MLB Pipeline Mock Draft Has White Sox Selecting Second Baseman

MLB Pipeline has the White Sox selecting a second baseman with the fifth overall pick in its first 2024 Mock Draft. The mock draft predicts the White Sox will take Travis Bazzana, a second baseman out of Oregon State. 

You don’t have to go back far to find the last time the White Sox drafted an infielder from Oregon State in the first round. The White Sox took Nick Madrigal with the fourth overall pick in 2018. Madrigal showed flashes of potential but injuries ultimately led to him getting traded during the 2021 trade deadline for Craig Kimbrel.

Bazzana is entering his Junior year at Oregon State. The Sydney, Australia native is coming off an impressive 2023 campaign that saw him earn Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-American, ABCA Second-Team All-American, Academic All-America Third Team, Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team, All-Pac-12 First Team, Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and Pac-12 All-Tournament Team honors. 

Bazzana batted a team-best .374 last season with 20 doubles 11 home runs, and 55 RBIs. He also managed to draw 59 walks. 

During his freshman year, he was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, Perfect Game First-Team Freshman All-American, NCBWA Freshman All-American, All-Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. He also slashed .306/.425/.478. 

The selection makes sense for the White Sox who have been trying to fill a hole at second base for nearly a decade. Bazzzana is an excellent fielder, who puts the ball in play and has a disciplined approach at the plate. These are all things the White Sox need. He is also a left-handed hitter which plays well in the White Sox hitter-friendly ballpark. 

The five previous picks included in the mock draft include.  Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz going to Cleveland, West Virginia shortstop/second baseman JJ Wetherholt going to Cincinnati, Georgia outfielder/first baseman Charlie Condn going to Colorado, and Florida State first baseman Jac Caglianone going to the Athletics at four. 

Vance Honeycutt to Kansas City, Josh Hartle to St Louis, Seaver King to the Angels, Konnor Griffin to Pittsburgh, and Tommy White to Washington round out the top ten. 

This is an important draft for the White Sox. Not only is it going to be Chris Getz’s first draft as general manager, but it will also be the only lottery pick the team has in the next two years. The White Sox had the fourth-best odds to secure the number one overall pick in the second-ever MLB Draft lottery. Unfortunately for them, the ping pong balls did not bounce in their favor and they were awarded the five spot earlier on December 5th. 

Under the new CBA rules, teams that participate in revenue sharing cannot pick in the lottery two years in a row. Because of this, the highest pick the White Sox can have next season is 10th overall, even if they wind up with the worst record in baseball. The Nationals fell victim to this last season. Despite being tied for the fifth-worst record in the MLB they were forced to pick 10th overall. The White Sox are not projected to be good next season so this pick will play a key role in building toward the future.