2021 MLB Draft: Four Prep Player Targets for White Sox in First Round

Next week, the Major League Baseball Draft will be held in Denver as part of the All-Star Game festivities. MLB Network is planning on having the Futures Game, which features Yoelqui Cespedes, play first with the draft show starting around 5:00 pm CT. The Chicago White Sox have Pick 22, which might be around 8:00 pm CT when they pick. 

This upcoming week will feature a flurry of new mock drafts from all sources. On Sunday, July 11, I’ll make the 2021 Average MLB Draft Prospect Rankings public, which lists rankings from MLB.com, Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic, Prep Baseball Report, and FanGraphs. We’ll have a mock draft contest again on Sox Machine to see who can correctly guess the most picks. One of our best friends, Jim Callis of MLB.com, will join us for tomorrow’s Sox Machine Podcast to share his thoughts about the upcoming draft. 

As we count down the days, there are four players I continue to hear tied to the White Sox at Pick 22. These rumors and whispers could be planted smoke screens to throw teams ahead of the White Sox, especially the Cubs at Pick 21, off their scent on who Director of Amateur Scouting Mike Shirley truly wants to select. But the scouting team has done extensive work following these players, and if they are still on the board, could be the next White Sox first-rounder. 

Colson Montgomery, SS, Southridge High School (IN)

I’ve written a lot about Colson Montgomery for Sox Machine Patreon supporters in the past month. Montgomery had an impressive outing at MLB’s Draft Combine in Cary, North Carolina, as he continues to demonstrate his athleticism at shortstop while posting good batting practice sessions. What’s new about Montgomery is there’s a chance he doesn’t make it to the White Sox at Pick 22. 

Now enter the New York Mets. The latest rumored idea was Montgomery taken 10th overall in an under-slot deal that allows the Mets to work with a $3 million bonus for Pick 46. How the math works is Montgomery signs for $3 million and is taken 10th overall, which gives the Mets $1,739,900 extra to push down to their later picks. If the Mets make this plan work, they could offer more to a prospect at Pick 46 than the White Sox can at Pick 22. 

Montgomery is not the 10th best player in this draft class, making this rumored plan pretty risky. I do not hear any buzz for Montgomery between picks 11-20. If he doesn’t go to the Mets at Pick 10, the White Sox fans who want them to select Montgomery would have to sweat out the Cubs selection at Pick 21. 

Wes Kath, Shortstop/Third Baseman, Desert Mountain (AZ)

Posting big numbers his senior season hitting 11 home runs and batting .471, Wes Kath is a name I keep hearing more as a White Sox target. Kath played shortstop this season at 6’3” and 200 lbs, but many believe that he’ll eventually move to third base or even the outfield as he continues to develop his body frame. During Perfect Game showcases, Kath reached 87 mph on his fastball during bullpen sessions and 91 mph during infield drills. 

What drives scouts to see Kath is his bat, a loose left-handed swing that can generate a lot of power. Kath’s top exit velocity at showcases was 93 mph (the average high was 84 mph), and he’s gone from a prospect who was primarily viewed as a gap-to-gap hitter to a constant home run threat. 

Kath was named Arizona’s Gatorade High School Player of the Year and is a verbal commitment to Arizona State. There’s a buzz on Kath going to the White Sox at Pick 22, Oakland at Pick 25, and the Competitive Balance A picks. Maybe a couple of months ago, there was a chance Kath could be a second-round target for the White Sox, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now. 

Peyton Stovall, Second Base, Haughton High (LA)

A line-drive hitting machine, Peyton Stovall has one of the best left-handed swings in this draft class. A smooth, toe-tapping front side that his body weight just glides in its strike. Stovall does an excellent job of continuing to put the barrel on the ball and has posted tremendous max exit velocity numbers (Max EV: 93 mph) at Perfect Game showcases. 

The concern for Stovall is where he will play defensively. His arm is not quite strong enough today to be reliable at shortstop, and there are some concerns about range. At age 18, there’s still plenty of development time that Stovall can improve at both, but he’s projected to be a second baseman or left fielder at present. Stovall can hit the ball, and that’s why he’ll go in the first 35 picks. White Sox at Pick 22 might be his ceiling, but Stovall shouldn’t get past Tampa in the Competitive Balance A round. 

Max Muncy, Shortstop, Thousand Oaks (CA)

I’m sure the Chicago White Sox would love to draft the Max Muncy version from the Los Angeles Dodgers. That would help issues getting another left-handed power bat who covers second base. Alas, this Max Muncy is a right-handed shortstop out of Thousand Oaks, California. There’s more swing-and-miss than Montgomery, Kath, and Stovall, but Muncy posted better max exit velocity numbers at Perfect Game showcase hitting 99 mph. Muncy does need to work on being more consistent with his lower half. At times, he’ll feature a leg kick, and then he’ll not stride on some pitches. When he gets drafted, I’d like to see Muncy just stick with the leg kick for all swings as he taps more into his power. The no-stride swing generates a lot of groundballs, and Muncy scores as a 50-grade runner. 

Defensively, Muncy, I believe, will stick at shortstop. He’s got good hands and a strong arm, but body control still needs some work. One thing that jumps out to me comparing Montgomery and Muncy is the former moves and throws well on the run. Muncy doesn’t always get himself into the best throwing position, and his throws can tail at times to first base. Kind of like Tim Anderson currently for the White Sox when he’s not right. Muncy is an Arkansas commit with the word on the street saying he could start as a freshman next season. There might be a chance to select Muncy with either Pick 22 or Pick 57, but it’ll take first-round money to sign him ($2.5 million+). 

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