Boston Red Sox 2024 MLB Draft Review

Draft Theme: Swing & Miss Fastballs

The Red Sox were hoping that one of the top 10 players in the class would fall into their laps at No. 12, and after the Angels picked Christian Moore at No. 8 and the Nationals picked Seager King at 10, it was guaranteed someone from that tier would get to them. It happened to be OF Braden Montgomery, the No. 7 player in the class who has a prototypical right field profile with big power and arm strength. After that, the Red Sox took a handful of college arms with swing-and-miss fastballs. LHP Payton Tolle sits in the low 90s but has excellent extension and misses more bats because of that. RHP Brandon Neely is more often in the mid 90s from a low release point with arm-side life. LHP Brandon Clarke has a power fastball in the mid-90s that touches 99. 

Most Interesting Day 2 Pick: RHP/SS Conrad Cason, 8th round

Georgia seems to be a breeding ground for two-way athletes with immense upside as hitters and pitchers. Recent players of this demographic include Michael Harris, Bubba Chandler and Tai Peete. The latest appears to be Cason, who is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound shortstop and righthander who also plays basketball and football. Cason threw a low-90s fastball and touched 94 mph during the 2023 showcase circuit, but he raised eyebrows this spring when he started touching a few 98s. That velocity uptick led many scouts to prefer him on the mound, where he will also mix in a slurvy breaking ball in the upper 70s that blends in shape between a slider and a curveball and a mid-80s straight changeup. Cason needs to improve his feel to spin the baseball and add more conviction in his changeup, and he also has a high-effort delivery and control questions despite his standout athleticism. As a hitter Cason has some swing-and-miss tendencies with a bat path that can get lengthy, though he has a sound approach and makes quality swing decisions and decent two-strike adjustments within at bats. He’s a plus runner whose plus arm would be an asset at shortstop, where he has the actions to stay at the position but enough speed for some teams to think about a move to center field if necessary. Cason’s athleticism and two-way potential make him a compelling prospect with plenty of differing opinions on where his future lies. He’s committed to Mississippi State and will be 17 on draft day.

Most Interesting Day 3 Pick: RHP Brady Tygart, 12th round

Tygart has some of the best feel for spin in the 2024 class and has been known for his breaking stuff since his prep days. A 6-foot-2, 215-pound righthander with a low three-quarters slot, Tygart spent time as both a starter and reliever during his first two seasons with Arkansas but transitioned to a full-time starter role for the first time in 2024. Tygart posted a 3.94 ERA over 59.1 innings and 13 starts this spring with a 26% strikeout rate and 13.6% walk rate. He sits in the low 90s and touched 95 this spring—though he has been up to 97 in the past—and relies on a vicious, two-plane breaking ball in the mid 70s with spin rates that get up to 2,900 rpm. The pitch features tremendous depth and horizontal movement and was his primary secondary this spring, though he also has a hard slider around 80 mph with tons of sweeping life and mid-80s changeup that he uses as often as his curveball against lefthanded hitters. Tygart is a below-average strike-thrower who profiles best as a reliever in pro ball and never threw more than the 59.1 innings he managed in 2024 in college. He missed some time in 2023 with a sprained UCL.