It’s that time of year when the baseball community comes together to speculate/get excited/groan about players almost all of them have never seen play!
In all seriousness, the MLB Draft is a big time of year for FutureSox and this year is no different. With it in mind that our collection of writers hasn’t seen these players yet, we do try to gather information from other places about the players the White Sox take in the draft.
This page will be updated with as much info as we can find on the new White Sox draftees. Individual posts will be written for the top few picks and smaller bits of information will be added in this post for the entire draft class and will be updated after the draft is over.
When players are signed, their names will be put in bold face, with signing and affiliate assignment info as we get it. If players have stated they will not sign, they are in italics.
FINAL BONUS POOL NUMBERS: The White Sox spent $9,414,500 on bonus money against their pool of $9,416,600. So they used virtually full pool ($2,100 short of it) on their first 10 picks plus the small overage for Ian Hamilton (11th). This would only change if the club signs one of their few remaining unsigned, lower round picks for over $100,000 on any single player.
1 (10): Zack Collins, Catcher, 6-3, 220, bats: L, throws: R, Miami (Fla.)
- STATUS: SIGNED for $3,380,600 (slot value) per Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline (and matching previous reports)
1-S (26): Zack Burdi, RHP, 6-3, 210, Louisville
- STATUS: SIGNED for $2,128,500 (slot value) per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Assigned to AZL White Sox.
2 (49): Alec Hansen, RHP, 6-7, 235, Oklahoma
- SIGNED for $1,284,500 (slot value), per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Assigned to AZL White Sox.
3 (86): Alex Call, CF, 5-11, 185, R-R, Ball State
- STATUS: Call reported to us that he signed, bonus reported as $719,100 (slot value). Assigned to Great Falls.
The White Sox go off the board a bit for the first time in the draft. Call wasn’t projected as a high pick, but has strong college production. In the MLB.com draft stream Jim Callis said he is a good defender with good speed. Call hit .358 with 13 home runs while impressively had as many walks as strikeouts (29) in 243 at-bats.
Triple slash of .358/.443/.667 this season as a junior, which earned him a spot on the Louisville Slugger All-America first team by Collegiate Baseball. He was also named the MAC Player of the Year and was on the conference All-Defensive team.
4 (116): Jameson Fisher, OF, 6-2, 200, L-R, Southeastern Louisiana
- SIGNED for $485,000 (slot was $511,300), per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Assigned to Great Falls.
Fisher is another very high performing college bat. He hit .424/.558/.692 this season as a redshirt junior after missing the 2015 season due to a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. He had played catcher, but is an outfielder/first baseman at this point.
The fact that he’s basically a senior in terms of his age (22) should make Fisher another underslot sign, making it two in a row for the White Sox including Call. Fisher is another high on-base, low strikeout bat. In three seasons in college, Fisher had 105 walks and 83 strikeouts in 823 plate appearances.
5 (146): Jimmy Lambert, RHP, 6-2, 170, Fresno State
- SIGNED for $325,000 (slot is $382,800) per MLB Pipeline Tracker. Assigned to AZL White Sox.
Lambert isn’t much of a high upside pitcher with the word “pitchability” thrown around multiple times during the MLB.com draft live stream. Low 90s fastball with good command of all three pitches, but nothing that stands out. As a junior this season he had a 3.13 ERA, 78 K, 19 BB in 97.2 IP. Was a first-team All-Mountain West pick this season.
6 (176): Luis Curbelo, SS, 6-1, 185, R-R, Cocoa H.S. (Florida)
- STATUS: SIGNED for $700,000, well over the $286,700 slot value. Assigned to AZL White Sox.
The White Sox make their first high school pick. Curbelo is a Puerto Rican who moved to Cocoa, Fla., which is less than an hour east of Orlando, for his senior year of high school. A bigger shortstop, but his defense hasn’t been rated that well. Multiple scouts have suggested a move to third base. He does supposedly have some power to handle that move and is noted for having good bat speed. He’s a Miami commit, which could make him a tougher sign.
7 (206): Bernardo Flores, LHP, 6-4, 170, USC
- SIGNED for $200,000 (slot is $214,900), per Jonathan Mayo (MLB Pipeline). Assigned to AZL White Sox.
The first left-handed pitcher of the draft for the White Sox. Flores had a 6.70 ERA, 36 K, 16 BB in 41.2 IP this spring. As a sophomore he posted a 3.83 ERA, 45 K, 17 BB in 44.2 IP. He was mostly used as a reliever in college.
8 (236): Nate Nolan, C, 6-1, 210, R-R, St. Mary’s
- SIGNED for $170,000 (slot is $181,100), per Mayo. Assigned to Great Falls.
Hit .261/.360/.468 with 29 BB and 86 K in 222 AB this spring as a junior. He’s a catcher with decent power and supposedly good arm strength behind the plate.
9 (266): Max Dutto, SS, 6-0, 205, L-R, Menlo College (Calif.)
- SIGNED for $10,000 (slot is $169,200), per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Assigned to Kannapolis
Dutto is a senior that hit .276/.456/.594 this season for the NAIA school. He played for Cal for three years, but his highest batting average was .217 as a junior.
10 (296): Zach Remillard, 3B, 6-1, 200, R-R, Coastal Carolina University
- SIGNED for $10,000 (slot is $157,900), per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Assigned to Great Falls.
Remillard suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder during the 2014 season and elected to play through it and was moved to DH. He had Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2014 and worked his way back to play the entire season in 2015. In 2016 he easily had his best year, hitting .348/.399/.632 on the season. His older brother Will, is a prospect in the Chicago Cubs organization.
11 (326): Ian Hamilton, RHP, 6-0, 205, Washington State
- SIGNED for $101,800, per Mayo ($1,800 hit to pool), assigned to AZL White Sox
A second team preseason All-American by Louisville Slugger, Hamilton has a nice pedigree for an 11th round pick. Potential overslot sign with Cape Cod League experience. He was used as a reliever for two years before moving into the rotation this spring, when he posted a 4.86 ERA with 62 K, 31 BB in 87 IP.
12 (356): Mitch Roman, SS, 6-0, 161, R-R, Wright State
- SIGNED for $88,000 per Baseball America, assigned to Great Falls
Roman hit .336/.401/.428 with 23 strikeouts and 29 walks in 250 at-bats as a junior this spring.
13 (386): Michael Hickman, C, 6-0, 215, L-R, Chipola College (Fla.)
- SIGNED for $100,000 per Baseball America, assigned to AZL White Sox
Hickman was drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round last year. He opted to go to Chipola College, a popular landing spot for draft prospects. He was a good prospect out of high school and remains a name worth watching as the Sox consider overslot signings.
14 (416): Bryan Saucedo, RHP, 6-6, 225, Davenport U.
- SIGNED for $100,000 per Baseball America
Saucedo, a Canadian native, had a 5.70 ERA with 73 strikeouts, 42 walks in 60 IP this spring as a junior for the NAIA school. Saucedo is 22 and was drafted in the 29th round by the Brewers in 2012. He’s got a low 90’s fastball.
15 (446): Jake Elliott, RHP, 6-7, 215, Oklahoma
- SIGNED for $100,000 per Baseball America, assigned to Great Falls.
A second straight tall right-hander. Elliott had a sub-4 ERA in his first two years in Norman before a rough junior year. This season he struck out 30, walked 24 and posted a 6.02 ERA in 46.1 innings. The year before he struck out 80 against 35 walks and his ERA was 3.06.
16 (476): Ben Wright, RHP, 6-0, 185, UNLV
- SIGNED for $10,000 per Baseball America, assigned to Great Falls.
Wright is a senior who played two years of Junior College ball before transferring to UNLV. He had a 5.49 ERA with 21 K, 14 BB in 39.1 IP.
17 (506): Brad Haymes, RHP, 6-3, 210, Gardner-Webb U
- SIGNED, assigned to AZL White Sox
Haymes posted a 2.20 ERA with 115 K and 16 BB in 110.2 IP this season as a senior.
18 (536): Lane Hobbs, RHP, 6-5, 235, Concordia U
- SIGNED for $80,000 per Baseball America, assigned to Great Falls
Hobbs dominated for the Division III school this season to the tune of a 1.43 ERA, 92 strikeouts, 15 walks in 82 innings with a 10-1 record.
19 (566): Anthony Villa, 1B, 6-3, 220, R-R, St. Mary’s
- SIGNED, assigned to Great Falls
Villa, a senior, hit .292/.402/.470 with seven homers, 32 walks and 53 strikeouts. Hit .343 as a junior, but came back for another year.
20 (596): Matt Foster, RHP, 6-0, 195, Alabama
- SIGNED, assigned to AZL White Sox
Foster spent two years in Junior College before becoming a solid reliever for Alabama this season. He tallied 40 innings with the Tide, striking out 49, walking 16 and posting a 2.92 ERA.
21 (626): Michael Horejsei, LHP, 5-10, 195, Ohio State
- SIGNED, assigned to Great Falls
Horejsei is a fifth-year senior who was a reliever for the Buckeyes. He posted a 2.61 ERA with 39 K and 9 BB in 31 IP. Pitched one year at Ohio State-Mansfield before transferring, but sat out his first year on campus in Columbus in 2013.
22 (656): Joel Booker, OF, 6-0, 200, R-R, Iowa
- SIGNED, assigned to AZL White Sox
Booker led the Hawkeyes with a .370 average and .532 slugging to be named First Team All-Big Ten. He had 16 walks and 29 strikeouts in 235 at-bats. Spent two years in Junior College before landing at Iowa.
23 (686): Sam Dexter, SS, 5-11, 185, R-R, Southern Maine
- SIGNED, assigned to Great Falls
Dexter had a prolific career at Division III Southern Maine, including being named d3baseball.com’s National Player of the Year. He was on the 50-player Golden Spikes watch list in the preseason for top amateur baseball player. He hit .441 as a junior and .404 as a senior this season.
Here’s a good story on Dexter’s career at Southern Maine.
24 (716): Brady Conlan, 3B, 6-1, 215, R-R, Cal St. Dominguez Hills
- SIGNED, assigned to Great Falls
A fifth-year senior for a DII program, Conlan hit .413 this season with a 23-game hitting streak. 14 walks against 12 strikeouts in 189 at-bats this spring.
25 (746): Charlie Madden, C, 6-3, 205, R-R, Mercer
- Status unknown
Madden showed power and discipline at the plate. He hit .287/.385/.492 with 11 homers this season.
26 (776): Zach Farrar, OF, 6-4, 210, L/R, Caroll HS (Texas)
- STATUS: According to a report from the Dallas Morning Star, Farrar has indicated he plans to stay at Oklahoma and not sign.
A two-sport star, Farrar is a football stud who is committed to play WR at University of Oklahoma and roam the outfield for the Sooners. He hit nearly .500 in his senior season on the baseball diamond and obviously has plus tools. Would be a very difficult sign as he is a three star football recruit. This would be a tough sign.
27 (806): Mike Morrison, RHP, 6-1, 195, R/R, Coastal Carolina University
- SIGNED, assigned to Kannapolis
The White Sox must scout Myrtle Beach’s Coastal Carolina University hard, as they have a couple alumni in their system (Jacob May and Casey Schroeder) and now two more in their 2016 draft class. Morrison is a senior who is coming off his best year. He posted a 0.79 ERA over 56.1 innings, while accumulating ten saves and 77 strikeouts to just 19 walks.
28 (836): Aaron Schnurbusch, OF, 6-5, 235, L/L, University of Pittsburgh
- SIGNED, assigned to Great Falls
Schnurbusch was a two-way player at Johnson Country Community College (KS) and transferred to Pittsburgh for his junior and senior year. Did have a some pitching appearances in 2015, but being drafted as a outfielder (presumably). Hit 241/.382/.411 this year with eight stolen bases.
29 (866): Earl Henderson, 1B, 6-3, 215, R/R, Central Arizona College
- STATUS: Henderson tells FutureSox he’ll be attending New Mexico State and not signing
The White Sox grab Caleb “Earl” Henderson out of Juco, where he hit over .406/.493/667 for Central Arizona and won the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year award. He’s also a redshirt sophomore, and has a commit to New Mexico State.
30 (896): Pat Cashman, RHP, 6-0, 185, R/R, Southeastern Louisiana University
- SIGNED, assigned to AZL White Sox
A senior from Plainfield, Illinois, Cashman transferred to Southeastern Louisiana after spending his first two seasons at Heartland Community College (Illinois). He had a 5.26 ERA in 2016 working mostly as a starter for the Lions. Despite the gawky ERA, he posted a 52 strikeouts to only 15 walks this year.
31 (926): Brandon Bossard, SS, 6-1, 185, R/R, Nazareth Academy (Illinois)
- Status unknown, but not likely to sign
The White Sox take their third high school player and he’s a local product from Lemont, Illinois. Brandon is the son of the White Sox head groundskeeper, Roger Brossard.
32 (956): Sean Renzi, RHP, 6-3, 245, R/R, Central Michigan University
- SIGNED, assigned to AZL White Sox
A 5th year senior from Plainfield, Illinois, Renzi posted a 4.70 ERA working between the rotation and the bullpen for the Chippewas this year. Renzi had a 2.33 ERA in a similar role in 2015 and kept batters to a .187 batting average.
33 (986): Ryan Boelter, LHP, 6-2, 240, L/L, Gardner-Webb University
- SIGNED, assigned to AZL White Sox
Boelter played two seasons at Iowa Central Community College before transferring to Gardner-Webb. This season, Boetler had a 3.25 ERA over 19 appearances (six starts) and struck out 67 batters in 63.2 innings.
34 (1016): Jaxon Shirley, 3B/2B, 6-4, 190, R/R, Frankton-Lapel HS (Indiana)
- STATUS: Son of White Sox scout Mike Shirley, he’s said to be honoring his commitment to Indiana
Jaxon Shirley hit .443 with a .545 OBP his senior year and swiped twelve bags. He is committed to Indiana University.
35 (1046): Garrett Acton, RHP, 6-2, 215, L/R, Lemont HS (Illinois)
- STATUS: Joliet Herald-News reports Acton will stay with his college commit
The White Sox select their second consecutive high school player with RHP Garrett Acton. Acton is a St. Louis University commit and was ranked the 10th best prospect in Illinois according to Baseball America. He’s got a fastball that has reached 94, along wth a slider and change.
36 (1076): Reese Cooley, OF, 6-2, 197, R/R, Chipola College
- STATUS: Reese told us he’s going go give it some thought with his family over the next few weeks
Cooley hit .261/.359/.541 for JuCo powerhouse Chipola College. The outfielder hit 11 home runs, 9 doubles, and stole 12 bags in 2016.
37 (1106): Leo Kaplan, OF, 6-1, 180, R/R, Harvard-Westlake HS (California)
- STATUS: According to the Daily Northwestern, the school’s baseball program states that Kaplan will not sign with the White Sox.
Another potentially tough sign, Kaplan hit .345/.398 during his varsity career at Harvard-Westlake HS. Kaplan is committed to Northwestern.
38 (1136): Tyler Gordon, C, 5-7, 180, R/R, Simeon Career Academy (Illinois)
- STATUS: Likely will not sign
Gordon is a native of Chicago and a product of the White Sox ACE program. He is committed to Prairie View A&M. The Sox always take an ACE program prep player committed to college, and they don’t sign, so Gordon probably won’t either. This is more head nod than pick with intent to sign.
39 (1166): Justin Lavey, SS, 6-1, 200, R/R, Tremper HS (Wisconsin)
- STATUS: Per Kenosha News, Lavey will honor his Louisville commit and won’t sign. Sox scout even wished him luck at UL.
The White Sox continue the trend of high upside high schoolers with the selection of Justin Lavey. Lavey hit .416/.541/.727 in 2016 and is committed to baseball powerhouse University of Louisville.
40 (1196): Drew Puglielli, 3B, 5-11, 175, R/R, Gulf Coast HS (Florida)
- STATUS: Puglielli reported to us he has a commit to Barry University (in Miami), sounds unlikely to sign
The White Sox grab 3B Puglielli out of Gulf Coast high school in Naples, Florida with their last pick of the draft. Puglielli hit .478/.557 this season and does not appear to have a college commitment yet.
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