White Sox Day 2 Draft Musings

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After grabbing Vanderbilt RHP Carson Fulmer at No. 8 in Monday's first round, the White Sox had to wait all the way until No. 112 to make their next pick, thanks to the signings of David Robertson and Melky Cabrera that forced them to forfeit their picks in rounds 2 and 3.

What follows is the nuts and bolts of each pick the White Sox made on Tuesday, which featured Rounds 3-10 of the 40-round draft. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on Obscure College Pitcher X, but here's some random bits of knowledge from Twitter and the rest of cyberspace about the next members of the Winston-Salem Dash, Kannapolis Intimidators, Great Falls Voyagers, etc., etc.

All stats thanks to the always reliable baseballcube.com

Round 4 — 112th overall

Zack Erwin, LHP, Clemson
6-foot-5, 195 lbs.

Erwin is a 21-year-old junior who pitched primarily in relief during his first two years with the Tigers before transitioning into the rotation this season, where he went 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 106.2 IP, striking out 92 and walking 16. His stock supposedly rose last summer, however, when he pitched in the notoriously tough Cape Cod Summer League and fared quite well, tossing 40 IP with a 1.80 ERA, 32 strikeouts and eight walks.

Here's a YouTube video I found of him pitching.

Also, my boss demanded I include this tweet:

Round 5 — 142nd overall

Jordan Stephens, RHP, Rice
6-foot-1, 185 lbs.

If you don't already know, Rice is considered Ligament Damage U. by many in the industry because of the program's propensity to run its pitchers into the ground. Coincidence or not, Stephens had Tommy John surgery after a 2013 season in which he threw 118.2 innings for the Owls and missed almost the entire 2014 season because of it. He came back this season, however, and tossed 59.2 innings, splitting time between reliever and starter, and recorded a 3.17 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 17 walks.

FanGraphs' Carson Cistulli wrote about Stephens in this article posted Tuesday, which included the following:

The right-handed Stephens doesn’t feature the same velocity as either Fulmer or Ponce or Staumont — nor were his numbers this season as impressive as either Fulmer’s or Hall’s. He does sit in the low-90s, however, and he did record strikeout and walk rates of roughly 31% and 7%, respectively — multiple standard deviations, that first mark, above the Conference USA average. The concern with Stephens, as with Fairbanks, is health: he missed nearly all his 2014 season to Tommy John surgery and the subsequent rehab. He returned this year, however, and eventually worked his way back to a starting role.

Round 6 — 172nd overall

Corey Zangari, 1B, Carl Albert HS (OK)
6-foot-4, 240 lbs.

Zangari was a pitcher and first baseman in high school, but was supposedly drafted because of his raw power. He just turned 18, so we'll all probably be dead by the time he reaches the majors (if ever), but he apparently hits the ball a really long way, as you can see in this clip, and maybe he can be a thing one day.

Round 7 — 202nd overall

Blake Hickman, RHP, Iowa
6-foot-4, 220 lbs.

Hickman is a Chicago kid, played ball at Simeon and was part of the White Sox's ACES program before going to Iowa. From MLB.com's Paul Casella:

Another intriguing pitcher taken in this round is Iowa right-hander Blake Hickman, who was taken three picks later by the White Sox. Hickman has had a rare journey to this point, initially being drafted as a catcher in the 20th round in 2012. He then went to Iowa where he remained only a catcher his freshman year before becoming a two-way player his sophomore season and turning solely to pitching this past year. He impressed at the 2014 Big Ten Conference tournament and in the Cape Cod League but struggled with his consistency this spring.

Hickman went 9-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 84.1 innings pitched with the Hawkeyes this year, including 62 strikeouts and 50 walks (gives you an idea how raw of a pitcher he is).

Round 8 — 232nd overall

Casey Schroeder, C, Coastal Carolina
6-foot-1, 195 lbs.

Schroeder is an athletic catcher who still appears very raw as a signal caller. He spent just one year at Coastal Carolina after transferring from Kentucky and sitting out a year, but this season saw a .230/.370/.500 line with 33 walks and 41 strikeouts in 174 at-bats. This is the third time he's been drafted, although it looks like he'll finally sign this time around.

Round 9 — 262nd overall

Ryan Hinchley, LHP, Illinois-Chicago
6-foot-3, 205 lbs.

An easy sign senior you take to save money, Hinchley is also a local product, playing his college ball at UIC after graduating from York High School. He battled injuries throughout his collegiate career, tossing just 37 total innings with more walks than strikeouts.

Round 10 — 292nd overall

Jackson Glines, CF, Michigan
6-foot-0, 195 lbs.

Another easy senior signing, Glines has put up solid numbers throughout his career with the Wolverines, and topped it off with a .349/.440/.492 slash line this season. He also walked more than he struck out. 

Glines will immediately endear himself to White Sox fans if he ever makes an impact in their system. This MLive.com article features a quote that calls him "an old-school, throwback type of player" and there's also this quote:

Bakich called Glines a 'dirtbag.'

"In a positive way," Bakich said, with a chuckle. "He is always diving around, never has a clean uniform. He came here, and immediately brought a blue-collar work ethic we needed."

Hmm ... sound familiar?

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