Chicago White Sox 2025 MLB Draft Report Card

Below you can find Baseball America’s 2025 MLB Draft report card for the White Sox, which features picks for 11 key superlatives such as best pure hitter, best defensive player, best fastball and more.

You can find 2025 Draft Report Cards for every team here and complete draft results here.

Best Pure Hitter: Outfielder Jaden Fauske (2) has a smooth, rhythmic swing with good balance to go with solid contact skills and the long levers to cover a lot of the plate. He has an extensive track record of performance as a hitter on the travel circuit in high school, though heâ€s yet to debut in an official pro game.

Best Power Hitter: While Fauskeâ€s (2) pure hitting ability is solid, his power could be his best individual tool. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he has plenty of strength now with the physicality that should allow him to grow into plus raw power and become a middle-of-the-order hitter who hits 23-27 homers a season. 

Fastest Runner: Shortstop Matthew Boughton (11) is at least a plus runner who turned in one of the best 60-yard dash times at Perfect Gameâ€s national showcase in 2024. Of the 212 players who had a timed run, Boughtonâ€s 60-yard dash was the 16th-fastest. 

Best Defensive Player: Shortstop Billy Carlson (1) is not only the clear best defensive player in this White Sox class, he has a solid case as the best defensive player in the 2025 draft as a whole. Heâ€s an incredibly advanced, instinctual defender with high-level tools and actions that could allow him to one day compete for Gold Gloves.

Best Fastball: The White Sox didnâ€t tap into pitching until they selected righthander Gabe Davis (5) with their fifth pick. Davis is a huge pitcher at 6-foot-9, 235 pounds and he throws a mid-90s fastball that has been up to 100 mph. The pitch could play up further because of the above-average extension he creates with his extra-large frame. 

Best Secondary Pitch: Righthander Blaine Wynk (8) has a few different promising secondaries, but his upper-80s changeup is his most consistent at the moment. Itâ€s a pitch he throws more frequently to lefties, but he will break it out against righties, as well, and it generated a 50% miss rate in a limited sample with Ohio State this spring.

Best Pro Debut: The White Sox activated just six players from their 2025 draft class after signing and only shortstop Kyle Lodise (3) played above Low-A. He spent all his 28 games with High-A Winston-Salem, and while he did hit just .185, his batted-ball data was rock solid including a strong 13.7% in-zone miss rate.

Best Athlete: Carlson (1) is not a standout athlete in terms of big power or speed tools, but he is a tremendous baseball-oriented athlete who has tremendous actions, footwork and instincts on the field. If he werenâ€t a high-level shortstop, he would have been a draft prospect as a pitcher thanks to an elite arm that has led to a fastball up to 97 mph on the mound and a high-spin hammer of a curveball.

Most Intriguing Background: Catcher Landon Hodge (4) was one of the more notable late-season risers and wound up signing with the White Sox for just over $1 million despite a commitment to LSU. His father, Traviss, was also a catcher who was drafted first by the Pirates in 1998 and later by the Dodgers in 1999.

Closest To The Majors: Lodise (3) has the advantage of being the furthest along the minor league ladder in this Chicago draft class. He also has fairly advanced contact skills and a well-rounded game that could allow him to continue to move quickly. 

Best 11+ Round Pick (Or UDFA): Boughton (11) was the biggest signing for the White Sox after the 10th round and offers exciting upside between his speed and defensive chops if he can continue to progress as a hitter.

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