Headed by Madrigal, Chicago White Sox pleased with draft haul
It's a wrap.
Rounds 11-40 of the draft went in the books Wednesday, and the Chicago White Sox wound up taking 20 pitchers, 10 infielders, five outfielders and five catchers over the past three days.
The Sox picked 29 collegiate players and 11 from the high school ranks. The undeniable prize of the draft is Oregon State infielder Nick Madrigal, the No. 4 overall pick.
“We're really happy with the way the draft played out for us in the sense of what type of players we were able to add,” said Nick Hostetler, amateur scouting director. “We felt we have a really good mix of solid, good baseball players with the ability to be everyday players, as well as guys with higher upsides.”
It was a long three days for Hostetler and the Sox's staff, and preparation for the 2019 draft already has started.
Here are some quick hits from this year's haul:
•After Oregon State is finished playing in the NCAA Tournament and Madrigal signs with the White Sox ($6.4 million is the assigned value for the No. 4 overall pick), he is expected to make his professional debut at high Class A Winston-Salem.
Most first-round picks debut at much lower levels, but Madrigal's bat and defensive skills are off the charts.
The 5-foot-7, 165-pounder is thrilled to be the latest key addition to the Sox's rebuild.
“It means everything,” Madrigal said. “Within the next couple years, hopefully we can change this franchise and get it back to a winning culture. I know they have the right pieces for it. I'm excited to be a part of it.”
• On the 38th round Wednesday, the White Sox drafted outfielder Matt Klug out of Brookwood High School in Liburn, Georgia.
In 2016, Klug lost his mother to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A year later, his father died of cancer.
“I was on a plane and saw the article (about Klug),” Hostetler said. “It really struck a chord with me.”
Hostetler contacted Georgia-area scout Kevin Burrell to set up the selection.
“It's been the worst two, three years anybody could imagine,” Klug said on a conference call. “It's been a stretch of unexpected experiences and tragedy. It will knock you down, but my parents would have wanted me to get back up, to be as positive as I could be.
“I know they're proud of me. I'm sure my dad is going crazy looking down that I got drafted.”
• On the 30th round, the Sox drafted Micah Coffey out of the University of Minnesota.
The 22-year-old shortstop played high school baseball at Batavia and quarterbacked the Bulldogs to the 2013 Class 6A state championship.
• At Oregon State this season, Madrigal is playing second base because teammate Cadyn Grenier is one of the top defensive shortstops in college baseball.
Outfielder Steele Walker, the White Sox's second-round pick, was in a similar situation with Oklahoma.
Teammates Kyler Murray, slated to start at quarterback for the Sooners in the fall, was a superior center fielder, so Walker played the corner spots.
Murray was drafted No. 9 overall by the Athletics.
The Sox view Walker in center as a professional player.
“I see myself as a center fielder,” Walker said. “I think I can go get any ball and I have the athleticism and the speed. That's where I'm most comfortable.”
• With their first pick on Day 3 of the draft, the White Sox were thrilled to get 18-year-old Kelvin Maldonado on the 11th round.
The 5-foot-11, 160-pounder prepped at Pro Baseball High School and Academy in Puerto Rico.
“I saw him in Puerto Rico in January,” Hostetler said. “True shortstop with plus run tool. Showed the ability to swing the bat. A really loose swing, fluid, and still a ton of room for strength, to add on to that frame he has.”