The White Sox selected Nick Madrigal with the fourth overall pick amid all the pomp and pageantry an MLB Network production affords. The network stopped broadcasting the draft by the time Steele Walker was selected in the second round, but at least he got his name announced by A.J. Pierzynski.
The third day of the draft starts the acceleration into a sea of names, but at least the White Sox picked names that can be spotted from a helicopter. There's a Konnor with "K," a Codi with an "I," a Lency with a "Lency," a Cab(r)er(e)a, and they picked a berserk in the ninth round. Let's go through them.
Third round (81): Konnor Pilkington
LHP, Mississippi State
Rankings: MLB: 60 | BA: 60 | FG: 62
Pilkington is a pitchability lefty at the moment, sitting in the low 90s with a curve and changeup, and there's a running theme of unrealized potential. He's a 20-year-old college junior with a big frame (6-3, 220), and the MLB.com scouting report says he'd shown the ability to hit 96 before. It also says that he could benefit from betting conditioning, which meshes with Josh saying he hit a wall and Nick Hostetler feeling like a disappointing junior year was an anomaly.
But perhaps I've said too much.
Fourth round (108): Lency Delgado
SS, Doral Academy (Fla.)
Rankings: BA: 367
Maybe it's because Delgado's name can be rearranged to spell "College Dandy," but Hostetler selected a prep pick three rounds earlier than he usually does. By the rankings, this is a major reach. Reading the scouting reports, it doesn't seem that way. Sure, he's already big for an 18-year-old (6-3, 210) and even Hostetler has steeled himself for a move to third base. The biggest concerns are a long swing and plate discipline, but everybody agrees on the power and arm, and Baseball America is bullish on his defense at a corner, too:
Delgado has a long swing and some chase at the plate that he’ll need to improve in the future. Defensively, Delgado has good footwork and showed impressive body control and athleticism in the field, making off-balance, accurate throws on the run that should give him a chance to be an above-average defender at the position.
Fifth round (138): Jonathan Stiever
RHP, Indiana University
Rankings: MLB: 88 | BA: 125
Two years ago, the White Sox drafted Jimmy Lambert in the fifth round. Stiever reminds me some of that pick -- a righty with a smaller frame (6-1, 180) who throws strikes with a low-90s fastball, hard-breaking curve and changeup. Hostetler described his stuff as "premium," which BA and MLB.com's scouting reports don't quite share, but they like his athleticism and his ability to throw strikes with movement.
Sixth round (168): Codi Heuer
RHP, Wichita State
Rankings: BA: 298
Heuer's workload doubled as he made the jump to the rotation. His performance didn't suffer -- he struck out a few more, suppressed the hits a little -- but it didn't necessarily jump, either. Walks are still an issue, and BA points to a lack of secondary pitches, but Hostetler said the Sox saw him plenty while scouting third-overall pick Alec Bohm.
Seventh round (198): Cabera Weaver
OF, South Gwinnett High School (Ga.)
Rankings: BA: 393
The other high school pick, Weaver -- whose name has been spelled "Cabrera" and "Caberea" across various sites -- sounds a lot more like a project than Delgado despite occupying a similar neighborhood on the BA list. He's got speed and athleticism to cover center field, but his entire offensive approach will be a work in progress, and he'll probably get bigger, too (6-3, 180). He has committed to play college ball at Georgia.
Eighth round (228): Andrew Perez
LHP, South Florida
Rankings: BA: 233
Because it's never a bad idea to have too many lefty relievers, the White Sox picked up South Florida's closer. BA describes a fastball that reached 95 and an average, slurvy breaking ball. He posted a 2.43 ERA with 50 strikeout over 42⅕ innings.
Ninth round (258): Gunnar Troutwine
C, Wichita State
Rankings: Not ranked
There was a man named Onund, the son of Ofeig Clumsyfoot, who was the son of Ivar Horsetail. Onund was the brother of Gudbjorg, the mother of Gudbrand Knob, the father of Asta, the mother of King Olaf the Saint. His mother came from the Upplands, while his father's relations were mostly in Rogaland and Hordland. He was a great viking and used to harry away in the West over the sea. He was accompanied on these expeditions by one Balki, the son of Blaeing from Sotanes, and by Orm the Wealthy. Another comrade of theirs was named Gunnar Troutwine. They had five ships, all well equipped. They plundered the Hebrides, reaching the Barra Isles, where there ruled a king named Kjarval, who also had five ships. These they attacked; there was a fierce battle between them, in which Onund's men fought with the utmost bravery. After many had fallen on both sides, the battle ended with the king taking to flight with a single ship; the rest were captured by Onund's force, along with much booty. They stayed there for the winter, and spent the succeeding three summers harrying the coasts of Ireland and Scotland, after which they returned to Norway.
(I only subbed out one of the names here.)
10th round (288): Bennett Sousa
LHP, University of Virginia
Rankings: Not ranked
Like Perez, another lefty reliever. Like Troutwine, another senior signing that will free up money for perhaps some over-max fun early on Day 3.
