White Sox brutal 2024 draft mistake is getting worse by the day

By now, if you follow the top stories around Major League Baseball, you’ve probably heard the name Konnor Griffin. The consensus top prospect in baseball reached the Double-A level at age 19 and has a legitimate chance to open the season as the Pittsburgh Pirates starting shortstop before his 20th birthday. Griffin’s .941 OPS in his first minor league season cemented him as a future star in the eyes of many. For White Sox fans, watching Griffin dominate comes with a bit of disdain, because he very easily could be in the organization right now. 

Griffin was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, four slots after the White Sox choice. With an obvious need for impact position player talent, the White Sox selection came with Jac Caglianone, J.J. Wetherholt, and Konnor Griffin at the center of discussions and all still on the board. Instead, the White Sox stunned the industry and chose Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith despite having a system full of young arms and largely devoid of bats. 

Early returns on the 2024 draft class emphasize the White Sox mistake

It’s only been a year and a half and neither player has appeared in a big league game, but it’s already looking like the White Sox made the wrong decision. Smith, who was viewed as a safe arm with high upside, has struggled with his control in his first taste of pro ball, and Griffin eliminated most of his high-risk profile with a dominant season. Griffin has continued to dominate this spring and opened eyes with a multi-homer game against the Red Sox earlier this week, including a 440-foot blast. Smith has yet to make an appearance this spring, but the White Sox hope the control issues are a thing of the past. 

Even if Smith becomes a big league rotation mainstay, he’d need to be an ace to match the potential upside of Griffin, who looks like a franchise superstar. The 2024 draft feels like an example of the White Sox not trusting their player development staff and instead sticking to an organizational trend and drafting what they feel comfortable developing. To be fair, the team had not yet hired Ryan Fuller or Derek Shomon, so they may not have been as confident in their ability to develop a position player, but now it looks like a major missed opportunity. 

Spring Training and minor league numbers are far from a sure thing, but all indications are the White Sox missed an opportunity to land an elite player. I’ll, of course, be rooting for Hagen Smith’s success and I do believe he can be a good major league starting pitcher, but it’s hard to not feel a little regret watching Konnor Griffin mash baseballs. 

There’s no going back on the decision, but my guess is Chris Getz would do it over again if he could. All the White Sox can do now is work on developing the players in tow and bringing in the most talent possible in future drafts. Having the first overall pick this year certainly helps. 

Konnor Griffin is a fun, exciting player that baseball fans will enjoy watching emerge into a superstar. Let’s hope the decision to pass on him doesn’t haunt the White Sox for years to come.