After adding an arm with the 5th overall pick, the White Sox have added a power bat to their system in the 2nd round.
Caleb Bonemer, a prep shortstop out of Michigan, was the Gatorade Michigan high school player of the year the last two seasons. Virginia Baseball Commit, The White Sox appear to be high on the talented slugger and will attempt to lure him out of his college commitment.
Bonemer’s bat speed has plenty of scouts interested in his offensive upside, as combined with his strength, he has some of the better raw power in this draft class. The biggest question is how much will he be able to tap into it, as his hit tool needs to be further developed in order for him to reach his ceiling. He has some mechanical things he needs to clean up with his swing, and he tries too hard sometimes to launch home runs to the pull side, so the White Sox staff will need to work with him to clean those things up.
Defensively, he has played shortstop throughout high school. However, scouts feel that he projects better moving to the hot corner, where his well above-average power should play just fine. he has a strong arm and soft hands, leading to the potential to be an above-average defensive third baseman.
The expectation is that the White Sox will be able to sign Bonemer despite his Virginia commitment. It remains unclear how much of a signing bonus he will need to commit to turning pro, but with the 6th highest bonus pool and the possibility of saving some money on the Hagen Smith pick, the Sox are in a good position to add him to their system.
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This screams wasted pick.