The Chicago White Sox have two first round draft picks in the first round of Thursday’s MLB Draft, and they used the 10th overall selection to draft catcher Zack Collins out of the University of Miami.
Collins, who has 13 home runs and 53 RBI for the Hurricanes this season, is projected to be a bat-first type of player. He’s currently batting .358 and has a staggering on-base percentage of .534 in his junior season for Miami, with an OPS of 1.165 for the ACC powerhouse.
With their second pick of the first round, the White Sox drafted pitcher Zack Burdi out of the University of Louisville. Burdi, who was born in Downers Grove, has a 1-2 record with a 2.20 ERA and 11 saves for the Cardinals this season, and he has appeared in 26 games during his junior season.
He also has a 0.77 WHIP, a career best, and a staggering 14.44 strikeouts per nine innings, as he's racked up 46 strikeouts in 28 and two-thirds innings.
The White Sox also have a connection to another player taken in the first round, as fifth-overall pick Corey Ray is a product of the team’s Amateur City Elite program. Ray, a junior from Louisville University, was picked by the Milwaukee Brewers during a season that has seen him slug 15 home runs and drive in 60 RBI for the Cardinals.
