We're within a month of the draft, a time frame significant enough for Keith Law to come up with his first mock draft of the season. That gives us five full mocks to work with, although it seems like you only need to see one to get the gist of who the White Sox are likely to take with the No. 3 pick.
Keith Law (May 6)
- White Sox pick: Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Cal
- First two picks: Adley Rutschman, C, Oregon State (Orioles); Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Colleyville (Texas) HS (Royals)
Law says Kenny Williams is a big fan of prep shortstop C.J. Abrams, but uses Nick Hostetler's college-heavy draft profile to push them toward Vaughn. However, Law leaves open the possibility that Rutschman could slide to the Sox. With Baltimore's pick, he says the Orioles might pick whichever top college bat signs for less, while the Royals are attached to Witt. That strikes me more of a leverage ploy for Baltimore.
MLB.com (May 3)
- White Sox pick: C.J. Abrams, SS, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Ga.) HS
- First two picks: Rutschman, Witt Jr.
Jim Callis goes in stronger with the White Sox' interest in Abrams, mocking him to Chicago with the third pick. Josh wrote about the Abrams-White Sox connection on Sunday. He's a athletic shortstop with athleticism and the strength to hit double-digit homers, but also with a lot of bat control for the level from the left side.
Baseball America (May 3)
- White Sox pick: Vaughn
- First two picks: Rutschman, Witt Jr.
BA says "most of the industry continues to expect the Orioles to play it straight," which cuts off the path for Rutschman to the Sox, even if it seems like said industry is coalescing around the idea of Witt to the Royals no matter what.
2080 Baseball (April 29)
- White Sox pick: Vaughn
- First two picks: Rutschman, Witt
Nick Faleris calls Rutschman "the easiest 1:1 selection since the Nationals won the Bryce Harper lottery in 2010." Abrams goes No. 4 in this version.
FanGraphs (April 23)
- White Sox pick: Vaughn
- First two picks: Rutschman, Witt
Kiley McDaniel's first mock draft is technically a fortnight old, but his picks -- as well as his intel on the first two picks -- lines up with the rest, so it's worth including as a basis for future comparisons.
