Sox Machine is ultimately in the sports news business, so it serves our readership to take a run at answering the question everybody in town is asking: Who will Chicago take with the 10th pick in the first round of the upcoming draft?
Sox Machine is also neck-deep in White Sox business, so it serves our readership to have a slightly different interpretation of Chicago and what draft.
In a naked attempt to ride the SEO coattails of tonight’s NFL draft, it’s time to map out a potential first round for Major League Baesball's draft in July. There’s still a lot of uncertainty at the top in trying to guess what direction the Washington Nationals will take with the first pick. Last week’s matchup between Ethan Holliday and Eli Willits didn’t produce the fireworks many hoped to witness. While Fort Cobb-Broxton won a tight game, Willits went 1-for-3 with an infield single, and Holliday was 0-for-2 with a walk.
If the Nationals don’t go the prep route, Jace LaViolette’s recent hot streak could be considered. The Texas A&M Aggie put on a show at Arkansas, going 5-for-12 with four home runs and seven RBI while walking three times and not striking out in three games. Rather suddenly, LaViolette is producing esults that were expected of him entering the season, as he’s hitting .315/.474/.692 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs. Once 1-9 in SEC play, Texas A&M has won seven of their last eight conference games. Maybe we’ll get to see LaViolette postseason play after all.
The MLB draft dope is light, too; lots of speculation with little substance. Hopefully, that changes in a month, but one trend to monitor is the asking price for some of the top prep players. Some reports have some high schoolers already asking for signing bonuses of $5 million or more. We still don’t have slot values for the draft picks, but that asking price is firmly top-10 money. Could some top prep players opt for the opportunity to sign for NIL money and skip the draft? Time will tell.
Last night, MLB released the draft bonus pools and slot values. The White Sox bonus pool will be $12,169,100 in 2025, a drop of $2,424,200 from last year, and a sign of the lingering impact of losing out on the MLB Draft Lottery is falling from the fifth to tenth pick.
Chicago White Sox 2025 Draft Slot Values
| Total Draft Pool | $12,169,100 | |
| Round | Pick | Bonus Slot Value |
| 1 | 10 | $6,238,400 |
| 2 | 44 | $2,223,600 |
| 3 | 76 | $1,076,800 |
| 4 | 106 | $722,600 |
| 5 | 137 | $534,400 |
| 6 | 166 | $403,900 |
| 7 | 196 | $314,500 |
| 8 | 226 | $248,700 |
| 9 | 256 | $210,900 |
| 10 | 286 | $195,300 |
Without further ado, here’s the first Sox Machine Mock Draft for 2025. Let's project who the White Sox will be pick at No. 10 months from now, and as a bonus, I'll throw out a guess for who could be a second-round target, too.
Mock Draft 1.0
No. 1: Washington Nationals - Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS (Oklahoma)
I’m unsure if MLB teams are ready to take a prep right-handed pitcher 1.1 because of past failure rates. Looking for a sure thing, I think the Nationals side with family pedigree by taking Ethan Holliday. If his brother Jackson is still with the Orioles by then, it'll set up the potential for some extra Beltway Series spice down the road.
No. 2: Los Angeles Angels - Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
The Angels usually operate with the question “Which college player can we throw caution to the wind and promote hyper-aggressively to the majors within 12 months?” I’m guessing that direction would be Jamie Arnold, but I could see the Angels considering LaViollete or Liam Doyle in this spot.
No. 3: Seattle Mariners - Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona High (California)
The Mariners have tremendous success in developing arms. They’ll have to answer the question of whether they can keep those talented pitchers long-term, but with Seth Hernandez, they can begin getting ready for that transition.
No. 4: Colorado Rockies - Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
Colorado could use a lot of help. The best player on the board at this spot is Oregon State’s Aiva Arquette, who is currently hitting .377/.489/.755 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs. At 6’5”, Arquette is tall for the shortstop position and may have to move to third base professionally, but the bat plays.
No. 5: St. Louis Cardinals - Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
In the last four years, St. Louis has taken a college player in the first round. I’m a little iffy on Marek Houston being the direction only because he’s cooled off during conference play. Houston went 3-for-5 in his last game against Liberty, which is good, but Houston hasn’t hit a home run since March 25 against Elon, which spans 16 games. I feel it’s a different college player mocked by the Cardinals in a month, but Houston is the highest-rated player on the board.
No. 6: Pittsburgh Pirates - Billy Carlson, SS, Corona High (California)
Billy Carlson would provide the Pittsburgh Pirates with the best defensive shortstop in the draft. Some work needs to be done with his swing, but adding Carlson a year after taking Konnor Griffin could give the Pirates young building blocks to work with.
No. 7: Miami Marlins - Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton High (Oklahoma)
Five of the Marlins' last six first-round picks have come from the prep ranks. I have them going in that direction again, taking the highest available prospect on the board with Eli Willits. His plus athleticism gives me confidence that Willits will stick in the infield. Even though he’s not projected to be a plus power hitter, Willits has a well-rounded offensive skill set.
No. 8: Toronto Blue Jays - Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M
Not quite falling within range of the White Sox, the preseason No. 1 prospect finds a home with Toronto. With the Blue Jays locking up Vlad Guerrero Jr. long-term, they should start building a better support cast. I foresee LaViolette striking out a lot professionally, but he has the strength to be a power threat and make up for the inefficiency.
No. 9: Cincinnati Reds - Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Cincinnati already has Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer throwing well to start the season. They still have Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder waiting in the wings. But everyone knows keeping pitchers healthy and under contract can be arduous. I like the fit for Liam Doyle with the Reds as they continue to stockpile arms.
- Chicago White Sox - Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona
The highest-rated college players on my Watch Board are Oklahoma RHP Kyson Witherspoon and Tennessee 2B Gavin Kilen. While I’m tempted to favor my feelings, we're trying to guess which direction Mike Shirley and Chris Getz will pull the White Sox with their first-round selection. My gut says that it’s Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill.
Summerhill checks off many boxes that Getz and assistant GM Josh Barfield have stressed since starting Rebuild III. Defensive versatility allows Summerhill to play all three outfield positions, possibly providing an answer to who plays center field once Luis Robert Jr. is gone. At the plate, Summerhill has more contact over power and is tough to strike out (11.8 percent K-rate this season). With six triples, Summerhill has good speed out of the batter’s box.
The downside is a lack of home run power (probably a 40 grade at best), and base stealing technique is poor for Summerhill’s athleticism (16-for-28 in his college career). Plus, Summerhill fractured his right hand against West Virginia in late March and has almost missed a month of games.
Weigh the pros against the cons, then note that he's a local product (Whitney Young High) who hit pretty well in the Cape Cod League last summer (.286/.358/.441 in 24 games). Summerhill feels like a White Sox pick.
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Sacramento Athletics | Gavin Kilen | 2B | Tennessee |
| 12 | Texas Rangers | Kyson Witherspoon | RHP | Oklahoma |
| 13 | San Francisco Giants | Tyler Bremner | RHP | UC Santa Barbara |
| 14 | Tampa Bay Rays | Kayson Cunningham | SS | Johnson (TX) |
| 15 | Boston Red Sox | Gavin Fien | 3B | Great Oak (CA) |
| 16 | Minnesota Twins | Dean Curley | SS | Tennessee |
| 17 | Chicago Cubs | Wehiwa Aloy | SS | Arkansas |
| 18 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Cam Cannarella | OF | Clemson |
| 19 | Baltimore Orioles | Devin Taylor | OF | Indiana |
| 20 | Milwaukee Brewers | Xavier Neyens | 3B | Mount Vernon (WA) |
| 21 | Houston Astros | Luke Stevenson | C | North Carolina |
| 22 | Atlanta Braves | Kade Anderson | LHP | LSU |
| 23 | Kansas City Royals | Patrick Forbes | RHP | Louisville |
| 24 | Detroit Tigers | Daniel Pierce | SS | Mill Creek (GA) |
| 25 | San Diego Padres | Steele Hall | SS | Hewitt-Trussville HS (Ala.) |
| 26 | Philadelphia Phillies | Cameron Appenzeller | LHP | Glenwood (IL) |
| 27 | Cleveland Guardians | Ike Irish | C | Auburn |
| 28 | Kansas City Royals | Caden Bodine | C | Coastal Carolina |
| 29 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Riley Quick | RHP | Alabama |
| 30 | Baltimore Orioles | Sean Gamble | SS | IMG Academy (FL) |
| 31 | Baltimore Orioles | Zach Root | LHP | Arkansas |
| 32 | Milwaukee Brewers | Ethan Conrad | OF | Wake Forest |
| 33 | Boston Red Sox | Max Belyeu | OF | Texas |
| 34 | Detroit Tigers | Ethan Petry | OF/1B | South Carolina |
| 35 | Seattle Mariners | Brandon Compton | OF | Arizona State |
| 36 | Minnesota Twins | Andrew Fischer | 1B | Tennessee |
| 37 | Tampa Bay Rays | Korbyn Dickerson | OF | Indiana |
| 38 | New York Mets | JoJo Parker | SS | Purvis (MS) |
| 39 | New York Yankees | Brady Ebel | SS | Corona (CA) |
| 40 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Joseph Dzierwa | LHP | Michigan State |
| 41 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Slater de Brun | OF | Summit (OR) |
| 42 | Tampa Bay Rays | Alex Lodise | SS | Florida State |
| 43 | Miami Marlins | Kane Kepley | OF | North Carolina |
Bonus Pick: Chicago White Sox Second Round
44) Chicago White Sox - Jaden Fauske, C, Nazareth Academy (Illinois)
Following in the footsteps of taking Caleb Bonemer last year in the second round after playing on the White Sox Area Code team, I could see the White Sox's draft room going back to that well for Jaden Fauske. A left-handed hitter who plays multiple positions including catcher, Fauske put up impressive batting metrics during the Prep Baseball All-American Game in Miami this past September. Even with the top prep players involved (Billy Carlson, Seth Hernandez, Kayson Cunningham, and Xavier Neyens), Fauske had the best average exit velocity during hitting drills, averaging 97.6 MPH, with a max value of 104.7 MPH.
Fauske is an LSU commit so that NIL money could be a factor in signability. The White Sox almost paid Bonemer $3 million to forgo his commitment to TCU last year, and I’m assuming it’ll be a similar amount for any second-round prep target.
