The 2025 White Sox draft pick that will be called up the Major Leagues the quickest

The 2025 draft class for the Chicago White Sox has a really interesting blend of high-ceiling high school talents and high-floor future big leaguers.

Chicago's draft was position player focused in the early rounds with some low-risk collegiate selections in the later rounds.

In a recent article recapping how every team did in the 2025 MLB Draft, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel singled out the White Sox draft pick that he expects to become an MLB player the quickest.

Look out for Florida SS Colby Shelton, who the White Sox took in the 6th round (166 overall), to be aggressively advanced through the minor leagues.

McDaniel thinks Colby Shelton will be "quickest to the big leagues"

"He turns 23 years old in December so he should be pushed aggressively," writes McDaniel on his draft report for the White Sox. "He has also been productive offensively and defensively in the SEC for three seasons, hitting 52 homers in 170 games as a lefty-hitting shortstop."

Shelton is the fourth-oldest player the White Sox drafted this year (out of 20). He's also one of the most experienced draftees, with 634 career SEC at-bats at Alabama and Florida.

While some draft picks will wait until 2026 before making a professional debut, I think Shelton is a player who could sign his contract with the White Sox and report immediately to Kannapolis (A) or Winston-Salem (A+).

Colby Shelton's player profile

Shelton has one of the more interesting profiles in Chicago's draft class. When he was a freshman at Alabama, he blasted 25 home runs in the SEC. He followed that up with another 20-homer season after transferring to Florida, but his OPS dipped drastically, as did his batting average.

Heading into 2025, Shelton made an effort to focus less on his power and more on his bat-to-ball skills. He only hit seven (7) home runs as a junior, but he posted a career-high .377 batting average with an OPS at 1.064.

Shelton has flashed the power tool and the hit tool during his college career, and he's shown the ability to channel both on command. One of the biggest questions is which one will translate to professional baseball.

Regardless, Colby Shelton's bat is going to play, and the White Sox desperately need impact bats at the big league level. I'll always be advocate of adding bats with upside to the organization at this stage.

Few evaluators believe Shelton will stick at shortstop long-term, but the White Sox won't mind if he can hit consistently. If Shelton ends up being an offensive-minded second baseman that hits left-handed, they'll have won big in the sixth round.