Quote from mto2089 on July 11, 2026, 8:54 pm

This thread will be your frequent dosage of all things White Sox Baseball!

1st guest will be Keith Law of BaseballAmerica.com to talk about the Chicago White Sox's additions via the 2026 MLB Draft.

 

Mto2089: Thank you so much for coming on to discuss all things White Sox with Hawk and I!

H. Harrelson: Appreciate ya Keith! Give us the good word on what the good guys did this draft will ya!

Law: Thank you for having me on!

Mto2089: We opened up the questions to our dedicated White Sox listeners and readers via an e-mail inbox leading up to this, so without further a due here are the handful of inquiries by you, the people!

Question from Richard T.

1. Did we make the right selection with SS Grady Emerson over SS Roch Cholowsky? I feel like these two will forever be tied with one another given they went 1 and 2 respectfully. I know it is a huge risk with a high schooler but will this pay off handsomely or blow up in our faces?!

Law: It's going to be the biggest question of this draft and it may sink or swim the White Sox GM in all honesty. Yes, the rule of thumb is if you are a General Manager in baseball, you are always on a clock with the fanbase and management. So in that sense, taking the more ready player may matter more. However, I appreciate the balls that a GM has in taking a high school talent and putting their eggs in that basket. I think highly of both players and those two along with Lackey were all deserving of going 1st overall. No doubt though, the White Sox are banking big time on Grady Emerson's contact and overall solid stats to carry him to the next level. The ETA may be 3 seasons of needing some seasoning in the minors, but this kid has all of the tools you look for in an infielder. He was our #1 rated player of this draft class, so this is the right move for the White Sox to take a shot here.

We have heard rumblings of Emerson maybe eventually going to man third base in due time with the influx of shortstops in the organization, but the only thing Chicago might be wary about is throwing too much foreign at a youngster like Grady. Either way, Emerson has the makings of being a franchise cornerstone. We think his ceiling could be the next Bobby Witt Jr, another Texas phenom shortstop.

H. Harrelson: That gets me all excited and stuff! I don't call the games anymore but getting a chance to see Grady "Better than our former manager Sizemore" Emerson may have me yearning to get back in the announcer booth!

Mto2089: Question from Alice W.

2) Why did Eric Booth Jr, a projected top half of the 1st round talent, fall to the White Sox at pick 39? Character concerns or something else? Seems like a good value pick here for the White Sox!

Law: It's a valid question Alice. I think scouts vary with where they rank Booth Jr. Again, these high schoolers are such a roll of the dice. By all accounts, Booth Jr's character concerns are not there at all. If anything, he got very good reviews with his interview and sit-downs with interested teams. I think the aforementioned high school scare maybe worried some teams about taking a 17-year-old with such a high draft pick in round 1....where the gamble in round 2 was easier to digest. I also don't think outside of speed that Booth Jr's toolset stands out to have GMs salivating to acquire him. Right now, he seems like a 4th Outfielder with the hope that he can develop into becoming something more. I adore his defense minus his arm and of course his speed will fancy lots of scouts who will watch him with the naked eye. However, the bat simply has to pick up for him to matter at all in the grand scheme of things. We have mentioned some scouts think his swing right now is erratic but the beautiful part for Chicago is that Booth isn't even 18 yet. He's practically a ball of clay and the White Sox if patient, will harness Booth Jr's athletic traits and make him a more polished hitter. For a high 2nd round pick, I like this pick and I still think Booth Jr was worthy of being taken in round 1 or at the very least, a sandwich pick so it's a good value pick here.

H. Harrelson: Oh lawdie. If we got ourselves another DeWayne Wise, I will be foaming at the gosh darn mouth! That man was some kind of an outfielder, he made every single play look so easy I tell ya boys.

Law: Not a bad comparison Hawk. 14 year career, great glove and speed, think that is his floor if all goes well!

Mto2089: Got another question about the White Sox 3rd rounder Keith. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to entertain these characters! This question comes from Ismael D.

3) In a sea of available arms in this draft, what intrigued the White Sox to pull the trigger on Chase Kiker? 

Law: It's a fascinating choice. We had Kiker as a late 3rd round pick so it's a little bit of a reach, but I feel like Kiker would not have maybe made it to Chicago in round 4 so I understand why they didn't risk it. What you have to love about Kiker is his ability to throw sheer gas. Where I am not sure about the choice is do you view Kiker as a starter or as a reliever? That is going to be the ultimate question. For him to make it as a starter, his endurance may have to get a little bit stronger where he can give you 5 innings every 5-6 days when called upon and to try and harness some of his pitches as he can get wild with his currently mediocre control. The scary part with Kiker which I am sure the White Sox scouts were smitten with is his velocity if he touches his ceiling can go over 100 MPH which is ridiculous. 4 go to pitches, it's a worthwhile project. The slider becoming an out pitch is going to help go a long way for Kiker's success. Again, it's another high school talent but the arrow is trending upward.

What maybe dropped Kiker is scouts deeming his conditioning throughout high school as a "Touch lazy" and "Wasn't really pushed by his high school to shoot for the stars" which could be interpreted as maybe coasting off talent....which is a no-no on the next level. Again, he is a high schooler so it's to be expected as far as the immaturity goes but he is by all accounts, a guy the younger talents looked up to at his high school so not all is rotten here. He will have to wake up the smell the coffee as far as attacking hitters and improving his work ethic to make it in my opinion.

H. Harrelson: Kids these days lemme tell ya. They can always use a good swift kick in the butt. 100+ miles per hour pitches you say Keith baby? You simply don't let the talent go to waste, we can use all the arms we can get our hands on!

Mto2089: Settle down Hawk!! Another question, this time from Vivica P.

4) Chicago went for infield help with the combo of Colby Turner and Josiah Morris. Tell me more about them please!

Law: Ask and you shall receive Vivica! Turner had a 23 home run campaign for the Michigan Wolverines this past season and despite hitting a somewhat lower than expected average for them, I like this pick in round 4. What dropped Colby Turner from boards is the lack of a position right now, as his defense is by far his worst trait. Chicago will have to settle on him finding a spot out there on defense, maybe first base will be the best way to hide his flaws because he has a decent bat. He reminds me a little of ex Met and Cub Daniel Murphy where his bat is simply going to be too good to sideline full time, even if he is a project on the field. There is simply no way you can keep him at third base with a good conscience, not with his lack of range. At worst, you might have to swallow the pill and see if he can be a fulltime designated hitter. Turner might not ever be an all star but a solid .260 hitter with 10 plus home runs could be a regular occurrence, which you will take all day in round 4.

H. Harrelson: Oh heavens no, Keith you said a bad word.

Law: What's that Hawk

H. Harrelson: You simply do not ever bring up the Chicago Cubs on this podcast ever! Love ya Keith baby but please never again.

Mto2089: Hawk!

Law: Sorry Hawk. Duly noted! Back to the draft, Josiah Morris in round 5 is what we call a "Jack of all trades, master of none". For teams that have to make difficult decisions to roster cut down to 26 players, Morris best feature is the number of positions he can give you. All infield positions can be respectable in the outfield and can even give you backup catcher if called upon. Ultimate team player got rave reviews in the interview process with his leadership traits, especially at such a young age. Good to see a kid like this get rewarded by hearing his name called in round 5. Think he is going to be a bench player with the ability to be a bottom of the order hitter if things break out well. Take that and run in round 5 10/10 times.

H. Harrelson: The best ability is versatility. Team players are welcome on the southside all day!

Mto2089: Well said Hawk. One more burning question for you Keith. Question comes from Raffy Q.

5) From rounds 6 to 20, are there any potential sleepers we should be keeping an eye out for! The hit rate may not be huge but it's not where you get picked, but how you perform afterwards that matters! 

Law: Well said Raffy! Keep an eye on the White Sox 9th rounder, Mason Murdock. He is one of those hybrid reliever or starters that we mentioned for your 3rd round pick, Chase Kiker. Murdock during this draft process, learned a 4th pitch in an effort to be viewed as a starting pitcher, with a screwball. It's still in the early stage of being a pitch used on the regular, but you simply appreciate a pitcher adding a pitch to their arsenal to better their chances. Murdock turns 23 in November so he is on a little bit of a time crunch to swim, but he has 3 good pitches, and I think worst case, could find his way into becoming a reliable middle reliever. The ultimate diamond in the rough sort of swing by the White Sox GM.

I thought the White Sox 6th rounder Shawn Sullivan could have heard his name go as high as round 3 so he's an easy steal for the team. Two great out pitches and a 3rd one to keep hitters guessing, he is another one who could succeed as a back end starter or make the transition into becoming a reliable middle innings reliever, even in high leverage appearances. He is another one who the coaches and scouts loved talking to and picking his brain on pitching. No surprise Chicago pulled the trigger as quick as they did when their turn was up in round 6.

H. Harrelson: As long as you are a White Sox, you always got a shot to succeed. That's just what we do.

Mto2089: Keith thank you SO MUCH for giving a little bit of your time to take these questions. I feel really good about this draft class and given how high we picked this year, we need some big hits.

Law: It's a real feast or famine approach for the White Sox GM. He will either look very bold or very foolish within a few years by taking 3 high schoolers out the gates to open up his tenure with the team. I appreciate the bravado and swing for the fences mentality truthfully but of course you are judged by the ones you hit as well as miss for his sake, we hope the White Sox scored good this June.

Mto2089: Thank you, guys, so much for reading and taking a time to listen to Hawk Tuah! From Hawk and myself, WE GONE!

H. Harrelson: WE GONE!