This might have been discussed before, but doesn't it seem like the Sox are always linked to a player before the draft that they don't end up taking? It was Brady Singer last year. I believe it was J.B. Bukauskas the year before that. Maybe Abrams is that guy this year. 

(yes I am going through the BA500 and livestreaming my thoughts)

There is a dude named Dan Hammer with unrefined great stuff, and a write-up that seems like it came straight out of the movie Summer Catch so get it done.

10 minutes ago, bmags said:

If sox let strong play in a late season tournament sway them then god help us. But I'm sure that's just a young writer trying to keep it interesting.

Im going to put a lock on Nick Bennett, LHP, Louisville to the White Sox, let's say round 5.

I can see it Mags. If you are still undecided and look at next 2-4 yrs of need AND, you project Eloy as DH/1B then we definitely can use a LH corner OF w/power. I like it.

1 minute ago, Flash said:

I can see it Mags. If you are still undecided and look at next 2-4 yrs of need AND, you project Eloy as DH/1B then we definitely can use a LH corner OF w/power. I like it.

It's not the player, it's the rationale described in the BR post and even yours. I don't want them filling positions with the draft, if they think Bleday's power and hitting ability sets him apart from even Vaughn then that's who you take. I can't see their scouting reports, but saying we needed a new LF because Eloy isn't looking good defensively that's poor process*

*reads 10 pages of astro ball and is now sam hinkie

13 minutes ago, Whitesox27 said:

This might have been discussed before, but doesn't it seem like the Sox are always linked to a player before the draft that they don't end up taking? It was Brady Singer last year. I believe it was J.B. Bukauskas the year before that. Maybe Abrams is that guy this year. 

It normally happens that it's apparent the Sox have Their Guy for a while, and then a week or so before the draft it comes out that maybe that guy isn't Their Guy. Happened with Madrigal at least. It feels like Abrams is the guy and anyone else is screen. 

17 minutes ago, bmags said:

(yes I am going through the BA500 and livestreaming my thoughts)

There is a dude named Dan Hammer with unrefined great stuff, and a write-up that seems like it came straight out of the movie Summer Catch so get it done.

He checks the cool name box for the White Sox.

1 minute ago, mqr said:

It normally happens that it's apparent the Sox have Their Guy for a while, and then a week or so before the draft it comes out that maybe that guy isn't Their Guy. Happened with Madrigal at least. It feels like Abrams is the guy and anyone else is screen. 

I am unsure. 

I don't think people have very good sox sources, and I could see the Abrams stuff  (primarily sourced on sox having heavy presence recently) being just around wanting to get as many last looks as possible because it's a big draft pick. I wouldn't be surprised if they go vaughn, and they just had him as the top or second best player on board for a while.

And the same applies to if draft goes haywire. and a witt or rutschman are unexpectedly there. They may have just been trying to figure out how close people think Abrams is to their top 3.

 

If Witt somehow falls to us, I think we have to take him.  We need to take some changes on preps and think outside of the box.... But yet I don't think hahn will.

5 minutes ago, Soxnfins said:

If Witt somehow falls to us, I think we have to take him.  We need to take some changes on preps and think outside of the box.... But yet I don't think hahn will.

How exactly is a taking a consensus top 3 prospect like Witt "thinking outside the box"? 

30 minutes ago, bmags said:

If sox let strong play in a late season tournament sway them then god help us. But I'm sure that's just a young writer trying to keep it interesting.

Im going to put a lock on Nick Bennett, LHP, Louisville to the White Sox, let's say round 5.

I think this should be a consideration. What it tells you is how they play against the better competition. During the season they may or may not have played against the best pitchers. whereas in post-season, they will.

I'm not saying it's the only thing but it does need to be a consideration.

17 minutes ago, bmags said:

It's not the player, it's the rationale described in the BR post and even yours. I don't want them filling positions with the draft, if they think Bleday's power and hitting ability sets him apart from even Vaughn then that's who you take. I can't see their scouting reports, but saying we needed a new LF because Eloy isn't looking good defensively that's poor process*

*reads 10 pages of astro ball and is now sam hinkie

There was a good interview with Hostetler over the weekend. He said the best advice he got from others, including KW, was to always draft the best player available. By the time it takes players to reach the MLB, no one knows how the MLB will look so drafting for need is a losing concept.

39 minutes ago, Lillian said:

Bleacher Report just posted their Mock Draft, and have the Sox taking Bleday:



3. Chicago White Sox: OF JJ Bleday, Vanderbilt

Bleday went 8-for-16 with two doubles and a home run in four games in the SEC tournament to help lead Vanderbilt to a conference tournament title. That strong showing in front of a sea of scouts has pushed him into the conversation here at No. 3 after it had previously looked like a two-man race between Georgia prep star CJ Abrams and Cal slugger Andrew Vaughn.

I like Bleday.  The hit stroke has been there.  Great baseball acumen.  And his power stroke should only grow as he gets stronger..  Not a big fan of drafting right handed 1B types.1

  

Just a couple things from what I've heard about their preferences.

• Some scouts from the Detroit Tigers are expecting the Sox to take Abrams
• One of the longest tenured beat guys in town told me last week that the Sox won't pass on Witt Jr. if available 

With that being said, I won't be surprised if it's Vaughn but Abrams makes the most sense at this point. 

1 minute ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Just a couple things from what I've heard about their preferences.

• Some scouts from the Detroit Tigers are expecting the Sox to take Abrams
• One of the longest tenured beat guys in town told me last week that the Sox won't pass on Witt Jr. if available 

With that being said, I won't be surprised if it's Vaughn but Abrams makes the most sense at this point. 

Thank you for your info.

10 minutes ago, ptatc said:

There was a good interview with Hostetler over the weekend. He said the best advice he got from others, including KW, was to always draft the best player available. By the time it takes players to reach the MLB, no one knows how the MLB will look so drafting for need is a losing concept.

That's good but KW very rarely drafted best player available and was constantly trying to feed mlb depth through the draft so I have to wonder how invested the org is in it.

5 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Just a couple things from what I've heard about their preferences.

• Some scouts from the Detroit Tigers are expecting the Sox to take Abrams
• One of the longest tenured beat guys in town told me last week that the Sox won't pass on Witt Jr. if available 

With that being said, I won't be surprised if it's Vaughn but Abrams makes the most sense at this point. 

Thanks for the intel. It's appreciated.

Hearing anything on second round targets? Or possibly pushing a tougher sign to that pick to couple with an Abrams savings? I'd love to see two high ceiling prep players with picks 1 and 2.

Edited May 28, 20196 yr by DirtySox

Just now, DirtySox said:

Hearing anything on second round targets? Or possibly pushing a tougher sign to that pick to couple with an Abrams savings? I'd love to see two high ceiling prep players with picks 1 and 2.

I've heard nothing on that. I'm hoping it's two prep bats and then lots of pitching personally. 

Just now, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I've heard nothing on that. I'm hoping it's two prep bats and then lots of pitching personally. 

Seconded. Abrams + another mid to late first round prep talent at 45 is much more interesting to me than the recent draft trends.

*Opens BA Top 500 to research.*

Looks like Fangraphs updated where the top draft prospects would fit in the Top 100 Prospects list. See below if you're into that kinda thing.

44 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

How exactly is a taking a consensus top 3 prospect like Witt "thinking outside the box"? 

Not outside the MLB box, but it is outside the typical White Sox thinking box.

11 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

Looks like Fangraphs updated where the top draft prospects would fit in the Top 100 Prospects list. See below if you're into that kinda thing.

Nice.

I’d love to know who Hostetler was referring to on the White Sox Talk podcast as the player who did not impress the team during the interview process. Would be really interesting if it was one of the top guys like Vaughn or another lower guy like Lodolo.

I’m so torn on who I’d prefer the Sox to take. Vaughn’s hitting ability seems like a perfect fit, but Abrams overall ability would be a nice add into the system. 

1 hour ago, southsideirish71 said:

I like Bleday.  The hit stroke has been there.  Great baseball acumen.  And his power stroke should only grow as he gets stronger..  Not a big fan of drafting right handed 1B types.1

  

No one is a fan of doing that, which speaks volumes to how damn good Vaughn and his bat are. No one wants to take a RH 1B this early, but Vaughn is so good that everyone wants to take a RH bat first. 

People underrate what Vaughn has had to overcome to get this type of prospect status. I tend to always want the guy who has to overcome a lot of bad stigmas. 

4 minutes ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

I’d love to know who Hostetler was referring to on the White Sox Talk podcast as the player who did not impress the team during the interview process. Would be really interesting if it was one of the top guys like Vaughn or another lower guy like Lodolo.

I’m so torn on who I’d prefer the Sox to take. Vaughn’s hitting ability seems like a perfect fit, but Abrams overall ability would be a nice add into the system. 

Seemed like it was a high school kid from what he was implying - he talked about going to a game, and having heard bad things about his relationship with his teammates possibly. Then they saw him the entire time and not a single teammate talked to him or high fived him or anything like that. He was a hermit in his own dugout and the Sox said they will pay on him for that reason. Would love to know who they were talking about. 

4 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Seemed like it was a high school kid from what he was implying - he talked about going to a game, and having heard bad things about his relationship with his teammates possibly. Then they saw him the entire time and not a single teammate talked to him or high fived him or anything like that. He was a hermit in his own dugout and the Sox said they will pay on him for that reason. Would love to know who they were talking about. 

My guess would be Houston LHP Seth Romero