The White Sox have offers with their prime two draft picks. Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reviews (X hyperlinks) that Chicago agreed to an $8MM bonus with fifth general decide Hagen Smith and a $3MM sum with second-rounder Caleb Bonemer.
Smith, a left-hander from the College of Arkansas, was the second pitcher off the board. He and Wake Forest righty Chase Burns have been 1-2 amongst pitchers in some order on just about each pre-draft rankings. Cincinnati chosen Burns with the second decide and signed him to a report $9.25MM bonus. Smith, the ultimate prime 5 draftee to comply with phrases, lands the fourth-largest bonus of the category.
The 6’3″ southpaw labored from the rotation in all three seasons in Fayetteville. He had his greatest season as a junior, handing over a 2.06 earned run common throughout 84 innings within the SEC. Smith trailed solely Burns amongst Division I pitchers with 161 strikeouts, an unbelievable 48.6% fee. Even with an elevated 10.3% stroll fee, he was far too dominant for many faculty hitters.
Prospect evaluators credit score Smith with a mid-upper 90s fastball and a plus or higher slider. Baseball America notes that Smith’s 3/4 arm slot permits his fastball to generate a troublesome angle on the prime of the strike zone. BA raises some questions concerning the infrequency with which Smith used his changeup in faculty, whereas The Athletic’s Keith Legislation famous that his setup on the primary base facet of the rubber made it troublesome for him to assault right-handed batters on the inside half. These quibbles (plus a Tommy John surgical procedure which Smith underwent in highschool) result in some danger, however there’s additionally huge upside given the standard of his prime two pitches.
Bonemer is a righty-hitting infielder from a Michigan highschool. He’d been slated to attend the College of Virginia however will head to professional ball on an overslot deal. The forty third general choice comes with a $2.17MM slot worth. Bonemer’s bonus pays him like a late first-round expertise. Evaluators reward his energy upside and provides him a superb likelihood to play someplace within the infield. Legislation and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel every elevate some concern about his pure hitting capacity, with Legislation’s pre-draft report pointing to Bonemer’s tendency to get pull-oriented in his swing.
