Its another off-day and since we're a month away from the 2025 MLB Draft, its time to take a look back at how the 2021 draft picks by the Boston Red Sox are doing.
1st Round - SS Marcelo Mayer
The worthless 2020 season was good for one thing, the Red Sox ended up with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft. Former Sox GM Chaim Bloom chose Eastlake High School shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer lived up to his billing hitting 13 home runs and 53 rbis between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive in 2022. In 2023 he played in just 77 games due to injury and hit just .189 for the Portland Sea Dogs. He rebounded in 2024, forming the "Goldust Trio" with Kyle Teel and Roman Anthony for the Sea Dogs smashing 8 home runs and hitting .307. Mayer's season was cut short after he was called up to the Worcester Red Sox. This year he was hitting .271 with 9 home runs before finally getting the call to Boston on May 24th. He's got 9 hits in 37 at-bats so far including his first major league home run. The Sox franchise is a total train-wreck but at least they got this pick right. The Sox currently have the trio of Kristian Campbell, Mayer and Roman Anthony in the majors and this is their future for better or worse.
2nd Round - OF Jud Fabian
Quite frankly the Red Sox were hoodwinked by their 2021 second round choice, outfielder Jud Fabian for Florida University. He was drafted after his junior year but was chosen one pick before the Baltimore Orioles were about to take him. Apparently the O's were prepared to offer him 3 million and the Sox were not, so Fabian chose to remain in Florida. The following year the Orioles were more than happy to take him in the second round. Fabian has been all or nothing since as he hit 20 home runs with 65 rbis between AA Bowie and AAA Norwich in 2024 but with batting averages of .233 and .159. This year so far he's hitting just .231 but with 12 home runs. Bottom line was Fabian was dead set on going to the Orioles which makes this a wasted pick. With the very next pick, the Orioles picked Connor Norby who's currently with the Miami Marlins. One pick after that the Arizona Diamondbacks chose Ryan Bliss who's currently with the Seattle Mariners. Chalk this up to a huge mistake by the front office to take a guy who wanted to play elsewhere.
3rd Round - 3B Tyler McDonough
In the third round, the Sox selected North Carolina State Wolfpack third baseman Tyler McDonough. He hit 3 dingers and batted .296 for the Salem Red Sox to end 2021 but has been an average hitter ever since. He hit .230 but with 9 home runs for Greenville in 2022 and hit .250 with 5 home runs for the Portland Sea Dogs to start the 2023 season. He led the Eastern League in total bases last season to earn a callup to Worcester where he hit just .219. He's played only 23 games this season but is hitting .273. With all the injuries in the Boston Red Sox infield, he may be needed to play more with guys coming and going. Still, the fact the Sox would rather have Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro over McDonough is a sign that he needs to step it up.
4th Round - RHP Elmer Rodriguez
The Sox had no idea what they were in for when they took 17 year old right handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy in the fourth round. He allowed just 8 earned runs in 38 innings between the Florida Complex League and Salem in 2022 and was Salem's ace in 2023, going 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA. In 2024 he went 5-5 in 20 starts between Salem and Greenville and looked like he was about to be a future ace for the Sox. It wasn't meant to be. On the same day the Sox traded four prospects for Garrett Crochet, the Sox sent Elmer to the New York Yankees for 26 year old backup catcher Carlos Narvaez.
At the time I didn't like it but after Connor Wong flamed out, Narvaez has somehow pulled a 2016 Sandy Leon and become the Boston starting catcher. Elmer is still in High A with the Hudson Valley Renegades where he's 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA. He's proven that he can get A batters out, AA should be on the horizon. Still, to get value out of this pick is still a win....unless Rodriguez becomes a Yankees ace down the road.
5th Round - C Nathan Hickey
In the 5th round, the Sox took Florida University catcher Nathan Hickey. He struggled out of the gate in 2021 for the Complex and Salem but in 2022 he hit 16 home runs and drove in 61 runs between Salem and Greenville. In 2023 he hit 19 home runs and drove in 65 runs between Greenville and Portland, but 2023 first round pick Kyle Teel leapfrogged him in 2024. Hickey did hit 13 home runs and drive in 54 runs for Worcester, but with a .210 batting average. With Teel gone to Chicago, Hickey is hitting .227 but with 9 home runs for Worcester. If the Sox decide to axe Connor Wong, Hickey is right there to replace him. He may not hit for average but at least he's shown he can hit the ball out of the yard. Doug Mirabelli would approve.
6th Round - INF Daniel McElveny
Even though Jud Fabian didn't sign, at least he looks to be headed to AAA soon. Elmer Cruz got traded but at least they got Carlos Narvaez out of it. The first real big whiff of the draft was 6th round pick Daniel McElveny out of Bonita Vista High School. He played in just 61 games between 2021 and 2023 before hitting just .179 in 55 games in Salem in 2024. He was mercifully released in spring training this past March. That's only half the problem. Six picks after McElveny was chosen, the Seattle Mariners took pitcher Bryan Woo. Carlos Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers last year at 15th. Spencer Arrighetti made his debut last year with the Houston Astros picked one slot after Rodriguez. Current Sox pitcher "Big" Dick Fitts was taken 21st in the round and another Sox prospect Taylor Broadway was taken 23rd. That's four picks that made the majors in the same round that the Sox whiffed on McElveny. They're gonna regret this one for sure.
7th Round - RHP Wyatt Olds
Its one thing to draft a good pitcher in college and he flames out like a Craig Hansen, its another thing to draft a bum and expect anything else. In the 7th round, the Sox took Oklahoma University right hander Wyatt Olds. Olds was batting practice his senior year going 4-6 with a 5.60 ERA and for whatever reason, Chaim Bloom drafted him. He's been straight batting practice since, posting a 6.01 ERA in Greenville in 2022, an 8.47 ERA in Portland in 2023 and an 8.39 ERA in Worcester last year. He started the year in Portland and did well, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.50 ERA. He was called up to Worcester on May 13th and he's posted a 5.28 ERA in the month since. Its amazing how he kept rising through the ranks while showing no improvement (sans Portland this year) and still made it AAA. To make matters worse, 3 picks after Olds was chosen the Kansas City Royals took Noah Cameron who's 2-2 with the Royals this season with a 2.17 ERA in 6 starts. THAT'S the guy Bloom should have drafted. Still, you never know, he might turn it around like he did in Portland earlier. If not, the Sox passed on Noah Cameron for Wyatt Olds, ugh.
8th Round - RHP Hunter Dobbins
One pick that Chaim Bloom got right was 25 year old right handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins out of Texas Tech University. Dobbins was a crap shot when he was drafted because he had Tommy John surgery in March of 2021 and wasn't expected to pitch in 2022. When he did make his debut in 2022, he went 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA for the Greenville Drive to end the season. Then he got healthy and dominated Greenville in 2023, going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA before getting called up to Portland. He went 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA to finish the season and was Portland's ace in 2024, going 7-3 with a 3.17 ERA before getting called up to Worcester. He was 1-1 with a 2.64 ERA to end the 24 season and opened 2025 allowing 9 runs in 12 innings. Despite the bad numbers, he made his major league debut on April 6th and is currently a member of the War Pigs. He recently beat the New York Yankees to improve to 3-1 with a 4.20 ERA. Unlike others on this list before and after, he's already an integral part of the Sox future.
9th Round - 1B Tyler Miller
In the 9th round, Bloom took Auburn University power hitter Tyler Miller after hitting 16 bombs his senior year. That power seemed to evaporate with every level Miller advanced. He hit 13 jacks for Salem in 2022 but just 9 for Greenville in 2023. Last year he hit just 5 between Greenville and Portland and batted just .228 for the Sea Dogs. This year he has hit 6 home runs so far but with a .204 batting average. 20 years ago I'd say the Sox would cut their losses but with the "launch angle" era of sacrificing average for power, who knows if Miller will make it to Worcester or not. Keep hitting the ball out of Hadlock Field and he just might see Worcester this year. No other 9th rounder has made the majors so this pick is still out for the jury to decide.
10th Round - RHP Matt Litwicki
Just like Hunter Dobbins, Chaim Bloom made a crap shot with their 10th round pick in Indiana University right hander Matt Litwicki. Unfortunately this one crapped out. He pitched in just 22 games in college due to injury and he pitched in just 6 games between the Complex and Salem before being released in August of 2023. To make matters worse, one pick after Litwicki, the Baltimore Orioles took outfielder Billy Cook who was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his ML debut with the Pirates last year, belting 3 home runs in 16 games. But wait there's MORE! 7 picks after the Sox took Litwicki, the Washington Nationals drafted second baseman Darren Baker. Baker made his ML debut with the Nationals last year getting 7 hits in 14 at-bats. Both Baker and Cook are currently in AAA but at least they got to the show. Litwicki couldn't even get out of Low A. Just like McElveny, this one was a bust.
11th Round - 1B Niko Kavadas
The good news was Chaim Bloom's 11th round pick in 2021 made the majors, the bad news was it wasn't with the Red Sox. Niko Kavadas was a power hitting first baseman at Notre Dame who immediately made an impact, hitting 26 home runs and driving in 86 runs in 2022 between Salem, Greenville and Portland. In 2023 he hit 22 home runs and drove in 69 runs between Portland and Worcester. Then current GM Craig Breslow made a monumental error trading Matthew Lugo, Ryan Zeferjahn, Kavadas and Yeferson Vargas to the Los Angeles Angels for Luis Garcia. Kavadas made his ML debut with the Angels and played 30 games to end 2024, hitting 4 home runs despite hitting just .183. He had a cup of coffee this season but primarily has been with the Salt Lake Bees in AAA where he's hitting just .229 but with 11 home runs. What makes the trade worse apart from Luis Garcia being a total bust is that Triston Casas got hurt. This would have been the time for Kavadas to shine, and instead he's in Los Angeles.
12th Round - RHP Christopher Troye
12th round picks in the draft aren't supposed to be blue chip, can't miss prospects but right handed pitcher Christopher Troye has been a big bucket of "meh" since he was drafted in 2021. He was just 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA for Salem in 2022 although he did well to start 2023 in Greenville. He posted a 3.77 ERA in Portland to end 2023 but was 2-2 with a 4.60 ERA in Portland last season. This year he's 3-2 but with a 9.00 ERA. It doesn't look like he's going to progress past AA as he turned 26 in February. To make matters worse, 10 picks after Troye was chosen the San Francisco Giants drafted right handed pitcher Landon Roupp. Roupp is currently 4-4 with a 3.29 ERA for San Francisco, exactly the kind of guy the Sox need right now. The Cincinnati Reds took Julian Aguilar a few picks after Roupp and he had a cup of coffee with the Reds last year. The cherry on top is a few picks after Aguilar, the Yankees took Ben Rice who's their current starting catcher and odds on favorite to win AL Rookie of The Year after Kristian Campbell fell on his face last month. Bloom could have had an ace pitcher or a starting catcher but instead took Troye. Whoops!
13th Round - SS Zach Ehrhard
This pick is a bit of a paradox. The Sox initially chose Wharton High School shortstop Zach Ehrhard in the 13th round of the 2021 draft, but he didn't end up signing. He ended up going to Oklahoma State University where he hit .330 with 14 home runs in 2024. Guess who drafted him in the fourth round of the 24 draft? Craig Breslow and the Red Sox. Reunited with his brother Drew, he's hitting just .203 with 2 home runs for the Portland Sea Dogs. Now for 2021 purposes, 16 picks after the Sox took Ehrhard, the Toronto Blue Jays took right handed pitcher Matt Svanson. On August 1, 2023, the Jays traded Svanson to the St. Louis Cardinals for Paul DeJong and Svanson made his ML debut this year. He's got a 3.95 ERA in 10 innings so far. Ehrhard may become a player in the future but judging this pick by 2021 standards, this was a whiff with Svanson still on the board.
14th Round - RHP Jacob Webb
For a while it looked like the first of the draft class of 2021 to reach the majors would be right handed pitcher Jacob Webb out of Miami Ohio University. Webb stormed out of the gate allowing just 1 run in 10 innings for Salem to finish 2021 then went 2-3 with a respectable ERA between Salem and Greenville in 2022. Then in 2023 he regressed, going 8-3 but with a 5.03 ERA for the Portland Sea Dogs. He was 10-3 with a 4.28 ERA for Portland last year before getting hammered for 8 runs in 3 innings in a cup of coffee with Worcester. This year he was placed on the Injured List in April and still has yet to come off. If this turns out to be a bust, it gets even worse. 21 picks after Webb was chosen, the Atlanta Braves drafted Caleb Durbin. He was traded to the Yankees and then to the Milwaukee Brewers where he made his ML debut in April. He hit .204 with 2 home runs but at least he got there. 5 picks later the Los Angeles Dodgers took Jordan Leasure, who went in the trade with Joe Kelly to the Chicago White Sox that sent Trayce Thompson to LA in 2023. This year he's 1-4 with a 4.56 ERA for Chicago but once again, he's in the majors. If Webb doesn't make it, it'll be a bust for sure.
15th Round - SS Payton Green
The Red Sox whiffed again when they took Green Hope High School shortstop Payton Green in the 15th round. Rather than sign with Boston, he chose to play college ball at North Carolina State. He transferred to Georgia Tech and got drafted in the 6th round last year by the Miami Marlins. He hit just .184 in Low A to end the season and this year he's done well for the Beloit Sky Carp, batting .313 with 3 home runs in 33 games. Whether or not he pans out with Miami is their problem, but compounding him not signing was 14 picks after the Sox took Green, the Cincinnati Reds took outfielder Blake Dunn. Dunn made his ML debut with the Reds last year although he's hitting .150 with one home run this year. Still, that's more than what the Sox got out of for taking Green.
16th Round - 2B BJ Vela
A peculiar case of "what happened" will need to be answered someday in the case of 16th round pick, BJ Vela out of Reedley Junior College. Vela played just 11 games for the Complex in 2021 and looked like he had things going when he had 13 hits in 38 at-bats in 2022. Then he was suddenly released in spring training before the 2023 season. Why they gave up on him so early was a head scratcher when Wyatt Olds couldn't get anyone out no matter what level he's at. To make matters worse, 24 picks after the Sox chose Vela, the San Diego Padres took right handed pitcher Alek Jacob. Jacob made his debut in 2023 and looked like he was developing as a reliever in 2024 when he posted a 2.45 ERA in 7 games in 2024. This year he's 1-0 but with a bad 4.83 ERA. Once again that's more than what the Sox got out of Vela.
17th Round - RHP Luis Guerrero
For once Chaim Bloom got the drop on the rest of the teams when it came to their 17th round selection. The Sox took right handed pitcher Luis Guerrero out of Chipola Junior College. Luis started out going 4-3 with a 4.18 for Salem in 2022 but allowed 3 earned runs in 13 innings to finish the season in Greenville. He dominated Portland in 2023 going 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA and 18 saves before getting the call to Worcester. He allowed 4 runs in 4 innings to finish the season and was 5-3 with a 3.31 ERA for Worcester in 2024 before earning a September call up to Boston. He allowed just one unearned run in 10 innings and it looked like he'd be the next star out of the bullpen. He's allowed just 2 runs in 12 innings so far and for a 17th round pick, getting this far is an accomplishment. No other 17th rounder has reached the majors yet so this was a win for Bloom.
18th Round - OF Philip Sikes
The Sox selected Texas Christian University outfielder Philip Sikes with their 18th round pick in the 2021 draft. Sikes got off to a good start hitting 11 home runs and driving in 58 runs between Salem and Greenville in 2022. In 2023 he hit 9 home runs and drove in 43 but with a .210 batting average. In 2024 he hit .239 but with 13 home runs and 48 rbis. This year in Worcester he's batting just .163 with 3 home runs. With the Red Sox outfield totally crowded with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu, Sikes may need a change of scenery. Its not his fault, sometimes you just get caught in the numbers game. Still, to get to AAA as an 18th rounder is an accomplishment in itself. Unfortunately it was the Houston Astros that got lucky in the round by taking third baseman Will Wagner. The Toronto Blue Jays traded Yusei Kikuchi to the Astros for a package that included Wagner. Will is hitting .186 for the Blue Jays with just 2 rbis this year, but that's still further than Sikes has gone so far.
19th Round - RHP Tyler Uberstine
In the 19th round, the Sox took another pitcher that struggled in college, right handed hurler Tyler Uberstine out of Northwestern University. He was 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA his senior year and god knows why Bloom would draft a guy with those numbers. He did have a decent season in 2022 going 5-5 between Salem and Greenville with an average ERA but disaster struck when he had Tommy John surgery in 2023. He pitched in just 3 games at the end of 2024 but rebounded to allow just 8 runs in 21 innings for Portland to start this season. Currently he's in Worcester with a 3.64 ERA out of the bullpen. Just like Wyatt Olds, somehow he's an injury or ineffectiveness away from getting the call to the majors.
20th Round - SS Josh Hood
With their 20th and final pick, the Sox took Pennsylvania University shortstop Josh Hood. Hood refused to sign and chose to transfer to North Carolina State. A year later he was drafted in the sixth round by the Seattle Mariners and is currently hitting .197 with 3 home runs for the Arkansas Travelers in Double A. If that wasn't bad enough, the Mariners took Troy Taylor 8 picks after Hood. Taylor made his ML debut last year for Seattle out of the bullpen, although he's struggled this year. Still, Seattle got both guys and the Sox got nothing.
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. He was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 21st round back in 2019 but chose not to sign. 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.
So for those scoring at home, four players have made the majors (Dobbins, Mayer, Kavadas, Guerrero), seven players have hit AAA at least once (Fabian, McDonough, Hickey, Olds, Webb, Sikes and Uberstine), four are still in AA (Miller, Troye, Ehrhard and Hood) two still in A (Rodriguez, Green), with 5 players released (Vela, McElveny, Litwicki, Meredith and Felix). That's a pretty good draft class all things considering. For all the warranted criticism Bloom took for his major league decisions & trades, he nailed a lot of draft picks. Hopefully things look up for the Class of 2021.
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