When you stop selling out for power and develop your hit tool AND you’re a shortstop, the South Side draft team wants you in town
With their sixth round pick (No. 166 overall), the White Sox selected shortstop Colby Shelton from the University of Florida. The 6´0´´, 205-pounder is not known for his speed and becomes a candidate for a position shift to second base.
MLB had Davis ranked as the No. 142 prospect in the draft, so no sooner had I lamented the White Sox tendency to draft low with regard to consensus talent level than the White Sox score a “steal.” It’s conceivable that Shelton was on the White Sox draft board much higher but dropped off after the club already had scored both Billy Carlson and Kyle Lodise, but with Shelton still available at No. 166 had to snag him.
Shelton started out his college career with massive home-run power, then shifted his swing to incorporate a better plate approach, figuring that as a better path to the pros. The switch did elevate him from a 20th Round flier in 2024 (he was picked by the Nats, but did not sign) to the sixth round in a hitter-hungry org in Chicago.
2024 Chicago White Sox draft picks
First Round No. 10: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) H.S. (slot value $6.24 million)
Second Round No. 44: Jaden Fauske, OF/C, Nazareth Academy (Ill.) ($2.22 million)
Third Round No. 76: Kyle Lodise, SS, Georgia Tech University ($1.08 million)
Fourth Round No. 107: Landon Hodges, C, Crespi Carmelite (Calif.) H.S. ($722,600)
Fifth Round No. 137: Gabe Davis, RHP, Oklahoma State University ($534,400)
Sixth Round No. 166: Colby Shelton, SS, University of Florida ($403,900)