The Chicago White Sox have to hit on the No. 10 pick in next month's MLB Draft, even though it may take years to find out if the team made the correct choice.
Given that Jerry Reinsdorf is still going to own the team through 2029, the draft is the best avenue for the club to acquire impact players. The White Sox do not have any more players with major trade value like Garrett Crochet and Reinsdorf has never authorized a free agent contract over $100 million.
That leaves the draft as Chicago's best option, but Sox fans will have to be patient.
The MLB Draft is unique
What makes the MLB Draft unique compared to the NFL or NBA Draft is that every player taken in baseball's draft rarely, if ever, immediately jumps to the big leagues.
Garrett Crochet going from the University of Tennessee to the White Sox bullpen in 2020 only happened because he had command of his near 100 mph fastball, and the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the minor league season.
Despite finishing with the worst record in a 162-game season last year, lottery rules prevented the White Sox from picking higher than 10th in the draft. However, the team is still in a prime spot to get a high-upside player.
Another unique part of the MLB Draft is that stars can be found all over the board. Mike Trout is a future Hall of Famer and he was taken 25th overall in the 2009 draft. Frank Thomas is enshrined in Cooperstown and is considered the best player in White Sox history...Thomas was the No. 7 pick in the 1989 draft. Only four No. 1 overall picks have ever made the Hall of Fame.
Mock drafts have value
While talent does make up one part of the equation, finances also play a part in what prospects get selected. Some teams might decide to go with a prospect willing to sign for less than the bonus pool slot value. Saved money can be used to entice different players drafted in later rounds to sign.
Most teams compile a shortlist of prospects they are interested in before the draft. MLB mock drafts are always worth tracking, especially the ones from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic's Keith Law, as they have worked in front offices and may have some intel on a team's preferred list.
This year's mock drafts do not have a consensus player that the White Sox will go with at No. 10 overall. But they do give White Sox fans clues about a few players the team is interested in.
Potential White Sox draft picks
Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS (California)
Kiley McDaniel's latest mock has the White Sox taking prep shortstop Billy Carlson. McDaniel believes this draft has 8-12 prospects who are considered "top-tier prospects" and expects the Sox to take whoever is left from that group.
McDaniel considers Carlson the No. 5 prospect in the draft. MLB Pipeline has him ranked at No. 7.
According to McDaniel, another prep shortstop, Steele Hall out of Alabama, could be in play for the White Sox. Hall is McDaniel's 11th ranked prospect, while Pipeline has him at No. 13.
Baseball America and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter also linked the White Sox to Carlson in their recent mocks. It would make a lot of sense, considering the South Siders recently hosted Carlson for a private workout.
JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis HS (Mississippi)
MLB Pipeline has the White Sox taking high school shortstop JoJo Parker, who is one of the best hitting prospects in the draft. McDaniel also had the White Sox taking Parker in the first mock draft he did.
MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis has speculated that whoever takes JoJo Parker could take his twin brother, Jacob, in the second or third round.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports also thinks the White Sox could take Parker. Parker is the No. 10 prospect in the draft according to MLB Pipeline.
Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC-Santa Barbara
The Athletic's Keith Law has the White Sox going with a college pitcher (subscription required) in UCSB's Tyler Bremner. However, James Fox of FutureSox.net has pointed out that Bremner might not fit the profile the team looks for in a pitching prospect.
However, Law's mock did mention the Sox could take Hall, much like McDaniel pointed out. He also tied prep pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft to the White Sox.
If the White Sox go for a pitcher, it would be a surprise, but Schoolcraft definitely makes more sense than Bremner. He fits the type of pitching prospects the club's amateur scouting director, Mike Shirley, has previously favored in the first round.
Schoolcraft is a big left-handed pitcher, much like Hagen Smith (taken last year) and Noah Schultz (taken in 2022).
Bremner is ranked 13th by MLB Pipeline, while Schoolcraft is ranked 16th.
Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS (GA)
James Fox of FutureSox thinks the White Sox could take high school shortstop Daniel Pierce. The strength of this draft class is prep shortstops and the team's farm system desperately needs position players.
It always makes sense to draft "up the middle," but that's especially true for the White Sox this year.
Pipeline has Pierce ranked as the 18th-best player on the board.
Liam Doyle, LHP, University of Tennessee
JustBaseball's Tyler Jennings and Conor Dorney have Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle falling to the White Sox at 10. If he somehow makes it to them, Doyle might just be too good to pass up.
Even though the White Sox need bats, Jerry Reinsdorf is still an owner that does not pay pitchers. Plus, Chicago needs to hit on a player that they can develop into a quality big leaguer and the club has had a track record of doing that with lefty arms.
Chris Sale, Carlos Rodón, and Garrett Crochet all turned into MLB All-Stars. Plus, the White Sox do not have a lefty in their current MLB starting rotation. It wouldn't be crazy for the Sox to add Doyle to their impressive pitching prospect pool that already features Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, the two best left-handed pitching prospects in the sport.
Doyle is considered the ninth-best prospect in the draft per MLB Pipeline.
Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
FanSided's Call to the Pen has the Sox landing Aiva Arquette out of Oregon State at 10th overall. If Arquette somehow falls to the White Sox, it would be a welcome surprise.
Most evaluators believe Arquette will come off the board well before the White Sox are on the clock. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 6 prospect in the draft class.