Following the recent Major League Baseball draft, Daniel Victor had a chance to discuss the White Sox newly acquired talent with several members of their scouting staff. In this edition of the series, Dan discussed the signees of midwest area scout J.D. Heilmann and crosschecker JJ Lally. You can read Dan’s article about first rounder Hagen Smith here.
White Sox 2nd rounder Caleb Bonemer
- Position: Shortstop
- Age: 18
- B/T: R/R
- Signing Bonus: $3,000,000
- Slot Value: $2,172,800
- Signing Scout: J.D. Heilmann
From The White Sox Scout
Bonemer’s signing scout J.D. Heilmann offered, “He really shined offensively in the circuit events; he performed very well against the best prep pitchers in the country. We knew right away he was going to be a priority for us.” Another White Sox’s scout, JJ Lally shared that, “Bonemer made an impression as one of the top high school bats in the class wherever he went: Team USA, Perfect Game, Area Codes. He’s one of those players who really showed instincts to hit.”
The decision makers with the White Sox were very familiar with the Mighigan prep standout as he was a member of the organization’s Area Codes Team last summer. Despite an up-and-down high school season, Bonemer really impressed during Area Codes and on the showcase circuit as a whole as Lally mentioned. The franchise paid the 18-year-old with a bonus equivalent to the #29 overall pick in the draft; first round value.
Chicago White Sox 2024 2nd rd draft pick Caleb Bonemer 8/5/24 vs the San Diego Padres pic.twitter.com/OAF3hW4C8y
— TheJerryEspinoza (@JEspinoza1634) August 6, 2024
Defensively Heilmann feels the shortstop possesses the chops to stick in the middle of the infield. The evaluator stated, “One of the things I was impressed with the most was how the ball just sticks in his glove, he’s a pretty good athlete, he’s got range enough. I don’t think he gets enough credit for being as good of a defender as he is.” At 6-1 with broad shoulders, the scouts describe Bonemer as well put together and looking the part. Bonemer came into the draft process ranked as the #1 high school player in the state of Michigan and the #6 overall player in the prep class according to Perfect Game.
Although the difference between high school and professional pitching is cavernous, Heilmann believes Bonemer will be up to the challenge. “I don’t think velocity is going to overpower him.” He shared that at Perfect Game National, Bonemer turned around 94 and 95 mph pitches for home runs. On the field he carries himself with a very serious, business-like demeanor and plays the game with an edge. His scout offers, “He’s not much of a rah-rah guy, he’s going to play hard and work hard.” As a final word of positivity Heilmann suggests, “Physicality wise and tools wise he looks a lot like Mike Trout.”
White Sox 7th Rounder Phil Fox
- Position: Right-handed relief pitcher
- Age: 21
- Signing Bonus: $200,000
- Slot Value: $292,700
- Signing Scout: J.D Heilmann
From the White Sox Scout
At 5-9, Phil Fox might be an undersized right-hander, but what he lacks in size he compensates for in strength of character. Heillman describes the hurler as being “tough as nails. At Pittsburgh, Fox was the guy at the back end of their bullpen.” He posted very impressive numbers with a 1.47 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 36.2 innings while walking only three hitters during the entire season. His walk rate was a minuscule 0.7 per nine innings.
Heilmann said his strength lies in working off an elite fastball, which he describes as having high rise characteristics from a low release point. The pitch displays impressive analytic qualities and Fox used it to generate a ton of swings-and-misses. Heilmann shared, “He had ton of success at the cape and a ton of success at Pitt. I think he walked three guys this whole summer.” Fox pairs his fastball with an 83-85 mph slider that he commands well and utilizes a changeup as a third offering. In a post-draft conference call with reporters, Mike Shirley cited Fox’s fastball as the “flattest in the entire draft”.
White Sox 9th Rounder Jack Young
- Position: right-handed relief pitcher
- Age: 22
- Signing Bonus: $7,500
- Slot Value: $199,200
- Signing Scout: J.D. Heilmann
From the White Sox Scout
Jack Young was described as a money saver pick with upside. Lally has a long history observing Young and has followed him for several years. He said the coaching staff at Iowa changed his arm slot to sidearm this past season which gave him a different look and helped him unlock a new level of success. Lally shared, “He’s kind of unique. He can get the fastball to ride or sink and he gets movement on his breakers from that slot.
“In a short amount of time he came a long way,” said Lally. The Iowa coaching staff made similar changes with Ben Beutel who has experienced some minor league success with the White Sox and is currently pitching in High-A, for the Winston-Salem Dash. Young likely debuts in Kannapolis to close out the 2024 season. He posted a 2.76 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 32.2 innings for the Hawkeyes this spring.