With the 142nd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB Draft, the Chicago White Sox selected Florida Gators shortstop Colby Shelton.
With their 6th‑round pick (No. 166 overall), the @WhiteSox select @GatorsBB shortstop Colby Shelton, No. 142 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) July 14, 2025
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Shelton, the No. 142 draft prospect according to MLB.com started his college career playing for the University of Alabama before transferring to Florida in 2024.
As a freshman at Alabama, he batted .300 (61-203) with 10 doubles, one triple, and 25 home runs. He drove in 51 RBIs and had 49 runs scored. Shelton had phenomenal plate discipline, getting walked 33 times and hit-by-pitch 10 times. His 25 home runs was a school season-high record. He put his name on the map quickly with a 1.149 OPS.
With a monster freshman season, Shelton was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, earned first team Freshman All-America honors from D1Baseball.com, earned a second team freshman All-American by both Baseball America and the NCBWA, and earned a spot on the freshman All-SEC team. He was selected as a midseason first-team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game USA as well.
The left-handed pitcher transferred from Alabama to the University of Florida in 2024. As a junior he hit .254, with a .551 slugging percentage and a .374 on base percentage. He hit 14 doubles, a triple, and 20 home runs, driving in 56 RBIs and 60 runs scored. He walked 35 times and was hit-by-pitch 16 times. He also accrued six stolen bases.
In his 2025 junior season, he hit .377, with a .606 slugging percentage and a .458 on base percentage. Shelton started the first 45 games of his junior season before a back injury ended his season early. Over the course of those 45 games he hit 19 doubles, seven home runs, drove in 35 RBIs, and had 40 runs scored. Before a back injury shut him down for the season, Shelton was on track to improve upon all of his 2024 numbers.
Shelton is known for being a big power hitter with near-plus power and for his ability to put carry on the ball.
Shelton was solely a shortstop throughout his high school and collegiate careers; however, analysts expect he could shift over to second base in the big leagues.
The White Sox have struggled offensively in 2025, and players have been working their way through the farm system swiftly. If Shelton can prove himself from the start, he could follow suit and be successful with the White Sox.