Ozzie Guillen disappointed by son Ozney being picked in 22nd round

Yesterday the White Sox chose Ozzie Guillen’s son, 18-year-old Ozney Guillen, in the 22nd round of the draft and the manager isn’t happy about the high school outfielder dropping that far:

Obviously, it’s a disappointment. Twenty-second round? Anybody can go 22nd round. There are a few players out there that weren’t [high] picks and made it to the big leagues, but I think the 22nd round in high school doesn’t mean anything. I respect the scouts’ opinion with all my heart. I hope the 20 guys they pick before him help us or help the White Sox, but I’m a baseball man.

I saw him play, and I saw him compete against a lot of people out there. It surprised me that he [fell] that far before getting picked. I know baseball a little bit. This kid has a good future as long as he doesn’t get hurt. You can say, “The hell with this thing” and do something else, or get better and prepare yourself for what is coming. Knowing my kid, he will prepare himself better and show people they were wrong or right. That’s all you can do.

In the meanwhile, it’s kind of hard. His expectations, not mine, his expectations were a little higher. He thought he was a little better player than what other people think. The hardest thing for us is to talk to him about it. He feels embarrassed, he feels like he let himself down. He thinks he’s better than a few players picked by teams before him. But I said, “Listen, that’s part of life. You learn from that, you get yourself stronger mentally and you prove people wrong. That’s all you can do.”

Of course, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com “Guillen admitted that he did not talk to scouts or anyone involved with the draft to see where their projections had Ozney slotted.” I spoke to one of the guys from Baseball America, who said Ozney is “not really” a legitimate prospect, but likely would have been drafted at some point if the White Sox didn’t take him in the 22nd round. Whatever the case, Ozney Guillen presumably won’t sign with the White Sox and will instead play college ball at South Florida, where he’ll try to take his dad’s advice to heart and show everyone they were wrong. Oh, and if you’re curious: Ozzie Guillen wasn’t drafted (or eligible to be drafted). He signed with the Padres as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela and was traded to the White Sox a few years later.