With the 2012 MLB Draft completed, player signings are slowly trickling in. None of the top picks have signed yet but, with the post-draft mini-camp starting later in the week, that should change. Top pick Courtney Hawkins may not sign immediately but, even if he did, the White Sox already indicated they want him to take some time off after his high school season ended just this weekend. The organization, though, will be eager to get supplemental round pick Keon Barnum in quickly.
There will, of course, be guys who don't sign. The recent history of the highest unsigned pick, though, suggests that this usually ends up being a bad (monetary) decision by the player. Last year, the White Sox selected pitcher Ian Gardeck in the 8th round. This year, the Giants took him in the 16th round. In 2010, the White Sox took infielder Josef Terry in the 8th round. In 2011, he fell all the way to the Reds in the 30th round. The White Sox drafted pitcher Bryan Morgado in the 2009 3rd round. The Phillies got him in the 4th round the following year. Pitcher Jordan Merry could have signed with the White Sox after being drafted in the 2008 14th round. Instead, he waited until 2009 to sign after the Mariners selected him in the 40th round.
There are exceptions, of course. The White Sox took a flyer on high school outfielder Brian Goodwin in the 17th round in 2009. He was regarded as an extremely difficult sign and lived up to that. It worked out for him, though, as the Nationals took him with the first pick in the supplemental round last year - and signed him to a $3 million bonus. And a guy like Merry may have made a better life decision to graduate college, since he wasn't likely to have (and since hasn't had) much of a pro career. But guys like Gardeck and Terry cost themselves tens of thousands of dollars and don't have a degree.
After the mini-camp, the vast majority of draftees will report to one of the Rookie League affiliates. Great Falls gets started on June 18; Bristol begins their season on the 19th.
C Kevan Smith went on the DL after a nasty collision at the plate on Tuesday for Kannapolis. Birmingham placed LHP Pedro Hernandez on the DL.
White Sox starting pitcher depth update: RHP Terry Doyle: 76.1 IP, 53 H, 18 BB, 71 K. RHP Dylan Axelrod: 63 IP, 53 H, 15 BB, 62 K.
Fangraphs had an interesting compilation of data about "International League Studs" with a color-coding that made it easy to see how guys compared to league average. Doyle and Axelrod look very good in this.
Doug Laumann talked here about a bunch of White Sox prospects - including Trayce Thompson, Jhan Marinez, Keenyn Walker. I talked with Laumann about draftees Hawkins and Barnum.
INF Tyler Saladino: .235/.380/.319 and 23 of 25 in stolen bases.
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