Over the course of nine hours, the White Sox made their final 17 selections to round out their 2025 MLB draft class.
In case you missed the first three ...
- Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS (Calif.)
- Jaden Fauske, OF, Nazareth Academy (Ill.)
- Kyle Lodise, SS, Georgia Tech
... and the prep picks and/or shortstops didn't stop there.
Fourth round (106th overall): Landon Hodge, C, Crespi Carmelite HS (Calif.)
Ranks: BA: 131 | ESPN: 215 | MLB: 164 | Law: 65
The third prep catcher taken in this draft, Hodge bats lefty and possesses an above-average arm and athleticism for a catcher, so he's a good bet to stick behind the plate. The bigger question regarding his immediate development is with the bat, as he has some contact issues despite a hands-oriented swing. He could be able to tap into more power if he adds strength to his 6-foot-1-inch, 175-pound frame.
"This guys is super athletic, he's a switch hitter," said scouting director Mike Shirley. "You usually don't get these guys at that price point and able to secure him in the fourth round with something we couldn't pass on. That fourth round discussion was like two hours long this morning."
Fifth round (137): Gabe Davis, RHP, Oklahoma State
Ranks: BA: 129 | ESPN: 223 | MLB: 147
You look at Davis' numbers -- a 5.92 ERA and 29 strikeouts against 20 free bases over 24 ⅓ innings -- and you wonder what the big deal is. Then you look at his listed height and weight, and you see that he's a big deal. He stands 6'9", but only 234 pounds. He already throws high-90s with a low-90s slider, and he could fill out a little more. He also missed time with shoulder issues after breaking his collarbone before the season, so the stuff and control could tick up when he has a fully healthy offseason. Either that, or he continues to walk a ton of guys because he can't synchronize his levers.
"Just saw him in the Cape last week, the velocity's coming back." Shirley said. "He kind of went through a bump in the road at Oklahoma State this year, was kind of like a premium guy for us heading into the season. Got off to a fast start, bump in the road, took him a while to get ramped back up, back in that rotation. But now, as the end of the season started to occur, where he's at presently, we think it's elite stuff."
Sixth round (166): Colby Shelton, SS, Florida
Ranks: BA: 158 | ESPN: 142 | MLB: 142
The Nationals drafted Shelton in the 20th round last year after a down draft-eligible sophomore season with the Gators, and he improved his fortunes in 2025 by cutting his strikeout rate en route to a .377/.458/.606 line. He went from striking out 26.3 percent of the time in 2024 to 11.8 percent in 2025, although with the adjustment came a drop in homers (20 to seven). He's shown the ability to hit for average and power over his three years in the SEC, but not at the same time.
He's the third shortstop drafted by the White Sox this class, but he seems the least likely to stick there.
"Got a little too chase happy last year, maybe the metrics, the decisions weren’t as good," Shirley said. "He really did a great job of maturing the approach, swing decisions got better. Started to get back to it, the defense got quicker, played a much better shortstop this year. We were just laughing about that, able to secure him where we secured him at the price point compared to what we thought it was going to be last year, just had a bump in the road. Super, that guy’s got a chance to be a really good player. Power from the left side, too."
Seventh round (196): Anthony DePino, 3B, Rhode Island
DePino broke out in his senior season with the Rams, hitting .354/.505/.730 with 20 homers, 21 stolen bases and 57 walks against just 42 strikeouts over 58 games in the Atlantic 10. Given his listed built (5'11", 218 pounds), he's likely to stay on a corner.
"[Steffan] Segui, the east coast crosschecker, really loved him," Shirley said. "That R&D department, all those analysts that work here, up and down excited when we land those guys. Pure celebration in there for him because they love that guy."
Anthony DePino (@ant_depino) has been selected in the 7th round of the 2025 #MLBDraft by the @whitesox!
— 643 Charts (@643charts) July 14, 2025
The @RhodyBaseball slugger ranked 2nd in D1 with a 23.5% Barrel Rate (min. 100 BBE) and finished 3rd nationally with 5.4 WAR in 2025.#643Charts | @MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/lsm6X3XHmQ
Eighth round (226): Blaine Wynk, RHP, Ohio State
Ranks: BA: 402
Wynk's jump from the Buckeyes bullpen to the rotation didn't go as planned, as injuries limited him to 8⅔ disastrous innings over five games. He showed well at the MLB Draft Combine, sitting mid-90s with a changeup and a cutter, and he has the starter's build (6'3", 210 pounds), so perhaps the White Sox will want to take another run at that project.
Ninth round (256): Riley Eikhoff, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Eikhoff was a significant contributor to the Chanticleers' run to the College World Series final, posting a 3.10 ERA over 17 starts and 90 innings in his senior season. He's a 5-foot-10-inch control-oriented righty who walked just 37 batters over 238⅔ collegiate innings, and this Twitter thread goes into great detail about a drop in his arm slot allowing his sinker-sweeper-changeup combo to play up east-west.
A look back into the development of Riley Eikhoff going into the 2025 season⬇️
— Matt Pepin (@matthewpepin_) June 30, 2025
2024 - 75 IP - 5.00 ERA
2025 - 90 IP - 3.10 ERA pic.twitter.com/a1XV5t971o
10th round (256): Daniel Wright, RHP, Iowa
The White Sox follow the selection of an undersized righty with an oversized righty. Davis' reign as the largest draft pick by the White Sox lasted an hour. Wright is also listed as 6'9", but he comes in at 245 pounds. It doesn't lead to a lot of strikeouts, as he only K'd 60 over 80 innings in a collegiate career that went from Houston to Iowa. There's not a lot of velocity despite the size at the moment, and it sounds like the Sox view him as a reliever.
Daniel Wright (‘25 elig) has a massive 6’9/235 frame. Working 87-90 T91 mph on the FB w/ good angle & ride to it. Showing an 82-83 mph SL w/ some tilt and tight sweep to it. Missing bats so far. @UIBaseball pic.twitter.com/Ropjqkpigg
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) October 12, 2024
11th round (316): Matthew Boughton, SS, Covenant HS (Texas)
From here on out, teams are able to offer bonuses of $125,000 without counting against their bonus pool, with only the overages subtracted from the team's allotment, so it's noteworthy that the White Sox opened this section by selecting a prep shortstop, albeit one on the older side (he turns 20 in September). Boughton is a Texas A&M commit and considered a true shortstop, and he's also a state champion long and high jumper, so the athleticism is there.
"The signability was too big and then all of a sudden the kid decides 'You know what? I want to sign'" Shirley said. "The relationship our area scout Alex Glenn had with the kid, Ryan Dorsey mid-south crosschecker had with the kid, we were able to accomplish with Boughton what we had no forethought that we'd have. We thought about taking him in the fifth round, we got him done in the 11th round for half the price, which is unbelievable. Exciting."
12th round (346): Ely Brown, OF, Mercer
The White Sox finally select an outfielder, and one who hit .320/.459/.401 with just 32 strikeouts over 286 plate appearances as a draft-eligible sophomore who just turned 21 on Sunday. He made all 60 of his appearances in center after playing all three positions his freshman year.
Ely Brown 2025 College Baseball Highlights! | Mercer Bears | @ElyBrown002 @MercerBaseball pic.twitter.com/hLybI6HQ1j
— Baseball is Everything (@ReportOnSports) June 23, 2025
13th round (376): Rylan Galvan, C, Texas
Galvan is coming off a big junior season with the Longhorns, hitting .296/.452/.613 with 15 homers over 56 games, albeit with a 28 percent strikeout rate. Scouting reports give the impression of a catching version of Tim Elko -- a team leader and a sturdy defender who already uses the one-knee setup, and a hitter whose standout power might be neutralized by too much in-zone swing-and-miss. Shirley said a connection between Phil Nevin and Longhorns assistant coach Troy Tulowitzski played a role here.
14th round (406): Max Banks, RHP, Washington
Banks transferred to Washignton for his senior season from Division-III Chapman University and fared decently in the Big Ten (which is still weird to say), posting a 3.86 ERA over 13 starts and 74⅔ innings for the Huskies. Joe Doyle provided a pretty comprehensive scouting report:
First University of Washington product off the board. Righty Max Banks and his bully mentality and strike-throwing ability heading to Chicago. pic.twitter.com/e1e58n9Gg3
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) July 14, 2025
15th round (436): Caedmon Parker, RHP, TCU
Parker made the jump to the Bullfrogs rotation, making 12 starts and throwing 50 innings, but the strikeout stuff stayed in the bullpen. After striking out 27.2 percent of the batters he faced as a sophomore, the K rate dropped to 15.3 percent, which negated the improvement in his control. He throws five pitches, but with a fastball that sits 94 mph, he might be able to round it down to his best ones in shorter stints.
16th round (466): Kaleb Freeman, UTIL, Georgia State
Not to be confused with the Caleb Freeman who is currently in the Charlotte bullpen, the switch-hitting Kaleb Freeman hit .349/.504/.732 with 16 homers, 28 doubles, two triples and 61 walks over 56 games. He played mostly second base, but also spent 14 games in right field. He did strike out 57 times, good for a 20.6 percent strikeout rate, so maybe that's where the "K" comes in. He committed to transfer to Texas.
17th round (496): Derek Cerda, OF, Kansas
The Dominican-born Cerda hit .279/.410/.503 for the Jayhawks after transferring from Western Oklahoma State College, with 10 homers, 10 steals and a respectable 18.8 percent strikeout rate. He made all 50 starts in center, where he's considered a capable defender.
Derek Cerda | JR | OF@KUBaseball
— Blaine Peterson (@BPonbase) March 16, 2025
This is a really good one. Back to back multi-hit games with a HR. Oppo gap HR today and a single so far. Plus defender with range and arm strength in CF. No doubt high level #MLBDraft prospect for 2025.@Derek_Cerda10 | @wosc_baseball_ pic.twitter.com/U0KfixGCmA
18th round (526): Landen Payne, RHP, Southern Miss
Payen struck out 47 batters against just six walks over 32⅔ innings out of the Golden Eagles' bullpen, picking up five saves along the way. He has a mid-90s fastball, but all the highlights involve his slider.
Landen Payne strikes out the side and SLAMS the door 🔥🔥🔥
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 19, 2025
Southern Miss shuts out Mississippi State to move to 5-0 pic.twitter.com/WIEW9muemd
19th round (556): Nick Weyrich, RHP, Marshall
Weyrich saved 12 games for the Thundering Herd over the last two years. The 3.88 ERA over that time isn't impressive, nor are the strikeout and walk rates, but he managed to go 50 appearances and 99 ⅔ innings without allowing a homer. That's where he stands out on paper, and the submarine delivery is how he stands out in person. Shirley said Brian Bannister has been interested in Weyrich's unique release angle for the last two years.
#WhiteSox select Marshall RHP Nick Weyrich with the 556th pick! (19th Rd) #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/JY9RVdAVGG
— Adrian White (@AdrianWhiteSox) July 14, 2025
20th round (586): Andrew Sentlinger, LHP, Virginia Tech
Sentlinger only made 40 appearances over three seasons with the Hokies due to injuries, and while 65 strikeouts over 52 ⅔ innings is somewhat impressive, the 44 walks mitigates it. He has some metrics in his favor, so that's the appeal.
Andrew Sentlinger (@HokiesBaseball) on in relief, the lefty has logged only 5.2 IP this year but features a nasty FB 91-94 with obvious elite spin traits and an abrupt SL in the low-80s…a lot to look forward to with this sophomore southpaw pic.twitter.com/coEl2u9D0k
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 23, 2024