Boston Red Sox MLB Draft History And Projections

As we approach the 2018 MLB Draft on June 4, we’ll break down each major league team’s recent draft history, picking out tendencies where applicable, highlighting the team’s 2018 draft pool and also touching on the organization’s most successful recent draft picks.

Additionally, each team is listed with potential draft targets. These players either fit the typical modus operandi of the organization or are players who have been specifically linked or rumored as fits with a team throughout the spring. Baseball America will continue to add and subtract players from the potential draft target section as we continue to gather information in the final weeks leading up to the draft. Players are listed with a line of skinny to get a quick idea of who they are, but our full scouting reports will give a more complete picture of a player.

It’s also worth pointing out that while in some cases a team might appear to have a clear tendency with certain demographics (i.e. high school pitchers or college hitters), the sample we are looking at is small enough that teams could simply be following a best player available strategy and the results are showing something that’s not an overarching scouting philosophy. It’s more likely that tendencies can be discovered at the extremes, rather than slight apparent preferences in the last five years.

Here is a breakdown of the recent MLB Draft history of the Boston Red Sox:

General Manager: Dave Dombrowski (Since 2017)
Scouting Director: Mike Rikard (Since 2015)
2018 Bonus Pool (Rank): $5,723,300 (27th)

2018 MLB Draft Order:

1st Round: 26th

2nd Round: 64th

3rd Round: 100th

4th-40: 26th in each round.

First Round Picks Since 2013:

2017: Tanner Houck (24th)

2016: Jay Groome (12th)

2015: Andrew Benintendi (7th)

2014: Michael Chavis (26th), Michael Kopech (33rd)

2013: Trey Ball (7th)

Best Recent Pick (2010-2017 Drafts):

SS Mookie Betts (5th round, 2011) has been the best player to come out of a strong 2011 draft class for the Red Sox. The team also took outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (supplemental first round) and third baseman Travis Shaw (9th round) in 2011, both of whom have become productive major league players. Drafted as a shortstop, Betts played the middle infield for his first few years in the minors before becoming Boston’s everyday right fielder, where he’s been a two-time all-star and gold glove winner. Betts was also the recipient of a silver slugger award in 2016, when he hit 31 home runs with an .897 OPS and led the league in total bases.

Recent Tendencies (Last Five Years/Top Five Rounds):

The Red Sox have been close to the league average in regards to college vs. high school selections in the top five rounds during the last five years. They have taken four-year university players 56 percent of the time (compared to a 55 percent league average) and high school players 36 percent of the time (39.4 percent league average).

They’ve also been right in line with the league average for pitchers vs. position players, taking arms 52 percent of the time (52.7 percent league average) and bats 48 percent of the time (47.3 percent league average).

However, if you look specifically at the three years that scouting director Mike Rikard has been calling the shots (2015-2017) there’s been a heavier emphasis on college players taken in the top five rounds, with 10 of the 14 players in that period coming from four-year universities. There’s also a slight edge to hitters with eight of the 14 being position players.

Potential Draft Targets:

RHP Tristan Beck — Beck is a college righthander with four pitches that are above-average or better but a medical that could give teams some pause

1B/OF Seth Beer — A potential 70-grade hitter with 70-grade power, the pressure is on Beer’s bat as his defensive position is a huge question

LHP Kris Bubic — A college lefthander with no true plus offering, Bubic has a successful track record in the Pac-12 thanks to impressive pitchability.

Of Griffin Conine — Conine hits the ball as hard as anyone in the class, but has serious swing-and-miss concerns

SS Jeremy Eierman — A tooled up college shortstop with a plus arm, Eierman also possesses plus speed and plus power

RHP Logan Gilbert — Gilbert has a heavy fastball that plays up with elite extension, and more projection remaining than other college arms

OF Jameson Hannah — Likely a center fielder at the next level, Hannah has a doubles approach that has improved each season with good base running instincts.

RHP Sean Hjelle — A towering, 6-foot-11 righthander, Hjelle has a preternatural ability to throw strikes despite the length of his limbs

OF/1B Greyson Jenista — Likely a corner outfielder at the next level, Jenista has easy plus raw power and good plate discipline to go with it

RHP Blaine Knight — One of the best pitchers in the SEC this spring, Knight has an electric arm, mid-90s fastball and high spin rate breaking ball

OF Trevor Larnach — A powerful corner outfielder, Larnach has finally started tapping into his juice more regularly this spring

OF Jake McCarthy — Injury has limited McCarthy for much of his junior year, but when healthy he is a plus runner who should stick in center with a track record of hitting

RHP Griffin Roberts — A reliever turned starter this season, Roberts throws one of the nation’s best breaking balls in a 70-grade slider with exceptional movement

LHP Ryan Rolison — A high-floor college lefthander, Rolison shows a three-pitch mix including a fastball up to 96 mph with good life