The White Sox made it a family affair with their first-round draft pick this year.
With the No. 34 pick of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, the White Sox selected Landon Thome, the son of Hall-of-Fame corner infielder Jim Thome.
Chicago selected the 18-year-old shortstop out of Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Ill., and he was widely looked as one of the top high school talents this year.
He was also the 34th-ranked overall draft prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
The Thome family already has a deep connection with the White Sox, with Jim, an Illinois native, spending four seasons in Chicago from 2006-09.
The elder Thome also currently serves as a special assistant to White Sox general manager Chris Getz.
Similar to his father, Landon is a left-handed hitter, with scouts saying he’s shown the ability of hitting the ball to all fields at a high level.
Landon, however, insisted that he’s more of an all-around hitter compared to his power-hitting dad, who racked up 612 home runs throughout his 22-year MLB career.
“Looking back at my dad in high school, he kind of had a similar build to me, kind of a longer, lankier guy,” Landon recently told MLB.com. “I’m more of a different hitter than my dad, just kind of more of a pure hitter, while my dad is more kind of that power guy.
during a May 2006 game. AP
“So I try to kind of model my game after myself. I like to play my own game instead of trying to model my game after other people.”
After batting .535 with seven homers, 29 RBIs, and a 1.676 OPS during his senior season, Landon was named the 2026 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year.
Although he played shortstop while at Nazareth Academy, scouts believe he will transition to either second or third base at the professional level.
“I truly believe, as much as he loves the offensive side, when he reaches first base, to watch him run the bases is special,” Jim Thome told MLB.com.
“He wants to score, wants to change the game on the bases with a very aggressive impact.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
