White Sox stay local with Hickman, Hinchley

CHICAGO -- Of the eight picks made by the White Sox in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, five have been college pitchers.

"Obviously we're pretty good at developing college pitchers, so we're going to stick with that for a little while," White Sox assistant scouting director Nick Hostetler said. "We're not going to shy away from our strength, especially in a deep Draft like this with college pitching."

Here is a look at the White Sox picks from Rounds 7 to 10.

Round 7: RHP Blake Hickman, Iowa
Hickman becomes a momentous Draft pick for the organization as the highest selection of a player who took part in the White Sox Amateur City Elite youth baseball program. Hickman originally was drafted by the Cubs in the 20th round in 2012 as a catcher, and he started at Iowa as a full-time hitter.

Hickman became a two-way player as a sophomore and moved strictly to pitching as a junior this year. He finished the 2015 season with a 9-2 record and a 2.16 ERA, although he did walk 42 and strike out 52 over 84 1/3 innings. Some projections had Hickman going as high as the third round, but while he was disappointed that he dropped, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander was excited to go to the White Sox.

"He's a tough kid and a smart kid," said Hostetler of Hickman, who went through a little velocity drop at the end of the season. "When we made the call, 'Hey Blake, this is the time for you,' you could tell this is where he wants to be. So it's exciting for us."

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Round 8: C Casey Schroeder, Coastal Carolina
Before arriving at Coastal Carolina, the switch-hitter was drafted by the A's in the 14th round of the 2014 Draft and was selected by the Cardinals in the 22nd round of the '12 Draft. He eventually went to Polk State to sharpen his skills behind the plate, and then ended up at Coastal Carolina.

Schroeder hit .230 with 13 homers and 31 RBIs this season for Coastal Carolina after batting .321 with 38 RBIs and 13 stolen bases last season for Polk State. He threw out 13 baserunners and only allowed one passed ball. Schroeder's academic side was pretty strong as well, as he produced a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester of 2014.

"The bat is there," Hostetler said. "He's an athletic kid. He has a chance to be similar to [switch-hitting catcher] Brett Austin (2014, 4th round). He's a similar type of guy."

Round 9: LHP Ryan Hinchley, Illinois-Chicago
The 22-year-old was a three-time letter winner in baseball, two-year letter winner in cross country and one-year letter winner in basketball at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Ill. Hinchley closed for the UIC Flames and picked up 10 saves this past season among his 27 appearances, striking out 50 in 37 innings. The White Sox were late in, but after area scout Garrett Guest alerted the White Sox upon watching Hinchley, they liked what they saw.

"A bullpen piece that was a good talent to get there," Hostetler said.

Round 10: OF Jackson Glines, Michigan
The 6-foot, 190-pound outfielder was named to the All-Big 10 First Team and All-Big 10 Tournament Team for the Wolverines this season. Glines finished 2-for-4 during the tournament in an upset of Illinois, and the California native hit .349 with five homers and 34 RBIs overall. He hit .332 with one homer and 43 RBIs in the previous season.

"Tremendous instincts, and a knack for the baseball in center," said Hostetler, who called Glines a personal pick for him. "He can swing the bat. He shows a little bit of power. The tools won't jump off the board, but he is the epitome of a great baseball player."

The Draft concludes on Wednesday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 11 a.m. CT.