White Sox select LHSP Lucas Gordon in the sixth round (No. 179 overall)

Low velocity and good change probably lands him in the bullpen

With the 179th overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft the White Sox selected LHSP Lucas Gordon. Just take a look at the fastball velocity and you can see why MLB Pipeline did not rank him. He seems to be a money-saving pick and Jim Callis, while the pick was announced, was not convinced he stays a starter. Maybe the White Sox agree and think Gordon’s fastball ticks up with an innings reduction that comes with a move to the bullpen. Of note, his best pitch is a change, so he might do really well in the lower levels of the minors and hit a brick in Double-A.

Gordon had 17 starts and appeared in 19 games for Texas last year over 102 2⁄3 innings. He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters, just barely more than one strikeout every inning (103). He walked 34 batters over that time span as well.

Lucas Gordon’s Baseball Cube Talent Ratings

Durability 100
vs. Power 89
Hittable 89
Walks 69
K/BB 65
Strikeouts 44
Team Winning Pct. .746

2023 Chicago White Sox Draft Picks

First Round (No. 15 overall) Jacob González, SS (ranked No. 18 on MLB Pipeline)
Second Round (No. 51 overall) Grant Taylor, RHSP (ranked No. 102 on MLB Pipeline)
Third Round (No. 84 overall) Seth Keener, RHP (ranked No. 108 on MLB Pipeline)
Fourth Round (No. 116 overall) Calvin Harris, C (ranked No. 133 on MLB Pipeline)
Fifth Round (No. 152 overall) Christian Oppor, LHSP (ranked No. 225 on MLB Pipeline)
Sixth Round (No. 179 overall) Lucas Gordon, LHSP (not ranked on MLB Pipeline)