White Sox wrap Day 1 of MLB Draft with focus on position players

CHICAGO -- White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley was preparing for Day 2 of the 2025 Draft immediately after what he considered a highly successful Day 1 came to a close Sunday night.

“I’ve been on the phone with a couple of advisors to get ready for a deal tomorrow already,” Shirley said. “We were working hard on the third-round pick and had several feelers out about several players still available tomorrow morning.

“We used our allocation pretty well. We are prepared if we go a little over the number slotted for the fourth round to make sure we get another good player we really like. There are some exciting players.”

Shortstop Billy Carlson was the White Sox first selection at No. 10 overall out of Corona (Calif.) high school. Outfielder Jaden Fauske was taken in the second round at No. 44 overall and shortstop Kyle Lodise went to the White Sox at No. 76 out of Georgia Tech.

• How Lodise cousins -- and Day 1 Draft picks -- pushed one another to pro stage

Fauske played for Nazareth Academy, a high school in La Grange, Ill., where Hall of Famer Jim Thome was an assistant coach and Landon Thome, Jim’s son, was one of his very talented teammates.

“We thought all along we could do three position players on the front end of this and start looking for pitchers in the fourth or fifth round,” Shirley said. “We’ll look at the position players again early tomorrow, and then maybe pitchers in the fifth.

“Even in the fourth round, we're looking at a couple high school players. So [we'll] continue to push that a little bit. There's some college players we like, but there's two or three high school players that will be in the know tomorrow morning when we start thinking about that selection."

Here’s a look at the second- and third-round picks for the White Sox.

Jaden Fauske, OF, second round (Pick No. 44 overall)

• Bats/throws: L/R
• School: Nazareth Academy (Ill.)
• Calling Card: He caught in high school, served as designated hitter and played outfield, but Shirley believes Fauske will start off in center field for the White Sox. He has a short, compact stroke, does it easy and has an offensive approach geared more toward the middle of the field.
• Quote: “He did a great job working his tail off about increasing that run tool, and it was something he needed to do. He went to work. He added strength, he worked on the run tool, and he did the things it was going to take to expedite his place in line come the Draft in '25, and I think he did a great job." -- Shirley

Kyle Lodise, SS, third round (Pick. No. 76 overall)

• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Georgia Tech
• Calling Card: Shirley compared Lodise to Chase Meidroth, currently playing second base and shortstop for the White Sox, in that he’s just a baseball player. He touches hitting coordinator Ryan Fuller’s contact and decision points at a high level with great makeup, a strong will to win and just knows how to play, according to Shirley.
• Quote: “He nailed the interview at the combine. Talk about professional, well spoken, intelligent, instinctual. We felt really good about the kid.” -- Shirley