In the 12th round the Sox took injured right handed pitcher Hayden Mullins from Auburn University. Mullins was 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 34 innings before suffering a season ending elbow injury. He's got a low 90's fastball but a great curveball. Just like when the Sox drafted Hunter Dobbins knowing they'd have to wait for him, they're going to take the same approach with Mullins. Hope this turns out to be a sneaky good pick.
Once again the Sox yet another shortstop when they made their 13th round selection Gavin Kilen out of Milton High School in Milton, Wisconsin. Why they chose yet another shortstop is anyone's guess, not to mention he's already committed to Louisville, University. He can either turn pro for $125,000 now or go to Louisville and up his stock, the choice is his.
Not learning anything, the Sox used their 14th round pick on ANOTHER shortstop. This time they took Copperas Cove Texas infielder Travis Sanders. He's 6'1 and has pretty good speed. Only drawback is he's committed to Texas Tech. Once again, will he turn pro for 125K or improve his draft stock by going to Texas Tech. With so many damn shortstops drafted this year, he may as well go to school.
The Sox got another pitcher when they took left handed Nathan Landry from the Missouri Tigers in the 15th round. The Quebec native made 4 starts and 11 relief appearances as a Junior for the Tigers, posting a 3.67 ERA. He struck out 54 batters in 41 innings but the good news is he only walked 7. If he can keep the contact down, he could be a good reliever down the road.
The Sox 16th round pick was another pitcher, right handed pitcher Garrett Ramsey of Southern Miss University. He posted a 2.61 ERA out of the bullpen while going 5-1 with 4 saves this year. The Greenville Drive and Salem Red Sox are dominated by the end of the Dave Dombrowski era draft picks not counting last year's picks. Its very apparent Bloom is restocking the lower minors with pitching to see if any of them at least can be an improvement over the current Greenville Drive that's 20 games under .500.
Another reliever drafted
Tall task to make the majors for Jones
The Sox finally did something different in the 17th round when they chose high school outfielder Deundre Jones from Lutheran South Academy out of Texas. He isn't projected to be a top 10 star so this pick is a big crapshot. Not to mention he's also committed to Kansas State University. This may be the last time you hear of him so take a good look.
The Sox went to Junior College to take their 18th round pick. Right handed pitcher Austin Ehrlicher is a 6'5 former basketball player that's spent the year at Santa Rosa Junior College in California. Apparently he wanted a career change and tried his hand at pitching. Last year the JuCo pitcher the Sox drafted was Luis Guerrero who's currently 2-3 with a 3.78 ERA at Salem. Let's see how Ehrlicher turns out.
In the 19th round, the Sox took right handed pitcher Jaret Goodman of Oklahoma University. Just like their 19th round pick last year (Tyler Uberstine), Goodman can maintain status of a bum as he allowed 17 runs in 19 innings to post a hideous 6.98 ERA. Uberstine is currently 5-4 with a mediocre 4.37 ERA in Salem so the bar won't be set too high for Goodman. If he doesn't develop, oh well.
Rounding out this crew, the Sox took a left handed pitcher named Connor Butler out of little known Biola University in the 20th round. He was 1-2 with 2 saves and a 4.50 ERA for Biola which isn't good. If he allows 5 runs in one inning to Fresno Pacific University, what's he going to do when he faces minor league hitters that are of much better quality? Biola actually stands for Bible Institute of Los Angeles so if Butler doesn't work out as a pitcher, he can go be an ordained minister.
As an extra bonus, the Sox signed an undrafted free agent. UConn catcher Matt Donlan. Donlan actually started out at Stonehill before transferring to UConn. He hit .260 with 12 home runs for the Huskies and since the Sox are desperate for catching prospects, may as well give him a shot.
Rounding out the group, the Sox took another undrafted free agent when they signed 18 year old infielder Bryant Zayas out of Miami Christian High School. He was one of the top 500 players in high school baseball so let's see how he does.
Late round picks usually don't turn into superstars so it would be unfair to expect any of these guys to be a major league regular. Although Niko Kavadas has been one of the better hitters for Single A this season, that's the exception rather than the norm. Still, the endgame for Bloom drafting so many pitchers is to replenish the system that's relying on Dominican League graduates and the dregs of the Dombrowski draft. If nothing else, these guys will fill out the lower level rosters to end this season. This may be the last time you ever hear of these guys so take a good look.
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