The post Recapping the 2025 White Sox Draft Class appeared first on Sox On 35th.
Another MLB Draft is in the books, and the Chicago White Sox now have 20 new faces who will try to work their way up the minor league ranks.
Coming into the draft, there was a clear strength on the pitching side in the White Sox farm system. In terms of hitting, they have already seen Edgar Quero and Chase Meidroth graduate from prospect status. All while Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery are following closely behind, also now contributing at the major league level.
Your 2025 Chicago White Sox Draft Class
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— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 15, 2025
Entering his second draft as the team’s general manager, even Chris Getz knew that the strength of the draft aligned well with the White Sox’s organizational need for young hitting prospects. In a media session before the draft, Getz told media members:
“Primarily, we’re focused on bats in the draft…It’s not easy to pry an every-day shortstop. The best way to get that talent into your system is likely drafting them or signing them in the international side.”
Getz stayed true to his word, as his latest White Sox draft class includes four shortstops and eleven total position players. This included drafting position players in each of their first four draft picks, with three of those picks coming from the high school ranks. For the fans who are asking, “Don’t we have enough shortstops?” There is no such thing when filling out an entire system of minor league teams.
The shortstop position is arguably the most difficult to play, and finding a starting caliber MLB shortstop is one of the hardest things to do as an MLB executive. Giving yourself as many swings at finding that guy as possible is a good practice. Furthermore, prospects who can play the shortstop position are typically the most successful when making a positional change, so they can potentially fill several defensive holes.
The White Sox wasted no time looking for that franchise shortstop type of prospect, as they kicked off their draft with one of the best at the position in the class, Billy Carlson.
Carlson, 19, was one of the most commonly linked prospects to the White Sox at 10th overall. It was widely assumed that if either he or fellow prep shortstop JoJo Parker were available, then that is who the White Sox would take. Parker ended up going two picks earlier to the Blue Jays; however, Carlson has just as high of an offensive ceiling while far exceeding Parker in defensive capabilities.
Arguably the best defensive shortstop in the draft, there is little doubt he will stick at the position. He shows excellent range and instincts, and his history as a pitcher who could hit the upper 90s with his fastball gives him an incredibly strong arm. In terms of his bat, Carlson shows solid bat-to-ball skills, possesses plenty of bat speed, and generates solid exit velocities. He may need to clean up his mechanics a bit, as he hits too many balls into the dirt, but overall, the California native had one of the best floor/ceiling combinations of any prep player in this draft.
The White Sox closed out day one of the draft by adding two more bats to their system, one of which they plucked right from their backyard in Nazareth Academy catcher/outfielder Jaden Fauske.
Fauske, 18, was receiving some late first-round buzz heading into the draft, so the Sox are getting excellent value landing him with the 44th overall pick. He will likely require a signing bonus north of the $2.2 million assigned to his pick, but the upside he brings with his bat is well worth the investment.
A catcher early in his high school career, he moved to the outfield for his senior year, where his athleticism should give him a chance to stick at any of the three outfield spots, although a corner is most likely. The Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year is extremely disciplined at the plate, can hit to all parts of the field, and has enough raw power to hit 20-30 home runs a season at his peak.
Third-round pick Kyle Lodise doesn’t have the same upside as the first two picks, but he gives the Sox a high-floor middle infielder. He hits the ball harder than his 5’11” frame would suggest, and has shown fantastic instincts at the shortstop position. His range and arm are a bit limited, however, which might ultimately force him to shift over to second base. His bat-to-ball skills and his instincts in the field give him a very good chance of carving out a future role on an MLB roster.
The Sox went back to the prep ranks to open up day two of the draft, selecting catcher Landon Hodge from Crespi Carmelite HS in California. He fits a valuable profile as a lefty who should be able to stick behind the plate, as his athleticism should allow him to continue to develop as a sound defender. His arm already plays, and he should continue to add strength to his offensive profile as he matures.
‘25 C Landon Hodge (LSU) of Crespi Carmelite HS
Extended
at the #LSUcommit, who impressed with a 3/5 day at the plate, consistently squaring balls up and swiping two bags. Hodge features a short, compact swing with quick hands and a mature approach. Behind the dish, he… pic.twitter.com/XooV7wwcEf
— PREP BASEBALL CALIFORNIA (@PrepBaseballCA) May 24, 2025
They followed Hodge with their first college pitcher of the draft, although it’s one of the most intriguing pitchers in the class, in 6-foot-9 righty Gabe Davis. He could have been a top-50 pick based on talent alone, but durability has held him back from reaching his full potential as a front-line starter. When healthy, he throws a fastball that can touch triple digits and pairs it with an above-average slider. If he’s unable to pitch a starter’s workload, he has upside to be a high-leverage reliever.
Picks six and seven were both college bats in middle infielder Colby Shelton and third baseman Anthony DePino, with Shelton being the more intriguing prospect of the pair. He was a power over contact hitter earlier in his college career, but reinvented himself to be more line drive oriented, spraying the ball more and cutting his strikeout rate down in his final collegiate season. If he can find a middle ground as a pro, he has a chance to be an impactful bat.
They rounded out the top 10 with three right-handed college pitchers in Blaine Wynk, Riley Eikhoff, and Daniel Wright. Eikhoff and Wright were both grad seniors who should sign for minimal signing bonuses, but Wynk could have been taken much higher if not for a shoulder injury during his junior season. He sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and was healthy enough to throw at the MLB combine, so he has a chance to outplay his draft position.
The Sox surprised in round eleven with another prep pick in shortstop Matthew Boughton out of Covenant High School in Texas. Already 20 years old, there is no guarantee he will sign and could opt to honor his college commitment. However, taking him this early indicates that the Sox are at least comfortable with his signability, if they don’t already have an unofficial agreement in place. As an 11th-round pick, he will only count against the bonus pool for anything over the $150,000 slot that picks outside of the top 10 rounds can sign for.
Defensive highlight reel from ‘25 @AggieBaseball signee Matthew Boughton (@Matt_Boughton10).
“Playmaker” type game from the 6-1, 175-pound SS having his footprints go all the way from third to center field. Showed major bat speed going 4-for-4 (last two hits added) and put… pic.twitter.com/x6kGPsEDEw
— Jeffrey Kahn (@jkahn_5) April 17, 2025
They finished their draft selecting four college hitters and five college pitchers. Among the hitters, it’s Texas catcher Rylan Galvan who stands out as a potential steal. Taken in the 13th round, he was draft-eligible as a sophomore last year but went undrafted. This year, he took his game to the next level, showing improvement both at and behind the plate.
Galvan has plus raw power and should stick as a catcher, providing tremendous upside for a 13th-round pick. His hit tool is the biggest question mark right. now, as he whiffs on too many pitches in the strike zone, which could prevent him from even progressing beyond the lower levels in the minors. If he can make more contact, however, he can do some damage.
Of the final pitchers they selected, Landen Payne stands out as a reliever who could move quickly through the system. In 32.2 innings this past season, he struck out 47 batters and only walked six as the primary closer for Southern Mississippi. He has a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider at his disposal.
The draft as a whole feels like a win, even though none of these prospects has appeared in a professional baseball game yet. The White Sox not only attacked the strength of a somewhat limited draft pool, but in doing so, addressed an organizational need. It is rarely a good idea to draft solely for need in the MLB Draft, but the board lined up perfectly for the Sox to get good value on prospects who round out the system well.
It felt like an immediate loss to settle for the 10th overall pick after a season that saw the White Sox break the 1962 Mets’ record for most losses in a single season. However, Chris Getz and Mike Shirley made the most of the situation, grabbing arguably a top-5 talent in Billy Carlson while adding several prospects who could easily outplay their draft position.
With a likely top pick in the 2026 draft that is also heavy on top offensive prospects, the Sox should see a completely rejuvenated collection of hitters at their disposal throughout the next several seasons.
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Featured image: Ric Tapia/Getty Images
The post Recapping the 2025 White Sox Draft Class appeared first on Sox On 35th.