Unlike recent years when the White Sox picked 1-3 (and ended up with Carlos Rodon) and 1-7 (Carson Fulmer) the White Sox options are tougher to pinpoint, in part because they’re picking deeper (albeit slightly) in the first round than they have in recent years, and partly because the beginning of the first round seems to be less certain.

Mock drafts and power rankings are coming out in full force, so it’s time to get acclimated with the players who the White Sox might be considering at 1-10 in this June’s draft. Before we begin, I should start out by saying that I’m not a scout and don’t pretend to be a scout. These speculations are an assortment of my research of scouting reports, rankings, discussions with scouts, and my own viewing of those I’m able to see.

My favorites

Every year I have one or a few players who I prefer more than anyone else who could potentially be available when the White Sox pick. Two years ago, Rodon and I were love at first sight. Last year, I was kind of into Fulmer, but had eyes for Tyler Jay and, more explicitly, Andrew Benintendi. Neither of those two made it to the White Sox pick, of course, and I had no knowledge suggesting they preferred either to Fulmer, but this list represents who I would most like them to draft among the players who at least have a shot at making it to No. 10.

Corey Ray, OF, Louisville

If Ray were to make it to No. 10 in the first round, he’d immediately be a sentimental favorite and great story as a Chicago native who graduated from the White Sox ACE (Amateur City Elite) Program, which helps Chicago inner city youth discover baseball and grow as athletes and individuals.

Aside from that, Ray is an incredibly intriguing prospect, so much so that ESPN’s Keith Law has him ranked No. 1 on his list of top prospects for the upcoming draft, comparing him to Ray Lankford (who the uninitiated might think is a slight, but had a hell of a 6-7 year run during the peak of the Steroid Era).

Where he’s being placed in mock drafts varies quite a bit. Baseball America’s John Manuel actually has him reaching the Sox at No. 10 and them selecting him. Scout.com’s Jeff Ellis has the Braves taking him at No. 3, while Taylor Ward has him going to Milwaukee at No. 5. Over at MLB.com, Jonathan Mayo has the Marlins selecting him No. 7 overall.

Nick Senzel, 3B, Tennessee

Law called Senzel and Ray the two highest-floor bats in the draft, and the 21-year-old has seen his draft stock soar this season while mashing SEC pitching in his third year with the Volunteers, hitting .343/.441/.591 with more walks than strikeouts. You don’t need me to tell you that draft prospect stats, whether they’re coming from high school or college, don’t mean a whole lot, but he seems to have risen in similar fashion as Benintendi a year ago.

Unlike Ray, however, none of the aforementioned mocks have Senzel lasting to the White Sox at No. 10. BA’s Manual and MLB.com’s Mayo both have him going sixth to Oakland, while Scout.com’s two draft experts have him going first and second, respectively.

One mock draft says…

Blake Rutherford, OF, Chaminade Prep HS, Canoga Park, Calif.

MLB.com’s Mayo has both of my aforementioned favorites off the board before the White Sox pick, and has them taking the prep outfielder Rutherford. Baseball Prospectus’ Chris Crawford, in his Draft Guide, says Rutherford has a plus hit tool and the potential to have plus power, with the biggest question mark for the 19-year-old being whether he will be able to stick in center field or if his future is in right field. Prep players are tougher to project, of course, but “chance to be an All-Star” is something you appreciate reading about a player your team might select.

Other guys who would be cool

Mickey Moniak, OF, La Costa Canyon HS, Carlsbad, Calif.

Moniak’s stock has risen so much of late, that even if the White Sox want him it’s becoming increasingly likely he isn’t around at No. 10 anymore. Both Mayo and Manuel have him going No. 4 to the Rockies. Moniak, who turned 18 today, is expected to be a guy with a plus hit tool and speed, but little power, per Crawford, who also called him the highest floor prep player in the draft. It’s rare that a prep player could be considered a “safe” pick, but Moniak seems to be it.

Matt Manning, RHP, Sheldon HS, Sacramento, Calif.

Manning’s rankings are all over the board. He’s Law’s ninth favorite prospect, while Mayo doesn’t have him getting selected until Toronto at No. 21. Manuel, on the other hand, pegs him for the Twins at No. 15. He’s supposedly a long-term development project, but is 6-foot-6 and can throw 98 mph, so there’s obviously a lot to like.

Dakota Hudson, RHP, Mississippi State

Hudson certainly fits the bill of White Sox targets as a polished college pitcher with the potential to move through the system quickly. However, it would be foolish to compare him to Rodon or Fulmer. Hudson didn’t really break out as a prospect until a dominant summer in the Cape Cod League, and is one of a surprisingly small amount of college arms who are expected to go in the top half of the first round. Mayo has him going 15th to the Twins while Manuel actually has him being selected before the White Sox pick, at No. 9 to Detroit. Crawford says his slider is his best pitch and he has the upside of a mid-rotation starter with high-leverage relief as a fallback option.

Oh, that No. 26 pick

While the No. 10 pick will get the focus, the White Sox also pick 26th overall as a compensation pick for losing Jeff Samardzija in free agency. As tough as it is to predict a Top 10 pick, doing so for the latter portion of the first round is even more difficult, but some names to note are high school shortstop Gavin Lux (Mayo’s pick for them at No. 26), college LHP Eric Lauer (Manuel’s pick), and the guy I have my eye on, Stanford RHP Cal Quantrill, who had Tommy John surgery a little more than a year ago and has yet to pitch this season, but was once considered a potential Top 5-10 pick and is now expected to come off the board around the mid-20s.

Lead Photo Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

While we bemoaned the team’s lack of spending during the offseason, the plus side of them not dishing out for one of the top free agents on the market is that the Sox are now in a good position to get top talent when the draft begins June 9. Thanks to a poor 2015 and the qualifying offer that was given to and was declined by Jeff Samardzija, the White Sox essentially have two first round picks and three in the Top 50. Officially, their first three draft picks are Nos. 10, 26 and 49.

The White Sox will also have quite a bit of money to play with, as they’ve been allotted a bonus pool of $9,416,600, the seventh most in the league, with $3,380,600 assigned to their 10th overall pick.

A lot is still to be determined when it comes to narrowing down who the White Sox could take at the No. 10 pick. College baseball season is a bit more than half over, and the prep season is in full swing but Top Prospects lists have already begun emerging, so it’s worth taking a look at the players who are projected to be available when their turn comes.

It should be mentioned, also, that you can find full scouting reports on the players mentioned below in the Baseball Prospectus MLB Draft Guide 2016 by Christopher Crawford. It’s only $5 and worth a purchase if MLB Draft knowledge is up your alley.

Who’s No. 10?

In trying to gauge who the White Sox could take at No. 10, the first and most obvious place to look is, well, who is ranked No. 10 on various Top Prospects lists. The names that emerge include University of Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel, Puerto Rican shortstop Delvin Perez, high school outfielder Will Benson, Vanderbilt outfielder Bryan Reynolds and Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Jordan Sheffield.

Senzel is an elite college bat who has question marks about whether or not he can stick at third base, or if second base is his future position.

Perez is only 17-years-old and tall for a shortstop at 6-foot-3, but Crawford calls him “the best prep position player in the class. He seems the type who could rocket up rankings enough in the coming weeks that he won’t be available at No. 10.

Benson, like Perez, is young as he will turn 18 shortly after draft day. A 6-foot-6 lefty, he projects as a future left fielder with elite power.

Reynolds has plus speed, has produced with the bat during his time in college and Crawford calls him a “high-floor player.”

Sheffield, the Commadores’ next in line after Carson Fulmer a year ago, has Tommy John surgery in his past and some project he could be a reliever at the next level. His best pitch is his fastball, which has topped out at 98 mph.

The college arms

Whether you believe the White Sox specifically target near-ready college arms, or that the last two years have both been a matter of the “best player available” when they drafted being just that in Fulmer and Carlos Rodon, it’s worth monitoring the early-impact college arms the Sox could have their eye on at No. 10.

In addition to the aforementioned Sheffield, Virginia’s Connor Jones, Stanford’s Cal Quantrill, Oklahoma’s Alec Hansen and Florida’s A.J. Puk are all names you could begin hearing more about as draft day approaches.

Of those five, the two least likely to be available at No. 10 appear, for now, to be Hansen and Puk, who Crawford says are competing for the title of Best College Arm in the draft and are up there with prep lefty Jason Groome (the nearly consensus 1-1 at this point) in terms of best overall pitcher in the draft.

Others to watch

The names you’ll see thrown around will fluctuate as the year goes on, but other guys who fall into the 5-15 range include Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, Florida outfielder Buddy Reed, Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis, prep outfielders Blake Rutherford and Mickey Moniak, and prep third baseman Bobby Dalbec.

The White Sox history of drafting and developing pitchers, as well as their inability to produce elite positional talent, has been well documented. What’s been refreshing of late has been the team’s willingness to go Best Player Available and take some risks, one of which produced current Top Prospect Tim Anderson, who was considered a somewhat risky selection in 2013 (and still is, I guess). New scouting director Nick Hostetler told Scott Merkin just that.

Likewise, with the amount of money the team has to spend, reaching for talent that will ask for money beyond that of his draft slot — like they did in drafting and signing Spencer Adams two years ago — seems like a possibility.

There’s still plenty to shake out between now and June 9, but Draft Season is upon us, and the White Sox clearly have ample opportunity to restock their farm system yet again. Who they restock it with is still to be determined.

Top Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports