Whether it's a matter of editorial priorities, the major prospect and draft outlets haven't been fastidious about mocking the MLB draft on a regular schedule. MLB Pipeline and Baseball America have released updates on a weekly basis, but as the saying goes, it takes three to constitute a trend, and the other outlets haven't been able to provide a quorum to take a pick beyond a coincidence.
But with Day 1 of the 2024 MLB draft fast approaching, we finally have a critical mass of mock drafts to determine a prevailing target ... and it turns out that you can leave your discernment skills at the door, because nearly all of them are saying the same thing: The White Sox want to take Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone with the fifth pick.
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That doesn't mean the White Sox will select him, but the interest is documented. Caglianone visited Guaranteed Rate Field during the pre-draft process, and Mike Shirley spoke about him earlier in the week. The question seems to be less about which player the White Sox prefer, and more about whether Caglianone will fall to them, assuming other top-four targets like Oregon State's Travis Bazzana and Georgia's Charlie Condon are also off the board.
When you read through all the mocks, nobody has a firm enough idea of how Cleveland is going to proceed with the No. 1 overall pick to lock in subsequent selections with a great degree of confidence. But even among players the White Sox have been linked to throughout the mock draft journey -- West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt among college bats, Konnor Griffin among prep players -- they seem to think the White Sox would choose Caglianone if they had their druthers. Wait, that was the previous GM.
Baseball America (Today)
White Sox select: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida
Previous mock: Caglianone
First four picks: Wetherholt goes to Cleveland, Condon to Cincinnati, Burns to Colorado and Bazzana to Oakland.
Carlos Collazo's view: "The White Sox get linked to more players than any other team inside the top five (except perhaps Cleveland, interestingly). This could be a bit of a pivot point in the draft. The best available player on the board in this scenario is Caglianone, who has been tied to the White Sox in recent days. Any of the players in front of this pick could make sense for the White Sox if they are available, though Wetherholt seems like the most likely option to get here if he doesn’t go first with Cleveland. I think they’d happily scoop him up, if so.
"It sounds like the White Sox are considering both the top high school hitters in the class, and my guess is that Konnor Griffin would be the preference over Rainer at this spot, though I am not confident in that guess. It’s difficult to rule out Hagen Smith here, as well.
The other rumored targets: Griffin goes to Pittsburgh at No. 9.
ESPN (Today)
White Sox select: Konnor Griffin, SS, Jackson Prep (Mississippi) HS
Previous mock: Caglianone
First four picks: Wetherholt to Cleveland, Caglianone to Cincinnati, Condon to Colorado, Bazzana to Oakland.
Kiley McDaniel's view: "This is the first spot where Griffin is a real threat to be taken, with the ninth pick the next spot. I think the White Sox, like Oakland, also want a shot at one of the four college bats that in this scenario all go in front of their pick. I think this decision would come down to Griffin, Montgomery and Burns. Griffin seems like he'd offer the best bonus price and Burns may be looking at an overslot bonus at the next pick, so Griffin gets the nod here."
The other rumored targets: This is the first and only mock where Wetherholt, Caglianone, Condon and Bazzana are all off the board. The college pitchers -- Wake Forest righty Chase Burns, Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith -- are taken in the following two picks to Kansas City and St. Louis.
MLB Pipeline (July 11)
White Sox select: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida
Previous mock: JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B, West Virginia
First four picks: Travis Bazzana to Cleveland, Charlie Condon to Cincinnati, Chase Burns to Colorado, Nick Kurtz to Oakland
Jim Callis' view: "The White Sox faced a decision of Wetherholt versus Mississippi prep shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin, but that was before Caglianone lasted a little longer than expected. If he's gone, Chicago may lean to Griffin, who would come at a discount because concerns about his swing trump his huge ceiling (the highest in the Draft) for several clubs and could cause him to slide out of the top 10."
The other rumored targets: Wetherholt ends up going to St. Louis at No. 7, and Griffin falls to Detroit at No. 11.
Keith Law (July 11)
White Sox select: Caglianone
Previous mock: JJ Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia
First four picks: Bazzana, Condon, Burns, Kurtz
Law's view: "I’ve heard the White Sox are leaning towards Caglianone first, and Konnor Griffin second, but if JJ Wetherholt doesn’t go No. 1, his main market starts here. I don’t think they’d take Kurtz even if he got here, but the other three guys going ahead would certainly be in play if any fell — it’s just not that likely."
The other rumored targets: Wetherholt goes to Kansas City at No. 6, and Griffin falls to the Red Sox at No. 12.
FanGraphs (July 11)
White Sox select: Caglianone
Previous mock: None
First four picks: Bazzana, Condon, Burns, Braden Montgomery
Eric Longenhagen's view: "I don’t have much team-specific dope about the White Sox aside from some chatter that they’ve entertained the idea of an under-slot deal with Konnor Griffin. In this scenario, Caglianone is here and presents franchise-altering upside for an org that could really use it. The optics of taking maybe the most famous guy in the draft when it’s also justifiable based on his talent might quell some of the angst around the ugliness of their rebuild."
The other rumored targets: Wetherholt goes to the Angels at No. 8, and Griffin to the Nationals at No. 10.
