After taking the best left-handed pitcher in the draft with the 5th overall pick, the White Sox opted for upside at the plate with 18-year-old 6’1″ shortstop Caleb Bonemer. They selected him with the 43rd overall pick in the draft and their second selection of the day. Bonemer was ranked as the #71 overall player according to MLB Pipeline. The shortstop was ranked 36th overall for Baseball America.
With the 43rd pick in the 2024 Draft, the @WhiteSox select Okemos (MI) SS Caleb Bonemer, No. 71 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) July 15, 2024
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The two-time Gatorade Michigan High School Player of the Year has a lot of intrigue as a powerful infielder who could stick at short, but will likely slide to third base as he ages and develops. Mike Shirley noted the organization’s familiarity with the prepster as he starred on the club’s Area Codes team over the summer. The scouting director also mentioned that the franchise will “exhaust every avenue to keep him at that position,” in regards to beginning his career at shortstop.
With the 43rd overall pick, Chicago White Sox have selected INF Caleb Bonemer. Solid athlete, plenty of natural strength. Bat speed stands out, power translates to games. Runs well, no shortage of arm strength which will allow him to stick on left side. pic.twitter.com/UBL1lR2eLy
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) July 15, 2024
Bonemer is an upside pick who features swing-and-miss concerns but has power upside and high-end bat speed for a high school hitter. Bonemer has continued to flash ample natural strength and advanced ability to punish mistakes. He has a tendency to be pull-heavy at times, but will be 18-years-old through the rest of the 2024 season.
His arm strength should allow him to remain on the left side of the infield even though his lateral quickness could push him over to third base. He would profile as an above-average defender there while he may have more of an average projection if he remains at shortstop.
Caleb Bonemer (24 MI) 104 EXIT VELO for the first no doubter of the event here. Gets the barrel out on a low-90s heater and ambushes it into the left field bleachers . Bonemer has stood out in a massive way early on. #PGNational pic.twitter.com/AwtQsHDtKx
— PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 12, 2023
Bonemer played for the White Sox Area Codes team which made him a very logical pick here for the White Sox. He’s from the Midwest and has been on the radar in Chicago for quite some time now. The organization will take their time with his development though as he will need to work through swing development in order to maximize his offensive upside.
His swing starts with his hands held high and he moves through the zone very efficiently. This should result in consistently strong power numbers and his hit tool appears to be at least solid for this stage in his career. It’s a simplistic swing that will play but he will need to work on hitting high-end velocity as he progresses.
From Summer Circuit to Second Round Draft Pick
There were some struggles this spring in Michigan but Shirley clearly saw enough last summer to feel comfortable selecting Bonemer. “Michigan high school baseball is not at the level of the summer circuit,” said Shirley of the infielder. “When he’s facing the pro level-type arms all summer on this circuit and he’s performing at an extremely high level, and he’s driving in runs, he’s coming up clutch.” Bonemer was stellar at Perfect Game National as well.
Likely to spend the rest of this season working in Arizona at the complex, Bonemer should spend much of his first professional season in 2025 with Single-A Kannapolis alongside 68th pick Blake Larson. It will take time for him to find more consistency at the plate which he did not feature this spring as a senior, but the tools are all there. His exit velocities are extremely exciting for a player of his age and development stage.
Caleb Bonemer (24 MI) 107 Exit VELO! This one for a pummeled single to the pull side. The tools stood out yesterday, but in-game today has even trumped the loud workout. #PGNational https://t.co/jxvuRfJ70C pic.twitter.com/CM6zMdfBYH
— PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 13, 2023
Fitting in the Totality of the Draft Class
After taking one of the most likely players to be a successful big league piece and disregarding “need” in the first round, the White Sox swung big on projectable upside with their second pick in the draft. As a high school player with a college commitment, Bonemer will likely sign for around the slot value at the pick.
Given that Hagen Smith will most likely sign for a fair amount below the slot value at the fifth pick, it was assumed that they’d be underslot with some money to play with on day two but Shirley noted that the White Sox’s extended themselves a bit bonus pool and he spoke of the leverage that high school players generally have.
The rest of the draft will determine more, but the White Sox walk away from the first day of the draft with the an elite pitcher who will be in Chicago soon and a pair of very high upside prep talents.