Red Sox Trade Valdez for Vogatsky (12/15/24)

The Enmanuel Valdez era in Boston came to an end today as the Boston Red Sox traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for their 19th round pick in the 2024 draft, 22 year old right handed pitcher Joe Vogatsky out of James Madison University.

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Its a shame things ended the way they did for Valdez. He was the original centerpiece of the trade that sent Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros for Valdez and Wilyer Abreu. Valdez hit 22 home runs and drove in 77 runs for AA and AAA before hitting 7 dingers with 30 rbis for Worcester to end the 2022 season. He played 49 games for the 2023 Boston Red Sox but managed to hit just six home runs. Last year he hit just 6 home runs in 76 games while hitting .214. Clearly he was flaming out so Sox GM Craig Breslow is cutting his losses.

                                                              Bye bye Valdez

So who the hell is Joe Vogatsky? He was James Madison University's set-up man in 2023 and 2024 recording 14 saves combined. The concerning factor was his 3.49 ERA his senior season which dropped his draft stock. He was taken in the 19th round by the Pirates just three picks before the Sox took D'Angelo "Little Papi" Ortiz. He didn't pitch to end 2024 so he most likely will start the 2025 season in the Florida Complex or Salem. Amazing how Breslow took almost all pitchers in the 2024 draft and just got another one.

                                                           Good luck in Boston

In other news, the trade with the New York Yankees for backup catcher Carlos Narvaez made Danny Jansen expendable. Jansen signed with Tampa Bay so he's gone too. Looks like it will be Connor Wong/Narvaez to start 2025 with only Nathan Hickey in AAA in case someone gets hurt.

                                                                   Bye bye Jansen

Corbin Burnes remains un-signed as well as Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Bregman. If the Sox can get Burnes and just one of the two available bats, they'd be instant contenders for the AL East title. John Henry's cheapness cost them the last four years, its time he spends money to win.

Rule 5 Draft Results (12/12/24)

Lost in all the confusion of yesterday's big news was the Rule 5 Draft results. Unlike the last two years, the Boston Red Sox didn't lose any huge names. A lot of guys did go in the minor league phase of the draft but they also picked up a few as well.

The only real name lost was the Toronto Blue Jays took right handed pitcher Angel Bastardo. Bastardo was on a downward trend the last five years. He was 1-3 with a 6.67 ERA back in 2021 for the Florida Complex and was 0-5 with a 5.36 ERA for Portland before having Tommy John surgery in June. Why the Blue Jays wanted someone who won't even pitch for most of next year is anyone's guess.

                                                          Bye bye Bastardo

In the minor league phase, the St. Louis Cardinals took Greenville Drive outfielder Miguel Ugueto. Ugueto hit just .242 with 4 home runs for the Drive this past season after hitting just .216 last year. Guess the Cards think they can get something out of him.

                                                                 Bye bye Ugueto

The Chicago Cubs helped close another chapter of the Chaim Bloom era when they selected 27 year old right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski. Robert was an undrafted rookie free agent signed after the 2020 draft. He turned things around in 2024 to go 13-2 for Portland and Worcester out of the bullpen. Unlike the others, at least he had a good season which could be a hidden gem for the Cubs.

                                                                      Good luck in Chicago

The Philadelphia Phillies ended up taking 22 year old Greenville Drive utility player Eduardo Lopez. Lopez hit just .232 with the Drive this year although he did clock 6 home runs in 56 games. The Phillies are hoping his power develops. Maybe it will.

                                                                  Off to Philly

Last, the Kansas City Royals took 23 year old Portland Sea Dogs outfielder Bryan Gonzalez. Its a shame the Sox couldn't protect him because he came on strong in 2024 for the Greenville Drive, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 59 runs before earning a cup of coffee with Portland. The Royals are banking on him continuing his power stroke in AA and beyond. If he does, then kudos to the Royals for making the move.

                                                           Could be a future star in KC

Now who did the Sox get in the draft? First, the Sox chose 25 year old right handed pitcher Jack Anderson from the Detroit Tigers. The funny thing was the Tigers took Anderson in the 2021 draft one pick before the Sox took BJ Vela who they released in Spring Training in 2023. Anderson went 5-1 with a combined 3.66 ERA between Double and Triple A. The Sox need pitching depth in Worcester and this definitely fills a need there. Anything else they get from him is a bonus.

                                   Sox are going to pretend they took him instead of Vela

The Sox then took 22 year old left handed pitcher Manuel Medina from the Florida Marlins. He's been bouncing back between the Complex League and Low A for three years now. Maybe this year he'll stick around in Salem.

                                                           Bouncing back and forth

The Sox also selected 25 year old right handed pitcher Darvin Garcia from the Pittsburgh Pirates. This one doesn't seem like a great idea as his career record was 16-10 with a 5.06 ERA between 2019 and 2024. He was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in High A, that doesn't really translate to success in the higher levels. Still, with all the guys going, they have to have someone left to pitch games.

                                                                  5.06 career ERA

Lastly, the Sox picked 31 year old career minor leaguer, right handed pitcher Hobie Harris from the New York Mets. Harris was originally drafted in the 31st round by the New York Yankees back in 2015 and bounced around ever since. He did manage to make his MLB debut for the Washington Nationals back in 2023 but was hammered for 12 runs in 19 innings. He spent 2024 with the St. Paul Saints and was straight batting practice, going 4-6 with a 6.79 ERA. Why they think he can bring success to the table is anyone's guess.

                                                               Batting practice in 2024

Kind of amusing how the Chicago Cubs might have gotten a good pitcher while the Red Sox took castoffs and career minor leaguers. Every year it seems they get raided except for 2021 when they stole Garrett Whitlock from the Yankees. This year there was nothing to raid after the trades they made so this just seems inconsequential. Still, you never know if someone will be good or not.

Red Sox Trade Teel, Others For Crochet (12/11/24)

Just when it seemed like the Boston Red Sox were about to waste yet another off-season, they did something drastic. Just days after the New York Mets outbid the Red Sox by 65 million dollars to land Juan Soto, the Texas Rangers re-signed Nathan Eovaldi, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Blake Snell and the New York Yankees signed 2021 World Series contributor Max Fried....the Red Sox made a bold move. The Red Sox sent 2023 1st round pick and top catching prospect Kyle Teel, 2024 first round pick Braden Montgomery, 2022 fourth round pick Chase Meidroth and 22 year old Venezuelan pitching prospect Wilkelman Gonzalez to the Chicago White Sox for their ace, 25 year old left handed pitcher Garrett Crochet. Then, they traded Elmer Cruz-Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for backup catcher Carlos Narvaez. To make room on the roster for Narvaez, Enmanuel Valdez was designated for assignment.

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So who did they give up? The prize was Kyle Teel, the top catching prospect in the system. Teel was apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Roman Anthony and Marcello Mayer that terrorized AA pitching for the first half of the 2024 season. All three ended up in Worcester by the end although Mayer didn't play due to injury. Teel hit 13 home runs and drove in 78 runs between Portland and Worcester, so why was he on the trading block? Connor Wong broke out this year hitting .280 with 13 home runs as the starting catcher and Nathan Hickey is still in AAA. Wong turns 29 in May so he still has one or two years left of his prime. Teel will now be given a chance to start right away in Chicago.

Braden Montgomery fell to the Red Sox in the 2024 draft due to an horrendous injury suffered at the college world series for Stanford. He was one of the best outfielders in NCAA and a few teams were scared that his ankle wouldn't be the same. He was projected to go in the top 10 in the draft so if he lives up to his billing, Chicago may have a stud.

Chase Meidroth was a fourth round pick in 2022 and hit 9 home runs while driving in 57 runs for Greenville and Portland to finish 2023. In 2024 he was Worcester's starting second baseman hitting .293 with 7 home runs and 54 rbis. The Red Sox are willing to give Vaughn Grissom another chance at second base and they're still in the hunt for Alex Bregman, thus making Meidroth expendable. Another guy who might be a star in Chicago.

Wikelman Gonzalez was a Venezuelan teenager signed by Dave Dombrowski back in 2018. He started to break out in 2023 going 9-4 in 25 starts between Greenville and Portland. In 2024 he was 4-3 with a 4.74 ERA in 19 starts. Those numbers might seem disappointing, but at 22 years old he has a few more years to turn it around.

Elmer Cruz-Rodriguez was drafted as a high school junior out of the Puerto Rican baseball academy in the fourth round back in 2021. In 2024 he went 5-5 between Salem and Greenville as a 20/21 year old. Giving him up for a backup catcher seems like a bad trade.

Enmanuel Valdez was actually the more highly touted prospect when he along with Wilyer Abreu was sent to the Boston Red Sox by the Houston Astros for Christian Vazquez at the 2022 trade deadline. Valdez showed promise to end the 2023 season by hitting 6 home runs in 49 games along with batting .266. Then he fell apart in 2024 hitting just .214 in 76 games with 6 home runs. He got leapfrogged by Abreu and the Sox are banking on Vaughn Grissom having a bounce back season, hence, making Valdez expendable.

Now who did they get? Garrett Crochet made his MLB debut at 21 years old in the Covid shortened 2020 season.  He went 3-5 with a 2.82 ERA as a set up man in the Chicago bullpen in 2021 and returned from a gruesome injury in 2023. He switched to the rotation in 2024 and went 6-12 with a 3.58 for a terrible White Sox team. The thinking is he will have much more success with a better offense in Boston. With Chris Sale traded before the start of last season, they needed a new lefty power arm. They got one.

Carlos Narvaez, like Gonzalez, was a Venezeulan teenager signed by the New York Yankees who made his Dominican League debut in 2016 at 18 years old. He developed an all or nothing power stroke starting in 2022 where he hit 10-11 home runs a year but batting .194, .239 and .254. He made his MLB debut for the Yankees on July 20th this past season and had just 3 hits in 13 at-bats. If the Sox are so desperate to save money they traded the career of Elmer Cruz for Carlos F'n Narvaez just so they could let go of Danny Jansen, they're far more pathetic than they're going to get critized for.

Instantly this improves the Red Sox rotation by putting Crochet at the top with Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford as your 2, 3 and 4. Lucas Giolito is due to return from Tommy John surgery at some point but the Sox can put themselves in better position if they make one more signing. The biggest fish still available in free agency is Corbin Burnes. If they open up the checkbooks to get him, their rotation instantly becomes comparable to the New York Yankees. Still, just getting Crochet is a step in the right direction. Narvaez is just a depth piece and it feels like they could have traded ANYONE to get him and they had to give away a future star.

Red Sox Sign Aroldis Chapman (12/3/24)

The Boston Red Sox signed their first free agent this winter off-season.....and it was very controversial. The Red Sox signed 36 year old closer Aroldis Chapman to a one year $10.75 million dollar deal. Yes, THAT Aroldis Chapman.

                                                     The iconic image from 2019

For those living under a rock, Chapman was a fireball closer for the Cincinnati Reds from 2010 to 2015 before signing with the New York Yankees in 2016. When the 2016 Yankees faltered, they made the decision to trade their two best relief pitchers (Andrew Miller the other) for prospects. Chapman went to the Chicago Cubs and his October woes started as he famously blew a 3 run lead in Game 7 of the World Series. He did get credit for the win when the Cubs rallied, but it was concerning.

                                                              Least he won a ring

After the 2016 season, Chapman returned to the Yankees. Once again, after having a good regular season, he allowed a walkoff double in Game 2 of the ALCS to the Houston Astros. He did bounce back to save Game 4, but the Yankees lost in 7 games. In 2018, as well all know, it was the year of the Red Sox. Chapman did blow a regular season save against the Red Sox in their early August sweep of the Yankees, but there was nothing he could do in October against the juggernaut Red Sox. In 2019, he famously allowed a walkoff home run to give the Astros the pennant in Game 6. The following year, he allowed a go-ahead home run to Mike Brosseau to lose the 2020 ALDS to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees were swept by the Houston Astros out of the 2022 ALCS which wasn't really Chapman's fault. In 2023, he signed with the Kansas City Royals but was traded to the Texas Rangers. He actually pitched well in October, allowing just 2 runs in 8 innings as the Rangers went on to win the World Series.

                                                  Two time...TWO TIME....Champion

Last year at age 36 he went 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA and 14 saves for the last place Pittsburgh Pirates. With Kenley Jansen running for the hills before the season ended, it was obvious he wasn't coming back in 2025. Signing Chapman to replace him makes sense, and it also saves money. Jansen made 16 million in 2024 and Chapman is making 10. If the Sox plan on fixing the team, they're going to have to do better than sign a 36 year old closer....but it's a start.

Dodgers Stun Sox on Freeman's Slam (7/19/24)

Well that sucked. For 7 innings the Boston Red Sox held the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodhers in check as Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings and All-Star Game MVP Jarren Duran hit a home run. It all fell apart in the eighth inning as Brennan Bernardino allowed a grand slam to Freddie Freeman to blow the game. Gavin Stone and the Dodgers bullpen held the Sox to one measly run as LA laughed at the Sox 4-1 at Dodgers Stadium.

                                                                   This game sucked

Stone got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. David Hamilton lined out to first, Tyler O'Neill lined out to second and Rafael Devers lined out to right to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging to begin. Will Smith got a base hit to center but Freddie Freeman went down hacking. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Masataka Yoshida flied out to right to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging. Dominic Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. Andy Pages was called out on strikes to start the bottom of the second and Miguel Rojas grounded out to first. Gavin Lux struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the top of the third but looked to have been thrown out at second trying to steal when Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that he was safe and the call was overturned. Duran grounded out to second to move Rafaela to third but Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. Miguel Vargas walked to start the bottom of the third but Chris Taylor popped up to first. A wild pitch moved Vargas to second but Ohtani struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. 

O'Neill singled in the hole at short to begin the top of the fourth and Devers singled off the glove of Stone. Yoshida flied out to center to move O'Neill to third, but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to short to kill the rally and end the inning. Freeman flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Hernandez doubled to left. Page struck out swinging and Rojas flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Rafaela lined out to second to start. McGuire grounded out to first but Duran crushed his 11th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Hamilton popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                      All-Star Game MVP does it again

Lux flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Vargas popped up to Rafaela. Taylor lined out to second to end the inning.

O'Neill singled off the glove of Taylor to start the top of the sixth to chase Stone. Anthony Banda came in to pitch and Devers struck out swinging. Yoshida struck out swinging and Abreu lined out to short to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth before Smith went down hacking. Freeman lined out to left to end the inning. Despite just throwing 90 pitches, that was it for Pivetta after 6 shutout innings. He allowed just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8 batters.

                                                            Good work Pivetta

Alex Vesia came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Smith doubled to left to start. Rafaela took strike three and Connor Wong pinch hit for McGuire and struck out swinging before Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez flied out to center to start. Pages walked but Rojas popped up to short. Lux struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Yarbrough came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton....only to fly out to left. O'Neill once again singled in the hole at short but got doubled off first on a bloop to left by Devers to end the inning. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the eighth as Vargas walked to start. Taylor was rung up for strike three and that was it for Kelly. Brennan Bernardino came in to face Ohtani and naturally Shohei pounded a ground rule double to left. Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases and Freeman laughed as he effortlessly hit a grand slam to put the game away. Greg Weissert came in to pitch to Hernandez and Teoscar flied out to right. Pages lined out to third to end the inning with the Dodgers up 4-1.

                                           Horrible relief pitching

James Outman came in for Vargas with Daniel Hudson in to close out the top of the ninth. Somehow Yoshida got a base hit to center to start but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had blown the game to the Dodgers 4-1.

                                                                 Dodgers win

Jackass of The Night is Brennan Bernardino. He gave up the grand slam to Freeman to lose the game.

                                                          There goes the game, Jackass 

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Tyler O'Neill was 3 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

Greg Weissert got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Zack Kelly was charged with a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Not the best way to come out of the all-star break but the Sox have a big problem. With Justin Slaten and Chris Martin rumored to both be out for the season, the Sox back end looks pretty bad in the later innings. Sad part was this was the first blown save loss after the 7th inning since April 16th, they'd been dominant for 3 months. The offense ran into a hot pitcher but now it's rumored Triston Casas won't be back until mid-August at the earliest. They STILL don't have a true fifth starter so it's all bad Ness with the trade deadline looming. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-43, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against LA when Brayan Bello  (10-5, 5.32 ERA) tales on Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:15 at Dodgers Stadium.

Off-Day News: 2024 MLB Draft Part 2 (7/16/24)

The third and final day of the 2024 MLB Draft began with the Boston Red Sox choosing Cal Poly right handed starting pitcher Steven Brooks in the 11th round. Sox GM Craig Breslow finally pulled a Chaim Bloom and picked a straight up bum. He was 4-2 with a 5.58 ERA his sophomore year and he was 5-7 with a 5.14 ERA this year in 15 starts. Usually pitchers who sucked in college suck in the pros so the outlook doesn't look good. Who knows, maybe Craig will fix him.

                                                       11th round - RHP Steven Brooks

Keeping with the theme of starting pitcher, the Sox picked Hudson White's Arkansas teammate right handed pitcher Brady Tygart in the 12th round. Tygart was 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA in 13 starts for the Razorbacks and Breslow is banking on that translating to the pros. If a pitcher with a sub 4.00 ERA was available in the 12th round, why the hell did they pick Brooks in the 11th? Oh well.

                                                       12th round - RHP Brady Tygart

In the 13th round the Sox took a local star, Hanover's own Shea Sprague. The left handed pitcher went to BC High and spent 2024 at North Carolina. He went 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 15 starts for the Tar Heels. Breslow is taking a whole team worth of starting pitchers in hopes one or two of them stick. 

                                                         13th round - LHP Shea Sprague

Continuing the string of pitchers, the Sox took right handed pitcher Alex Bouchard out of Lehigh University in the 14th round. This will be a crapshot because Bouchard got hurt and missed almost the entire 2024 season. He had a strong 2023 by going 4-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 12 starts and that's what Breslow is looking for moving forward.

                                                    14th round - RHP Alex Bouchard

Breslow kept the starting pitching train rolling in the 15th round when he picked Portland University right handed pitcher Joey Gartrell. Just like Bouchard, Gartrell got hurt and missed all but two starts this past season. He had a miserable Junior season going 5-5 with a 5.17 ERA in 14 starts but he might have been turning the corner before he got hurt. Hopefully he can bounce back when he's healthy.

                                                    15th round - RHP Joey Gartrell

Rounding out the seven pitchers in a row drafted, the Sox took right handed pitcher Griffin Kilander out of Wayne State University. Kilander has some of the finest hair and mustaches you'll ever see and his sophomore year he was 7-3 with a 2.44 ERA shuffling between starting and the bullpen. Unfortunately he had a mediocre junior year going 6-3 with a 4.00 ERA in 12 starts. The concern is if he had trouble getting batters out at little known Wayne State, how's he going to get guys out at the pro level who were studs in D1 schools? We'll find out soon enough.

                                                   16th round - RHP Griffin Kilander

Deviating from the script, the Sox took Puerto Rican high school outfielder Yan Cruz. He may not play for the Red Sox as he's committed to Gulf Coast State, and since he's an unknown high schooler, this is definitely a low risk, high reward pick. If he doesn't sign or flops, oh well.

                                                           17th round - OF Yan Cruz

Going back to the mound, the Sox took right handed pitcher Cole Tolbert out of Ole Miss in the 18th round. This is one of the rare "what the hell were they thinking" picks as he only pitched in 18 innings the last two years for Ole Miss and allowed 15 runs. Maybe Breslow thinks he can fix him with the staff he has in the minors. If they don't, oh well, just another failed 18th round pick in a sea full of them. If they do, good work.

                                                          18th round - RHP Cole Tolbert

In what was a running joke on social media for years, the joke became a reality when the Sox used their 19th round pick on D'Angelo Ortiz....yes, THAT D'Angelo Ortiz aka the son of Big Papi himself, David Ortiz. D'Angelo spent 2024 at Miami Dade Community College and unfortunately doesn't have his father's power, as he hit .328 in 48 games but only with one home run. This is definitely a nepo pick since Big Papi is his father, but hey, its the 19th round. 

                                                19th round - 3B D'Angelo Ortiz

With the 20th and final pick in the draft, the Sox took Brigham Young University right handed pitcher Ben Hansen. They scraped the bottom of the barrel with this one as Hansen had hideous stats his freshman year going 0-5 with a 6.71 ERA in 16 games and followed that this year going 5-7 with a 6.63 ERA in 14 starts. Going 5-12 with an ERA near 7 in college is a bad sign but by the 20th round, the top tier talent is already gone. Good luck to Hansen.

                                                        20th round - RHP Ben Hansen

As we conclude Day 3 its apparent that the Sox had a mission and that mission was starting pitching. 14 of their 20 picks were pitchers and the ones that weren't were a Puerto Rican high school outfielder, a college catcher, the son of David Ortiz, a college outfielder, their 13th round pick from 3 years ago and Braden Montgomery who slipped right into their hands.  A lot of these guys won't be making the majors but hopefully law of averages says ONE of them should be decent. Good luck to them all moving forward.

Off-Day News: 2024 MLB Draft Part 1 (7/15/24)

The 2024 MLB Draft began with the first two rounds broadcasting Sunday night and the Cleveland Guardians took Oregon State star second baseman Travis Bazzana first overall. The Cincinnati Reds took Wake Forest ace Chase Burns with the second pick and on paper it looks like the Boston Red Sox caught a break. With the 12th overall pick the Sox selected Texas A & M star outfielder Braden Montgomery. This was a shock as Montgomery was scheduled to go in the top 10 but fell to pick 12. The reason is he shattered his ankle back in June and still can't even walk on it. The injury will heal if not by the end of this season but definitely by Spring Training next year. He clubbed 27 homers, drove in 85 runs and batted .322. The Sox didn't need any more position players but who knows, maybe someone will be traded in a few weeks.

                                                            12th overall - OF Braden Montgomery

In the second round, Sox GM Craig Breslow FINALLY picked a starting pitcher in the top 50 when they selected TCU left handed starter Payton Tolle. Tolle struggled his first two years at Wichita State but transferred to TCU his junior year. He was 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 14 starts and supposedly can hit 96 on the gun. The Sox haven't developed a left handed power pitcher since Jon Lester and its about time they at least tried to.

                                                      50th overall - LHP Payton Tolle

Tonight we got to see rounds 3-10 and in the third round the Red Sox took Florida University relief pitcher Brandon Neely. This was a bit of a head scratcher as he was 3-4 with a 5.13 in 28 games this past season. Its one thing to draft one of the later round picks with a high ERA in college, but to use your third round pick on a bum is a big risk. Hope it works out.

                                                              3rd round - RHP Brandon Neely

In the fourth round the Sox selected a familiar face, none other than their own 2021 13th round pick, Zach Ehrhard. Zach was taken in the 13th round back in 2021 as a high school shortstop but he elected to go to Oklahoma State University. This past year he hit .330 with 14 home runs and 57 rbis in the outfield and the Sox chose him again. He would have made $125,000 if he signed in 2021 but he's signing for $600,000 this time around. He better be worth it.

                                                            4th round - OF Zach Ehrhard

In the fifth round, the Sox picked State College of Florida left handed pitcher Brandon Clarke. Clarke is another crapshot because he went 6-2 with a 4.36 ERA in 14 starts for SCF. If he's posting a 4.32 ERA in junior college, how's he going to get pro batters out? Still, Luis Guerrero is knocking on the door in Boston and he was a junior college guy.

                                                         5th round - LHP Brandon Clarke

Keeping the pitching train rolling, in the sixth round the Sox took right handed pitcher Blake Aita out of Kennesaw State. Aita was 7-4 with a 3.90 ERA in 16 starts for Kennesaw State his sophomore year and the Sox are hoping he can translate to the pros. The one weakness for the organization is starting pitching and Breslow is at least trying to fix it.

                                                          6th round - RHP Blake Aita

In the 7th round, the Sox took a crapshot on South Alabama outfielder Will Turner. Turner had a hell of a sophomore season when he hit .349 with 9 home runs and 52 rbis in 2023 but fell off a cliff hitting just .218 with 9 home runs and 24 rbis this year. That dropoff is probably why he fell all the way to the seventh round. Breslow is banking that this season was just a fluke and he'll be better off when 2025 starts.

                                                          7th round - OF Will Turner

The Sox got creative when they took Greater Atlanta Christian shortstop/right handed pitcher Conrad Cason in the eighth round. He was one of the top shortstops and pitchers in Atlanta prep schools but the problem is he's committed to Mississippi State. Does he want to collect $219,000 now or do what Zach Ehrhard did and play 3 years of college ball and try to make it to a lower round? The choice is his.

                                                      8th round - SS/RHP Conrad Cason

The Sox filled another positional hole when they used their 9th round pick on Arkansas University catcher Hudson White. White spent two years at Texas Tech before playing for Arkansas this season where he hit .297 with 8 home runs and 33 rbis for the Razorbacks. The Sox already have Kyle Teel and Nathan Hickey as the possible heir apparent to Reese McGuire but you can never have too much depth, hopefully White can pan out too.

                                                   9th round - C Hudson White

To end Day 2 of the draft, the Sox picked up left handed starting pitcher Devin Futrell out of Vanderbilt University. Futrell seemed on the fast track when he was 17-6 between his freshman and sophomore seasons in 28 starts, but fell off a cliff this year as he went 4-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 starts. Just like with Will Turner, Craig Breslow is banking on this year being a fluke and the real Futrell will show himself in the majors.

                                                  10th round - LHP Devin Futrell

All in all Breslow's gameplan was starting pitching and he picked five of them in the first 10 rounds. They might have taken a pitcher in the first round had Braden Montgomery not fallen into their laps. All signs point to Montgomery being a stud but hopefully some of the starters Breslow drafted can develop as well. The Sox had a hole in their organization and Breslow filled it as best he could. Also notice how, apart from Brandon Neely, Breslow wasn't taking guys that sucked in college like Chaim Bloom did? Turner and Futrell had lousy junior years but good freshman & sophomore campaigns. Hopefully tomorrow the Sox can find some diamonds in the rough for rounds 11-20.