Chicago White Sox Select Billy Carlson 10th In 2025 MLB Draft

Carlson was committed to the University of Tennessee, but all signs point to him forgoing college to begin his professional career. Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello served as an analyst on the draft broadcast and shared some insight into Carlson's game.

"Everyone's a little critical of the swing right now ... But who you are is a guy who either gets to the ball or doesn't, and he does," Vitello said. "How you get there, your vehicle, is your swing. I think he's athletic enough, that swing will be adjusted. But the bottom line is he gets to the ball and he does it against the best competition in the summer."

"The other thing is this kid survived. I mean, Bryce Harper was on Sports Illustrated at age 16 and has survived. That's kind of the most impressive part of his career. This kid, for four years, has been one of the best pitchers and one of the best position players in the country and has survived kind of all the hoopla that comes with it."

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports gave the White Sox an A for this pick

"Carlson is a slick fielder who'll undoubtedly remain at shortstop," Anderson wrote. "Offensively, his swing is geared for line drives, even if he does have legit power potential. There's a chance -- not a guarantee, but a chance -- that he has five average or better tools. I think this is a good value at this point."

Here are Carlson's scouting grades, per MLB.com: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 65 | Field: 70 | Overall: 55

And here's MLB.com's full scouting report on Carlson:

"The 2025 Draft class is deep in southern California and Corona High School has been a regular stop all spring, with three potential early-round picks on the team that won USA Baseball's National High School Invitational last year. Carlson's skills at shortstop that were on display at a variety of summer showcase events, including the Area Code Games and Major League Baseball's High School All-American Game, have continued to show up during his senior year to allow him to float up to the top of the first round."

"All summer, Carlson impressed with his athleticism and bat speed from the right side of the plate. It's more of a line-drive approach at present with a good swing, but he has the chance to grow into more impact and average or better power, though not all evaluators were sold on his hit tool. There's an up arrow next to his run tool as he's worked to get faster and could be a plus runner in time. Even with all of his offensive upside, his glove might be ahead of his bat, with some scouts putting as high as a 70 on his arm strength and defensive actions at shortstop."

"At one point, Carlson was thought to be a legitimate two-way player, with a fastball in the mid-90s and feel for spinning a breaking ball. But it will be his five-tool potential at a premium position that will get the Tennessee recruit selected in the top half of the first round, though his age at Draft time (19) might rule out some teams."