White Sox draft class review: Success stories and works-in-progress from the last 3 years – The Athletic

Over the course of the 2021 season, eight of the last nine White Sox first-round picks suited up for the major league team. It is far too difficult to reach the majors for this to be anything but highly impressive, but it probably overstates the current strength of the pipeline.

Closer to three Sox first-rounders will return in 2022 with established roles (Andrew Vaughn, Garrett Crochet and Tim Anderson) while Jake Burger and even Zack Collins are still working to transform major league appearances into footholds. And the drafts through the middle portion of this stretch cannot yet claim to play a major role in helping sustain the contention window.

Despite having two first-rounders, the 2016 Sox draft is in the negative for wins above replacement, with Jimmy Lambert and Matt Foster possibly best suited to reverse it. The 2017 class made its major league debut in 2021, but only over-slot second-rounder Gavin Sheets will arrive at spring training with a near-guarantee to crack the Opening Day roster.

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White Sox draft class review: Success stories and works-in-progress from the last 3 years - The Athletic