White Sox grab big potential of DGN's Wolkow in 7th round
The White Sox are hoping the steal of the MLB will be a local product known as "Aaron George."
George Wolkow, a 6-foot-7 third baseman-outfielder from Downers Grove North High School, was chosen by Sox in the seventh round Monday.
The nickname is based on his resemblance to Yankee's slugger Aaron Judge. Both players are towering athletes, but unlike Judge, Wolkow bats left-handed.
Wolkow was reportedly considered a potential first-round draft pick in 2024 but decided to graduate a year early from high school and reclassified.
So at 17, he's one of the youngest players in this year's draft.
The South Carolina commit was a key player on the DGN basketball team that advanced to the state tournament for the first time in March.
According to a Twitter report, Wolkow plans on signing with the White Sox.
The MLB Draft's second day featured rounds 3-10. In the third round, the White Sox took right-handed pitcher Seth Keener from Wake Forest, followed by catcher Calvin Harris from Mississippi in the fourth round.
The Sox also chose a pair of left-handed pitchers - Christian Oppor from Gulf Coast CC and Lucas Gordon from Texas. The rest of the Sox draft picks were Stanford OF Eddie Park, Jacksonville State RHP Jake Peppers and Missouri RHP Zach Franklin.
Cubs
Matt Shaw had an interesting few minutes during Sunday's MLB Draft.
The Worcester, Mass. native had a chance to be picked No. 14 by his home-state team, the Boston Red Sox. But the Cubs chose No. 13 and took Shaw, the Maryland shortstop named Big Ten player of the year this spring.
"The Cubs were a team that I really, really wanted to go play for," Shaw told reporters late Sunday night. "So, my reaction was really just excited. I'm really glad that it worked out the way it did. This day has been obviously amazing."
In Round 3, the Cubs took shortstop Josh Rivera from Florida, who hit .348 for the CWS runner-up this spring.
A theme for the Cubs was height. They chose 6-6 RHP Will Sanders from South Carolina in the fourth round, after taking 6-6 Arkansas RHP Jaxon Wiggins late Sunday in the second round, then 6-6 outfielder Alfonsin Rosario from P27 Academy in the sixth round.
The Cubs took catcher Michael Carico from Davidson in the fifth round. The rest of their picks were SS Yahlil Melendez from B You Academy in Puerto Rico; Minnesota OF Brett Bateman, Long Beach State 1B Jonathon Long, and RHP Luis Martinez-Gomez from Temple (Tex.) CC.
Local draft picks
Two area right-handed pitchers from the University of Illinois were chosen Monday. Jack Wenninger from Cary-Grove High School went to the Mets in the sixth round. Libertyville's Riley Gowens was picked by Atlanta in the ninth round.
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