Day 2 pick Elko calls joining White Sox a 'dream come true'
Scott Merkin
@scottmerkinCHICAGO -- The White Sox had some interest in Tim Elko during Day 3 of the 2021 Draft.
But the right-handed hitting University of Mississippi first baseman decided to come back to school and play one more season for the Rebels. Count that move as one of the best baseball decisions made in recent memory.
In his third season as captain for Ole Miss, Elko set a single-season school record with 24 home runs, drove home 75 runs, batted .300 and posted a 1.049 OPS. Oh, and there’s the little matter of Elko being named to the Men’s College World Series All-Tournament Team after leading the program to its first ever baseball championship.
To put a walk-off homer on top of this already game-winning tale, the White Sox selected Elko in the 10th round with pick No. 311 after working on getting him on board for a couple of rounds. So it’s been quite a month for the 23-year-old from Lutz, Fla.
“I don’t think it really gets much better than that for the last month,” Elko told MLB.com during a phone interview Tuesday. “Then to top it off with getting drafted by the White Sox, it’s a dream come true.
“So that was comforting, and knowing that a team really does like you and didn’t take you because they felt like they had to. I felt like they really wanted me.”
White Sox appreciation came forth Monday, when director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley spoke highly of the Elko pick. On Tuesday, catcher Yasmani Grandal posted on his Instagram story a message concerning the White Sox getting tired of Grandal talking about Elko the last two years and now making him a part of the family. Grandal finished with a message of congratulations.
Grandal and Elko exchanged messages briefly via social media Tuesday, having never met before that moment. It was Grandal who predicted the best was yet to come last year for two-time All-Star Carlos Rodón and that current Major League strikeout leader Dylan Cease had Cy Young-caliber talent. So his talent evaluation record is impeccable.
“He has some maturity. He is a little bit older,” Shirley said of Elko. “He's just really going to help us fortify lineups that have just started. He understands how pitchers are going to attack him. He's got a chance to have a nice career in front of him."
“Experience is always great and it helps you feel a little more comfortable getting into pro ball facing a lot of good SEC pitching and competition for a long time in college,” Elko said. “So I’ll feel pretty comfortable getting in there and back into playing baseball.”
Elko tore the ACL in his right knee on April 5 of last season. He came back at designated hitter with a brace on May 1 after a great deal of physical therapy to finish with a .325 average, 16 homers, 55 RBIs and a 1.119 OPS.
With a major in exercise science and a minor in business, Elko had to start his Masters in his fifth year of college in ‘22. So he went through a one-year program in sports analytics. He’s also a good cook and does solid grill work, as taught by his mom, Cheryl, and father, John, cooking at times for teammates.
Let’s not forget a Twitter account dedicated to “The Most Powerful Mustache in Baseball," @TimElkosStache. That account was not of Elko’s own doing, as he pointed out with a laugh, but the mustache is now gone as he prepares for a new level of baseball challenges.
“It felt amazing. I kind of cried for a second. I just tried to take it all in,” said Elko of getting the Draft call Monday. “It’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to play professional baseball. I’m super thankful the White Sox gave me that opportunity.”