Its another off-day and since we're over a month away from the 2025 MLB Draft, its time to look back at the very short and sweet 2020 MLB Draft for the Boston Red Sox.
1st Round - 3B Nick Yorke
The good news was new Sox GM Chaim Bloom's first round pick in the 2020 draft did make the majors. The bad news was it wasn't with the Red Sox. Nick Yorke was taken 17th overall by the Red Sox and lived up to his billing in 2021, hitting 14 home runs and driving in 62 runs between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive. In 2022 he played in just 80 games and hitting .232 for the Drive but in 2023 he rebounded hitting .268 with 13 home runs for the Portland Sea Dogs. In 2024 he was a victim of the numbers game with Vaughn Grissom, Trevor Story and Rafael Devers at the key infield positions so he was traded at the trade deadline to the Pittsburgh Pirates for starting pitcher Quinn Priester. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates on September 16 last season and is currently hitting .274 with 3 home runs and 18 rbis for Indianapolis. To make matters worse, the Sox traded Priester back in April to the Milwaukee Brewers. With Alex Bregman and Triston Casas going down this season, this trade looks worse every single day...especially since Priester is shining in Milwaukee. Great pick, just for the wrong team.
3rd Round - 3B Blaze Jordan
With no second round pick, Chaim Bloom took power hitting third baseman Blaze Jordan out of DeSoto Central High School. He went viral for hitting tape measure blasts as a teenager and that power finally translated to the pro's. After playing just 28 games between the Florida Complex and Salem Red Sox in 2021, in 2022 he hit .286 with 8 home runs before he was promoted to Greenville. With the Drive, he hit .301 with 4 home runs to end the season and belted 12 home runs while batting .324 in 2023. He missed time in 2024 due to a broken finger but still hit 7 bombs. This year he was hitting .320 with 6 home runs before he was promoted to Worcester on Tuesday. He's 22 and made it to Worcester, that's better than a lot of other 3rd round picks that never made it this far. With injuries to Bregman and Casas, he may see Boston sooner rather than later if he keeps up the hitting.
4th Round - LHP Jeremy Wu-Yelland
You gotta feel for 25 year old left handed pitcher Jeremy Wu-Yelland. Taken out of Hawaii University, Jeremy's 2020 season ended due to Covid and he went 2-4 between Salem and Greenville in 2021. He then had Tommy John surgery and missed not only 2022 but most of 2023. He pitched in 23 games out of the bullpen for Greenville in 2024 with a hideous 5.67 ERA. This year so far he allowed 4 earned runs for Greenville before being promoted to Portland. He allowed 2 runs in 9 innings before being placed on the Injured List on May 27th. If he only could stay healthy, he might have made it to Worcester by now.
5th Round - LHP Shane Drohan
26 year old left handed pitcher Shane Drohan has had a roller coaster minor league career so far. Taken out of Florida State University, he rushed out of the gate going 7-4 with a 3.96 ERA in 23 starts for the Salem Red Sox. Shane went 7-8 with a respectable ERA between Greenville and the Portland Sea Dogs in 2022. In 2023 he looked like he was on his way to Boston when he started 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in Portland to earn a promotion to Worcester. Then he flopped like a dead deer, going 5-7 with a 6.47 ERA, going from Boston bound to the Rule 5 Draft where he was picked up by the Chicago White Sox. After getting kicked around Charlotte in 2024, he was returned to Boston where he got rocked in two starts to end the season. This year he's 3-0 with a 2.02 ERA in 26 innings. With Alex Cora burning out the Boston bullpen AGAIN this season, we might see Drohan sooner or later in Boston. Not bad for a guy who was just about a bust the last two seasons.
UFA - RHP Brian Van Belle
With only 5 rounds in the draft due to Covid, the Sox and every other team signed a ton of undrafted rookie free agents. The one that had the most success was 28 year old right handed pitcher Brian Van Belle. Taken out of Miami University, he was an average starter for Greenville and Portland from 2021 to 2023. In 2023 for Worcester he was batting pratice, going 5-4 with a 6.41 ERA. He turned it around last year going 8-2 with a 4.42 ERA being a spot starter/long reliever. This year he's 5-1 with a 2.29 ERA and the rumor is he could be called up any day now with injuries and ineffectiveness in the Red Sox bullpen. Just like Drohan, not bad for a guy who was pretty much washed up two years ago.
UFA - RHP Robert Kwiatkowski
Most everyone who was signed as a rookie free agent is out of the pro's but one who's still hanging around is 27 year old (28 on Sunday) right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski. He was signed out of Marshall University and showed promise going 6-0 with a 3.58 ERA for Salem in 2021. Then he fell flat in 2022 going 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA for Greenville in 2022. In 2023 he had an average season between Greenville and Portland but broke out last year. He was 11-2 with a 2.92 ERA for Portland before being called up to Worcester where he was 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA. Unfortunately his success caught the eye of the Chicago Cubs who took him in the Rule 5 Draft. This year he's 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA for the Knoxville Smokies and its only a matter of time before he's in AAA again. Its a shame the Cubs kept him rotting in AA this year, he was just about in the majors last year.
UFA - C Juan Montero
Besides Van Belle, the only other rookie free agent still with the Sox is catcher Juan Montero. He was signed out of Carlos Beltran's Puerto Rican Baseball Academy and has been a backup catcher ever since. He's played just 117 games the last six seasons from 2021 to the present. He hit .188 for Greenville last year and just .176 this year. If he can't hit A ball pitching, he's got no hope in AA. The only reason he's still around is the dearth of catching talent in the system after Kyle Teel got traded. This coming draft may seal his doom.
Just 5 players remain from the 2020 draft still with the Red Sox with just 7 in the pro's. Only Nick Yorke has seen the show but that may change depending on how the season plays out for Brian Van Belle, Blaze Jordan and Shane Drohan. Still if anyone besides Yorke make it, it still would be a success considering what a trainwreck Covid was for everyone. Good luck to everyone still fighting for spots in the league.
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