White Sox 2025 MLB Draft Notebook 2.0
via MLB PR
The 2025 Major League Baseball Draft will take place in Atlanta as part of All Star weekend. This will be the fourth draft for the White Sox under the current rules. The draft is 20 rounds and a lottery determined the first six picks back in December. With all of the shuffling and change in the White Sox’s organization, Mike Shirley remains in charge of the amateur draft. This will be his sixth draft as the director of amateur scouting. He has selected Garrett Crochet, Colson Montgomery, Noah Schultz, Jacob Gonzalez and Hagen Smith with his first rounders to this point.
2025 MLB Draft Order is Set for Clubs; Chicago White Sox
Back in December, the draft lottery determined that the Washington Nationals would have the first selection in the 2025 MLB Draft. The Cleveland Guardians picked first in 2024 and they possessed a record setting bonus allotment of $10,570,600 and that will increase again this season. Bonus pool totals and pick slot values for the 2025 Draft haven’t been released by Major League Baseball yet. We do know the official draft order though as all free agents who received a qualifying offer have found homes for the 2025 season.
There are 27 total picks in the first round this year as the New York Mets (38th overall), New York Yankees (39th overall) and Los Angeles Dodgers (40th overall) will have their selections pushed back ten spots due to luxury tax penalties. The Kansas City Royals will receive pick #28 overall as a Prospect Promotion Incentive with Bobby Witt Jr. finishing top three for American League MVP.
The Arizona Diamondbacks receive pick #29 overall for the loss of first baseman Christian Walker while the Milwaukee Brewers will be awarded the #32 overall pick for losing shortstop Willy Adames in free agency as well. Right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander left the Baltimore Orioles over the winter and they’ll receive picks #30 and #31 as compensation.
The Los Angeles Dodgers also receive a Comp Round A selection (#41 overall) from the Cincinnati Reds as part of the trade for infielder Gavin Lux while the Tampa Bay Rays have acquired pick #42 overall from the Oakland Athletics in the Jeffrey Springs deal. The Rays also will get pick #67 as compensation for failing to sign Illinois prep Tyler Bell in last year’s draft and the Brewers will receive pick #68 because they didn’t sign prep righty Chris Levonas as well.
The Houston Astros (Christian Walker), Toronto Blue Jays (Anthony Santander), Arizona Diamondbacks (Corbin Burnes), San Francisco Giants (Willy Adames), New York Mets (Juan Soto), San Diego Padres (Nick Pivetta), Boston Red Sox (Alex Bregman) and New York Yankees (Max Fried) will all forfeit their second rounders due to signing free agents with qualifying offers attached.
The Cleveland Guardians will receive Competitive Balance Round B Pick #70 overall from the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of the trade that sent first baseman Josh Naylor to Arizona. The Boston Red Sox will receive the 75th overall pick as compensation for Nick Pivetta signing with San Diego while the Atlanta Braves will receive pick #136 overall as compensation for Max Fried’s departure. The Los Angeles Angels will pick at #105 because they couldn’t sign Texas A&M lefty Ryan Prager in last year’s draft as well.
The White Sox spent over $16 million on their 2024 draft class and they should have around $13 million to spend this season depending on expected hikes in bonus pool allotments and pick values for 2025. It would a coup for them to acquire a Competitive Balance pick from a club prior to July but that might be a tall task at this point. Either way, this draft is setting up for them to have some intriguing options regardless. Below are the selections the White Sox currently hold for the 2025 draft.
| Round Number | Pick Number | 2025 Slot Bonus | 2024 Slot Bonus Equivalent |
| 1 | #10 | Expected Increase | $5,953,800 |
| 2 | #44 | Expected Increase | $2,122,200 |
| 3 | #76 | Expected Increase | $1,027,700 |
| 4 | #106 | Expected Increase | $689,600 |
| 5 | #137 | Expected Increase | $510,000 |
| 6 | #166 | Expected Increase | $385,500 |
| 7 | #196 | Expected Increase | $300,200 |
| 8 | #226 | Expected Increase | $237,400 |
| 9 | #256 | Expected Increase | $201,300 |
| 10 | #286 | Expected Increase | $186,400 |
Start of NCAA Season Provides Hope for White Sox
NCAA baseball has started and our friends at SoxMachine have a detailed week one preview to keep track of some of the action. The Just Baseball Show recently dropped a podcast with a college preview as well that is an excellent primer on what could happen this season. The fine folks at Baseball America are always a great resource to read up on the college game too and you can access that content with a subscription here.
The White Sox have seemingly done well drafting pitching over the past few seasons and my preference is generally for the club to attack the high school hitter demographic early and often during draft season. This year might be the time for a strategy shift though. There will be a pair of college arms in Florida State’s Jamie Arnold and University of California Santa Barbara’s Tyler Bremner who are likely off the board by the time the White Sox select at #10 overall.
There should be a healthy dose of prep bats available at the spot as well in a class that seems to be strong at the top in regards to that demographic. Ethan Holliday from Oklahoma, Washington prep infielder Xavier Neyens and Texas hitter Kayson Cunningham could all be potential options. It does seem like Texas A&M slugger Jace LaViolette and North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson could be the cream of the crop ultimately on the college position player side early on as well.
The White Sox should have the money in their pool to allocate to prep players in later rounds if they want to go that route which presents them a potential opportunity to pounce on a college hitter in the first round. College bats generally rise during the draft process and I expect this year to be similar. The organization has a top five farm system at most publications and many of their best prospects should debut between now and the 2027 baseball season.
With many of the club’s top prospects lined up to debut at a similar timeline, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the White Sox target a college hitter with their top pick in the 2025 draft. Five names in particular seem like early options for the club. I’ll take a closer look at them below.
Aiva Arquette, infielder, Oregon State
Arquette was famous on the high school circuit as a Hawaiian prep but he chose to attend Washington where he was named All PAC-12 as a sophomore after posting a .959 OPS. With similarities to Colson Montgomery and even Carlos Correa as a 6-5, 220 pounder with a strong possibility of staying at shortstop, he looks like a potential top ten pick. The 21-year-old right-handed hitter is the best player in the pacific northwest with easy raw power and the potential to hit 20-25 homers annually. Arquette was impressive on The Cape as well and he could stay at shortstop despite average run times due to easy actions, soft hands and enough arm strength.
Cam Cannarella, outfielder, Clemson
Cannarella might have the best bat-to-ball skills in the draft class and the 21-year-old could be the highest drafted player in the history of the Clemson program. The 6-0, 185 pounder is a no-doubt center fielder who hits from the left side. He’s not a physical player and there’s not a ton of power projection but he should offer defensive value at a premium position, base running and on-base ability. The outfielder tore his Labrum last season and he’s still dealing with a shoulder issue as well. He’s likely selected within the first ten picks this July.
Dean Curley, infielder, Tennessee
The 20-year-old shortstop is a draft-eligible sophomore who was a main cog in Tennessee’s National Title team last season as a freshman. The 6-3, 212 pounder was a California prep standout and he’s a physical player with plus raw power. Curley bats right-handed and shows a quick, smooth swing and he has three homers on the season already. He has average speed and good actions with a strong arm and it should allow him to stay on the infield dirt long-term. He posted an .880 OPS for the Volunteers last yearwith 12 homers and he likely improves on those numbers this season. He’ll be firmly in the top ten mix.
Brendan Summerhill, outfielder, Arizona
Summerhill is the best player from the four corners region this year and the White Sox have a history of taking players from Arizona. The 6-3, 200 pounder also played high school baseball at Whitney Young in Chicago so the club is very familiar with him. The 21-year-old is a strong and athletic athlete with dynamic traits who has a patient approach at the plate. The left-handed hitter projects in center field and possesses pull side power. He was an All PAC-12 performer last year after posting a .949 OPS with a 22% walk rate and 11% strikeout rate. Summerhill hit .286/.358/.440 for the Wareham Gateman in the Cape Cod League as well.
Devin Taylor, outfielder, Indiana
Mike Shirley loves Indiana players and th White Sox always heavily scout the midwest. Taylor is the best player in the Big Ten right now and the 6-1, 215 pound outfielder posted a 1.109 OPS last year with 20 homers as a sophomore for the Hoosiers. The 21-year-old played for the Collegiate National Team over the summer an had success with wood bats in the Cape Cod League as well. The left-handed hitter possesses plus hit and power potential with bat speed, strength and all fields power but he might have a 30-grade arm and seems destined for left field as a professional.
Looking Ahead to the 2026 MLB Draft for the White Sox
The new lottery rules prohibit large market clubs from securing a top six selection in consecutive years and small market clubs can’t pick in the top six more than twice in a row. In 2024, the Washington Nationals selected at #10 overall despite finishing the 2023 season with the league’s fifth worst record because they also had the #2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Things are still trending positively for them however as they will have the #1 overall selection in this July’s draft.
While they are expected to be improved with a young prospect core on the cusp of the majors, they won’t be able to select higher than 10th overall in the 2026 draft. The Chicago White Sox finished the 2024 season with the worst record in baseball at 41-121 while the Oakland Athletics ended the season with the fifth worst record. The Athletics previously picked in the top six in 2023 and 2024 and it made them ineligible for a lottery pick this season. The White Sox picked at 5th overall in 2024 which keeps them out of the lottery this July as a large market club.
The White Sox will pick 10th and have the #1 pick in rounds 2-20 for the 2025 draft. The Athletics will select 11th overall and fifth in every round after. The rules have hurt the White Sox in regards to the 2025 draft but the rules could actually benefit them for 2026. The Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals will be ineligible for lottery picks in 2026.
The Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies are widely expected to be three of the worst teams in the sport again in 2025. The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels could have bottom five records overall as well. The teams who finish 2025 with the three worst records all receive a 16.5% chance at landing the #1 pick in the 2026 draft. Those three clubs also have close to a 50% chance to land a top three selection in the lottery as well.
The White Sox would love to improve on their 41 wins from last year but securing a high selection in the 2026 MLB Draft will remain a priority as well. The club could improve significantly from last season and still secure one of the worst records in baseball over the course of the 2025 season. They’ll be in a battle with the Miami Marlins most likely but the Colorado Rockies won’t be a worry as they’re ineligible to pick in the top six again. The White Sox should have a very good chance of securing another very high draft pick in 2026.
