White Sox Mock Draft Roundup: A big red-letter day for Patrick Bailey

When we last surveyed the mock 2020 MLB draft landscape — which was also the first time we surveyed the mock 2020 MLB draft landscape, due to the coronavirus causing uncertainty about the date of the draft — two of the most reliable outlets were not yet on regular schedules, and the other hadn’t even gotten into gear.

But now we’re in business. Baseball America, Jim Callis and Keith Law all dropped fresh mock drafts on Wednesday. What’s more: All three of them zero in on the same guy. What’s more than that: That same guy is brand new to this exercise — well-rounded switch-hitting North Carolina State University catcher Patrick Bailey.

PERTINENT: 2020 MLB Draft Player Profile: Patrick Bailey

It’s not quite unanimous when looking beyond Wednesday, because Kiley McDaniel another direction with his ESPN mock draft two days earlier.

MLB.com (May 13)

White Sox select: Patrick Bailey, C, NC State
Previous mock: Heston Kjerstad, OF, Arkansas

The 11th pick might represent Kjerstad’s floor, because the Razorback isn’t getting to the White Sox in any of these roundups. Here, the Pirates take him with the seventh pick. As for the highly touted college pitchers, Reid Detmers falls the furthest … but only to the Rockies at No. 9.

Callis’ take: “The White Sox might also like a crack at the Hancock/Meyer/Detmers group but in this scenario they wind up with Bailey. Chicago could be the high-water mark for Texas high school right-hander Jared Kelley.”

Baseball America (May 13)

White Sox select: Patrick Bailey, C, NC State
P
revious mock: Garrett Crochet, LHP, Tennessee

Once again, the seventh and ninth picks close the door on previous options, but this time the teams are flipped (Detmers to Pittsburgh, Kjerstad to Colorado). BA’s previous pick, Crochet, goes to the Rangers three picks later at No. 14.

BA’s take: “Like Kjerstad, Bailey’s collegiate resume gives teams a lot of safety and with his catch-and-throw skill and power production in the ACC he should go off the board among the top 15 easily. This would make Bailey the highest drafted NC State player since Carlos Rodon in 2014. “He’s got a shot to sneak into the top 10,” said one scout. “Best catcher in the draft and teams always need catching.”

Keith Law (May 13)

White Sox select: Patrick Bailey, C, NC State

Law makes it 3-for-3 with Bailey. He just deviates one pick earlier, when the Angels pick Minnesota righty Max Meyer at No. 10, which is the furthest he, Detmers and Emerson Hancock fall among these Wednesday mocks. Kjerstad again goes to the Rockies at No. 9.

Law’s take:We’ll see if their drafting direction changes at all under new scouting director Mike Shirley; they haven’t taken a high school player in the first round since 2012, and this doesn’t seem like the year to go in that direction with the 11th pick. You don’t really draft for need in baseball, but the White Sox don’t have a viable catching prospect in their top 20.

Kiley McDaniel (May 11)

White Sox select: Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville

In McDaniel’s first mock draft for ESPN.com, he has the White Sox getting their choice of two of the three college pitchers mentioned above. Hancock goes to the Royals at No. 4, but the Sox take Detmers at No. 11, and leave Meyer to the Cincinnati Reds with the 12th pick. Bailey ends up going to the Phillies with the 15th pick.

McDaniel’s take: “The White Sox are another team leaning heavily toward college options at this pick, though they’ve leaned that way in recent years for higher picks as well. Kjerstad fits here if he makes it down to this pick. It makes a lot of sense for the White Sox to add the Illinois prep product, who could be big league ready right as the team gets to playoff contention.”

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lil jimmy

” Hancock/Meyer/Detmers group ” One of these players still there at #11 would get serious consideration.

asinwreck

It would be fun to see the transcript of a Slack chat among the major prospect writers as they discuss how unusual this year’s process of predicting the draft is. (Speculating how profane Jim Callis is in private about his employer’s decision to limit the draft to five rounds makes this even more enticing. He is always genial, but sounded furious on the podcast.)

lil jimmy

Perfect Game Mock 2.0 this past week
11. Chicago White Sox | Reid Detmers, LHP, Louisville
The White Sox, while definitely moving towards prep players in higher rounds in recent years, still have a track record of taking college players in the first round,
Bailey taken at #12