Up first is the chosen one, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer was as good as advertised, hitting 3 home runs for the Florida Complex after being drafted then slamming 13 home runs with 53 rbis and 17 steals between the Salem Red Sox & Greenville Drive in 2022. This year he tore up Greenville and earned a promotion to the Portland Sea Dogs. He may hit a wall this year or he may continue his rampage all the way to the Worcester Red Sox by the end of the season. He's still just 20 years old but to see him already reach AA is very encouraging. He may replace Xander Bogaerts, he may not, but it looks good so far. He's currently the number 1 ranked prospect for good reason.
The Sox second round pick ended up being a waste. The Sox took Florida University outfielder Jud Fabian 40th overall who ended up deciding to stay in Florida for another year. He ended up going to the Baltimore Orioles 67th overall in the 2022 draft and is currently hitting .280 with 19 steals for the Aberdeen Ironbirds in High A. To add insult to injury, two picks after the Sox took Fabian....another one that got away, Ryan Bliss (2018 draft) was chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's currently hitting over .300 for the Amarillo Sod Poodles in AA.
The Sox third round pick was North Carolina State Wolfpack second baseman Tyler McDonough. Tyler showed promise hitting .300 between the Florida Complex League and Salem Red Sox at the end of 2021 but hit just .230 for Greenville last year. This year has gone even worse, hitting just .200 for the Portland Sea Dogs. If there's any consolation, not many other third round picks from this year are doing well either.
The Sox took a big crapshot with their fourth round pick when they selected Puerto Rican high school right handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz knowing he wasn't going to be available until after he graduated. When he finally made his debut, he allowed just 8 earned runs in 33 innings between the Complex and Salem. This year so far he's been Salem's best pitcher. Its early in his career but you'd rather see him dominate Salem at just 19 years old instead of struggle. That's a good start.
Up next is the top catching prospect in the system, 5th round pick Nathan Hickey out of Florida University. Hickey struggled out of the gate for the Complex and Salem at the end of 2021 but turned it around to have a solid season between Salem and Greenville in 2022. He's now Portland's starting catcher (over 2022 undrafted rookie free agent Matt Donlan) and he might hit 20 homers for the Sea Dogs if he's not called up to Worcester. After Christian Vazquez was traded last year, Hickey became the catcher of the future. So far he's lived up to his billing.
Up next in the 6th round was Bonita Vista High School infielder Daniel McElveny. Ironically he went to high school just two miles from Marcelo Mayer. Unfortunately he hit just .206 between the Complex and Salem last year and is hitting just .200 this year so far for Salem. He's only 20 years old so he'll get a few more years to show what he can do. Still, it would be nice if he develops a little bit faster.
Up next was their 7th round pick, right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds from Oklahoma University. Olds had a terrible senior year going 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA but that didn't stop Sox GM Chaim Bloom from taking him anyway. Olds looked promising at the end of 2021 for Salem then fell off a cliff ever since. Last year he went 4-9 with a 5.92 ERA between Greenville and Portland, this year he's been even worse for Portland. Oklahoma took him out of the rotation his senior year yet the Sox keep having him start. Maybe a move to the bullpen will help him out.
The next draft pick was a complete crapshot. 8th round pick right handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins missed his senior year at Texas Tech with Tommy John surgery and didn't pitch in 2021. He was 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 17 starts for Salem last year but seems to have figured it out this year. He recently threw a 7 inning shutout for Greenville and looks to be bouncing back. Good news for the Sox if he and Cruz can develop.
In the 9th round, the Sox chose Auburn University third baseman Tyler Miller. Miller looked promising at the end of 2021 getting 14 hits in 9 games for Salem but struggled in 2022. He hit just .219 for Salem last year but did club 13 home runs. This year he's already hit a few dingers and his average is above .250 for Greenville. Hey, its an improvement.
The 10th round pick hasn't even played yet! The Sox took right handed pitcher Matt Litwicki from Indiana University. He only threw 31 innings at Indiana due to injuries and hasn't pitched yet since being drafted. To add insult to injury, 10 picks after the Sox took Litwicki the San Francisco Giants took speed demon Vaun Brown who's currently in Double A.
The Sox scored with their 11th round pick, hulking first baseman Niko Kavadas. He was a power hitting phenom at Notre Dame and it translated so far to the pros. He hit 26 home runs and drove in 86 runs for Salem, Greenville and Portland in 2022 and so far he's hit 10 home runs for Portland. His batting average is down to .219 but in this day and age, that's pretty normal to be all or nothing. Still, for an 11th round pick to be outperforming everybody but Mayer ahead of him, that's impressive.
Up next is 12th round pick, right handed pitcher Christopher Troye from UC-Santa Barbara. Troye had a mediocre 2022 season going 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA for Salem but started out hot this season striking out 37 batters in 18 innings for Greenville. He recently got promoted to Portland so congratulations to Troye.
The Sox essentially wasted their 13th round pick as Florida prep school shortstop Zach Ehrhard decided to go to Oklahoma State University. He had a hell of a freshman season but hit just .239 in his sophomore season. His life, his choice and hope it works out for him.
The Sox chose right handed pitcher Jacob Webb out of Miami Ohio University with their 14th round pick. He's been arguably this draft class' most consistent pitcher. He went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA for the Complex and Salem to end 2021 then blew through the ranks in 2022 going from Salem to Portland by the end of the year. This year he's been Portland's second best reliever and might end up getting 10-12 wins unless he's called up to Worcester. How sad is it that the two guys closest to Worcester are the 11th and 14th round picks?
The Sox wasted their 15th round pick when they took Green Hope high school shortstop Payton Green. Green ended up going to the North Carolina State Wolfpack and had a good sophomore season this year, hitting .273. Who knows where he'll end up when he's done with college but if he hits well, it won't be in the 15th round again.
The Sox took Reedley Junior College infielder BJ Vela with their 16th round pick. Vela hit .342 for the Complex in 2022 but was surprisingly released earlier this year in March. Its unusual to give up on a draft pick after 1 year so something else might have been involved. Either way, bye bye Vela.
In the 17th round the Sox took Chipola Junior College right handed pitcher Luis Guerrero. Guerrero skipped 2021 then played for the Complex, Salem and Greenville in 2022 posted a 4-5, 3.23 ERA season. This year he's been Portland's best reliever, posting an ERA under 2 for the Sea Dogs. Once again, how sad is it that the late draft picks are doing better than the earlier rounds? Still, its good to see Guerrero do well.
In the 18th round, the Sox took Texas Christian University outfielder Phillip Sikes. Sikes was arguably the Complex's best hitter in 2021 and had a good season between Salem & Greenville in 2022, bashing 11 home runs while hitting .253. This year Sikes has struggled and the power isn't there so far in Portland. He might have hit a wall or just a minor hiccup, either way the 18th round pick is in AA. That's good for something.
The Sox took another college bum in the 19th round when they took right handed pitcher Tyler Uberstine out of Northwestern University. He was 2-3 with a 5.82 his senior year but bounced back to go 5-5 with a 3.83 ERA for Salem & Greenville last year. Unfortunately you won't see him for a while as he had Tommy John Surgery and will be out the rest of this year and most likely next year as well. A shame as he was starting to turn it around.
In the 20th round, their final draft pick was Pennsylvania University infielder Josh Hood. Hood ended up spurning the Red Sox to transfer to the North Carolina State Wolfpack for the 2022 season. He ended up being picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. Instead of making $125 grand for the Sox, he gets $300K by signing with Seattle. So far he's hitting .260 with Modesto in Single A with 4 home runs so who knows how he'll end up. If he pulls a Mark Teixeira and become a star, Bloom is going to regret not persuading him to sign.
The Sox signed two rookie free agents that went undrafted, the first was Clemson University outfielder Kier Meredith. He hit .265 with 25 steals for Salem last year but is only hitting .205 this year for Greenville. Still, for someone who got passed on by every team in baseball 20 times, just getting this far is an accomplishment.
The second undrafted rookie signed was Brighton High School right handed pitcher Jhonny Felix. After spending a year at West Oklahoma State University, the Sox took him after the 2021 draft. Unfortunately he's been complete batting practice ever since. He's 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA for Salem this season and if he can't get Single A hitters out, how's he going to get AA guys? If the Sox fired Vela out of here after a year, Felix could be next.
All in all its been two years since these guys were picked and none of them have hit Worcester yet. Its clear that Dobbins, Guerrero and Cruz needed some time to get going but Webb, Kavadas, Mayer and Hickey could be the ones that crack the roster by next year. Fabian, Hood, Green and Ehrhard never signed and Vela was released so we're down to 17 counting the two undrafted guys. They might be traded, they might get released but they're still here. Good luck in the rest of 2023 for all of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment