White Sox Draft Highlights
The Sox used the 2022 draft as a tool for addressing organizational pitching depth.
Every season, the culmination of a year’s work by each organization’s scouting department converges on the national stage in the manifestation of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft. To borrow a reference from the modern comedy classic Step Brothers, the draft is akin to the Catalina Wine Mixer for MLB front offices. Upon its completion the player development staff, analytics department, scouting department and front office of every team glad hands, high-fives, and back slaps each other for yet another job well done. Typically, the effects of this hopium are short-lived as the scouts return to the trenches and begin filing reports on next year’s crop.
When the dust settles, fans are left wondering what treasures their teams have unearthed and how long it will take for those draft picks to re-appear as big-league ready contributors. The 2022 White Sox draft has fostered a spirit of hope as the minor-league coffers have been replenished by an infusion of strong talent, particularly on the pitching side. White Sox area scout JJ Lally shared, “We knocked it out of the park, we recognized an organizational need to add pitching and we absolutely cleaned up on pitching.”
Lally, who’s sphere of responsibility includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas feels strongly that first-round pick Noah Schultz can be a difference maker on baseball’s biggest stage.
Lally explains the process in which the White Sox landed on Schultz. “We had a bunch of college guys that we really liked, and we weren’t sure what Noah’s number was going to be. I kept my hopes subdued.” He continued “In a normal year Noah Schultz doesn’t fall to us. This is a local guy that has the chance to be the face of our future starting rotation that we were able to get at pick 26. He has a chance to be a top-of-the-rotation starter and we were comparing him to college guys that were profiled as third starters.”
The veteran scout shared, “Kenny Williams told us, don’t be afraid to shoot for the moon, let’s give ourselves the best chance to add a real impact player.” He felt that Williams’ guidance resonated in the draft room and the Sox acquired an impact player in Schultz.
Getting back to Schultz, you can almost envision the Sox brass doing cartwheels after making the Oswego, IL native their first-round selection. The tale of the tape reveals that the 18-year-old is a very lanky 6’9” 230 lb. left-hander. His strong ties with the organization are traceable through relationships that forged in the Area Code Games. Both Lally and another Sox scout, Justin Wechsler, coached the youthful hurler and have witnessed his growth as a player from a bird’s eye view.
On the mound the southpaw’s arsenal features a sharp slider delivered from a low three-quarters delivery that “just disappears” to both left and right-handed hitters. The pitch exhibits late break and sweep coupled with an elite (3000 rpm) spin rate. Lally states, “That’s hard to do from a lower arm slot. He is a unicorn; he just does things normal people can’t do.” As it pertains to future development the scout feels that Schultz is just cracking the surface. His elite slider approaches home plate in a 78-82 mph velocity band but, “When he learns and grows it’s going to get even harder. I see a lot of commonalities with Chris Sale’s breaking ball. I think that’s what it’s going to look like some day.”
During his first start of the season Lally shared that Schultz’s fastball consistently registered in the 93-97 mph range. A bout with mononucleosis and the pitcher’s subsequent rush to return to the mound caused him to experience a measurable velocity drop. The history the Sox had with the pitcher may pay huge, long-term dividends as they were undeterred by this trend.
Additionally, Schultz has the foundation for a third plus pitch in his repertoire, a changeup that Lally feels is going to be a 60-grade or better offering down the road. For those unfamiliar with “scout speak,” they use a 20-80 scale of evaluation. This scale is credited to Branch Rickey; a 50-grade is considered major-league average.
It takes a village to develop a first-round talent. Lally is quick to offer credit to coach Mark Sheehan, a Tom House disciple that worked with Schultz the past four years. Sheehan helped simplify Schultz delivery keeping his long levers in sync while enhancing both his efficiency and repeatability. Lally states, “Noah wouldn’t be where he was without Mark Sheehan. He did a great job with Noah it’s amazing to see where he is and what he has done. He deserves a huge part of this.”
Lally feels that Schultz ceiling offers the potential of a true staff ace. At full evolution the hurler’s electric arsenal may feature an 80 fastball, 70 slider and a 60 changeup. While Wechsler adds, “He’s unique, being that long and commanding his body like that. He throws strikes, the slider is disgusting, and he’s the most even-keeled kid on the field. He’s extremely bright, never looks stressed by a situation, he’s in control all the time. It’s interesting, he has the chance to be different… different good.” Lally adds, “If you can’t dream on this guy, then you just can’t dream.”
With their second round pick the Sox continued to zero in on pitching talent and nabbed right-hander Payton Pallette from the University of Arkansas. Palette is currently on the mend after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February. As recently as January, Baseball America had tabbed Pallette as the #2 pitching prospect in the country.
Pallette’s selection elicits memories of the Dodgers drafting Walker Buehler in 2015 with the understanding he would need the medical procedure. As an undersized right-hander his 6’1” 180 lb. frame evokes comparisons with Houston Astros great Roy Oswalt.
Pallette’s signing scout, Torreon Woods shared some thoughts about the hurler stating, “Pallette is an undersized righty with an electric fastball and a good breaking ball with the metrics to match. He also shows a feel for the changeup.” The scout thinks that Pallette’s continued refinement of his changeup will be one of the keys to reaching his ceiling; that and tightening his command. Woods continued, “He’s been a force for Arkansas since he arrived on campus, he came into the season as one of the top college arms, but his injury caused him to fall down the draft boards.”
On the mound Pallette’s success is primarily driven by his fastball and curve. His four-seamer typically sits 93-95 but has been clocked as high as 98 mph out of the bullpen. It features explosive carry up in the zone, while his breaking ball shows depth and power. His scout described the pitch as “a tight high spin breaker” and continued, “It’s a filthy pitch.”
Sox fans will likely endear themselves to Pallette. His blue-collar approach and mound presence evoke thoughts of another wildly popular Sox pitcher, Liam Hendricks. Woods states, “He is a fiery character, he pitches with emotion, he’s a Ferrari.” Pallette shared his mantra with White Sox Daily stating, “My game plan is very simple. Go out there, do my job and get outs. I’m going after guys with my best stuff.” He said he uses scouting reports to identify a hitter’s hot zone and assess whether he needs to throw a hitter a strike in a particular situation.
Although Pallette won’t see live action until spring training, he is champing at the bit to return and states, “The recovery is going great man. I’m ready to get back.”
In the third round the Sox utilized the 101st pick to add Georgia Bulldogs 6’6” 213 lb. right-handed starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon. Although Cannon doesn’t have the ceiling of their first two picks, an evaluator doesn’t have to squint as hard to see his future.
Prospect1500’s MLB draft pundit Shaun Kernahan shared, “He really took a big step forward with his command and that may very well be his best tool. He features two hard breaking balls; a slurvy slider and a sharp cutter. His fastball sits in the mid-nineties, and he has a quality changeup.”
Kernahan said that Cannon’s polish and command give him “about as high of a floor as there was in the draft this year.” He further stated that if he had to place bets on which starting pitcher from this draft would be first to the big leagues, his money would be on Cannon. In a system bereft of advanced starting pitching prospects, this should serve as welcomed news for the fan base.
When the Sox made their fourth-round pick, they veered from the pitching strategy to grab UC Santa Barbara shortstop Jordan Sprinkle. The org. had first round follows on Sprinkle. There is a feeling among evaluators that his glove is so advanced that he could hold his own defensively in the big leagues right now. Kernahan said a case could be made that Sprinkle was the best defensive shortstop in his draft class. In addition to elite defensive chops, the infielder possesses top of the scale speed. The Sox felt that his down year with the bat adversely affected his draft stock and are excited to see what he can do in the minors.
The fifth round saw the Pale Hose returning to the mound by selecting Ball State Cardinals left-handed starter Tyler Schweitzer who Wechsler called his “gut-feel” guy. When he first evaluated the pitcher, he saw him as a really skinny two pitch guy that pounded the zone with an ability to land his breaking ball for strikes. Returning months later, he spied a pitcher with a sturdier build that comfortably sat 92-93 with his fastball. This observation led Wechsler to query, “Did you get a JUCO kid in?” He was surprised when the response was, “No, that’s Schweitzer.”
Wechsler sees upside in the southpaw and thinks of him as a late bloomer that is starting to gain some strength. He states, “I think Schweitzer is just scratching the surface, he throws four pitches for strikes. It’s going to be interesting when he starts getting information, data, and analytics. I think he’s going to take off.”
He lauds the pitcher’s ability to spot his fastball on both sides of the plate while suggesting his curveball was sporadic but shows promise. Additionally, “His changeup is a new pitch that was coming along towards the end of the season. He has the chance to be a back-end starter.”
Eighth round selection Mario Camilletti is a 5’9” sturdily built second baseman who had an outstanding collegiate career for Central Michigan. He receives accolades for his grinder mentality and leadership. One scout shared that he believes Camilletti possessed the best hitting approach in college baseball.
Lally stated, “The Central Michigan kid (Camilletti) can absolutely rake. He gets on base like crazy. Every count gets to 3-2 until the pitcher makes a mistake and he kills him.” His signing scout Wechsler shared “He’s the toughest out I’ve seen in a long time. He just puts up numbers. He’s a good, good baseball player who has more 10 to 12 pitch at bats than anybody. That’s just what he does."
The second baseman who grew up idolizing Dustin Pedroia wants Sox fans to know what he brings to the table. “I think I’m a very competitive player. I hate losing and I’m a hard worker.”
The ninth round saw the Sox landing on Arkansas catcher Michael Turner. His signing scout Woods, suggests that Turner profiles as an offense oriented catcher with on-base skills. His .323 batting average was second on the Razorbacks squad. Coincidentally, another White Sox prospect, UDFA Chris Lanzilli led the Hawgs by hitting .326. In addition to being a primary catcher, Turner has experience at the corner infield positions.
In the tenth round Ole Miss slugger Tim Elko got his phone call from Sox brass. The 6’4” 240 lb right-handed slugger has an extensive college resume in the SEC which is undeniably the strongest conference in college baseball. He won the Rebels triple crown this season pacing the squad with a .300 average, 24 home runs and 75 RBIs. He will be 24 in December, but his advanced college bat is likely to help him blow through lower-level minor league baseball quickly.
Shane Murphy, a left-handed starter who spent most of his college season working his way back from Tommy John surgery was the White Sox fourteenth round choice. The 21-year-old returned to the mound in the final three weeks of the season and threw only nine innings. Once again, a history with his signing scout, John Kazanas may reap huge dividends in the years ahead. Kazanas offered, “You can’t go totally bananas when a kid has only thrown nine innings and hasn’t pitched in 15 months, but I had history with him since high school. Guys that come back from rehab tend to have trouble commanding. He showed great balance and control of all three pitches. His delivery is clean, on-line, effortless, he paints the corners with a tiny brush and has a great sequence.”
At 6’5” 210 lbs Murphy has a prototype pitcher’s build but Kazanas said what separated him from other draft hopefuls was his work ethic. “This kid’s makeup is special. TJ rehab is a lonely place, every day you have the chance to skip a commitment, but because he has great passion, he made his way back with no one watching him. There were no promises, he had to go and earn it.” Kazanas said that a scout that he holds in high esteem compares Murphy to the Mets David Peterson. He believes this comp suits Murphy perfectly.
Murphy also possesses big-league genetics. His brother Patrick was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 and currently fills a bullpen role with the Washington Nationals.
The sixteenth round saw Texas State All-American right-handed pitcher Tristan Stivors join the ranks. The 6’3” 215 lb hurler was recipient of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award.
A pro scout shared his thoughts on Stivors saying, “I was surprised he lasted that long. He pitched one-run ball in the Regional and had Stanford beat.”
Stivors says his preferred game plan is to pitch backwards. He has enough faith in his slider to throw it in any situation or count. The fireman, who incidentally shared that if baseball doesn’t work out would become a fireman, commands a five pitch mix (slider, four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, curveball, and changeup). He is looking forward to contributing his versatility to the organization and stated, “I know I can start or come out of the bullpen, anything the White Sox want me to do to help win ballgames.”
Although he has arm strength, his ability to command multiple pitches and keep hitters off-guard with his breaking ball made him extremely successful. Area scout Tyler Wilt really wanted Stivors and was pleased when he got his man. Stivors wants Sox fans to know they drafted a winner and he “brings a lot of heart and a lot of passion to the game.”
Lally had a strong “gut feel” about the Sox seventeenth round pick Nick Altermatt. Another right-handed college arm, Altermatt was a legitimate two-way force at Minnesota State, but will concentrate on developing as a full-time pitcher.
In his conference tournament Lally said Altermatt’s fastball was 91-97 mph and he showed a really good changeup. The scout suggests, “Once he commits to pitching full-time, I think he’s going to take off for us. He reminds me a lot of Matt Foster who was primarily fastball/changeup and the organization helped him with his breaking ball. I think we can do something like that for Nick.”
In the twentieth round the Sox added their twelfth arm of the draft by selecting Ohio State Junior Ethan Hammerberg.
His signing scout Wechsler shares, “He was their fireman, he would come in during pressure situations, one inning, three innings, tough situations with the game on the line. He’s a big dude 6’5”-6’6” 250 lbs he can get it up to 96, throws a lot of strikes, slurvy breaking ball. He throws a ton of strikes.”
In selecting twelve pitchers, of which eleven were college players, it was apparent the Sox were focused on infusing the system with polished arms. They entered the draft with the third smallest draft pool and the need to allocate funds for their top picks necessitated drafting several seniors. The way they executed their plan of attack by featuring high-ceiling pitchers early meshes well with the high-floor selections they made later. This balance will assist in minimizing logistical issues in the pipeline.
Sox fans should take a keen interest in seeing how fast the advanced players adjust to full-season assignments. Overall, this draft class should offer a lot of excitement in the seasons ahead.