Boston Red Sox 2023 MLB Draft Report Card
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Revisiting the 2023 Red Sox MLB Draft class after the conclusion of the minor league season.
Best Pure Hitter: The Red Sox love catcher Kyle Teel’s (1) ability to make solid swing decisions, adjust within at-bats and utilize the entire field. He has a high-effort swing with moving parts, but he has also always gotten on base at a high clip and made plenty of contact. In his pro debut, he pushed to Double-A and hit .363/.483/.495 in 26 games.
Best Power Hitter: Shortstop Nazzan Zanetello (2) is more of a projection for this category, but he has loud bat speed and a lot of physical projection that should allow him to get to above-average power as he fills out his lean and projectable frame.
Fastest Runner: Zanetello (2) is a plus runner who should provide plenty of range in the infield and be a threat to steal consistently. In a 13-game pro debut, he went 5-for-6 (83%) on the bases.
Best Defensive Player: Teel (1) is certainly the most versatile defender in Boston’s draft class. He has literally played every position on the diamond and is a good enough athlete to make the necessary adjustments to stick behind the plate at catcher, where he can get the ball out of his hand quickly and shows plus arm strength.
Best Fastball: Righthander CJ Weins (6) has a fastball that has been up to 98 mph and generated an extremely high, 39% whiff rate with Western Kentucky, thanks in part to unique release traits.
Best Secondary Pitch: Lefthander JoJo Ingrassia (14) has an impressive ability to kill spin on a mid-80s changeup. He used the pitch about a third of the time with Cal State Fullerton last spring and had nearly a 50% miss rate with the pitch, which looks above-average or plus.
Best Pro Debut: It’s hard to find a better candidate than Teel (1) here given his overall production, the fact that he pushed to Double-A and his solid underlying hitting data that includes an 81% overall contact rate. Shortstop Kristian Campbell (4c) also had a solid debut. He hit .309/.440/.471 and had comparable bat-to-ball data with Teel.
Best Athlete: Zanetello (2) was viewed as one of the more explosive athletes in the 2023 class and that should allow him to become a plus defender at either shortstop or center field and be a menace on the base paths.
Most Intriguing Background: The Red Sox believe shortstop Justin Riemer (4c) had the sort of bat-to-ball skills that could have made him a top two–round pick if he were healthy, so getting him with the 133rd pick is good value. His college contact numbers are insane, with a 96% overall contact rate at Wright State and just 14 total strikeouts in 56 games.
Closest To The Majors: Catchers are typically slow-track prospects in the minors, but with Teel (1) already reaching Double-A, he is the pick here. If his bat is forcing the issue, he also has the ability to play in other spots, if necessary.
Best Day Three Pick (Or NDFA): Outfielder Nelson Taylor (11) signed for $300,000 on the third day of the draft after coming off an excellent season with Polk State (Fla.) JC. He led the team in slugging and hit .353/.467/.620 with six home runs and 19 doubles in 51 games, and added 31 stolen bases as well.
