Wolkow the latest Draft pick to reach deal with White Sox
Below is a list of every player drafted by the White Sox.
Each club has until 5 p.m. ET/2 PT on Tuesday, July 25, to come to terms with its Draft selections. If a player has exhausted his collegiate eligibility, he can sign at any time up until one week prior to the next year’s Draft.
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Draft-and-follow picks -- high school and junior college players selected after the 10th round who attend a two-year college after the Draft -- can sign with their selecting teams for up to $250,000 up until a week prior to the following year’s Draft.
Players drafted from Round 11 on do not count against the bonus pools unless their signing bonus exceeds $150,000; any amount over that total will count against the pool.
Total bonus pool: $9,072,800
MLB rank: 18
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July 18: White Sox announce another pair of signings
Chicago came to an agreement with outfielder George Wolkow (seventh-round pick) for $1 million, and also agreed to terms with second baseman Rikuu Nishida (11th-round pick). Wolkow hit .363 with seven home runs, 32 RBIs and 49 runs scored last season at Downers Grove (Ill.) North High School. The Sox have signed 19 of their 20 picks from the 2023 Draft.
July 16: White Sox sign plethora of picks
Chicago came to an agreement with No. 15 overall selection Jacob Gonzalez for $588,600 under slot value as the club announced that it agreed to terms with 17 of its 20 picks in the 2023 MLB Draft. Gonzalez slashed .327/.435/.564 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs, 51 RBIs and 46 runs scored over 54 games with the University of Mississippi this season.
1 (15): Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss
Pick value: $4,488,600
Signing bonus: $3,900,000
Gonzalez, one of three players selected by the White Sox in the past two years from Ole Miss' national championship team in 2022, came in slightly under slot value. White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley was thrilled Gonzalez was available at No. 15 overall, with Gonzalez possessing top-five ability. The expectation is he will stay at shortstop.
"It's elite hand-eye coordination," Shirley said of Gonzalez. "His swing rate is in the right zone, chase rate is right. Doesn’t swing-and-miss or strike out. It was impressive how he has the ability to touch a ball and get the contact. His ability to be in an awkward position and still get contact and power, they are unique."
2 (51): Grant Taylor, RHP, LSU
Pick value: $1,659,800
Signing bonus: $1,659,800
Taylor missed the 2023 collegiate season after he underwent Tommy John surgery in February. But the White Sox and Taylor are highly encouraged by his recovery process and feel as if they were able to get a second first-round pick in this situation.
"I was extremely excited," Taylor said. "I was kind of nervous a little bit to hear my name get called. It’s something I’ve waited on forever. I was super excited. I’m glad I got to do it with my family around me. It was pretty great."
3 (84): Seth Keener, RHP, Wake Forest
Pick value: $833,900
Signing bonus: $800,000
Keener went 8-2 with a 2.69 ERA for the Demon Deacons this past season. He started eight of those 23 appearances, striking out 94 and walking 20 over 70 1/3 innings. He is viewed as a starter by the White Sox.
4 (116): Calvin Harris, C, Ole Miss
Pick value: $574,600
Signing bonus: $600,000
Harris joins Gonzalez and first baseman Tim Elko (2022 Draft) as the Ole Miss trio now with the White Sox, who have been following Harris since high school, according to Shirley.
"He’s a kind kid, but he holds people accountable," Shirley said. "I played with [White Sox manager] Pedro [Grifol] in the Minor Leagues, and there are similarities as to how accountable they hold people. Left-handed bat, power, we landed a winner there."
5 (152): Christian Oppor, LHP, Gulf Coast CC
Pick value: $404,700
Signing bonus: $550,000
The White Sox have followed Oppor for awhile and were happy to add his plus left-handed arm. Oppor comes in at slightly over slot.
6 (179): Lucas Gordon, LHP, Texas
Pick value: $317,400
Signing bonus; $300,000
The 2023 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Gordon went 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 19 games (17 starts) in his final season at the University of Texas, with 103 strikeouts against just 34 walks.
7 (209): George Wolkow, OF, Downers Grove North High School (IL)
Pick value: $248,300
Signing bonus: $1,000,000
Wolkow -- ranked as the No. 71 Draft prospect by MLB Pipeline -- decided to forgo his senior season and a commitment to the University of South Carolina to start a professional career, and he will do so with the White Sox after they made the 6-foot-7, 239-pound 17-year-old an overslot selection.
The left-handed hitter, who graduated early from a high school located 20 miles from Guaranteed Rate Field, already has lofty expectations, saying that: “My goal was never to get drafted. My goal is to be a Hall of Famer.”
8 (239): Eddie Park, OF, Stanford
Pick value: $199,900
Signing bonus: $200,000
In three seasons at Stanford, Park hit .318 with an .810 OPS. He's a contact hitter who gets on base frequently and is a plus defender in center field.
9 (269): Jake Peppers, RHP, Jacksonville State
Pick value: $178,000
Signing bonus: $178,000
Peppers, the No. 187 Draft prospect per MLB Pipeline, pitched his way into a starting role in his last NCAA season, featuring a 93-95 mph fastball that can hit 98 mph, a two-plane slider in the low 80s and a mid-80s changeup.
10 (299): Zach Franklin, RHP, Missouri
Pick value: $167,600
Signing bonus: $10,000
The 24-year-old righty, who finished his college career as a grad transfer at Missouri, struck out 59 batters in 38 2/3 innings in 2023.
11 (329): Rikuu Nishida, 2B, Oregon
Signing bonus: $170,000
Nishida, a native of Osaka, Japan, batted .312 with 16 doubles, 37 RBIs, 67 runs scored and 25 stolen bases in 2023 in his lone season at Oregon. The 5-foot-6 infielder makes a lot of contact and is a plus runner.
12 (359): Mathias LaCombe, RHP, Cochise College
Signing bonus: $450,000
13 (389): Ryan Galanie, 3B, Wofford
Signing bonus: $150,000
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Galanie.
14 (419): Edrick Felix, 2B, Florida Gulf Coast University
Signing bonus: $150,000
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Felix.
15 (449): Carlton Perkins, RHP, Cowley County CC
Signing bonus: $150,000
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Perkins.
16 (479): Weston Eberly, C, Columbia
Signing bonus: $150,000
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Eberly.
17 (509): Mikey Kane, IF, Oregon State
Signing bonus: $150,000
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Kane.
18 (539): Anthony Imhoff
Signing bonus: $150,000
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Imhoff.
19 (569): Caden Connor, OF, Cal State, Fullerton
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Connor. Terms of the deal not disclosed.
20 (599) Garrett Wright, RHP, TCU
Signing bonus: $150,000
The White Sox announced on July 16 that they had signed Wright. Terms of the deal not disclosed.
Every team's signings:
How bonus pools and pick values work
Each choice in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club's selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn't sign, his pick's value gets subtracted from his team's pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those choices and use the savings to offer more money to later selections.
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, clubs lose future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Bonus pools by club
Pirates: $16,185,700
Tigers: $15,747,200
Nationals: $14,502,400
Twins: $14,345,600
Athletics: $14,255,600
Reds: $13,785,200
Mariners: $13,170,900
Marlins: $12,829,600
Royals: $12,313,500
Rockies: $11,909,800
D-backs: $11,084,300
Brewers: $10,950,600
Rays: $10,872,100
Orioles: $10,534,800
Red Sox: $10,295,100
Rangers: $9,925,300
Giants: $9,916,900
White Sox: $9,072,800
Cubs: $8,962,000
Guardians: $8,736,700
Mets: $8,440,400
Braves: $8,341,700
Angels: $8,328,900
Dodgers: $7,274,600
Astros: $6,747,900
Blue Jays: $6,529,700
Cardinals: $6,375,100
Padres: $5,416,000
Yankees: $5,299,400
Phillies: $5,185,500