CHICAGO -- The White Sox hold the 11th and 49th picks to begin their Draft.
So the logical question Wednesday for White Sox director of amateur scouting Nick Hostetler centered on who exactly the team would take with those first two picks coming on June 12.
"I wish it was that easy," said Hostetler with a laugh, as he addressed the media in the White Sox dugout. "This is an interesting Draft.
"In the past, there has been a pretty decent gap between the first 10 or 15 to the next group. This year, the difference isn't that much. From 11 to 49, there's a bunch of players who will be very similar."
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Hostetler didn't mention any targeted names on Wednesday, although the White Sox certainly have reduced their choices to the final five to nine players. They will once again focus on the best player available, trying to put together a second straight high-ranked class with the 2016 group featuring catcher Zack Collins and right-handed pitchers Zack Burdi and Alec Hansen, to name a very few.
It's yet another important step in the White Sox rebuild, adding to the recent international acquisition of Luis Robert and offseason trades bringing in Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning, among others. Hostetler does not look at this rebuild challenge as extra pressure.
"For me, to have pressure means that outside influences affect us and [they don't]," Hostetler said. "I have a blast in this. I absolutely love doing this.
"This is so much fun for me and our staff. We're up there talking players and we're talking about guys who we might consider maybe 40th-round picks, and we're arguing back and forth. I love this. I mean, it's exciting for me, it gets my juices going. For me, it's never pressure."