The White Sox remain stuck on polished collegiate types with their early position-player picks. This year, though, the first-day picks have other skills besides beefy power.
After taking second baseman Nick Madrigal in the first round, the White Sox picked Oklahoma outfielder Steele Walker in the second.
Walker, a 5-foot-11-inch center fielder, has a well-rounded game and a feel for hitting. That's another way to say he doesn't have a standout tool. From his MLB.com profile:
He's not big but he has a quick left-handed swing and some deceptive strength that should produce at least average power. Though he makes contact so easily, he continues to hone his plate discipline and draws his share of walks.
Walker's bat is his lone above-average tool and will have to carry him. While he uses his savvy to get the job done in center and right field for the Sooners, his average speed and fringy arm likely will push him to left field in pro ball. Scouts do love his instincts and makeup.
Walker hit .352/.441/.606 with 28 extra-base hits, 31 walks and 48 strikeouts over 216 at-bats. The strikeouts are a touch high, although Walker has offset some doubts by performing with wood bats. Keith Law was the low man on him, saying "in the view of some scouts, (Walker) beat up a little bit on bad pitching."
Add it all up, and he sounds like an alternate-timeline Blake Rutherford who went to college.
What the White Sox say:
Where did he rank?
- Baseball America: No. 32
- MLB.com: No. 30
- Keith Law: No. 60
- FanGraphs: No. 56
