This writer had the opportunity to participate in a FanSided Major League Baseball Mock Draft this past Friday night. The needs of the team were carefully evaluated as were the players that were available to find the right pick for the Chicago White Sox.
Florida State catcher Matheu Nelson would be a perfect pick by the Chicago White Sox.
Let us read a little bit more about Nelson and why this writer chose him as the Southside Showdown’s pick in the 2021 MLB mock draft. The White Sox need help at catcher. With a lack of depth in their minor league system and injuries affecting their major league team, the White Sox need to start thinking about their future there.
Enter Matheu Nelson. The 22-year-old Nelson, who bats and throws right, is nearly pro-ready and could be looked upon by the Sox to come up to the big leagues sooner rather than later. If you read the MLB scouting report on Nelson, you will see much of what he has to offer. MLB dot com has some nice things to say about him:
"“Strong and compact, Nelson has long had a solid approach at the plate that includes drawing a lot of walks. He’s capable of making loud contact and was doing it more consistently in 2021, which was allowing him to tap into his power to all fields, even with a relatively flat bat path. There are some strikeout concerns that lead to ups and downs, but teams might be willing to look past that if they believe he’ll keep getting to the power that made him one of the Division I leaders in home runs in 2021.”"
Nelson does need a little work on his defense but he has a lot shorter route to go to be ready than many of the other players at his position in this draft. The Sox can develop Nelson into a solid catcher that can help back up Yasmani Grandal and allow them to possibly do something else with Zach Collins.
MLB.com had more to say on the potential White Sox draft pick:
"“Nelson gets mixed reviews on his defense. He does have a plus arm that helps neutralize the running game, but he is inconsistent with his overall receiving. One game might look fine, but the next might show much less reliable hands. Given his streakiness on both sides of the ball, how much a scout likes him will depend on when they saw him, with the team that saw him at his best likely to take him in the top five rounds.”"
As you can see, there is a little work for Nelson to do on his defense. He’s much closer on defense than many other catchers in the draft. While the Sox may not pick Nelson, he would be a fine addition to the team and would help them a lot in the future. The Sox need help there and Nelson would be a great fit with the team to bolster depth and “build” a starter for the future.