Rebuilding Chicago White Sox excited about draft haul
The latest phase of the Chicago White Sox's rebuilding project is complete.
Rounds 11-40 of the amateur draft wrapped up Wednesday, and the Sox wound up taking 34 collegians out of 40 players over the past three days.
"I'm going to sound cliché when I say we are excited about it because no scouting director is going to say they hated it," said the White Sox's Nick Hostetler. "If I do, I should be fired tomorrow.
"But we were really excited with the adjustments, and I was more proud of the way our staff prepared. Our guys were prepared; we were ready for the curveballs that were thrown."
The final day of the draft rarely produces major-league talent, which is why the Sox drafting former Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean's son Riley on the 35th round and broadcaster Larry King's son Chance on the 39th round drew the most attention.
The biggest impacts came Monday and Tuesday in the earlier rounds, when the White Sox stockpiled successful college hitters.
They grabbed Missouri State third baseman Jake Burger on the first round, (No. 11 overall), Wake Forest first baseman Gavin Sheets on the second round and New Mexico center fielder Luis Gonzalez on third round.
After drafting college pitchers Lincoln Henzman (Louisville), Tyler Johnson (South Carolina) and Kade McClure (Louisville) on Rounds 4-6, the White Sox were thrilled to add TCU catcher Evan Skoug - a Libertyville native - on Round 7.
Burger, Sheets and Skoug combined to hit 63 home runs this season, and Gonzalez posted a .361/.500/.589 hitting line.
Does that mean that all of the higher picks are going to pan out?
Hardly, but adding so many promising prospects to a group that already includes Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez, Zack Collins, Zack Burdi, Carson Fulmer, Alex Hansen, Dane Dunning and Spencer Adams bodes very well for the Sox's future.
"We added high-impact power, middle of the order bats that really control the strike zone," Hostetler said. "That was our key. We started adding some guys who can run today and we had some big power arms. Hopefully a few of those develop into starters, but we definitely got some solid big-time bullpen pieces today."
If there is a sleeper in the White Sox's haul, it's Sam Abbott, a first baseman from Curtis Senior High School in University Place, Washington.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder was a star prep athlete - in water polo and swimming. The White Sox see him as a baseball player.
"He actually was here for a workout," Hostetler said. "He flew in from Washington to work out for us. Big, big power. This story, this is one of the most unique stories we've ever drafted. He's a U.S. Junior National water polo player. He has a scholarship to Long Beach State.
"His mom was an Olympian, his dad was in the military, he was born in Kuwait City. The kid's back story is some kind of tremendous and when you see the kid physically, it is some physical specimen. His shoulders are really big and broad and he was hitting balls so far, Jim Thome was standing there and he told me, 'Who is this kid?'
"It's going to be a long process for Sam, he's going to be a two-year rookie-ball guy. He's new to baseball; he wasn't on the circuit. He wasn't an area codes guy. This is going to take some time, there's going to be some patience, but this is one of those high-risk, high-rewards where if this hits, it's a story good enough for a movie."