Even amid “kind of a wild draft,” Southern California high school shortstop Billy Carlson suspected the White Sox would call his name at No. 10 overall.

His pre-draft workout at the University of Tennessee was not only attended by White Sox scouting director Mike Shirley, but also had their director of hitting Ryan Fuller examining his swing and their director of sport performance Geoff Head observing his superlative athleticism.

Also there was White Sox GM Chris Getz.

“I was hitting a few bombs, so I was pretty confident that I performed well, and I think they thought the same,” said Carlson, a product of Corona High.

Targeting up-the-middle prep players in order to boost a farm system lacking ceiling and position player athleticism, the White Sox are in love with Carlson for all the headlining reasons.

“The defense at shortstop is some of the best I’ve ever seen at the amateur ranks,” Shirley said.

But White Sox officials are touting Carlson as a “special athlete with the highest ceiling in the draft,” because they view the potential in his offense to be beyond the hit tool doubts that have dominated the conversation in scouting circles.

Carlson features a big hand load and a lengthy stride in his current, long-levered swing, but the White Sox see that stabilizing as the 19-year-old fills out and gets into the team’s strength and conditioning program.

When that happens, they see above-average power potential for the 6-foot-1 Carlson.

“​​As he gets stronger that’s all going to calm down,” Shirley said. “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.”

If there is a trend for White Sox top picks under Shirley, it’s that late scouting looks carry weight—a pre-Covid bullpen in which Garrett Crochet showed a third pitch in 2020, or Noah Schultz pitching in a college summer league in 2022—and Carlson feels anyone who saw his recent offensive progress would be sold.

“I feel like there are a lot of good years coming with the stick,” Carlson said. “I don’t think it needs to be a worry for anyone.”