The Rule-5 draft is approaching quickly and the White Sox will have the second overall pick this year. Last year, the White Sox used the first overall pick on starting pitcher Shane Smith. This turned out to be a very good pick, as he was the all-star representative for the White Sox at the midsummer classic.
For all the good it can bring, unfortunately the Rule-5 draft is very volatile. Last year was great for the White Sox in terms of Rule-5 draft players, as Shane Smith and Mike Vasil should both be long-term pieces after impressing in their rookie seasons. However, prior to that, you have to go back to 2017 for the last Rule-5 player that made any sort of impact for the White Sox, that being starting pitcher Dylan Covey.
The White Sox will look to strike gold again this year and will have an interesting pool of players to choose from. As you can see below, Baseball America points out how many former first round picks were left unprotected in the draft, which means if the White Sox want to add any of these players to their organization they can, as long as the Rockies don't select them before the White Sox do.
This was a ROUGH protection deadline for first-time eligible first-rounders 😬@jjcoop36 explains why: https://t.co/wgUIFb0Bbz pic.twitter.com/ELy7Y1Gbbb
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 19, 2025
The trickiest part about the Rule-5 draft is that the player must remain on the active roster the entire season or they will have to return the player to the team they selected the player from. This means it is smarter to pick a player who has been in AA or AAA, as they will be more prepared to make the jump to the major leagues. Additionally, sometimes there is a reason why a team left a player unprotected, as if it is not due to a 40-man roster crunch, they may simply not care if they lose the player, which isn't always a good thing.
While the White Sox had more success with developing Rule-5 pitchers this past season, as Gage Workman did not end up working out, there are some intriguing hitters out there. One player that the White Sox could be interested in selecting with the second pick is outfielder Gavin Cross.
Cross was selected by the Royals with the 9th pick in the 2022 draft out of Virginia Tech. That season Cross played a few games in the rookie league before finishing the rest of the season in low-A. Overall, he hit .312 with a .437 OBP, adding eight homeruns and 25 RBIs.
In 2023, Cross played most of the season with the Royals high-A affiliate. In 94 games, he hit .206 with a .300 OBP, adding 12 homeruns and 58 RBIs. He added 23 stolen bases and walked 42 times compared to 113 strikeouts.
Cross then spent the entire 2024 season in AA. He hit .261 with a .342 OBP. He added 15 homeruns, 59 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. He walked 45 times compared to 105 strikeouts. This was a very solid season for a 23 year old in AA.
Gavin Cross home run. Would love to see him get right and get going this season. pic.twitter.com/gegzThX1Gt
— Preston Farr (@royalsminors) May 26, 2025
Cross spent the entire 2025 season in AA, where he didn't fare as well. He hit .241 with a .291 OBP. He added 17 homers, 64 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. While his power numbers ticked up a bit, the rest of his numbers slipped a bit.
Cross will be 25 when the season starts and hasn't played a game above AA. However, it is clear that he posses the ability to be a 20/20 player. The White Sox could give him an opportunity to get at-bats in the outfield or at DH, as a spot has opened up with the departure of Mike Tauchman.
While the production hasn't quite been there to this point, Cross may have the potential that is worth taking a swing at in the Rule-5 draft, as he was a very productive player in college. Outside of Braden Montgomery, the White Sox don't have a ton of highly ranked outfield prospects, so it may be worthwhile to see what Cross can do.
