NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- The White Sox selected right-handed pitcher Dylan Covey from Oakland with the their 12th pick (ninth selection overall) in the Major League phase of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft that concluded baseball's Winter Meetings at the Gaylord Resort & Convention Center.
Covey, 25, made six starts with Double-A Midland during the 2016 season, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.84 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings. He was sidelined by an oblique injury but bounced back with the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.
On Nov. 1, Covey combined with one-time White Sox hurler Frankie Montas and Drew Steckenrider on the third no-hitter in AFL history. Covey started that game, allowing one walk over five innings. His velocity, ranging from 91-95 mph, was back up in the AFL, leading three White Sox scouts to recommend him as a Rule 5 selection.
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"Interesting kid," said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn of Covey. "Up to 95 with some sink. Four-pitch mix. Obviously he's not a finished product but we think he has a chance to compete for a spot in our bullpen, or possibly even in the rotation.
"Long term, he has starter potential and we'll just have to wait and see how he looks when he gets to Glendale, [Ariz.]. But interesting arm, and we're interested in adding as much talent as we can to the organization. The Rule 5 Draft is another avenue to do that."
Milwaukee originally drafted Covey out of high school with the 14th pick overall in the 2010 Draft. He was taken one pick after the White Sox selected Chris Sale, whom the Sox traded to Boston on Tuesday.
But as part of the medical evaluation, Covey was diagnosed with diabetes. Covey and his parents ultimately decided it was better for him to stay near his Southern California home and learn how to handle the illness while receiving treatment, so he attended the University of San Diego, and he was teammates with 2016 National League Most Valuable Player Award winner Kris Bryant for parts of three seasons.
"That's been a non-issue ever since," said Hahn of Covey's diabetes.
Oakland took Covey in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He checks in as the White Sox 28th-ranked prospect, per MLBPipeline.com, and was the eighth player added to the system this week.