Last night the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft finally was held and the Boston Red Sox were either gifted the next stud or made a big mistake in not taking a pitcher they desperately need. The draft started with the Pittsburgh Pirates selecting Henry Davis, the highly touted catcher from Louisville University. Then the Texas Rangers selected Jack Leiter, the phenom pitcher from Vanderbilt University and son of Al. The Detroit Tigers took high school pitcher Jackson Jobe from Oklahoma and the Sox themselves chose high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer out of Eastlake High School in California. Mayer was the top infield prospect going into the draft and was touted as the best defensive shortstop in prep school. He was also the highest picked player from Eastlake High School since old friend Adrian Gonzalez went first overall in 2000. Time will tell if this was a good pick or if they regret not picking Kumar Rocker, who the New York Mets took with the 10th overall pick.
Today the Red Sox took 20 year old college outfielder Jud Fabian from Florida University in the second round to kick off Day 2. Fabian slammed 20 home runs for the Gators and drove in 46 in just 58 games. If Mayer is going to be a possible infielding star, they needed another outfielder in case Jarren Duran falters.
In the third round, the Sox selected North Carolina State Wolfpack second baseman Tyler McDonough. The 22 year old slammed 15 home runs and hit .339 in 55 games with the wolfpack. If anything the Florida Coast Red Sox are going to have a heck of a roster if McDonough, Fabian and Mayer all sign and play.
3rd round pick - Tyler McDonough
4th round pick
Nathan Hickey - 5th round selection
The Sox selected their first pitching prospect in the fourth round when they chose right handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz out of high school in Puerto Rico. This is a big crapshoot because Puerto Rican stats may not translate to the United States, but hey, he's a fourth round pick.
In the fifth round, the Sox selected Jud Fabian's teammate, 21 year old catcher Nathan Hickey from Florida University. Supposedly he's not great defensively but he carries a big stick. If Connor Wong and Ronaldo Hernandez aren't going to be able to properly back up or even supplant Christian Vazquez in a few years, maybe Hickey can do it.
18 year old high school infielder Daniel McElveny was the Red Sox sixth round choice. He had 37 hits in 29 games and it'll be interesting to see how his career arcs compared to Mayer's. Both are high school infielders out of California, we'll see who does what eventually.
In the seventh round the Sox went back to college to pick 21 year old right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds from Oklahoma University. This was a bit of a head scratcher as Olds had a terrible 2021 season, going 4-6 with a 5.17 ERA. Either Bloom picked the wrong guy or he must think the Red Sox minor league staff can fix him. We'll see what happens.
If picking Olds who had a subpar 2021 season was a head-scratcher, their eighth round pick is an even bigger crapshoot. The Sox selected 21 year old right handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins from Texas Tech who missed the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Dobbins showed some flashes of promise in the Covid shortened 2020 season before he got hurt. If Bloom can get anything out of him in the minors, why not?
Needing a third basemen to round out this crew, the Sox used their 9th round pick to select 21 year old Tyler Miller from Auburn University. Miller clubbed 16 home runs in 51 games for Auburn this season and if Hudson Potts doesn't develop. Miller could be the guy to use in future trades or give Rafael Devers some competition.
9th round pick - Tyler Miller
To finish off the day, the Sox used their 10th round pick on 22 year old right handed pitcher Matt Litwicki out of Indiana University. This is another crapshoot because Litwicki has been injured every year since 2018 when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He also had a major back issue last year so at best you could get a few wins out of him, the worst is just another 10th round pick that didn't make it.
Time will tell if any of these guys make the big show or even put up good minor league numbers. The only benefit of the Sox tanking last year was drafting high enough to not only get Mayer but a crack at a second round pick with first round value. So not only is Mayer expected to develop but Fabian as well. Most later round picks that make the big show are usually fringe guys so expecting Hunter Dobbins to become the next Clay Buchholz is unfair. Still, if nothing else, they could have some good minor league moments for anyone attending.
On This Day in Basebawful History:
2013 - Sox beat Mariners late
This Thursday the Sox are back in action against the New York Yankees. Nobody knows what the pitching matchup will be yet.
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