For GBBob...

[Cannon Shell]

AL Central Draft Recap


by Kevin Goldstein

Chicago White Sox

Draft Philosophy: Take the best player available at eight, and then sit around for awhile without a second rounder and stick to the college route. Oh yeah, and grab Kenny’s kid at some point.

First Pick: Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia; eighth overall
How High He Could Have Gone: He seems to have been in the mix at times to go No. 1 overall, but that was always an extreme long shot. More realistically, he was getting strong consideration by the Giants at five before Posey became available, and the Reds were generally thought to be locked onto him at seven until the last 48 hours.
Path To The Big Leagues: Beckham is an advanced player who should move fairly quickly through the minors. There’s nobody blocking his way, as the White Sox have no middle infield prospects of note in the system, and Orlando Cabrera is in the final year of his contract.

Rest of the First Day:
3. Brent Morel, 3B, Cal Poly: Good defensive player w/ more average than power.
4. Drew O’Neil, RHP, Penn State: The biggest ground-ball machine in the draft comes with the usual sidearm issues.
5. Dan Hudson, RHP, Old Dominion: A big righty, he dropped after a poor junior year.
6. Kenny Williams, OF, Wichita State: A good athlete who's not a total nepotism pick, but went three to five rounds higher than expected.

Best Second-Day Selections:
7. Jordan Danks, OF, Texas: Never showed promise coming out of high school, might try one more college year.
8. Kevin Dubler, C, Illinois State: As a left-handed hitting athletic catcher, many expected him to go higher.
23. Kyle Long, LHP, St. Anne’s Belfield HS (VA): Bigger than his father Howie, but a poor senior year means he’s likely Florida State-bound.