It seems that many people are liking the White Sox draft so far. They got a very solid player in the first round, followed up by a pitcher with high upside in the second round. But, the pick that people are talking about the most was not either of those picks, but the White Sox 7th round selection.
In the 7th round, the White Sox picked a hometown kid, George Wolkow, from Downers Grove North. This follows a trend of Chicago area picks, as the Sox picked Oswego East star Noah Schultz last year in the first round.
The Steal Of The Draft?
Wolkow was ranked extremely high on draft boards and was projected to be a second or third-round pick. This comes after he reclassified out of the class of 2024, where he was almost a surefire first-round pick. The White Sox basically got a first-round talent in the 7th round. The craziest part is, he is the youngest player in the draft, as he won't be 18 for another six months.
Usually, when high school players fall in the draft, it is due to signability issues, as they are likely to go to college. But, in this case, it seems that Wolkow will sign with the White Sox instead of going to South Carolina.
They will pay him significantly above the slot value for his pick, but to be able to grab this type of player in the 7th round is truly phenomenal. He will need plenty of development and he will likely take 5-7 years to get to the majors, but he could easily mold into a top-50 prospect in all of baseball.
Big Time Power
The biggest tool for Wolkow is his power. On the 20-80 scale, MLB has rated him with 60 power, which is well above average. With him always playing with people that are older than him, he will be able to take that experience and grow as a hitter. Now with professional coaches, they can help turn him into a true major league power threat.
He is 6 foot 7 inches tall, so he has a large frame to work with, similar to Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. If he can become half the player Judge is, that would be an absolute win. As you can see from the video, he has light tower power and if all goes right, could hit 30+ home runs a year.
The power that he has at such a young age is truly remarkable and will translate at any level. The main thing will be to make sure he develops as an all-around hitter and that will bring him significantly more success.
He can play both the corners in the infield and the outfield, so it will be interesting to follow where the White Sox feel he can play at the professional level.
Given the lack of development from the White Sox minor leagues, there is doubt that they will be able to develop any of these raw prospects. Hopefully, Wolkow's talent can overcome the deficiencies in the White Sox development team.
