MLB Draft, or NFL?

The MLB is nothing if not a NFL wannabe.  This week’s draft is a case in point; both sports must use the same television production crew.  What’s next, Commissioner Manfred announcing plans to move the Reds and Pirates back into multi-use stadiums?  Riverfront and Three Rivers, here we come, as soon as we can get the respective cities to foot the bill, of course.

One thing of interest for me, though, is that for the second year in a row the White Sox demonstrated they have an idea where the Midwest is located.  In last year’s draft, they took pitcher Zack Burdi from Downers Grove in the first round and this year third baseman Jake Burger from suburban St. Louis.  Somehow, Burger grew up both a White Sox and Blackhawks’ fan, in which case he’s come to the right place, assuming he can hit his way here.

Back in spring training Sox third baseman Todd Frazier said he was a .250 hitter, the kind of admission no ballplayer should make.  That’s why I was impressed to read Burger say, “I’m not [just] hitting .280.  I’m hitting for average with the home runs as well.”  From his lips to God’s ears, as my father-in-law would say.

The Sox also drafted Evan Skoug, a power-hitting catcher from TCU by way of Libertyville.  So, something I’ve been complaining about for ages may finally be changing—at least one local team is paying attention to talent based closer to home; the Sox also drafted two pitchers from Louisville and an outfielder from Indiana, this all in the first ten rounds.  Too bad there was no repeat of 1993, when the Sox became the first-ever MLB team to draft a female.  That would be Carey Schueler, daughter of then-GM Ron Schueler.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?