Burger is a 21 year old who hit .328/.443/.648 during his junior season with the Bears. Most scouting reports you’ll find call him one of the best college bats in the draft, someone with big power who also projects to have the ability to hit for average.

There are questions about whether or not he’ll be able to stay at third base long term, but like with Zack Collins at catcher, the White Sox will likely give him every opportunity to prove he can. Here’s MLB.com’s scouting report:

With 10 of its pitchers appearing in the Majors since the turn of the century, Missouri State is known for producing mound talent. Yet the Bears’ two best big leaguers have been position players Bill Mueller and Ryan Howard, and they should have their first ever selected in the first round in 2017. Burger went undrafted out of high school but has blossomed into a college star, finishing second in NCAA Division I with 21 home runs in 2016 and winning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year honors this spring, when he led the league in all three triple crown categories (.341-22-63) entering NCAA tournament play. Though he went homerless with the U.S. college national team during the summer, scouts still recognize Burger as one of the top power sources available in a Draft class short on college hitters. He generates his pop more with strength than bat speed, and there are some worries about an arm bar in his right-handed swing. He controls the strike zone well and makes reliable contact for a slugger, so he should hit for some average as well. While Burger isn’t the most graceful player, one scout compared him to Hunter Pence for his ability to get the job done in less than pretty fashion. Despite his large frame, he has average speed out of the batter’s box and decent range at third base. With his solid arm, reliable hands and admirable work ethic, he should be able to stay at the hot corner.

Regardless, he’s a welcome addition to an organization that is deep in pitching but less so from a positional standpoint. It’s yet to be determined where he’ll slot in the system’s individual rankings, but he joins Collins, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, and Luis Alexander Basabe as potential above average bats in the system.

The White Sox continued their search for power in the second round, taking left-handed first baseman Gavin Sheets at No. 49 overall. Like Burger, Sheets’ value is almost entirely tied to his bat. Unlike Burger, who has a shot at sticking at the hot corner, Sheets seems to be solely the first base/DH type. Burger and Sheets combined to hit 42 home runs in 2017. Here’s MLB.com’s scouting report on Sheets:

For the second straight year, Wake Forest has a big-bodied corner infielder who will factor into the early rounds of the Draft. Sheets won’t go in the first round like Will Craig did to the Pirates in 2016, but he could go in the top three rounds to a team seeking left-handed power. The son of former big league outfielder Larry Sheets, he played for his father at Baltimore’s Gilman High before turning down the Braves as a 37th-round pick in 2014. An imposing presence at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Sheets has ranked among the NCAA Division I home run leaders this spring. He has a pretty swing and impressive strength, though there are some concerns about whether he has the bat speed to do damage against big league fastballs. He has made improvements to his plate discipline and pitch recognition this spring, giving him a chance to hit for average to go with his pop. Though Sheets is a well below-average runner, he moves well for his size. He gets the job done at first base and has plenty of arm strength to turn 3-6-3 double plays. First base and DH are his only possible positions, so he’ll have to hit.

Whether it is just coincidental given the players available when they selected or not, the White Sox have ended the night with a pair of bats who, if they reach their respective ceilings, could be impact power bats in years to come.

The draft continues Tuesday with rounds 3-10.

Lead Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

While the White Sox have trotted out or continue to trot out quad-A afterthoughts like Jerry Sands and Avisail Garcia, as well as broken veterans like Mat Latos and Jimmy Rollins, the need for depth throughout the franchise has become even more obvious than it was during the offseason.

The 2016 draft isn’t going to fix the White Sox’ depth problems this year or next, but the importance of having players behind the players behind the players who are out on the field every day is clear nonetheless.

The White Sox grabbed Zack Collins, Zack Burdi and Alec Hansen on Day 1 of the draft last Friday, and while the likelihood of players selected over the weekend becoming contributing members of the organization lessens with each passing round, each pick provides an opportunity for the Sox to strengthen the depth of their system.

So what did they end up with?

White Sox low-key sorting by OBP and drafting.

— Will Siskel (@willsiskel) June 10, 2016

Will sent out that tweet shortly after the White Sox took Jameson Fisher in the fourth round on Saturday. Fisher is an outfielder out of Southeastern Louisiana University who hit .424/.558/.692 with 54 walks and 31 strikeouts in 276 plate appearances as a junior.

Those numbers are ludicrous, and obviously have a lot to do with the fact that he played in the Southland Conference, which, per ESPN’s Keith Law, is a notoriously weak pitching conference. Law also noted that he believes Fisher will wind up at first base because of below-average speed and arm strength, but with the 116th pick, it seems the White Sox took a solid gamble.

The OBP trend is a nice shift in direction from previous White Sox strategies of valuing athleticism over already-defined skills, and it didn’t stop with Collins and Fisher. Ball State outfielder Alex Call, taken one round before Fisher in the third, got on base at a .443 clip his junior season, walking 29 times along with 29 strikeouts in 286 plate appearances. Likewise, catcher Nate Nolan, taken in round 8, had a .360 OBP as a junior at Saint Mary’s, and Zach Remillard’s (Round 10) was at .399 at Coastal Carolina.

Granted, college stats are far from translatable, especially at less-than-elite conferences like the four aforementioned players are from, but the change in strategy is a welcomed sight.

One other thing you’ll notice about all of the players mentioned thus far is that they’re all college players. In fact, the White Sox took only one high schooler in the first 10 rounds of the draft. Shortstop Luis Curbelo, an 18 year old out of Cocoa High School in Florida, was the best pick of the sixth round according to BP’s own Chris Crawford.

Curbelo may prove to be unsignable this late in the draft, but boy is he a fun flier for the sixth round. Everything projects average except for the power, which may not sound terribly exciting, but when you’re talking about a guy playing a premium position, it’s more intriguing. I would be surprised if they’re able to work something out with him, but again, this late in the draft, it’s more than worth the risk.

Curbelo is committed to play collegiately at the University of Miami, and may, indeed, prove to be unsignable. It’s also possible that the White Sox plan to save enough money with their collegiate draftees in the early rounds to make it work.

The White Sox used seven of their first 11 draft picks on position players, which is nice because, ya know, most of the position players in their system are bad right now. Joining Burdi and Hansen as the only other pitchers taken in the first 10 rounds were Fresno State right-hander Jimmy Lambert (5th round) and USC left-hander Bernardo Flores (7th round). Both are college juniors.

Lead Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today Sports

But the MLB Draft is, for some reason, 40 rounds long. Did you know that a few years ago it was 50 rounds? And even further back, it was 74 rounds. Mike Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round. The White Sox got Mark Buehrle in the 38th round and Mark Buehrle was awesome. You probably knew that already. You’re smart. But how much do you know about the late round draft picks of the White Sox in 2016? Not much, I bet.

That’s where I come in. I put on my investigative journalism hat — it’s a really cool hat, with a feather in it and everything — and typed the names of every player the White Sox drafted in Rounds 11-40 into Google to find out everything I could. Turns out, that wasn’t very exciting. There’s not much information out there. So little, in fact, that the photo at the top of this article is just a boring file image of Rick Hahn because I couldn’t find one I could use of any of these guys.

There’s good reason for this. It’s not like these players were drafted late by accident. Either they’re easy signs who will be used as organizational depth, or they’re younger and unlikely to sign, opting to go to college if they’re a high schooler or stay in college if they’re an underclassmen with hopes to improve their draft stock for another year.

Nonetheless, I decided to spice things up a bit. It’s up to you to figure out which of the following facts is real and which is not.

Round 11 (326) — Ian Hamilton, RHP, Washington State University

• Entered the season as a Top 100 draft prospect by Baseball America
• Transitioned from relief to starting in 2016 and faired poorly
• Had a 4.86 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 87 innings as a junior
• Definitely the most intriguing prospect on this list
• Baseball Prospectus’ Chris Crawford sees him as a potential steal
• A descendant of that guy they wrote that musical about

Round 12 (356) — Mitchell Roman, SS, Wright State University

• Had a .401 on-base percentage for Wright State
• 26-of-29 on stolen bases
• Knows all the lyrics to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel

Round 13 (386) — Michael Hickman, C, Chipola College

• Batted .345 with 10 home runs as a freshman at Chipola
• Drafted in the 36th round by the White Sox a year ago
• Celebrity dream date is Tina Belcher

Round 14 (416) — Bryan Saucedo, RHP, Davenport University

• One of four players drafted from NAIA school Davenport
• Davenport had never had a player drafted prior to this season
• That’s pretty crazy

Round 15 (446) — Jake Elliott, RHP, Oklahoma

• Had a 6.02 ERA in 46.1 IP as a junior
• Grandfather played in the Cincinnati Reds’ farm system
• Grew up on a farm and had a pet goat named Albert

Round 16 (476) — Ben Wright, RHP, UNLV

• Was the Rebels’ closer in 2016, accumulating 11 saves
• Oh, he also had a 5.49 ERA
• From Utah
• Blackjack dealer on the weekends

Round 17 (506) — Brad Haymes, RHP, Gardner-Webb University

• Threw 110.2 IP as a junior; that’s a lot
• 115 strikeouts against just 16 walks in those innings
• Twitter handle is @HollywoodHaymes
• Grew up down the street from the “Full House” house

Round 18 (536) — Lane Hobbs, RHP, Concordia University (TX)

• Struck out 91 batters in 81 IP as a junior with a 1.44 ERA
• Is 6-foot-5, 235 lbs, so you’re legally allowed to call him a Big Texan
• Has the most Texas name ever

Round 19 (566) — Anthony Villa, 1B, Saint Mary’s College

• 12 career home runs in four years of college
• 69 hits during his junior season
• Father was a quarterback who signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1985
• Best friends with actor Michael B. Jordan

Round 20 (596) — Matt Foster, RHP, University of Alabama

• A junior college transfer who has played one year with the Tide
• Threw 40 innings in relief his junior season, striking out 49 and walking 16
• Did not allow a home run all season
• Will probably get drafted into the NFL, despite not playing football collegiately

Round 21 (626) — Michael Horejsei, LHP, Ohio State University

• Pitched solely in relief during his Buckeyes career
• Struck out 62 batters in 58 career innings
• Gave up only three home runs during his collegiate career
• Can contour his tongue in that weird way people always brag about

Round 22 (656) — Joel Booker, University of Iowa

• First team All-Big Ten as a senior
• 23-of-25 in stolen base attempts
• Has beaten Tony Hawk Pro Skater for Nintendo 64 at least a dozen times

Round 23 (686) — Sam Dexter, SS, University of Southern Maine

• D3baseball.com’s national player of the year as a junior
• Hit .404/.474/.652 during his senior season
• Struck out 58 times in 806 career at-bats, including just 11 times as a senior
• Nationally-ranked Pokemon player as a child

Round 24 (716) — Brady Conlan, 3B, Cal State Dominguez Hills

• Played for the Philippines National Team in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier
• Finished second in his conference in batting average at .413
• Favorite team is the New York Mets
• Would like to meet The Rock one day
• Has an overly active sense of smell

Round 25 (746) — Charlie Madden, C, Mercer University

• College teammate of first-round pick Kyle Lewis
• Threw out 24 percent of potential base stealers during his junior season
• Favorite athlete is Josh Hamilton
• Favorite team is the Atlanta Braves
• That last one seems like a joke, but it’s not

Round 26 (776) — Zach Farrar, OF, Carroll HS (TX)

• Highly-recruited high school wide receiver signed to play football at Oklahoma, where he told the Dallas Morning News he plans to remain
• Probably a good decision

Round 27 (806) — Mike Morrison, RHP, Coastal Carolina University

• Closer for the Chanticleers
• First team All-American
• Pre-game superstition is gargling hot sauce

Round 28 (836) — Aaron Schnurbusch, OF, University of Pittsburgh

• Uncle was a minor leaguer in the Cincinnati Reds farm system
• Hit a home run at Busch Stadium as a high schooler
• Favorite song is “Summer Girls” by LFO

Round 29 (866) — Earl Henderson, 1B, Central Arizona College

• Real first name is Caleb. No idea why he goes by Earl
• Hit .406/.493/.667 at this college I’m hearing about for the first time
• Committed to play at New Mexico State University next season
• Favorite TV show is “My Name is Earl.” Ah, that explains it.

Round 30 (896) — Pat Cashman, RHP, Southeastern Louisiana University

• Born in Itasca, Ill., and went to Plainfield North High School
• Went 4-4 with a 5.26 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 15 walks in 51.1 IP his senior season
• Juggled chainsaws in a traveling circus during his youth

Round 31 (926) — Brandon Bossard, SS, Nazareth Academy (IL)

• Son of White Sox groundskeeper Roger Bossard
• Committed to play at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.
• Nickname is “The Sodson”

Round 32 (956) — Sean Renzi, RHIP, Central Michigan University

• Originally from Plainfield, Ill.
• Went 5-7 with a 4.70 ERA in 19 appearances (11 starts) during his senior season, striking out 75 and walking 49
• Favorite player growing up was Kerry Wood
• Competed in the Lumberjack World Championships, finishing fifth in the Springboard Chop

Round 33 (986) — Ryan Boelter, LHP, Gardner-Webb University

• Originally from South St. Paul, Minn.
• Lowered his ERA from 6.59 down to 3.25 ERA from his sophomore to junior seasons
• Has skipped a rock upwards of 20 times across a lake

Round 34 (1,016) — Jaxon Shirley, 2B, Frankton-Lapel HS (IN)

• Hit .443 with five home runs during his senior season
• Committed to play collegiately at Indiana
• Favorite player of BP South Side editor James Fegan

Round 35 (1,046) — Garrett Acton, RHP, Lemont HS (IL)

• Signed to play collegiately at Saint Louis
• Fastball supposedly tops out at 93 mph
• Won a high school state title this season
• Can walk in a handstand for up to one mile

Round 36 (1,076) — Reese Cooley, CF, Chipola College

• Favorite food is Mac and cheese
• Favorite musician is Lil Wayne
• Favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Does a mean Steve Urkel impression

Round 37 (1,106) — Leo Kaplan, OF, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)

• Signed to play collegiately at Northwestern
• Hit .345/.398/.464 during his high school career
• Apparently runs or at least writes for a website called HoopsAnalysis.com
• That last one is interesting enough that I don’t need a joke one

Round 38 (1,136) — Tyler Gordon, C, Simeon Career Academy (IL)

• Local kid and graduate of White Sox ACE program
• Signed to play collegiately at Prairie View A&M
• Favorite player is Bryce Harper
• Favorite team is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Can fit 26 marshmallows in his mouth at once

Round 39 (1,166) — Justin Lavey, SS, Tremper HS (WI)

• Had a 1.268 OPS as a high school senior
• Played his high school ball in the same town as first-round pick Gavin Lux
• Favorite player is Mike Trout
• Favorite team is the Milwaukee Brewers
• Takes his coffee with six creamers and 12 sugars; has a thing about divisibility

Round 40 (1.196) — Drew Puglielli, 3B, Gulf Coast HS (FL)

• Played infield, outfield, and pitcher for his high school team
• Originally from Frisco, Texas
• That’s it. I can’t find anything else

Lead Photo Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Burdi, a relief pitcher from the University of Louisville and the brother of Twins 2014 second round pick Nick Burdi, has a big fastball that sits in the high 90s and has been clocked as 102 mph. He mixes in a power breaking ball, which makes some scouts believe he can be moved to the rotation down the road.

Knowing the Sox history of moving pitchers fast, and their need for bullpen help, it would certainly not be out of the question that Burdi makes the majors this year. This would certainly not rule out a move to the rotation in the future–as that is of course the path Chris Sale took–but the bullpen may be where Burdi stays regardless.

Hansen, on the other hand, is a starter from the University of Oklahoma with premium stuff, and command that lags far behind. At one point considered a top prospect in the draft, his stats from the 2016 season tell another story: he pitched 52 innings of 5.40 ERA ball, striking out 75 but walking 39 batters. At six-feet, seven-inches and weighing 230 pounds, Hansen sits in the low to mid-90s and has been clocked as high as 98 mph with a power slider. As evidenced by his inability to retire college batters, Hansen will likely take a while to develop and is a high-risk prospect, but could be a very nice get for the third round if he clicks.

Lead Image Credit: Caylor Arnold // USA Today Sports Images