This is going to be the most important draft for the Chicago White Sox during the franchise's second attempt at rebuilding the organization into a contender.
One of the reasons the Sox' first rebuild from the previous decade failed was poor drafting, especially at the top of the draft. The White Sox tanked and ended up drafting a low-ceiling player in Nick Madrigal.
They also committed what is now a cardinal sin when they drafted Andrew Vaughn so high. First-base prospects offer no positional versatility and you can find one in later rounds or the international free-agent market. Drafting a first baseman in the first round should be like an NFL team drafting a running back that high.
Now Vaughn got the to big leagues quickly, but he has been nothing more than a replacement-level player at this point. Ask the Detroit Tigers how things are going with Spencer Torkelson. Spoiler alert, not very good.
The White Sox have the No. 5 pick in this year's draft and with the new lottery draft rules, they will not pick in the top nine next year despite this team being on pace to finish with a historically bad record. That is why there is nothing good that will come from the White Sox finishing with a worse record than the 1962 New York Mets or the 2003 Detroit Tigers.
That is also why the White Sox cannot miss on this pick as it is going to be one of the few chances during rebuild 2.0 to add an elite prospect.
Now to be fair, in baseball, you can find a great player at pick No. 25 who turns out to be a franchise player. That is where the Los Angeles Angels drafted Mike Trout. This is not like the NBA Draft when picking in the lottery gives you greater odds of landing a franchise maker.
However, as the Baltimore Orioles are showing or what the Chicago Cubs did to win a World Series in 2016, drafting in the top 10 and converting on those picks is the best way to add elite talent that helps a team contend for a championship. You just have more options to pick from the best players.
Usually, if you draft up the middle, you have a better chance of adding a more athletic player or player with positional versatility who has a chance to fill multiple roster spots in the big leagues. It was what the Orioles, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Rays do and it is what the Sox need to start doing.
That is why this is not the right time for the White Sox to draft Florida's Jac Caglianone.
The Sox hosted Caglianone recently and he is an impressive prospect.
@GatorsBB slugger Jac Caglianone visited the #WhiteSox in Chicago this week. He seems to be an option for their pick at #5 overall this July. I wrote about him today at @FutureSox. Check out his profile here: https://t.co/RGwlx8AwO5
— James Fox (@JamesFox917) June 29, 2024
The problem with Caglianone is he plays first base. He can pitch but the belief is if he is going to be an impactful player, it will be at the plate. Drafting first base is just not good business.
The other hope you want out of a first-round pick is a player willing to sign under the bonus slot so there is more money to go around for other picks. As FutureSox.net James Fox points out, Caglianone is not likely to take less money.
If this was a different era like when the Sox took Frank Thomas in the late 1980s or the Sox had stacked multiple top-five picks and this was the last time they were drafting this high, then it would make sense to take him.
This is a pick that is kicking off Chris Getz' attempt to rebuild the roster. He needs to hit on this one and work with scouting director Mike Shirley to draft as a modern franchise should. Shirley has started to establish that practice and this is not the draft to deviate from it.