26 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

I think you and WestEddy keep telling on yourself with the "looking for attention" comments.

That's my opinion. There are thousands of baseball scouts. If you think they all share the same opinion on those players, you my friend are the delusional one. The community as a whole absolutely hive-minds their thoughts though.

These are all projections of volatile assets. It's always safe to say one or two guys are clearly above the rest, but that's less frequent the case than more. Most scouts didn't have Zach Neto ahead of Jackson Holliday. Most scouts didn't have Bonemer, Yesavage and Griffin ahead of Hagen. The differences between these guys are an adjustment or two from relevance vs irrelevance.

Edit: Just adding I'm not saying I called the above, although clearly Bonemer been my guy forever and I was/am a huge Neto guy.

You have in this very thread underscored all of Roch’s tools and said Emerson has no carrying tools. You are 100% entitled to have differing opinions. Liking Lackey ahead of Roch or Emerson is a completely fair take. Disliking one of the two way more than consensus would be reasonable as would having one or two guys outside of the big three ahead of them. Having four guys beyond Lackey above both of them is just not an objective take IMO. Yes, scouts and talent evaluators will have different assessments on the players on this draft class, but the general consensus is there is a clear top three. I highly doubt there are many scouts who have Roch & Emerson both outside their top 5.

Again, had you not already inaccurately discredited the tools of the two players in question and had different reasons for preferring five guys over them then maybe I could take your view on this seriously. And to be clear, I usually value your opinion on things. Different is very good and should be welcomed here. I just feel for some reason you are inherently biased on this particular subject.

1 hour ago, DirtySox said:

Throwing out another name that our boy @Y2Jimmy0 mentioned with the Sox on the FutureSox Podcast. Dylan Bowen. Checks two White Sox boxes. Prep SS and Indiana. Scouting reports from BA (164) and Over-Slot (67) to get familiar below. Jimmy also reiterated that he thinks the Sox are very much on Thome which is not surprising.

You'll be interested in my five round mock draft that comes out tomorrow.

Mock draft for the fun of it. This will likely look stupid when half of these guys aren’t even selected anywhere close to these picks & amounts, but f*** it let’s have some fun and dream a bit!

1. #001 - Roch Cholowsky, SS (Jr) ($9.75M | -$1.6M vs. slot)

2. #041 - Carson Bolemon, LHP (HS) ($2.9M | +$0.4M vs. slot)

3. #077 - Joey Volchko, RHP (Jr) ($1.1M | equal to slot)

4. #105 - Landon Thome, SS (HS) ($2.5M | +$1.8M vs. slot)

5. #137 - Brody Bumila, LHP (HS) ($1.2M | +$0.7M vs. slot)

Puts us $400k over slot for these picks + 5% overage, which would require to us to go with Seniors in the 9th & 10th. Requires two big assumptions that may not be realistic but fun to think about about.

1) Thome throws out ridiculous bonus demands to convince teams not to draft him. He ultimately accepts slot value of the 41st overall pick, but gamemanship allows us to get him down to the 4th round.

2) Bumila is now willing to accept low 2nd round money based on news of his UCL injury. I’m assuming this info will tank his value, but also avoid going the college route to take the bird in the hand.

Totally get this is probably unrealistic, but ultimately I want Roch at the 1.01 and a lot of high risk, high reward talent with our next four picks and ideally very prep heavy.

1 hour ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Mock draft for the fun of it. This will likely look stupid when half of these guys aren’t even selected anywhere close to these picks & amounts, but f*** it let’s have some fun and dream a bit!

1. #001 - Roch Cholowsky, SS (Jr) ($9.75M | -$1.6M vs. slot)

2. #041 - Carson Bolemon, LHP (HS) ($2.9M | +$0.4M vs. slot)

3. #077 - Joey Volchko, RHP (Jr) ($1.1M | equal to slot)

4. #105 - Landon Thome, SS (HS) ($2.5M | +$1.8M vs. slot)

5. #137 - Brody Bumila, LHP (HS) ($1.2M | +$0.7M vs. slot)

Puts us $400k over slot for these picks + 5% overage, which would require to us to go with Seniors in the 9th & 10th. Requires two big assumptions that may not be realistic but fun to think about about.

1) Thome throws out ridiculous bonus demands to convince teams not to draft him. He ultimately accepts slot value of the 41st overall pick, but gamemanship allows us to get him down to the 4th round.

2) Bumila is now willing to accept low 2nd round money based on news of his UCL injury. I’m assuming this info will tank his value, but also avoid going the college route to take the bird in the hand.

Totally get this is probably unrealistic, but ultimately I want Roch at the 1.01 and a lot of high risk, high reward talent with our next four picks and ideally very prep heavy.

If we get those two 4 and 5 than paint me pink and call my Sussie then the dates on me. 🤣

On 7/6/2026 at 4:39 PM, Sleepy Harold said:

Now THIS would be a guy to try to shove down for a million or so with that savings. It's worth the upside if you can define his medicals as something that can be overcome.

6 hours ago, DirtySox said:

Throwing out another name that our boy @Y2Jimmy0 mentioned with the Sox on the FutureSox Podcast. Dylan Bowen. Checks two White Sox boxes. Prep SS and Indiana. Scouting reports from BA (164) and Over-Slot (67) to get familiar below. Jimmy also reiterated that he thinks the Sox are very much on Thome which is not surprising.

Dudes brother was a multi sport athlete including a state champion LB playing at ND.

Here's my final attempt at a 5 round White Sox mock for FutureSox: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/07/07/chicago-white-sox-2026-5-round-mock-d-2/

3 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Here's my final attempt at a 5 round White Sox mock for FutureSox: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/07/07/chicago-white-sox-2026-5-round-mock-d-2/

Love it. Sharing the recent blurb on Ferraro from BA, as well as the reports on Putnam who I was unfamiliar with. I really would kill for an extra comp pick at this point to grab another high upside prep arm. Or even a college arm they think they can work with.

Caden Ferraro, OF, Texas Tech

A college hitter with plenty of steam right now is Texas Tech outfielder Caden Ferraro, who ranks as the No. 169 player in the class. We have real questions about where he is going to play—and how well he’ll play wherever he’s put in the field—but there’s no denying his offensive talent.

After helping Blinn JC in Texas reach back-to-back juco championships, Ferraro transferred to Texas Tech and slashed .372/.481/.601 with eight home runs and 19 doubles in 52 games. Teams could be even more excited about his batted-ball data, which is excellent across the board. He makes a ton of contact inside the zone, he walked more than he struck out in 2026, and he hits the ball hard enough that he could have even more game power in the tank with a few swing or approach tweaks in pro ball.

Here’s the list of college players in 2026 with an in-zone contact rate of 91% or better as well as a 90th percentile exit velocity of 109 mph or better: Caden Ferraro.

177. Tyler Putnam RHP

Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R

School: Battle HS, Columbia, Mo. Committed/Drafted: Tennessee. Age At Draft: 18.1.

BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme

Adjusted Grade: 35

Putnam has an elite pitcher’s frame to dream on, with loud present stuff and a chance for even more at physical maturity. He has wide, coat-hanger shoulders with solid strength in his lower half and more space to add mass with a 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame. Putnam works out of a loose, rhythmic delivery that features a whippy arm stroke from a three-quarters slot. Putnam regularly touches 97 mph and pitches in the low and mid 90s with a fastball that looks like a potential plus offering. He’s thrown two different breaking ball shapes in the past, but most recently has favored an upper-70s and low-80s slider, which will flash above-average grades but doesn’t get them consistently. He will also throw a mid-80s changeup with a bit of armside fading life. In general, Putnam’s secondaries need more refinement than his fastball. The same is true of his control and command. His release point can be inconsistent and he’ll spray his fastball to the arm side at times, but when he’s putting his mix over the plate he has flashes of dominance. Putnam has excellent arm talent to build on with tons of physical projection remaining. He’s committed to Tennessee and is also on the younger end for the 2026 prep class.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50

104. Tyler Putnam RHP

Battle HS, Columbia MO

Height: 6-5 Weight: 200 B/T R/R Age: 18.1

Putnam is a big arm talent and a big mover on the mound who could end up throwing real gas someday.

The fastball has been up to 100 mph in side bullpen sessions. Putnam has some durability too, importantly grabbing his best radar gun readings in the fourth and fifth inning of work. The control and command for the zone is streaky. Putnam is an electric mover whose delivery should shore itself up with strength gains in due time. It's an over-the-top delivery with elite extension and carry through the zone.

Putnam throws an upper-70s breaker with curveball shape, more depth than horizontal tilt with some hump still present. Putnam does have feel for spin and shaping the ball, but refining that breaker will be crucial if he's to turn into a starter going forward.

The velocity, arm strength and stamina will wow scouts. Polishing the edges, throwing more strikes and advancing the pitchability will eventually elevate the draft profile.

Edited 16 hours ago16 hr by DirtySox

I’m still conflicted on manipulating a lot of the money on Thome. To me, rather stock up on pitching after Roch.

16 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Here's my final attempt at a 5 round White Sox mock for FutureSox: https://www.futuresox.net/2026/07/07/chicago-white-sox-2026-5-round-mock-d-2/

I can’t lie, I would be kind of annoyed if they don’t take a pitcher until the 5th round. I think beefing up the pitching throughout the organization should be a priority in this draft.

2 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

I can’t lie, I would be kind of annoyed if they don’t take a pitcher until the 5th round. I think beefing up the pitching throughout the organization should be a priority in this draft.

I go back and forth on this. I trust the hitting development so much more than the pitching side at the moment. I don't mind them sticking with what seems to be working. I just don't have a solution for the dearth of pitching though.

10 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

I go back and forth on this. I trust the hitting development so much more than the pitching side at the moment. I don't mind them sticking with what seems to be working. I just don't have a solution for the dearth of pitching though.

That’s a fair point for sure. It’s funny because historically it’s always been the opposite until now. Another option could be to draft mostly bats and then trade them in a package for a proven pitcher.

3 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

That’s a fair point for sure. It’s funny because historically it’s always been the opposite until now. Another option could be to draft mostly bats and then trade them in a package for a proven pitcher.

I wish the college pitching crop was better. I've been looking at college arms that would be around at 41 and I don't love any of them really. The high school pitching is abundant and a strength of the class. I wouldn't mind if they dove heavy into that demographic. Even at the expense of Thome.

19 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

I go back and forth on this. I trust the hitting development so much more than the pitching side at the moment. I don't mind them sticking with what seems to be working. I just don't have a solution for the dearth of pitching though.

I basically view Billy Carlson as a future pitcher via trade

6 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

I wish the college pitching crop was better. I've been looking at college arms that would be around at 41 and I don't love any of them really. The high school pitching is abundant and a strength of the class. I wouldn't mind if they dove heavy into that demographic. Even at the expense of Thome.

Like you said, they would have to really trust their pitching development if they draft high school arms early. That’s probably the single most risky player demographic.

13 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

Like you said, they would have to really trust their pitching development if they draft high school arms early. That’s probably the single most risky player demographic.

Define early. Not sure they are all that much riskier after the 1st round.

Regardless, always let the draft class dictate the strategy. If there aren’t a lot of good college arms for the early rounds, then don’t force the issue.

19 minutes ago, fathom said:

I basically view Billy Carlson as a future pitcher via trade

Yeah most likely. I do like the idea of an Andrelton Simmons-type defender at SS with Carlson though. Who's the last legit SS prospect with a 70 field and 70 arm?

We're stacked at the position and will likely draft a SS, so I'm guessing he gets traded as well.

Edited 16 hours ago16 hr by ron883

11 minutes ago, ron883 said:

Yeah most likely. I do like the idea of an Andrelton Simmons-type defender at SS with Carlson though. Who's the last legit SS prospect with a 70 field and 70 arm?

We're stacked at the position and will likely draft a SS, so I'm guessing he gets traded as well.

Cleuluis Rondon?

I'm of the mind that Carlson becomes trade bait if the Sox draft Roch — at that point, the left side of the infield seems destined to be a A+ combo of Colson-Roch. Moving Roch or Carlson to 2nd removes tons of value, so, trade bait.

If it's Emerson or Lackey, keep him.

27 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Define early. Not sure they are all that much riskier after the 1st round.

Regardless, always let the draft class dictate the strategy. If there aren’t a lot of good college arms for the early rounds, then don’t force the issue.

“Early” is a matter of interpretation but I’d say anything like $500K or more on a high school pitcher is a sizable gamble.

8 minutes ago, Quin said:

Cleuluis Rondon?

I'm of the mind that Carlson becomes trade bait if the Sox draft Roch — at that point, the left side of the infield seems destined to be a A+ combo of Colson-Roch. Moving Roch or Carlson to 2nd removes tons of value, so, trade bait.

If it's Emerson or Lackey, keep him.

Hah, totally forgot about him. The guy was definitely a beast with the glove. Totally worthless with a bat. Luckily it looks like Carlson has some potential with the bat. He's showing absolutely no power currently (0 HR in 39 games) but he's walking a decent amount. 15.3% BB% and a .386 OBP.

8 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

“Early” is a matter of interpretation but I’d say anything like $500K or more on a high school pitcher is a sizable gamble.

There aren't too many high ceiling prep arms that are getting less than a million. Otherwise they just go to school.

The Bolemons and Borthwicks of the class are gonna run you 2 to 4 million. Regardless of where they are selected.

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by DirtySox

9 hours ago, DirtySox said:

There aren't too many high ceiling prep arms that are getting less than a million. Otherwise they just go to school.

The Bolemons and Borthwicks of the class are gonna run you 2 to 4 million. Regardless of where they are selected.

It was a while ago at this point, but I always think of Andrew Dalquist and Matthew Thompson. They got more money than I remembered, over $2 million each and neither panned out.

BA's penultimate mock. Will get one more the night before or the day of. Sharing the top 10.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2026-mlb-mock-draft-6-0-latest-first-round-pick-predictions-for-every-team/

1. White Sox — Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

Bonus Pool: $17,592,100

Slot Value: $11,350,600

I’m sticking with Cholowsky here for the White Sox, just as we have in every iteration of the mock draft so far. As we’ve gotten closer, I have felt like it’s either him or Grady Emerson, with Vahn Lackey further back in the mix.

2. Rays — Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS, North Richland Hills, Texas

Bonus Pool: $19,009,300

Slot Value: $10,507,000

If Cholowsky goes first, I’d be surprised to see the Rays pass on Emerson and take Lackey. There is definitely some Lackey buzz with this pick, but their organizational preferences and tendencies have me thinking Emerson makes more sense.

3. Twins — Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

Bonus Pool: $16,929,600

Slot Value: $9,740,100

Once again, I’ve got the top shortstops in the class going in front of the Twins, so the most obvious pick for them is just scooping up the clear best talent on the board in Lackey. Even if Lackey struggles offensively, he could still provide great value because the defensive profile here is so good.

4. Giants — Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Bonus Pool: $17,350,600

Slot Value: $8,988,400

I still hear buzz about Cholowsky being a real option here, and this might even be his preferred landing spot. But as we’ve mentioned in the past, I find it hard to envision a scenario where that actually happens. In my previous mock, I mentioned Eric Booth Jr. getting more traction at this pick, and I’m flipping to him here after tying the Giants with Jacob Lombard all season.

5. Pirates — Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Bonus Pool: $19,130,700

Slot Value: $8,336,500

Pittsburgh remains the quietest team from my perspective at the top of the draft. For that reason more than anything, I’m sticking with Flora, the top-ranked pitcher in the class. It’s hard to rule out either Jacob Lombard or Eric Booth Jr. if they both get here, and I still wonder a bit about whether Justin Lebron would be a real option this high.

6. Royals — Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS, Miami

Bonus Pool: $15,954,000

Slot Value: $7,746,100

I previously mocked Drew Burress to the Royals because of some thought that the org might want a faster-moving collegian. I’m coming off that pick and sticking them with Lombard, who I feel makes more sense from a scouting perspective with Kansas City. Names like Eric Booth and Gio Rojas should be in the mix on the high school side, and college bats like Justin Lebron or AJ Gracia might still make sense on the college hitting side. Liam Peterson and Mason Edwards also make sense for Kansas City, but both players feel more likely to go in between their first two picks.

7. Orioles — Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

Bonus Pool: $13,114,000

Slot Value: $7,327,200

I’ve heard for a while now that the Orioles might like a chance at either Booth or Jacob Lombard, with their preference between the two perhaps being Booth thanks to his superior contact skills. In this scenario they get neither, so perpetual performer Drew Burress makes a ton of sense.

8. Athletics — Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky

Bonus Pool: $13,840,300

Slot Value: $6,982,600

From my perspective, the Tyler Bell connection to the A’s seems to be getting more steam, so I’ll stick with it. He’s a well-rounded college shortstop and switch-hitter with great performance this spring but a patient approach. Jackson Flora would make a ton of sense if he gets here, and I wonder if the A’s would think about pulling the trigger on the next tier of college arms like Liam Peterson, Cameron Flukey or Mason Edwards.

9. Braves — Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla.

Bonus Pool: $15,870,800

Slot Value: $6,675,300

A number of the best available college bats could make sense for the Braves, such as Derek Curiel, Chris Hacopian, AJ Gracia or Ace Reese. The top high school pitching prospect in the class, Gio Rojas, makes a lot of sense here, as well. I wonder if the Braves would be interested in Jacob Lombard if his miss questions caused him to slip a bit or if the Braves would take a shot on Justin Lebron.

10. Rockies — Derek Curiel, OF, LSU

Bonus Pool: $15,557,600

Slot Value: $6,393,100

I’ve still heard mostly college names for the Rockies here, and Derek Curiel and Ryder Helfrick are two of the most popular names. I wouldn’t rule out Cameron Flukey or Liam Peterson, either.

I for one love the idea of Thome. Likely get a good deal considering where he could get elsewhere. Plus another prep (me likey) and his bat is his calling card.. Plus - HE'S A THOME. I'm a sucker for a good story