Boston Red Sox 2024 MLB Draft Report Card

Best Pure Hitter: The Red Sox drafted outfielder Zach Ehrhard (4) in the 13th round out of high school, then selected him again in the fourth round this year. This time they signed him. Ehrhard was a career .310/.429/.481 hitter in three years with Oklahoma State and in the 2024 spring he managed an 88% overall contact rate with more walks than strikeouts.

Best Power Hitter: Outfielder Braden Montgomery (1) has a terrific frame and pro body at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds with plenty of bat speed and strength that leads to easy plus raw power as a lefthanded- and righthanded-hitter. He finished his three-year college career with 62 home runs and had a career-year with Texas A&M last spring when he homered 27 times with a 111.1 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity.

Fastest Runner: Shortstop and righthander Conrad Cason (8) is a plus runner who should have the speed for plenty of range at shortstop or to help facilitate a move to center field if that becomes necessary in pro ball.

Best Defensive Player: Outfielder Will Turner (7) is a plus runner like Cason and is expected to be an above-average defender in center field with plus arm strength that gives him another weapon to use in the field. 

Best Fastball: Lefthander Payton Tolle (2) doesn’t light up the radar gun with a fastball that sits in the low 90s and will touch 96, but he creates deception with his low-slot delivery and excellent deception that helps the pitch play up. Despite just average velocity, Tolle generated a 31% miss rate with his fastball with TCU in the spring. 

Best Secondary Pitch: The Red Sox are excited about the quality of righthander Blake Aita’s (6) low-80s slider. The pitch averaged 12 inches of gloveside movement this spring with Kennesaw State and has spin rates around the 2,800 rpm range, which could make it a real weapon against righties.

Best Pro Debut: Only five Red Sox draftees were activated after the draft. Righthander Griffin Kilander (16) probably had the most impressive debut of that group. He posted a 1.23 ERA in four relief appearances and 7.1 innings, with six strikeouts, three walks and a low-90s fastball.

Best Athlete: Cason (8) is following in a long line of Georgia two-way players and standout athletes. He has upside as both a pitcher and hitter in pro ball. Cason was one of just five players from the 2024 class drafted as a two-way player.

Most Intriguing Background: Tolle (2) was one of the better two-way players in college baseball for two seasons with Wichita State before he transferred to TCU and focused more on pitching for the 2024 season. As a hitter, Tolle finished his college career with a .294/.350/.488 slash line with 18 home runs and 18 doubles in 125 games.

Closest To The Majors: Montgomery (1) has a pro build with pro tools and three years of high-level performance in college baseball’s stiffest conferences. Aside from running, he has a chance for above-average tools across the board and his 70-grade arm strength should be a weapon that translates to the pro game immediately.

Best Day Three Pick (Or NDFA): Righthander Steven Brooks (11) posted a 5.44 ERA over his three seasons with Cal Poly, but the Red Sox are excited about his arm talent and pitchability. He’ll need to add power to a fastball that averaged 90 mph and touched 93 last spring, but he throws strikes and features a low release point that could help his stuff play up.