I gotta say, they seem like they like this strategy of trying to get a couple of second tier players with this, instead of taking BPA at the top, and then whoever they can make fit next.  Not sure of the results, so far, but with the lack of star tops in this system, I am a huge BPA guy right now.

2 hours ago, fathom said:

Kiley dropping a nugget that the Sox might try to drop Schoolcraft to their second pick by going underslot with 1st pick.

Schoolcraft wouldn't surprise me; but  I hope they don't.  Their success with lefties has been  identifying major league ready lefties, not developing high schoolers.  Let's let the Schultz story play out before using more resources (including likely punting multiple rounds) on what is the riskiest profile in the draft.   

I do hope they go underslot with the first pick unless Parker, Carlson or maybe Irish or Killen are there.    After the top 10 or so, the next 20 look similar.

 

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

I gotta say, they seem like they like this strategy of trying to get a couple of second tier players with this, instead of taking BPA at the top, and then whoever they can make fit next.  Not sure of the results, so far, but with the lack of star tops in this system, I am a huge BPA guy right now.

I'm not sure they've really employed the strategy you are suggesting. They definitely seem to like the idea of grabbing someone with 1st round grades with pick number 2 at a premium price (See Bonemer), but it wasn't at the expense of not taking the BPA with the first pick. Hagen Smith wasn't second tier. He was even paid over-slot by $300K. The money for Bonemer and others came from "punting" later picks. See picks 10, 9, 7, 6.

We talk about it a lot during draft time but I don't think we've seen the White Sox truly reach and get a player that isn't arguably the BPA with pick #1 with the goal of it being a large savings to spread to later picks. At least not in recent years. Jacob Gonzales was under-slot, but he wasn't a reach. Just uninspiring.

I think it would be pretty fascinating if they did get a substantial savings with pick 1 and see how that plays out. I imagine Kayson Cunningham would take a pretty big haircut. Steele Hall maybe saves you 500K since he probably has a landing spot with the Rangers?

I'm really into the up the middle prep SS guys currently, but I still have this feeling it's going to be BPA college pitcher at 1 at little to no savings, then prep position player that needs to be over-slotted with pick #2, and punting some of the 6 through 10 picks again. Pretty much a duplicate of what they did with the 2024 class. 

I think if either Carlson or Parker there you have to pick one of the two.  If not available I would think they are going underslot which then floating Schoolcraft to round 2 makes a ton of sense. Don’t love the idea of passing on of the 2 stud prep SS just to push Schoolcraft down. 

1 hour ago, DirtySox said:

I'm not sure they've really employed the strategy you are suggesting. They definitely seem to like the idea of grabbing someone with 1st round grades with pick number 2 at a premium price (See Bonemer), but it wasn't at the expense of not taking the BPA with the first pick. Hagen Smith wasn't second tier. He was even paid over-slot by $300K. The money for Bonemer and others came from "punting" later picks. See picks 10, 9, 7, 6.

We talk about it a lot during draft time but I don't think we've seen the White Sox truly reach and get a player that isn't arguably the BPA with pick #1 with the goal of it being a large savings to spread to later picks. At least not in recent years. Jacob Gonzales was under-slot, but he wasn't a reach. Just uninspiring.

I think it would be pretty fascinating if they did get a substantial savings with pick 1 and see how that plays out. I imagine Kayson Cunningham would take a pretty big haircut. Steele Hall maybe saves you 500K since he probably has a landing spot with the Rangers?

I'm really into the up the middle prep SS guys currently, but I still have this feeling it's going to be BPA college pitcher at 1 at little to no savings, then prep position player that needs to be over-slotted with pick #2, and punting some of the 6 through 10 picks again. Pretty much a duplicate of what they did with the 2024 class. 

we aren't even acknowledging the scenario of college pitcher + schoolcraft heh

32 minutes ago, bmags said:

we aren't even acknowledging the scenario of college pitcher + schoolcraft heh

Jace and Schoolcraft

39 minutes ago, bmags said:

we aren't even acknowledging the scenario of college pitcher + schoolcraft heh

 

14 minutes ago, fathom said:

Jace and Schoolcraft

I’d be pretty surprised by either of these scenarios. I think the two college guys Shirley referenced to Merkin are Kilen and Houston and I’d be pretty surprised if either were the pick at this point. I think the pitchers in question are Jamie Arnold and Kyson Witherspoon. I’ll be pretty surprised if it’s not a prep hitter at 10. I was shocked last year though. 

41 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

 

I’d be pretty surprised by either of these scenarios. I think the two college guys Shirley referenced to Merkin are Kilen and Houston and I’d be pretty surprised if either were the pick at this point. I think the pitchers in question are Jamie Arnold and Kyson Witherspoon. I’ll be pretty surprised if it’s not a prep hitter at 10. I was shocked last year though. 

I hope it's unlikely, BA has had Arnold and Witherspoon in recent mocks but it has seemed more like a general BA being stubborn about the floors of the college pitchers.

Sucks to be in the position where you just have the draft exclusively left to get bats but neither arnold or witherspoon have the physical profile that i'd be happy about biting with a top 10 pick. But we'll see.

1 hour ago, fathom said:

Jace and Schoolcraft

Does not feel like there is support in the sox for players like Laviollete, they have passed on so many like him last 5 years or so. And not even incorrectly.

9 minutes ago, bmags said:

Does not feel like there is support in the sox for players like Laviollete, they have passed on so many like him last 5 years or so. And not even incorrectly.

Agreed.

Jace is such an Orioles pick.

9 hours ago, bmags said:

Does not feel like there is support in the sox for players like Laviollete, they have passed on so many like him last 5 years or so. And not even incorrectly.

They hired a hitting director

Keith Law’s latest has them taking Kruz Schoolcraft at 10 with Parker and Hall on the board. I’d be very surprised 

That would be brutal if they drafted Schoolcraft. 

1 hour ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Keith Law’s latest has them taking Kruz Schoolcraft at 10 with Parker and Hall on the board. I’d be very surprised 

I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to underslot someone like Kilen or Bremner and try to push Schoolcraft down to 44. They have been rumored to like him since the fall. Bremner and Schoolcraft would be a pretty solid draft that they would absolutely get crushed for.

Quote

Kruz Schoolcraft

School: Sunset HS (Portland, Ore.), Bats: L, Throws: L

The White Sox are the first wild-card team in the mock, as they are looking at names beyond the obvious ones. I’ve heard them specifically linked to Schoolcraft, Steele Hall, Tyler Bremner and JoJo Parker.

Schoolcraft at 10 with Jojo on the board seems wild. This would have to be a substantial savings no?

Schoolcraft at 10 with Parker on the board would have me inventing new cuss words because the normal ones wouldn’t be enough. 

 

7 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Schoolcraft at 10 with Jojo on the board seems wild. This would have to be a substantial savings no?

So much so (c $3 million) that they probably couldn't use it all without further overpays and reaches.

I just don't get how an org. that is so historically poor at drafting and developing still thinks that they are the smartest guys in  the room.

Edited July 8, 2025Jul 8 by GreenSox

36 minutes ago, GreenSox said:

So much so (c $3 million) that they probably couldn't use it all without further overpays and reaches.

I just don't get how an org. that is so historically poor at drafting and developing still thinks that they are the smartest guys in  the room.

Well if developing unique LHP is what they think they’re good at, it makes sense.

Any chance they take Schoolcraft, and then have enough for Fauske and Bauer?

57 minutes ago, fathom said:

Well if developing unique LHP is what they think they’re good at, it makes sense.

The 2 big success were close-- to-the-majors college pitchers.    Schultz is the prep guy and he's still TBD.  
Schoolcraft wouldn't be my preference, but if he's the pick, it's got to be at a substantial discount.   Sale and Crochet were each drafted around #10 and prep pitcher brings far more risk.   
Also, what other team likes these low slot guys?  I think we could get them at a discount regardless.  

I also  wonder what their plans are for position players for this outfit.  Because they need a lot of them.

1 hour ago, fathom said:

Well if developing unique LHP is what they think they’re good at, it makes sense.

It IS the one thing they have a decent history of.

19 minutes ago, GreenSox said:

The 2 big success were close-- to-the-majors college pitchers.    Schultz is the prep guy and he's still TBD.  
Schoolcraft wouldn't be my preference, but if he's the pick, it's got to be at a substantial discount.   Sale and Crochet were each drafted around #10 and prep pitcher brings far more risk.   
Also, what other team likes these low slot guys?  I think we could get them at a discount regardless.  

I also  wonder what their plans are for position players for this outfit.  Because they need a lot of them.

While rushed to the majors, neither Sale nor Crochet were close to ready to be major league starters

48 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

While rushed to the majors, neither Sale nor Crochet were close to ready to be major league starters

They were both in the majors  the year they were drafted.  
Nowhere near the development required for a prep pitcher.

And we drafted one of these guys in round 2 last year.

Edited July 8, 2025Jul 8 by GreenSox

16 minutes ago, GreenSox said:

They obviously were.

They didn't start for years, so no, they weren't.