Glove-first pick snagged in a first round full of prep shortstops
With the No. 10 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the White Sox select Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS (CA).
— Baseball America (@baseballamerica.com) 2025-07-13T23:04:12.055Z
With their first round pick (No. 10 overall), the White Sox selected shortstop Billy Carlson from Corona H.S. (Calif.). The 6´1´´, 185-pound prep has such a strong arm he was seen as a legit two-way player, as he also pitched for four seasons in high school.
Carlson, who dubs himself “Billy the Kid” for his quick hands, is a glove-first player who also pitched throughout his high school career. Scouts say that his bat has a lot of work to do professionally, in contrast to last year’s second-rounder Caleb Bonemer.
Carlson slashed .365/.517/.647 with four doubles, six home runs, 34 RBIs, 33 runs and a 1.164 OPS over 31 games with Corona this season, as the Panthers went to the Division 1 CIF Southern Section Baseball Final Four. The righthander (hitting and throwing mid-90s) Carlson also went 1-0 with a 0.88 ERA and 12 strikeouts over six pitching appearances — and for his prep career, those numbers up to 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA and 28 Ks in 22 games (29 ⅔ innings).
As quoted by Scott Merkin during his initial teleconference with beat reporters, Carlson was open (and personable) about pitching for the White Sox: “If we need an out in a big game, I think I can do it. I probably won’t be getting called in, but I could do it. I might do a little Kike Hernandez thing but instead of throwing it real slow, throw it harder.”
But defense is Carlson’s forté, committing 17 errors in 224 career chances and boasting elite range and arm strength.
Harold Reynolds on draft coverage, while not someone whose scouting notes you’d take to the bank, was quick to mention that with this pick the White Sox are signalling that they have confidence in their player development. No comments from the MLB Network panel to challenge whether the White Sox should feel confident in their player development.
After a rough 121 loss season, the White Sox select prep shortstop Billy Carlson 10th overall
— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballprospectus.com) 2025-07-13T23:01:15.307Z
Carlson was listed as MLB’s No. 7 prospect overall, which implies the strange picks at the top of the draft trickled down to the White Sox and allowed the White Sox to grab a guy more talented than they should have pocketed.
On a trivial note, Carlson and Corona H.S. teammate Seth Hernandez, taken by the Pirates, are the first pair of prep teammates selected in the Top 10 of the MLB draft:
And yeah, it gets crazier, THREE Panthers were selected among the first 32, including TWO SHORTSTOPS. Gimme what those guys are having for lunch at that school, jeez.
Final trivia: Carlson is the third high school shortstop in White Sox history drafted in the first round, joining Colson Montgomery (2021) and Steve Buechele (1979).
2024 Chicago White Sox draft picks
First Round No. 10: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) H.S. (slot value $6.24 million)