2023 MLB Draft thread

[Y2Jimmy0]

55 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

@Y2Jimmy0 - Thoughts on the Taylor pick?

I was just on the call with Shirley. He thinks they got two first rounders tonight. 4 pitch mix, loud stuff, was excellent on the cape and this fall. Said they wouldn't have had a shot at him had he pitched this season. 

[Chicago White Sox]

5 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I was just on the call with Shirley. He thinks they got two first rounders tonight. 4 pitch mix, loud stuff, was excellent on the cape and this fall. Said they wouldn't have had a shot at him had he pitched this season. 

Any chance he’s an under-slot signing, even if only slightly?

[Y2Jimmy0]

17 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Any chance he’s an under-slot signing, even if only slightly?

Maybe slightly but not by much. Gonzalez might be though. 

[Eminor3rd]

From what I've read, Gonzalez is a great pick for the White Sox. His core hitting skills are very advanced, meaning has a chance to become a major leaguer without player development actually helping him learn to hit. Seeing people say he needs to add/grow into power, and I can see him benefitting just from an MLB weight training regimen, which I trust our staff to be able to execute.

Also, he fits our team's profile of a SS that no other team think should stick there, so my guess is they plan to keep him there and replace Anderson.

[bmags]

Just now, Eminor3rd said:

From what I've read, Gonzalez is a great pick for the White Sox. His core hitting skills are very advanced, meaning has a chance to become a major leaguer without player development actually helping him learn to hit. Seeing people say he needs to add/grow into power, and I can see him benefitting just from an MLB weight training regimen, which I trust our staff to be able to execute.

Also, he fits our team's profile of a SS that no other team think should stick there, so my guess is they plan to keep him there and replace Anderson.

Yeah, not sure there is a bigger indictment of Hahn to his PD staff than that they have felt a need to get hitters who didn't need to have their approach built out.

But problem isn't necessarily strength to me, it's his ichiro finish. Changing a swing on the sox requires Burger's wife.

His defense is weird because it's one of those things where basically everyone seems surprised its as good as it is considering his difficulty getting going to top speed. But he did hold the SS position down for Team USA, and Law did write he can see him sticking. It's a shame for him he didn't go to the Cardinals, a team that could make a similar profile like DeJong play plus defense at short.

It's funny because I actually think it does these players no favors going to the sox. They need some support in getting that extra 5% and can rely too much on what has worked. Compare that to a Colson Montgomery who knew they needed to add stuff (while still needing to do it 100% themselves)

[bmags]

just doing profile hunting.

I'm assuming we don't have a lot of wiggle room, but prep picks i'd be intrigued by

kendall george (CF):

George is a small and skinny, 5-foot-11, 165-pound outfielder, but what he lacks in size and power, he makes up for with quickness, explosiveness and some of the best pure speed in the 2023 draft class. He could hang in a foot race with almost anyone in the class and routinely turns in 80-grade run times in the 3.9-4.0-second range from home to first, and it’s not uncommon to see him post lower run times than that on jailbroken swings. While George won’t threaten to hit many balls over the fence, he’s a pesky and difficult hitter to get out, with a contact-oriented stroke from the left side and both a strong batting eye and bat-to-ball skills. He’s always a threat to lay down a bunt and is proficient in that area, and can slap the ball around to all fields effectively. The center fielder for Team USA’s gold medal-winning 18U National Team, George was second on the team with a .364 average, went 5-for-5 in stolen bases and also walked six times to just one strikeout. His elite speed gives him easy plus range in center field where he should be an impactful defender with below-average arm strength. While they have different body types, George could compare reasonably to 2023 classmate Enrique Bradfield Jr., an outfielder at Vanderbilt who shares a similar all-around profile, though George has a bit more strength and a bit less defensive polish compared to Bradfield at the same age.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/top-2023-mlb-draft-prospects/

Tristan Dietrich (LHP)

Dietrich is a very lanky, projectable lefty who started to see his stuff tick upward this spring from the upper 80s last summer, now bumping 92-93, while he already had good feel for a tight slider and a pretty good delivery that at least gives a starting point to project on the command. He’s 6-4 and all arms and legs right now, with a very low-effort delivery and great feel to spin the ball. You can dream on this body and the ease with which he works right now, hoping it’s mid-90s in two or three years once he’s added 30 pounds to his frame and worked with better coaches. He’s committed to FIU, which had a second-round pick in 2020 with Logan Allen.

https://theathletic.com/4584350/2023/07/06/mlb-draft-ranking-prospects-2023-crews-law/

that said if he's there I'd probably go hunter owen. 

[GreenSox]

How about Teddy McGraw, RHP Wake Forest, injured.  

[Quin]

Man, some writers really like the Gonzalez pick.

Quote

Outside of Skenes, what was your favorite pick of the night -- and what was one that had you scratching your head?

Gonzalez: I'll go with two favorites -- a high-floor prospect and a high-ceiling one. The former is Jacob Gonzalez, who was ranked sixth in Kiley McDaniel's latest rankings and fell to the Chicago White Sox at 15. He's a 6-foot-2, left-handed-hitting shortstop who will be good enough defensively to stay at the position and makes a lot of contact. The pick I'm really intrigued by, though, came right after, when the Giants took 6-foot-7 aspiring two-way player Bryce Eldridge at 16. It's a perfect fit.

My head-scratcher came a little later: the Los Angeles Dodgers selecting undersized high school outfielder Kendall George at No. 36, snagging him two to three rounds earlier than most projections expected him to go.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37985650/2023-mlb-draft-day-1-winners-losers-top-prospects-available 

Quote

 

A three-year starter at Ole Miss and a staple on the Collegiate National Team the last two summers, Gonzalez has been on the 2023 draft radar for years. He won Freshman of the Year honors in 2021 when he hit .355/.443/.561 with 12 home runs, helped lead the Rebels to a College World Series title as a sophomore, and wrapped up his college career with a .319/.427/.561 line and 40 home runs in 186 games. His below-average speed raises questions about his ability to stick at shortstop, but he has been a reliable defender and his offensive game would work at third base if he does need to move.

Grade: A

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10081968-2023-mlb-draft-picks-live-team-by-team-day-1-grades-and-analysis

Quote

 

15. Chicago White Sox — Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Mississippi

• Grade: A

Another player like Shaw and Teel where, regardless of spot, his selection would  receive an A. Gonzalez had been talked about as a potential top-five pick before sliding all the way to No. 15. He has a well-rounded profile, with a bat that will hit for average and power and the ability to stay at shortstop. He might not have any tools that jump off the page, but he also has no major flaws, making him a very safe prospect here.

 

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-draft-grades-2023-live-picks-results/a6nkkz2hshjegc3hg23rkefb

 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

Writers misevaluating White Sox draftees: A tradition unlike any other. 

[bmags]

16 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Writers misevaluating White Sox draftees: A tradition unlike any other. 

I would argue  (esp the outlets above) that college players that performed well tend to get a lot of love in post-draft write-ups and the sox have really picked a lot of those guys.

BA has tended to swerve away in the last 5 years, they used to be way too in love with college performance especially from big conferences.

[Chicago White Sox]

Besides the speed complaint, this comment from Law stuck out to me on Gonzalez:

Quote

He hit 18 homers last year, but doesn’t project to hit for more than fringy power in pro ball as he doesn’t use his legs much, with no stride and a tendency to glide over his front side, with very little connection between how his upper and lower halves work.

To me, this pick only makes sense if you project Jacob to hit +15 HRs in the majors.  A 2B from the left side with quality plate discipline who will slug at a .150 ISO level and provide above average defense is a legit asset.  If he can only manage say 8 to 10 HRs as a 2B, then he’s more or less just a guy you can find fairly easily in free agency.

[Heads22]

Seth Keener, Pitcher, Wake

[fathom]

Drafted a possible reliever, yay

[southsideirish71]

Just now, fathom said:

Drafted a possible reliever, yay

I was hoping for a HSer with a high ceiling at 3.  But the protypical Sox pick,  he projects as a reliever college pitcher.  

[Chicago White Sox]

Baseball America in Keener (#131):

Quote

Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R

 

School: Wake Forest Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted 
Age At Draft: 21.8 
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 50. 

Keener struggled with control in his first two seasons with Wake Forest, but still managed to log plenty of time on the mound as a sophomore in 2022, when he posted a 5.87 ERA over 53.2 innings—split between starting and relieving. He took a big step forward in 2023 while pitching mostly out of the bullpen and posted a 1.79 ERA through 60.1 innings, with a 33.7% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. One of his best outings of the season came in a start against George Mason in NCAA regional play, where Keener threw seven shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and no walks. Listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Keener has a three-pitch mix with a fastball that sits 93-94 and has been up to 97, but he has primarily thrown a mid-80s slider. The breaking ball had a 41% usage rate this spring and has sharp two-plane break that gets lots of chases out of the zone—though he also can land it for strikes at a high clip. On top of the fastball/slider combination, Keener also throws a firm, upper-80s changeup that was a consistent bat-misser as well. Given Keener’s solid athleticism, control, three-pitch mix and projectable frame it would be unsurprising for a team to try him as a starter in pro ball. He fits as a top-five round talent given his strong 2023 campaign.

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Chicago White Sox

[Quin]

Mike Shirley, why you bumming me out?

[CWSpalehoseCWS]

What did the Sox do with Shirley? Is he locked in a closet somewhere? This draft has not gone how anticipated.

[Quin]

Also f***, I forgot how fast Day 2 and 3 go.

[Chicago White Sox]

Definitely worried that in a draft loaded with prep talent and with a scouting director who loves prep talent, we’re going all in on college players.  I get it’s not that simple and you got to go with how the board shakes out, but two straight college pitchers taken well above consensus of the major publications (I know they aren’t perfect) worries me of Hahn over-involvement.

[T R U]

5 minutes ago, southsideirish71 said:

I was hoping for a HSer with a high ceiling at 3.  But the protypical Sox pick,  he projects as a reliever college pitcher.  

Doesn't sound like 1st or 2nd round pick was much of savings, so I wouldn't expect a HS

[DirtySox]

Callis seemed pretty optimistic about a starter profile with Keener.

[bmags]

I'm glad I didn't spend too much time on this draft. 

[bmags]

5 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Definitely worried that in a draft loaded with prep talent and with a scouting director who loves prep talent, we’re going all in on college players.  I get it’s not that simple and you got to go with how the board shakes out, but two straight college pitchers taken well above consensus of the major publications (I know they aren’t perfect) worries me of Hahn over-involvement.

top prep talent is going to be expensive with NIL. I don't think hahn is doing anything here, I think it just is a sucky draft so far.

[T R U]

6 minutes ago, bmags said:

top prep talent is going to be expensive with NIL. I don't think hahn is doing anything here, I think it just is a sucky draft so far.

Hopefully its not a "Were having a bad season but we can rebound next season with these guys, lets see how quickly we can get some college players up to help in the next year or two" type of draft.

[southsideirish71]

2 minutes ago, T R U said:

Hopefully its not a "Were having a bad season but we can rebound next season with these guys, lets see how quickly we can get some college players up to help in the next year or two" type of draft.

Unfortunately I think thats exactly it.  They are going to use this to restock the MLB side with low cost bodies to replace non-cost effective vets.  This is not going to be a rebuild as it should be.  Hahn wants to "retool".  So think some farm guys plus MLB guys looking for 1 year prove it deals.