Former Red Sox pitching prospect Jedixson Paez. (Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)
The Chicago White Sox selected right-handed pitcher Jedixson Paez with the second overall pick in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, making one of the more intriguing upside bets of the draft.
Paez, 21, is an unconventional Rule 5 selection. He has not advanced beyond the High-A level and enters 2025 with limited upper-minors experience, but the underlying profile explains the gamble. Injuries restricted him to just 19 1/3 innings last season, yet the performance was eye-opening: a 2.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 27.7% strikeout rate, paired with an impressive 3.6% walk rate. His 24.1% K-BB rate and 71.1% strike percentage paint the picture of a pitcher who consistently controls counts and limits self-inflicted damage.
Across 96 1/3 total innings in the Boston Red Sox organization in 2024—mostly at High-A—Paez posted a 3.17 ERA, reinforcing the idea that his results track with his process. Signed as an international free agent out of Tinaquillo, Venezuela in 2021 for $450,000, his development has been slowed more by health than performance.
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Paez’s appeal lies in his ability to fill up the strike zone with a five-pitch mix, a trait that raises his floor even as questions remain about his ceiling. His fastball has sat in the low 90s since the start of the 2024 season, and his limited workload entering 2025 presents two immediate challenges: durability and margin for error. Without premium velocity, Paez must rely on execution, sequencing, and feel.
The changeup is the separator—an above-average pitch that plays up thanks to his confidence throwing it in any count. It allows him to neutralize left-handed hitters and generate weak contact. The curveball also showed improved shape in his limited action last season, giving him another tool to steal strikes early or disrupt timing. His slider rounds out the mix, providing a usable secondary that complements his command-first approach.
Still, Paez’s stuff does not afford him much forgiveness. Misses over the plate at the major-league level are more likely to be punished, making location and pitch execution non-negotiable.
That reality will shape how the White Sox deploy him. As a Rule 5 pick in the major-league phase, Paez must remain on Chicago’s active roster all season or be offered back—always a steep climb for a pitcher without Double-A experience.
If eased into action in a mop-up role, Paez’s strike-throwing profile fits naturally. Low-leverage innings would allow him to acclimate to big-league hitters while limiting exposure. From there, the developmental goal would be to stretch him toward a swing-man or back-end starter profile, depending on how his workload and stuff progress.
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Ultimately, how much patience the White Sox show with the young right-hander will determine both his role and his chances of sticking. Whether he’s deployed in mop-up duty, a piggyback role, or middle relief, Paez will need to prove that his command and secondary pitches can miss big-league bats.
If he can do that—and stay healthy—the White Sox may have uncovered one of the more quietly impactful selections of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft: a young, poised arm whose value lies not in radar-gun readings, but in pitchability, feel, and trust in the strike zone.