CHICAGO –– The same night Billy Carlson’s MLB Draft aspirations came to fruition, he thought back to when they were formed.

As a five-year-old, he frequently watched MLB Network’s “Quick Pitch” and envisioned himself making a web gem or slugging a clutch home run. Though he’s had the dream for a long time like many others, it wasn’t until after his junior year of high school that he truly felt it was within reach.

Carlson said seeing his high school teammate, Ethan Schiefelbein, become a second-round pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2024 helped pave the way for him to do the same. Sunday, Carlson and two other Corona High School (Calif.) graduates –– Seth Hernandez (No. 6, Pirates) and Brady Ebel (No. 32, Brewers) –– took turns hearing their names called in the first round.

The White Sox selected Carlson with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, which came as a bit of a surprise.

“I had a good idea going in, but honestly, it was kind of a wild draft. So I was keeping my eyes peeled for everyone. It was crazy stuff,” Carlson said. “Honestly, I didn’t even know they were going to take me. I was just in shock as much as you guys were. It was exciting and [I’ve been] celebrating with the whole fam.”

“I was ecstatic, man. I was so, so happy. Seeing all my hard work pay off and giving it to God and letting him do his thing. I’m super excited and excited to get to work and help the White Sox win some games.”

Carlson doesn’t know much about Chicago yet after growing up in California, but he has a connection.

“My mom has a really really big family. She’s Mexican and they have a lot of family in Mexico. We always had a lot of family in Chicago,” Carlson said. “It’s crazy now I’m coming to Chicago and how God works. It’s cool to have a lot of family there I don’t even really know that well. Getting to know them these next few years will probably be pretty awesome.”

The draft pick also fulfilled something White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley had been looking for in recent years.

“[He’s a] winner, the face, the Hollywood, he does a lot of things a southern Cal is supposed to do to get you excited about as a player,” Shirley said. “Always said one of these days I want to take one of those southern Cal shortstops. I think they’re exciting. They put people in the seats. He has highlight-reel ability. I’m super excited about Billy Carlson and glad the White Sox got that opportunity tonight.”

In addition to his ability on the field, Carlson’s personality immediately jumps out.

“Confident. That’s what you want, right?” Shirley said. “You’ve got to believe in yourself to be great at this game. I think he’s structured and wired to function like that on a day in and day out basis. Handle the pro lifestyle, know he’s got to show up every day. I think he’s wired and built like that. He’s going to speak well, he’s going to represent this organization and he’s going to get after it. He’s got a lot of runway to be a better player on top of the present skills he brings to the table.”

The White Sox have long had their eyes on Carlson. The summer after Carlson’s junior year, Shirley recalls watching him begin play in high-level summer circuits. At first, Shirley could tell Carlson wasn’t used to seeing that type of velocity every day.

But by the end of the circuit, Shirley considered Carlson one of the best hitters around. He was intrigued by the player’s capacity to make adjustments, such as improved at-bats, quicker bat speed, using leverage at the plate and spraying the ball to the middle and opposite fields. Shirley mentioned a PBR event in Miami, where Carlson hit a big home run that had others buying into his power potential.

Shirely said the training component will be big for Carlson, listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, as he develops more strength. Late in the draft process, the White Sox held a workout at the University of Tennessee –– where Carlson had committed to play college baseball –– with Carlson, Shirley, general manager Chris Getz, director of hitting Ryan Fuller and senior director of sports performance Geoff Head.

It helped them evaluate various aspects of Carlson’s game and projectability.

“Geoff had the chance to watch him move, watch him run,” Shirley said. “The entire team put the focus on what he was, just start to see how unbelievable the athlete moves. Been doing this a long time from the scouting eye, and when you look at frames and bodies, you start getting a feel of the contextual growth a player can make as he adds mass. If they’re wired and lean, they have this wiry strength plus all this projection to them.”

“You just get super excited about what the future could look like for Billy. He just does a lot. I’m excited for the White Sox. Feel like we’ll be growing in this capacity to really want to take these high-end players and really develop them. And hoping great things are going to occur real soon.”

Carlson felt confident after the workout, too.

“I was hitting a few bombs,” Carlson said. “So I was pretty confident that I performed well, and I think they thought the same.”

Carlson was rated as the top defensive shortstop prospect in the 2025 draft class. He received a 70 grade in fielding on an 80-grade scale, while the five shortstops who were drafted ahead of him graded no higher than 60. He said he’s been the shortstop on his team since he was six years old and has always strived to perfect his craft defensively. He takes pride in helping out his pitchers, who he tends to become good friends with as a result.

Some of it is a result of hard work, but Carlson also attributed his defense to his genes.

“My mom’s Latin and we have a lot of Latin heritage, so I think that kind of takes care of itself,” Carlson said. “It’s pretty natural and God-given.”

Carlson was named by Perfect Game as the top defensive player in the 2025 class and ranked third overall in its Top 100 national rankings. Shirley certainly agrees with that assessment.

“I’ll be frank, the defense at shortstop is some of the best I’ve ever seen at the amateur ranks. He moves – the hand skill, the feet skill. It’s a big-time arm. He does so many things on the defensive side that are elite. The body, the way it’s built, the way it’s structured. The projection. He just touches so many points to get excited about.”

But for all the hype created by Carlson’s glove, he and the White Sox don’t think his ability to hit should be doubted. As a senior, he slashed .365/.517/.647 (31-85) with four doubles, six home runs, 34 RBI, 33 runs scored and a 1.164 OPS in 31 games.

Carlson credited a few new coaches he has worked with for helping develop his bat, but he still feels like he’s barely scratching the surface at the plate.

“I think it gets slept on a little bit,” Carlson said of his bat. “I feel like this spring I showed I can bang with the best of them and really have some thump for my size. Super excited to be able to prove that and show that these next few years. Just super stoked and ready to get to work. … I feel like there are a lot of good years coming with the stick. I don’t think it needs to be a worry for anyone. It’s going to be a fun road.”

“The bat speed. He moves very easy,” Shirley said. “Sometimes the stride gets a little bit big, but as he gets stronger that’s all going to calm down. Just think about how mobile he is. As he gets stronger, how that frame tightens up and really starts to control what he needs to do. When he touches the ball it stays in the air a long time. Really good, efficient when using the opposite field, the gap, the control.”

Carlson, still just 18 years old, won’t help the White Sox immediately. But the rebuilding organization believes he can be a special piece for years to come.

“We just think there’s a runway here,” Shirley said. “He moves different. It’s that athlete we all chase.”