It's another off-day and its time to take a look at former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom's 2021 MLB Draft choices. With Covid in the past, this time there was going to be 20 rounds and the Red Sox owned the fourth overall pick due to their garbage 2020 season. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did.
1st round - INF Marcelo Mayer
The fourth overall pick turned out to be Eastlake High School shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer has lived up to his billing so far, hitting .275 for the Florida Complex league to end 2021. In 2022 he hit 13 home runs and drove in 53 runs between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive. He stalled a bit in 2023 as he tore up Greenville hitting .290 with 7 home runs and 34 rbis but faltered for the Portland Sea Dogs. He hit just .189 with 6 home runs and 20 rbis. This year he's apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel, hitting .308 with 6 home runs and 34 rbis so far. The 21 year old is on the fast track to Worcester and could be competing for a Boston job in Spring Training next year if he's not traded.
2nd round - OF Jud Fabian
Chaim Bloom goofed with his second round pick. Jud Fabian was a hell of an outfielder for the Florida Gators hitting 20 home runs and driving in 46 runs his junior year. The Sox took him with the 40th overall pick but he refused to sign, staying for his senior year. Apparently its come out since that the Baltimore Orioles had a 3 million dollar deal ready for him with the 41st pick but Bloom beat the O's to the punch. Guess who drafted Fabian in the second round of the 2022 draft? That's right. This season Jud is hitting just .235 but with 13 home runs & 36 rbis for the Bowie Baysox and could be promoted to AAA soon. Talent wise Fabian was the right pick to make, too bad he had his heart set on playing for Baltimore. Big mistake by Bloom.
3rd round - 2B Tyler McDonough
The Sox third round pick in this draft was North Carolina State Wolfpack second baseman Tyler McDonough. Tyler showed promise hitting .300 between the Florida Complex League and Salem Red Sox at the end of 2021 but hit just .230 for Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit an even .250 shuffling between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox. This year he hit .261 with the Sea Dogs before being called up to Worcester. In 10 games he's hit .242 which isn't going to get him called up to Boston. Still, at 25 he's in Worcester and hopefully he can turn the jets on to make it to Boston.
4th round - RHP Elmer Rodriguez
The first pitcher chosen in the draft wasn't until the first round and it was a Puerto Rican high school JUNIOR named Elmer Rodriguez. He graduated in 2021 and made his debut in 2022 where he allowed just 8 earned runs in 33 innings between the Complex and Salem. Last year he was Salem's best pitcher, going 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 starts. This year he's 2-3 with a 2.74 ERA and it might be time to promote him to Greenville. He doesn't turn 21 until August but they're moving him along slowly. It better work out because you don't want him in the minors at 24-25 if he has nothing left to prove.
5th round - C Nathan Hickey
When Nathan Hickey was picked in the fifth round out of Florida University, he instantly became one of the top catchers in the system automatically. Unfortunately he may not be the chosen one anymore with Kyle Teel being the top ranked guy. Hickey didn't accomplish much at the Complex and Salem in 2021 but in 2022 he rebounded to crack 16 home runs and drive in 62 between Salem and Greenville. He spent 2023 in Portland where he hit just .258 but hit 15 home runs while driving in 56. Now he's in Worcester hitting just .211 with 8 home runs and 38 rbis. Kyle Teel may leapfrog him eventually but as of right now, he could be the emergency catcher in Boston if something happens to Connor Wong or Reese McGuire. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but he's one step away from the majors.
6th round - C Daniel McElveny
This might be one of Chaim Bloom's worst draft picks when all is said and done only for who was drafted around him, but I'll get to that in a second. Daniel battled a ton of injuries, playing just 43 games between the Complex and Salem in 2022. Last year he played just 9 games again and now he's healthy, but he's hitting just .189 in 29 games for Salem as a backup catcher. Sixth round picks shouldn't be expected to bring first round production but here's the kicker....McElveny was the fourth selection of the 6th round, Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo was taken 12th in the round. Carlos Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers this year at 15th. Spencer Arrighetti made his debut this year with the Houston Astros picked one slot after Rodriguez. Sox pitching prospect Dick Fitts was taken 21st in the round and another Sox prospect Taylor Broadway was taken 23rd. Not a good look when three guys picked after you have already reached the majors and two more that got traded to Boston are ranked higher than you in your own organization. Hopefully Daniel can turn it around, otherwise this could be Bloom's biggest whiff not counting Jud Fabian.
7th round - RHP Wyatt Olds
24 year old right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds was a classic case of "What were you expecting?" Olds had a horrible senior year at Oklahoma University going 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA, getting pulled from the rotation at the end of the year. Chaim Bloom took him in the seventh round anyway. He pitched in only 6 games in 2021 and was straight batting practice in 2022. He was 4-9 with a 6.01 ERA for Greenville although he allowed 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings for Portland. In 2023 he was even worse, going 0-7 with a 8.47 ERA before getting pulled from the rotation. This year he's 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA. The guy simply is not good and Bloom knew it when he drafted him. To make matters worse, 7 picks after Olds was taken, the Washington Nationals took Jacob Young who made his MLB debut in 2023. Five picks after Young, the Houston Astros took Joey Loperfido who made his MLB debut in April of this year. Its one thing to pick a guy and he doesn't pan out, its another thing to pick a guy who wasn't good and expect anything different.
8th round - RHP Hunter Dobbins
Speaking of crapshots, the Sox took one with their 8th round pick. Hunter Dobbins showed promise at Texas Tech before his 2020 season was cut short due to Covid. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and was 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 17 starts for Salem in 2022. He started to turn it around in 2023 going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA for Greenville before going 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA for Portland to end the season. This year he's 4-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts so far and a promotion to Worcester might be coming soon. Its a shame its taken him this long to get to AA, needing elbow surgery sucks.
9th round - 3B Tyler Miller
The Sox took Auburn third baseman Tyler Miller in the 9th round in 2021 and looked to be on the fast track when he hit .300 between the Complex and Salem at the end of 2021 with 3 home runs and 20 rbis. Then in 2022 he hit just .219 with 13 home runs and 59 rbis for Salem. Last year he hit .263 with just 9 home runs and 51 rbis in 91 games for Greenville. He started this year hitting .275 with 4 home runs for Greenville before getting promoted to Portland. He's played 24 games and has just 1 home run with 11 rbis while batting .247. He's been perfectly mediocre since the end of 2021 and at 24 years old, he may get leapfrogged by future picks. Least he's made it to AA, more than others on this list can say.
10th round - RHP Matt Litwicki
What an unfortunate career for 10th round pick Matt Litwicki. He pitched in just 22 games for the Indiana Hoosiers due to injuries and didn't make his Sox debut until June of 2023....where he was awful for the Complex and Salem before getting released again. He pitched in just 28 games going back to 2019 due to injuries. Just like Hunter Dobbins, Bloom drafted Litwicki knowing he was an injury risk. This one just didn't pan out.
11th round - 1B Niko Kavadas
The Sox looked to have scored with their 11th round pick when they chose hulking first baseman Niko Kavadas. He hit 24 home runs and drove in 76 runs between Greenville and Portland in 2022 and hit 22 home runs with 69 rbis between Portland and Worcester in 2023. This year he's hitting .276 with 14 home runs and 49 rbis and fans are mad that he's not in Boston. After Triston Casas went down, the Sox have relied on the trio of Bobby Dalbec, Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper and only Smith looks even halfway competent. Maybe the Sox will come to their senses and bring up Kavadas at some point once Casas comes back. Either way, he's the closest of anyone to reach the majors of this draft group.
12th round - RHP Christopher Troye
Just like Wyatt Olds, 12th round pick Christopher Troye another guy that had sub-par stats in college when he was drafted. He allowed 31 runs in 51 innings for U-Cal Santa Barbara while having mediocre seasons in 2021 for the Complex and 2022 for Salem. He started to figure it out of the bullpen last year when he posted a 1.96 ERA for Greenville and 3.77 for Portland. This year he fell apart, allowing 12 runs in 11 innings so far this year. Compounding this is 8 picks after Troye, the Seattle Mariners took Corey Rosier who's now with Portland as well. The killer was 10 picks after Troye, the San Francisco Giants took Landen Roupp who just made his ML debut with the Giants this year. There's still time to turn it around for Troye but once again, what were the Sox expecting when looking at his college stats?
13th round - SS Zach Ehrhard
The Sox rolled the dice and crapped out with their 13th round pick, Wharton High School shortstop Zach Ehrhard. Ehrhard spurned the Sox and went to play in college for Oklahoma State. He had a good freshman year but a lousy sophomore year. He took a big step this year hitting .330 with 14 home runs and 57 rbis. One more year of this and he could be in the first five rounds of next year's draft. Hopefully he's not the next Mark Teixeira.
14th round - RHP Jacob Webb
For two years it looked like 14th round pick Jacob Webb would be the first to make the majors. He allowed 2 runs in 12 innings between the Complex and Salem to end 2021 then ended the 2022 season in Portland. Then last year he was 8-3 but had a 5.03 ERA out of the bullpen. This year he's 6-1 but with a mediocre 4.35 ERA. Going 14-4 in Portland is fine, but not with that ERA. He might get a crack at Worcester before the year is over but he looked on the fast track in 2022 only to falter this year. To make matters worse, the last pick of the 14th round was Jordan Leasure, chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Leasure was traded by the Dodgers last year as part of the package for Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox and made his debut for the hapless ChiSox this year. Still, getting a major leaguer out of the 14th round is an accomplishment, Webb could be there eventually.
15th round - SS Payton Green
Once again the Sox wasted a draft pick when their 15th round selection, shortstop Payton Green decided to go to North Carolina State instead. After two years at NC State, he transferred to Georgia Tech this season where he hit .309 with 12 home runs and 42 rbis. Just like Ehrhard, he might increase his draft stock next year. What's worse, the Cincinnati Reds took outfielder Blake Dunn with their 15th round pick and he made his ML debut earlier this month. Another swing and a miss by Bloom.
16th round - 2B BJ Vela
Speaking of wasted picks, one of the weirdest was 16th round pick BJ Vela. Vela looked to have things figured out when he hit .342 in 21 games for the Complex but was surprisingly cut before Spring Training last year. It was never revealed why they gave up so quick on him but to make matters worse, the San Diego Padres took Gonzaga pitcher Alek Jacob with their 16th round pick. Jacob had a cup of coffee with the Padres last year making the Vela pick look even worse. Something must have happened with Vela, oh well.
17th round - RHP Luis Guerrero
The Sox finally got one right in the 17th round when they picked Luis Guerrero out of Chipola Junior College. He went 4-3 with a 4.18 ERA for Salem in 2022 before posting a 2.08 ERA for Greenville. Last year he was Portland's closer going 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA with 18 saves before getting the late call to Worcester. This year he's 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA for Worcester and just like Kavadas, Guerrero is knocking on the door to the big leagues. Not bad for a 17th round pick to be one of the closest to the majors.
18th round - OF Phillip Sikes
In the 18th round the Sox picked Texas Christian outfielder Phillip Sikes. Sikes batting average has dipped at every level. He hit .392 for the Complex in 2021 before he hit .258 in Salem & .248 in Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit .210 for Portland although he rebounded so far this year to hit .256 with 4 home runs and 19 rbis. The fact he was leapfrogged by Roman Anthony shows that this might not have been a great pick. Still, what are you expecting out of the 18th round?
19th round - RHP Tyler Uberstine
What a sad career for 19th round pick Tyler Uberstine. Just like Wyatt Olds and Christopher Troye, Tyler was a bum for Northwestern going 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA his last year in college. Tyler was 4-4 with a 4.63 ERA for Salem to start 2022 but was better in Greenville, going 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He started 2023 on the Injured List and had to have Tommy John surgery in June. He may not pitch this year either and its a shame, but injuries are part of the game.
20th round - SS Josh Hood
Just like Zach Ehrhard and Payton Green, Pennsylvania University infielder Josh Hood didn't sign with the Red Sox. He instead transferred to NC State and was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. Last year he hit 13 home runs between A and A+ ball and began this year with the Everett AquaSox hitting just .237 with 6 home runs & 31 rbis. Still, to go from the 20th round to the sixth and making it to High A is nothing to sneeze at.....too bad its not with the Red Sox.
URFA - OF Kier Meredith
The Sox did sign two rookie free agents after the 2021 draft, one of which was Clemson outfielder Kier Meredith. He hit .265 for Salem in 2022 with just 1 home run and 22 rbis and .178 for Greenville in 2023 with 1 home run and 10 rbis. After the 2023 season he retired and is now a scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It takes a smart man to realize he's not gonna make it and do something else, good luck to Kier as a scout.
URFA - RHP Jhonny Felix
The other undrafted free agent was right handed pitcher Jhonny Felix who went to high school in Brighton, Mass before going to West Oklahoma State. Felix was straight batting practice at every level he was at. He allowed 10 runs in 3 innings for the Complex in 2021, 42 runs in 38 innings between the Complex and Salem in 2022 and 36 runs in 45 innings for Salem in 2023 before he was mercifully released in August. Can't even be mad at the signing, he went undrafted for a reason.
That's going to do it for this 3 year look back at the 2021 draft. So far Payton Green, Josh Hood, Zach Ehrhard and Jud Fabian never signed while Matt Litwicki, BJ Vela, Kier Meredith and Jhonny Felix are gone. The two closest to the majors are Guerrero and Kavadas while Mayer is still the chosen one. Fringe guys like Webb, Dobbins, McDonough and Sikes are still out for the jury to decide. Either way, not a single guy in this draft has made the majors yet, that's an indictment on Bloom.
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