One of these days the Chicago White Sox are going to enter the season's final week with a postseason berth on the line. Until that happens all eyes are on the 2019 MLB Draft order which is already starting to firm up with the Baltimore Orioles clinching next year's number one pick. The second overall pick will be the Kansas City Royals, but what makes this tanking interesting is who will be slotted behind them.
For those that don't care where the White Sox pick in the draft the race you can fixate on is third place in the AL Central. The Detroit Tigers haven't run away from the White Sox, and loss column difference is two games. It's possible that the White Sox play well enough this week against the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins they end up with the sixth pick in next year's draft. Which from where they currently stand would be ending the season strong.
The "Tankers" fans who are hoping for the worst this week can rejoice because the White Sox are in the driver's seat to pick after the Royals. Below is each team in contention for the third pick and the games they have remaining by opponent.
Chicago White Sox
Games: 6 (2 vs. Cleveland, 4 at Minnesota)
Season W-L record vs. opponents: 4-13 vs. Cleveland; 7-8 vs. Minnesota
Fangraphs projected record this week: 3-3
Projected final record: 64-98
San Diego Padres
Games: 5 (2 at San Francisco, 3 vs. Arizona)
Season W-L record vs. opponents: 7-10 vs. San Francisco; 5-11 vs. Arizona
Fangraphs projected record this week: 2-3
Projected final record: 65-97
Miami Marlins
Games: 6 (2 at Washington; 3 at New York Mets; 1 at Pittsburgh Pirates)
Season W-L record vs. opponents: 6-11 vs. Washington; 6-10 vs. New York Mets; 1-4 vs. Pittsburgh
Fangraphs projected record this week: 2-4
Projected final record: 64-98
Detroit Tigers
Games: 6 (3 at Minnesota; 3 at Milwaukee)
Season W-L record vs. opponents: 6-10 vs. Minnesota; first time facing Milwaukee)
Fangraphs projected record this week: 2-4
Projected final record: 65-97
Cincinnati Reds
Games: 5 (2 vs. Kansas City; 3 vs. Pittsburgh)
Season W-L record vs. opponents: 2-0 vs. Kansas City; 4-12 vs. Pittsburgh
Fangraphs projected record this week: 2-3
Projected final record: 68-94
Texas Rangers
Games: 6 (2 at Los Angeles Angels; 4 at Seattle)
Season W-L record vs. opponents: 6-11 vs. Los Angeles Angels; 8-7 vs. Seattle
Fangraphs projected record this week: 3-3
Projected final record: 69-93
Projected Draft Order
| Pick | Team | Wins | Losses |
| 1 | Baltimore Orioles | 48 | 114 |
| 2 | Kansas City Royals | 56 | 106 |
| 3 | Chicago White Sox^ | 64 | 98 |
| 4 | Miami Marlins | 64 | 98 |
| 5 | Detroit Tigers* | 65 | 97 |
| 6 | San Diego Padres | 65 | 97 |
| 7 | Cincinnati Reds | 68 | 94 |
| 8 | Texas Rangers | 69 | 93 |
^White Sox control tiebreaker for having a worse record than Miami in 2017.
*Detroit controls tiebreaker for having the worst record in 2017.
If you enjoyed our coverage of the 2018 MLB Draft we will be continuing that for 2019. What kind of prospects are teams tanking for in the 2019 MLB Draft? After the 2018 season and Summer circuit this draft class is heavy on bats. Part quality, and part lack of top-end pitching available. A good sign is that there are a few shortstop options could be considered in the top 10 picks. Below is our initial 2019 MLB Draft watch list.
| Rank | Player | School | Position | Notes |
| 1 | Adley Rutschman | Oregon State | C | Switch-hitting Rutschman was terrific in the CWS and broke Oregon State school record for most RBI in a season (83). How will he build off his .408/.505/.628 season is the question heading into '19. |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | Coleyville Heritage HS | SS | Watched Witt Jr. playing the Under Armour showcase at Wrigley Field in July. Demonstrated patience by walking twice, and then showed off the power hitting a monster home run. Quick, strong hands gives him a plus offensive ceiling but average skills at the moment defensively. Reminds me of former Texas Rangers SS, Michael Young. Oklahoma commit. |
| 3 | C.J. Abrams | Bless Trinity HS | SS | Abrams has plus-plus athleticism with pop in his bat. Was 2-for-4 with a double and stolen base at the UA showcase. Very quick feet gives him expanded range at shortstop but needs to smooth out his throwing mechanics. Alabama commit. |
| 4 | Bryson Stott | UNLV | SS | Some think Stott will need to move to 3B long term, but I think he improved his ability to stick at shortstop at UNLV and with Team USA over the summer. Below average power paired with plus contact skills and advanced approach at the plate make him a well-rounded prospect. Hit .365/442/.556 in 2018 with 30 doubles. |
| 5 | Riley Greene | Hagerty HS | OF | I didn't know much about Greene going into the UA showcase but he made a great first impression slugging a home run to right field at Wrigley. Big day going 2-for-3 with the HR and walk. I'm unsure about his ability to play CF, but he's got 55-60 grade speed with a strong arm. Florida commit. |
| 6 | Matt Wallner | Southern Miss | OF | 2017 Freshman of the Year, Wallner caught my attention in the 2017 NCAA postseason against UIC. Big power potential with a plus-plus arm in RF. Southern Miss tried him as a pitcher last year with limited success but he hit 96 mph off the mound. 2018 saw a slight dip in slugging (.655 SLG in '17, .618 SLG in '18), but if Wallner can find a way to increase his power he could be a Top 5 pick. |
| 7 | Andrew Vaughn | Cal | 1B | 2018 Golden Spikes winner. Andrew Vaughn is the most mature hitter of this class. Can be a fast riser in any system with plus power to all fields and terrific batters eye (44 BB to 18 K's in 2018). Athletically limited to first base. Hit .402/.531/.819 with 23 HR in 2018. |
| 8 | Nick Quintana | Arizona | SS | Quintana is coming off a excellent 2018 season with Arizona (.313/.413/.592) and a good Cape Cod season (.259/.351/.435). Would like to see Quintana reduce his strikeout total this upcoming season, but I like him a bit more than Clemson's Logan Davidson and Texas A&M's Braden Shewmake. |
| 9 | Rece Hinds | Niceville HS | 3B | There was a lot of chatter at Wrigley about Rece Hinds power potential. Big kid at 6'4" with an upper cut swing didn't display much at Wrigley, but I heard scouts drop 70-grade on his power potential. LSU commit. |
| 10 | Josh Jung | Texas Tech | 3B | Jung is known for talking to his bat before each plate appearance. Whatever he says to it works as he went 6-for-14 in the CWS. Big year offensively in 2018 (.392/.491/.639, 80 RBI) but Jung has impressed me with his defense with a soft hands, quick feet, and a strong arm at third base. If he improves in 2019 with his bat, I could see a rise similar to that of Alec Bohm up the draft standings. |
