With the 2026 MLB Draft just five days away its time to have our final look back at past drafts with last year's draft. Red Sox General Manager Craig Breslow's mission was power arms and he selected a bevy of them in last year's draft. Let's see how the kids are doing in their first full professional season.
1st Round - RHP Kyson Witherspoon
Craig Breslow's prize was first round pick, right handed pitcher Kyson Witherspoon out of Oklahoma University. He could hit 97 on the gun and he was Oklahoma's ace when he was drafted. Just like the Red Sox this year, Witherspoon struggled out of the gate with the Greenville Drive going 0-3 with a 7.18 ERA by May 12. Since then he's turned it around a bit culminating with a 6 inning gem against Ashville on June 26. He's currently 2-3 with a 5.02 ERA in 14 starts but he's starting to improve. Still, when your first round pick has an ERA over 5, its very concerning. Still, its his first pro season, give him time.
2nd Round - RHP Marcus Phillips
One of the pieces of the Quinn Priester trade with the Milwaukee Brewers was an extra second round pick. At least Witherspoon has turned it around a bit, second round pick Marcus Phillips out of Tennessee University hasn't. He was throwing 100 for the Vols and unfortunately, the ball hasn't moved once he started pitching for the Drive. He's 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in 12 starts but his destiny might not be as a starter. Its too early to convert him but a reliver throwing 100 is what Breslow is looking for when he signed Tyron Guerrero. If Phillips can't get his fastball to move, that might be him some day. Still, when your top two picks are batting practice, especially on the heels of the terrible 2024 draft, that's not good.
2nd Round - 2B Henry Godbout
The Sox might have scored with their own second round pick when they took Connelly Early's teammate at Virginia Univeristy, second baseman Henry Godbout. Converted to shortstop, Godbout stormed out of the gate hitting .341 in 13 games to end the 2025 season with Greenville. This year he was hitting .277 with 7 home runs when he suffered a broken hand after taking a fastball to the hand on May 30th. He might be back by the middle of August and its an unfortunate pothole, but the future looks bright if he can avoid the injuries.
3rd Round - RHP Anthony Eyanson
So far the Sox best pick looks to be in the third round when they took National Champion LSU's ace Anthony Eyanson. He was 12-2 with 3.00 for the champs with 152 strikeouts and he's been outstanding so far in 2026. He allowed 1 run in 20 innings with 34 strikeouts for the Drive to earn a promotion to the Portland Sea Dogs. He's 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA for the Sea Dogs with 37 strikeouts in 35 innings. He looks like the real deal, hopefully the Sox don't rush or ruin him and keep him in Portland for a while. Still, nailing 2 of the first 4 (so far) is nothing to sneeze at for Breslow.
4th Round - SS Mason White
The Sox got a gift when Big 12 Tournament MVP and NCAA 3rd Team All-American shortstop Mason White of Arizona University fell to them in the fourth round. He's been exactly what the Sox are looking for. Last year to end the season he hit .238 in 26 games between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville, but this year he's slammed 12 home runs while batting .267 so far for the Drive. He hit 20 home runs for Arizona last year and he might have that many this year. Hope he continues to hit for power.
5th Round - RHP Christian Foutch
In the fifth round the Sox took Arkansas University relief pitcher Christian Foutch. He averaged 95 but could dial it up to 97 at the price of control. He's been a disaster so far for the Salem Ridge Yaks, going 0-5 with a 6.18 ERA in 14 starts. The problem is he has no command of his fastball and his secondary pitches need work. Maybe he can get that fixed, maybe he can't. Either way 3 of the first 4 pitchers the Sox have drafted have been straight batting practice.
6th Round - RHP Leighton Finley
In the 6th round, the Sox took Georgia University right handed pitcher Leighton Finley. This was a bit of a head scratcher as he was mediocre in college going 3-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 14 starts. He's been slightly better in the pros, going 4-3 with a 4.25 ERA in 11 starts for the Salem Ridge Yaks. He can hit 97 on the gun and throws five total pitches with various success. The Sox hope he can lower that ERA a little bit but so far he hasn't been that bad.
7th Round - LHP Myles Patton
In the seventh round the Sox took another pitcher who was lousy in college, Texas A & M left handed pitcher Myles Patton. He's a junkballer that went 3-5 with a 5.26 ERA for the Aggies and this year he was 3-0 with a 4.76 ERA in 6 games before being placed in the Injured List on May 23rd. He hasn't come back yet so its too early to tell anything. Unlike the others on this list, he's not a flamethrower so he's going to rely on command.
8th Round - LHP Dylan Brown
In the eighth round the Sox took left handed pitcher Dylan Brown out of Old Dominion University where he was 4-2 with a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts for the Monarchs. He started out in Salem where he was 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 5 starts before getting promoted to Greenville. He's 2-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 7 starts as of now. At least he's conquered one level. Let's see if he can reach Portland or further next year. He has league average velocity but at 6 foot 5, the Sox are hoping he's another Jake Bennett.
9th Round - RHP Jacob Mayers
In the 9th round, the Sox took Anthony Eyanson's bullpen teammate, right handed pitcher Jacob Mayers. He had a mediocre season allowing 8 runs in 15 innings but the catch was he could hit 100 on the gun. This year he's 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA going between starting and relieving for the Salem Ridge Yaks. He was a Wild Thing Vaughn in college, maybe they fixed his control. Hopefully he continues to improve.
10th Round - SS Maximus Martin
In the 10th round the Sox took Kansas State shortstop Maximus Martin. He was a regular Reggie Sanders in college playing for Rutgers in 2023, Georgia State in 2024 and Kansas State in 2025. He played for both Salem and Greenville in 2025 but got hurt in Spring Training this year. He just came back a week ago with the Florida Complex Red Sox where he's hitting .353 with 2 home runs in his rehab start. He hit .270 in 25 games last year so hopefully he can continue to hit well as he gets his wind back.
11th Round - RHP Barrett Morgan
Normally Junior College players are nothing to sneeze at but 11th round pick, right handed pitcher Barrett Morgan might be the exception. He was 5-0 with a 0.42 ERA with 4 saves allowing just 1 run in 21 innings for Cowley County JuCo in Kansas. This year he's been converted to a starting pitcher and He's 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA for the Salem Ridge Yaks in 12 games. Not bad for a JuCo pitcher, hope he continues to maintain the momentum.
12th Round - LHP Ethan Walker
In the 12th round, the Sox took left handed pitcher Ethan Walker out of Kentucky University where he was 2-1 with a 4.08 ERA there. This year with Salem he's 2-2 with a 4.24 ERA although he missed a month recovering from a back injury and is rehabbing with the Florida Complex Sox. At least he's been consistent between college and the pros. Yay?
13th Round - 3B Jack Winnay
The Sox might have something with their 13th round pick, third baseman Jack Winnay. The local hero from Newton & Belmont Hill hit 36 home runs for Wake Forest in 2024 and 2025 combined and started his run in Salem on a hot streak, getting 17 hits in 15 games to end 2025. This year he was hitting .255 with 11 home runs for Greenville to earn a promotion to the Portland Sea Dogs. He's hitting .289 with 2 home runs in 10 games so far. The stats are good so far, hopefully he can keep up the pace.
14th Round - RHP Carter Rasmussen
The Sox first real big "oops" appears to be their 14th round pick, right handed pitcher Carter Rasmussen out of Wofford University. He apparently set a high school record in Texas for strikeouts but washed out at Brown University allowing 50 runs in 43 innings. He had a good year for Wofford in 2025....but holy smokes is he bad. He's allowed 23 runs in 12 innings for the Florida Complex Sox facing the same competition he had at Brown. What else can be said apart from what were they expecting? Not that it makes a difference but the very next pick after Carter was selected, the Minnesota Twins took right handed pitcher Merit Jones who's putting up average numbers in Low A. That's better than Rasmussen. He might get cut in Spring Training next year if he doesn't turn it around.
15th Round - OF Skylar King
In the 15th round, the Sox took West Virginia University outfielder Skylar King after he hit .291 with 3 home runs. He finished 2025 in Salem hitting .258 with a home run and so far he's hitting just .220 with 9 home run this year for the Ridge Yaks. Launch angle still won't go away so as long as King keeps the power up, he'll have a place in the organization.
16th Round - LHP Jason Gilman
The Sox rolled the dice when they drafted Division 3 pitcher of the year Jason Gilman out of Kean University in the 16th round. He led D3 in wins and strikeouts but many were asking if that would translate into pro success. So far the answer is....yes. He's 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 11 games for the Ridge Yaks with 60 strikeouts in 40 innings. Better than Carter Rasmussen for sure. Let's see if he can do this in Greenville next.
17th Round - RHP Patrick Galle
The first casualty so to speak of the 2025 draft class (not counting the guy who didn't sign, more on that later) was 17th round pick right handed pitcher Patrick Galle. He pitched in just 14 games for Ole Miss allowing 11 runs in 11 innings when he was drafted. He allowed 5 runs in 5 innings to end 2025 in Salem then was traded as the PTBNL in the trade with the St. Louis Cardinals to get Sonny Gray. So far this year he's 2-2 with a 5.64 ERA for the High A Peoria Chiefs. You'd make that trade 10 times out of 10, good luck in St. Louis.
18th Round - RHP Cade Fisher
The Sox chose right handed pitcher Cade Fisher out of Auburn University in the 18th round after going 1-3 with a 4.68 ERA in 2025. He hasn't pitched yet this year, not even for the Florida Complex Sox. Not that he isn't good, we just don't know until he's active. For the sake of comparison, the very next pick after Fisher the Minnesota Twins took pitcher Matthew Dalquist. Dalquist is 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA in Low A and that's still more than the Sox are getting from Fisher. Still, time will tell once he gets going.
19th Round - OF Fabian Bonilla
The Sox took another crapshot when they drafted Christian Military Academy outfielder Fabian Bonilla in the 19th round out of Puerto Rico. Just like Cade Fisher, he's yet to play only at least he's recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. The word is still out on him as well but at only 19 years old he's not going to be ready for a long time anyway. Still, in comparison, 13 picks after Bonilla the Chicago Cubs took third baseman Robert Phelps. Phelps is hitting .251 with 5 home runs for the Clearwater Threshers which is 5 more home runs than Bonilla has hit so far.
20th Round - RHP Garrison Sumner
The Sox wasted their 20th round draft pick when they took right handed pitcher Garrison Sumner out of BYU. He was 3-3 with an 8.32 ERA in 2025 for the Cougars and chose to return to BYU for his senior year rather than sign with the Sox. This year he was 4-3 with a 6.78 ERA and its unlikely he gets drafted again. The Sox may have dodged a bullet by him not signing but for comparison's sake, the very next pick after Sumner the Minnesota Twins took right handed pitcher Michael Hilker who's currently Fort Myers' best relief pitcher. He's 3-1 with a 1.23 ERA and 4 saves.....the Sox could have had THAT!
RFA - OF Andrews Opata
One of the best stories out of Salem this year is undrafted rookie free agent Andrews Opata. Andrews was a stud for North Georgia University hitting .372 with 12 home runs. Lord knows why he went undrafted but Red Sox scout Spencer Brown thought enough of him to get him to sign for 75 grand. So far its money well spent as Opata is hitting .250 with 5 home runs for the Ridge Yaks. Not eye popping stuff but considering 615 players were drafted over him, many of which chose not to sign or are straight batting practice, getting anything out of him is remarkable. Love to see him conquer Greenville next.
RFA - SS Ty Hodge
On the surface, shortstop Ty Hodge had a good 2025 for UTSA hitting .292 with 6 home runs so why wasn't he drafted? When he played for Texas A & M his freshman year he was 1 for 18 and transferred. Scouts were more concerned about that and the concerns look real after he signed with the Red Sox. So far he's hitting just .188 with 2 home runs in 101 at bats for the Salem Ridge Yaks. Still, its not like they wasted a draft pick or anything if he washes out. Long way to go though.
RFA - C Caleb Berry
The second casualty of the 2026 class (not counting Sumner) was former Michigan State catcher Caleb Berry. He had 9 hits in 24 at bats for the Salem Red Sox to finish 2025 but was released in December. Why? They brought him down to the Dominican Republic to be a catching/hitting instructor for the DoSox. At least Drew Ehrhard played for a few years before he was named the Boston Red Sox bullpen coach, Caleb just got 7 games before the organization said "You're done." Still, at least he has a job.
RFA - RHP Harry Blum
Technically he wasn't apart of the draft class as he was signed prior to Spring Training but right handed pitcher The real life "Tommy Boy" spent 6 years in college between Luther and Augustana before going undrafted. This year with the Salem Ridge Yaks he's 3-2 with a 7.59 ERA out of the bullpen. Can't say you couldn't see that coming when he posted a 4.72 ERA in his sixth year in college. Still, Sox owner John Henry wanted to save money. Rather than sign a proven minor leaguer, the Sox signed this guy for peanuts. He might be joining Caleb Berry in the Dominican Republic as a pitching instructor.
All in all its too early to tell if anyone's destined for greatness, although Anthony Eyanson might be that guy. Kyson Witherspoon was supposed to be the ace but he's anything but and Marcus Phillips looks like a bust already. Ironically the position players are outperforming the pitchers with Godbout, King, Winnay and Martin plus the undrafted Opata. With a few exceptions like Rasmussen and Blum, you can't write off guys after their first pro season. It'll be interesting to see if Witherspoon and Phillips turn it around or if Eyanson is that damn good enough to reach Worcester by the end of this year. If Craig Breslow is fired after this season, his legacy does include some major leaguers and a future stud in Eyanason (at this rate).
