A Hard, Necessary, Conversation

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; great minds think alike; like father, like daughter—take your pick. Whatever the reason, Clare and I were asking the same question last week when the White Sox picked Landon Thome with the 34th selection in the draft. “Would you tell him to sign or go to college?” daughter asked father, or vice versa. We both agreed, “Go to college.” Let’s count the reasons why. Start with the fact that the Sox are full of middle infielders, and that’s not even counting number-one pick Roch Cholowsky. Five of the top eleven prospects in the Sox system are middle infielders. How exactly does the eighteen-year old Thome expect to jump over them? Also consider the middle infield on the major-league level with Chase Meidroth and Colson Montgomery, plus Miguel Vargas at third and middle-infielder Same Antonacci forced to play left field. Where exactly does Thome fit in? The younger Thome stands an even six feet and weighs 177 pounds; he looks like he has another year or two of high-school eligibility left. Yes, the White Sox will wait for him to fill out, but the expectation for a professional, as opposed to a college, player is to perform from day one. I’d argue there’s a lot more pressure playing at Single-A Kannapolis than Florida State, where Landon Thome has committed to attend. And any high-school player making the jump puts his body at risk that first year, as it adjusts from playing just 50 games a season to 130-plus games. College offers players a chance to grow both physically and emotionally before jumping into the pros with its expanded schedule. That’s what Clare would be telling her son. Me, too.