Chicago White Sox: Brooks Gosswein is an underrated draft pick

On the surface, not much jumps off the page from Chicago White Sox fourth-round draft pick Brooks Gosswein. He doesn’t come from a big program and he had a 5.13 ERA his senior year. But the left-handed pitcher could be one of the more underrated players from the White Sox 2021 draft class and is a perfect fit for their organization. He grew up in Barrington Illinois, just 45 minutes away from Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Chicago White Sox might be happy with their selection of Brooks Gosswein one day.

Brooks Gosswein with the 124th pick of the MLB draft. He comes from Bradley University, a mid-sized school in central Illinois. He made history becoming the school’s highest draft pick in 15 years. While Bradley is a lesser-known school some big names have come out of their program. The most notable is Twins legend Kirby Puckett who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. Giants outfielder Mike Tauchman is also from Bradley University.

Bradley also shares some connections to the Chicago White Sox. Bullpen coach Curt Hasler played college basketball as well as baseball at Bradley University. Gosswein was one of two Bradley pitchers selected by the White Sox in 2021. The other was a seventh-round pick, Theron Denlinger.

Gosswein is an imposing figure on the mound. He is a 6-2, 205-pound left-hander that throws gas. His fastball can touch 96 mph. With his leg drive and good form, he is unlikely to suffer from any serious arm injuries that so many hard throwers his age incur.

He is also athletic and can field his position. Gosswein offers versatility for the White Sox organization. He has experience as a starter and a reliever.

Over the course of his college career, Gosswein appeared in 49 games totaling 11 wins on the mound and striking out 139 batters in 167.1 innings. He began his career out of the pen. In 2018 he posted 3.41 ERA in 18 appearances, the majority of them in relief. Bradley entrusted him in some big moments including the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championship. In the second game, he allowed two runs on four hits in his four innings of work.

The following season he transitioned to the starting rotation. He threw the seven no-hit innings on April 6th against Robert-Springfield University. On April 18th, 2019, he pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out eight. He received a game score of 85 from the D1 Baseball Stat Roundup which was the second-highest score in the nation.

In 2021, Gosswein led the Braves with 53 strikeouts, while ranking second on the team with 52.2 innings pitched. He was later named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 1 after firing seven innings of shutout ball against Ball State. He yielded just two hits.

It is clear he has the talent to be a professional pitcher. His problem was the command. He walked far too many hitters which is what lead to his high ERA at times. However, his arm strength and upside were too good for the White Sox to pass up. With some proper coaching, he could develop into a nice piece in the White Sox farm system.