Major League Baseball recently held their draft lottery, and as expected, the White Sox will be picking 10th in the 2025 MLB draft. Unfortunately, due to new rules, despite the fact that the White Sox had the worst record in the league by far, they could not pick any higher than 10th. Since the White Sox picked 5th in the 2024 draft and they are part of the revenue sharing for the league, they couldn't pick that high again.
Now, the rules are the rules and they can't do anything about it, but since the MLB draft is filled with question marks, the White Sox could still walk away with an elite player. Just this week, MLB Pipeline released their top prospects in the 2025 and we can take an early look at who the White Sox could take.
This list is likely to change a few times between now and July, as the final season for most of these players typically make or break where they get drafted. Some will fall out of their originally high ranking, while others will shoot up the board.
As of right now, Ethan Holiday, the brother of Jackson Holiday and the son of Matt Holiday is ranked as the best prospect as a prep infielder. Scouts think that he might be better than Jackson, so it does hurt that the White Sox can't draft him this year.
Still, there are some solid players in the range where the White Sox will be picking. The White Sox will likely prioritize a bat high in this draft, as they picked Hagen Smith in the top five last year.
Currently ranked at number 10 on the MLB Pipeline list is Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill. He would be a great pick at 10, as he is from Chicago and had a great sophomore season. In 58 games, he hit .324 with eight homeruns and 58 RBIs. He walked 31 times compared to just 36 strikeouts, while slugging .550. These are impressive numbers as a sophomore and he could raise his stock with another good year.
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 — No. 7️⃣
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) December 24, 2024
Brendan Summerhill delivered the dramatics with a walk-off homer to take the series opener from UCLA 💪 pic.twitter.com/Hr0NoepBYn
Another prospect the White Sox could look into is Max Belyeu, an outfielder from Texas. The White Sox could clearly use some help in the outfield, and lucky for them there are a few that will be in the range of their selection.
Last year Belyeu was the BIg-12 player of the year and hit .329 with 18 homer runs and 53 RBIs. This is a very solid season for a sophomore and he should be able to build on that in his junior season. He is currently ranked 14th on the MLB Pipeline list.
Max Belyeu puts Aggie rumors aside and cements himself as a Longhorn for life. The 2024 Big 12 player of the year is returning to Austin 🤘🏻pic.twitter.com/Z64tEQeAhn
— Gage Sheets (@SheetsG23) July 2, 2024
Things can easily change between now and July, but there are some talented college bats that could help boost the White Sox farm system and make their way to the major leagues quickly.
Outside of these college bats, there are plenty of prep bats available, as there are four ranked within the top 11. A top prospect could fall to the White Sox due to signability issues, so that is something to keep an eye on as well.
If the White Sox could get one of these players to pair with Braden Montgomery in the outfield in a few years, they could set a solid foundation of a good hitting team.
