When the White Sox roster shifted to 39 players this past week, it became evident that they were planning to draft someone in the Rule 5 Draft. It’s much more common to see teams take a chance on protectable pitchers and given the lack of pitching depth in Chicago, it felt like that was the likely option as James Fox highlighted last week.
The organization ended up going with 24-year-old southpaw Shane Drohan from the Red Sox organization. Drafted in the fifth round in 2020 out of Florida State, the southpaw didn’t have many innings under his belt when entering the Red Sox system but he’s been extremely durable in his three professional seasons.
He made quick work of High-A with a taste of Double-A in 2022 as he led the Red Sox farm system with 157 strikeouts across an impressive 129.2 innings of work. Drohan’s strikeout numbers were impressive but came with 51 walks in that season and that rate increased when he was promoted to Double-A late in the year.
He started the 2023 season at the Double-A level and elevated his game to the next level with a 1.32 ERA in his six starts there to start the season. With 36 strikeouts and just nine walks in those starts, it began to seem like he could become an option at the major league level for Boston in the near future.
New #WhiteSox southpaw Shane Drohan was a 5th rounder out of Florida State in 2020. He made 6 starts with a 1.32 ERA in AA last season. The 24-year-old struggled in 89 AAA innings while posting an ERA over 6 with a spiked walk rate. He’ll battle for a roster spot next spring.
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) December 6, 2023
After being promoted to Triple-A early in the season, Drohan’s production quickly trended in the wrong direction. In 21 games (19 starts) at the highest minor-league level, Drohan had a 6.47 ERA with a walk rate of nearly 15%, more than double that of his six starts in Double-A. This down spin likely led to him not being protected in the Rule 5 Draft, which allowed the White Sox to take a chance on him.
Drohan’s command shifted in the wrong direction and he wasn’t able to generate nearly as many strikeouts with his strikeout rate dropping from 28.1% to just 21.9% at the Triple-A level. However, his strikeouts per nine remained almost identical but the lack of being able to get hitters out efficiently led to much shorter outings.
It’s worth recognizing that Drohan did have a handful of impressive games at the Triple-A level despite the rough surface-level stats. His most impressive game came against the Yankees Triple-A affiliate when he struck out 10 across a six-inning shutout.
Shane Drohan, the #WhiteSox recent R5 draft pick at his best, can be dominant. At his worst, when his feel for his change disappears, he struggles. This is his best outing of '23 for the WooSox. He struck out 10 RailRiders (NYY) and walked 1 in a 3H shutout. pic.twitter.com/vh0OLssTEW
— White Sox Daily (@dailywhitesox) December 6, 2023
It’s easy to see the upside with his changeup in this start as it features clear arm-side ride and movement that can generate a lot of whiff against right-handed hitters especially. His slider has sneaky deception that worked excellent at times but he struggled during the season to keep it close enough to the zone.
Establishing either the slider or curveball as a pitch that can be used against all hitters would be a useful next step for the lefty who has had to rely heavily on that fading changeup to this point.
General Manager Chris Getz spoke on the acquisition and noted that the White Sox have a “history with him going back to his Florida State days” and that they think his upside could survive at the MLB level as a rotation or bullpen piece. The organization has had eyes on him for a while and believes in the upside he flashed especially during his time spent in Double-A.
Chris Getz on Rule 5 pick Shane Drohan. pic.twitter.com/IWleuQjULF
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) December 6, 2023
The left-hander was the 19th ranked prospect in the Boston system prior to joining the White Sox. The White Sox are shooting for upside right now with every move made this winter and Drohan fits in that bucket. With a strong spring, Drohan could push for the last rotation spot or a potential long relief role for the White Sox in 2024. If he doesn’t do so, he’ll be returned to the Red Sox’s organization.