We're officially a month away from Major League Baseball's Rule 4 draft, so it's time to start pinning down the mock drafts on a weekly basis to see who has whom going to the White Sox with the fourth pick.
It doesn't appear as any of the major outlets have hit their usual weekly groove yet, but even with the information more scattershot than usual at this point, everybody has the White Sox circling around a collegiate bat.
The mock drafts below are in order of recency, and I stuck to ones published within the last week, so FanGraphs' first didn't make the cut. Assuming it publishes in a timely manner, their second draft of the mock draft will be in the mix next Friday. Josh has his own mock draft coming out here this afternoon.
Keith Law (May 3)
- White Sox pick: Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech
- Top three picks: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn; Brady Singer, RHP, Florida; Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State
With Bohm off the board, ESPN's mock draft has the White Sox sticking with collegiate bats, but one who hasn't really been mentioned anywhere else. A college catcher would be kind of an unusual choice given the Sox drafted one two years ago, but BPA is BPA, and Bart has far less work to do behind the plate than Zack Collins, or Seby Zavala for that matter.
MLB.com (April 30)
- White Sox pick: Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State
- Top three picks: Mize, Singer, Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State
Jonathan Mayo says the White Sox will stick with their collegiate player philosophy, and this year it'll lead them to the Shockers third baseman, who fits Nick Hostetler's type as a power bat with a low strikeout rate.
Mayo also names Madtrigal and Travis Swaggerty as additional possibilities, and South Florida's Shane McClanahan and Stetson's Logan Gilbert among pitchers.
Baseball America (April 27)
- White Sox pick: Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State
- Top three picks: Mize, Bart, Bohm
One of the "problems" with a rebuild is that you can pencil in young players or prospects ahead of draft picks at nearly every position. That said, second base is an especially aggressive draft play considering Yoan Moncada is making his home there. Madrigal is BA's favorite position-player prospect due to his hit tool, speed and savvy. His stock is ultimately limited by his height (5'7") and position (second base), as his arm might not be enough to shortstop. The early-season wrist injury appears to be behind him.
