At pick 110 the White Sox took another college arm, this time JuCo right-hander Jeff Soptic. At 6-6, 210 he joins a growing number of big pitchers drafted by the Sox. He is a hard thrower that profiles out of the bullpen and has a commitment to pitch at Mizzou.
Soptic’s best asset is his velocity. His fastball sits in the mid 90s and can touch the high 90s. Baseball America, who rates him fittingly enough at 110 in the draft, says he is able to maintain the velocity but his fastball is straight. He has an inconsistent slider and a below average change, thus him profiling as a reliever.
According to this article from his Kansas JuCo, he hit triple digits this year. He was used mostly as a starter this year, pitching 56 innings in 10 starts and five relief appearances. He posted a 3.50 ERA with 58 K, 31 BB and 41 hits allowed (5 HR).
As a freshman he made 14 starts and one relief appearance. In 42.2 IP he struck out 48, walked 41 and gave up 51 hits for a 4.10 ERA. It’s good to see he improved on his control this year versus last year.
Soptic, 20, was drafted by the Royals in the 43rd round out of high school.