The White Sox have agreed a deal with the second-round draft pick. Jared Kelley, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Kelley, an 18-year-old right-hander from Refugio High School in Texas, will receive a $ 3MM signing bonus, which is well above the $ 1.58MM slot value for the 47th overall pick.
Despite being chosen in the second round, Kelley boasts of talent in securing a first-round pick, with MLB Pipeline promoting Kelley as the No. 12 prospect in this year’s draft class. That, coupled with a commitment to the University of Texas, means Kelley has a considerable signing bonus.
Kelley is a great right-hander with a fastball to call, running the field to 98 with effortless delivery. The change is a surprisingly smooth launch for a high school student, and it’s easily his second best offer. All that said, the most important question on Kelley’s path to becoming a premier starter in the big leagues will be the development of his breakout ball, which is an average deal at best. Even if Kelley fails to develop and improve the third pitch, the quick-change combination will be enough to get him into a high-leverage bullpen role. And while there is value in that, such an outcome would still be considered a disappointment given Kelley’s high potential.
