Sox select Beck with second round amateur pick

The Chicago White Sox selected Georgia Southern pitcher Chris Beck with their second-round pick Tuesday in the amateur draft.

Beck, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound right-hander, was 6-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 17 games, but the Sox are banking on his 93 mph fastball that helped him strike out 115 in 103 2/3 innings.

Beck was projected to be a potential first-round pick before the 2012 season but struggled early, according to Baseball America.

Beck was a 35th-round selection of Cleveland out of Jefferson High School in Georgia in the 2009 draft.

In the third round, the Sox selected Arizona State second baseman Joey DeMichele. Earlier this spring, Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn scouted DeMichele, a left-handed hitter who led the Devils with a .336 batting average and 12 stolen bases.

Brandon Brennan, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-handed pitcher from Orange Coast College, was the Sox's selection in the fourth round. Brennan pitched for one of the top junior college powers in Southern California, posting an 11-1 record and 1.25 ERA in 15 games.

According to Baseball America, Brennan features a sinking fastball in the low 90 mph range that could fit well at U.S. Cellular Field. Brennan signed a letter of intent with the University of Houston.

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