First-round draft choice Courtney Hawkins was introduced at U.S. Cellular Field, where he signed his contract and flashed part of his five-tool package while taking batting practice with the White Sox.

"I'm going to try to develop into the best baseball player I can be and hopefully get up here as soon as I can,'' said Hawkins, who will report to Advanced Rookie Bristol of the Appalachian League.

A power-hitting outfielder, Hawkins was the Sox' first high school first rounder since Kris Honel of Providence in 2001.

"He's got a rare combination of the five-tool player,'' general manager Ken Williams said. "He is that but ... he has little bit more polish than the norm.

"One of the things that convinced me that he could be our No. 1 pick when I went saw him in Corpus Christi (Texas) was that he had the ability to not just put a good swing on the ball, but the ability and knowhow to shorten his swing up, to widen his base with two strikes, to take a ball into right-center field and the awareness that's that what he needs to do and to compete at a higher level.

"That, combined with the instincts you see on the baseball field convinced us that he's not your typical high school five tool player. They never translate into ultimate success. We think they will translate into success and success very quickly.''

Hawkins, 18, batted .437 with 11 home runs his senior season. The 6-3, 220-pounder also had an 0.96 ERA with 57 strikeouts and one save over 36 innings as a pitcher.