In Brief: A chat with 2023 fifth-rounder Christian Oppor

Christian Oppor takes the mound for Gulf Coast State College in Florida.When the White Sox selected Christian Oppor with the 152nd pick in the 2023 draft, they were already familiar with what the young lefty could offer on the mound. Just one year prior, then 18-year-old Oppor was featured on Chicago’s draft board as a high school talent worthy of a late-round pick, but the Oakland A’s swooped in and selected him in the 11th round. Oppor and the A’s were unable to work out a deal, and the young southpaw elected to play a year of college baseball for Gulf Coast State Junior College in Florida.

“My senior year of high school, I was getting looked at by a lot more pro scouts than college…