The Chicago White Sox have selected Florida shortstop Colby Shelton with the No. 166 pick in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Shelton is the first Gator to be drafted in the 2025 MLB Draft, and the 111th draftee under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. He is also the eight highest-drafted shortstop in the program’s history.
Shelton spent his sophomore and junior years with Florida, batting .304 while adding 131 hits, 27 home runs and 91 RBI in his two seasons.
In his sophomore season, he batted .254 with 65 hits, 20 home runs and 56 RBI in 66 starts. He was drafted in the 20th round by the Washington Nationals in the 2024 MLB draft before returning to Florida for his junior year.
As a junior, Shelton improved his batting average up to .377. He recorded 66 hits, seven home runs and 35 RBI in 45 starts before suffering a season-ending hamate injury in the second game of the Arkansas series. Despite his season ending early, his performance earned him a nod as a 2025 Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist, recognizing the best shortstop in college baseball.
Before joining the Gators, Shelton spent his freshman year with the Alabama Crimson Tide. He earned a spot on the Freshman All-SEC team, batting .300 with 51 RBI. His 25 home runs led Alabama and tied for second place in the SEC.
Shelton joins a White Sox team that currently stands in last place in the American League Central division at 32-65. The White Sox have the No. 6 farm system in the MLB, per mlb.com.
Contact Adrian Carmona at acarmona@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @abcarmona04.
Adrian Carmona is a third-year journalism major and the Summer 2025 baseball reporter. In his spare time, he enjoys completing Sporcle quizzes and ranting about Miami sports.
