The Chicago White Sox are a team that’s in such a state of disarray, it doesn’t appear as if they are going to get out of the hole that they are currently in.
They have had long losing streaks this year, they can’t play well at all and they are suffering injuries at an alarming rate. This could easily be the worst team in White Sox history, perhaps even in Major League Baseball history.
But there is a silver lining to everything.
The Chicago White Sox will be looking towards the future this season as they prepare to sell many of their major league pieces in an attempt to bring in minor league talent or guys who are young and can start to develop right away.
The baseball draft is one way to build, for the long term. It’s not an immediate fix by any means and the White Sox know this. Unless you are Andrew Vaughn, a player who is drafted seldom jumps from the draft to the Majors in one season. It takes a lot to build these guys up and get them headed in the right direction.
In the 2024 MLB Draft, the White Sox will have the fifth overall pick which puts them in a position to grab an impact player right away.
There are some players out there that the White Sox could pick up who might be able to develop quickly and get up to the majors. But, first, we need to identify what needs the Sox have for this year’s draft.
Some people might think the White Sox need help at every position. However, they are stacked, in the minors at a few positions. One area they should be able to steer clear of is catcher. They have Korey Lee and Edgar Quero coming up and should be solid there for a while. Shortstop might also not need to be of too much concern with Colson Montgomery waiting in the wings and Paul DeJong playing well.
Where the White Sox need help is at second base, where they have the solid but not spectacular Nicky Lopez playing. So, second base could use some work. Third base might be another place the White Sox look to gain some help. All positions in the outfield, especially if Luis Robert Jr. gets traded and Andrew Benintendi doesn’t step up anymore, are surely open.
Pitching is something that is always a need for almost any team. The White Sox need pitching help and so, with the fifth pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, I think that they should take a pitcher. We will look at options in future articles but it would behoove the White Sox to continue to build up their pitching corps and get that working better. Strong pitching could help lead them to a lot of wins.
Getting that special batter, much like Luis Robert Jr., would be a great idea too. No matter what the position a good batter is a must. The White Sox may want to take the best batter available regardless of position depending on who is available at the time.
The White Sox are a team that’s going to do some building through the draft. This year’s haul has to be a good one if they plan to be any better in the next few years. This year’s draft will be the starters in the next three to four years, typically. The White Sox need a bunch of good guys to get them ready to win in the future.