Basebawful Report of The Month

Wilyer Abreu - 4 Good, 3 Bad, 2 Ugly

Chase Anderson - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly

Brayan Bello - 1 Good, 1 Ugly, 3 Jackass

Brennan Bernardino - 5 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly

Cam Booser - 7 Good, 2 Jackass

Isaiah Campbell - 1 Bad

Garrett Cooper - 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Kutter Crawford - 1 Good, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Cooper Criswell - 2 Good, 1 Bad

Bobby Dalbec - 4 Good, 5 Bad, 4 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Rafael Devers - 11 Good, 4 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero

Jarren Duran - 13 Good, 2 Bad, 8 Ugly, 2 Hero

Romy Gonzalez - 5 Good, 4 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

Vaughn Grissom - 1 Bad

David Hamilton - 9 Good, 7 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Tyler Heineman - 1 Bad

Bailey Horn - 1 Bad

Tanner Houck - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Kenley Jansen - 10 Good

Brad Keller - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Zack Kelly - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Hero

Chris Martin - 3 Good

Reese McGuire - 4 Good, 5 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Tyler O'Neill - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 4 Ugly, 2 Hero

Nick Pivetta - 1 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Hero

Ceddanne Rafaela - 9 Good, 7 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Hero

Rob Refsnyder - 8 Good, 2 Bad, 5 Ugly, 2 Hero

Justin Slaten - 3 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Dominic Smith - 8 Good, 5 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Enmanuel Valdez - 11 Good, 6 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Hero

Greg Weissert - 7 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Jackass

Jamie Westbrook - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Ugly

Josh Winckowski - 1 Good, 1 Hero

Connor Wong - 9 Good, 1 Bad, 8 Ugly

Masataka Yoshida - 4 Good, 3 Bad, 7 Ugly

Most Valuable Player is Jarren Duran with 13 Good

Least Valuable Players are David Hamilton and Ceddanne Rafaela with 7 Bad

Ugliest Players of The Month are Jarren Duran, Dominic Smith and Connor Wong with 8 Ugly

Heroes of The Month are Jarren Duran, Tyler O'Neill and Rob Refsnyder with 2 Hero

Jackass of The Month is Brayan Bello with 3 Jackass

Honorable Player of The Month is Bobby Dalbec with 2 Honorable Mention

Winckowski, Sox Down Padres (6/30/24)

The Boston Red Sox have been hoping to find top flight starting pitching from within and they might have it with the resurgence of Josh Winckowki (2-1, 2.72 ERA). Josh stared down the San Diego Padres and shut them out in 5 strong innings. Offensively the Sox got to San Diego starter Matt Waldron with a two run Rafael Devers home run in the bottom of the first. The Sox got another run in the third and Jarren Duran went yard in the bottom of the fifth. The bullpen came in and the only blemish was a Ha-Seong Kim rbi double off Justin Slaten in the top of the seventh. The tag team of Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen slammed the door and the Sox staved off a series sweep with a 4-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                      Victoria June approves of the win

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first inning and Luis Arraez lined out to left to start. Jurickson Profar grounded out to short and Jake Cronenworth struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox got to Wauldron got the ball in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran grounded back to the mound to start. David Hamilton flied out to left but Wilyer Abreu walked. Rafael Devers crushed his 18th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                      Kiss that one goodbye

Manny Machado got a base hit to right to start the top of the second but Donovan Solano lined out to third. Jackson Merrill got a base hit to right and Ha-Seong Kim moved both runners over with a grounder to third. Kyle Higashioka grounded out to first to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Dominic Smith doubled to center. Reese McGuire took strike three and Ceddanne Rafaela hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Bryce Johnson got a base hit to center to open the top of the third but Arraez grounded into a double play. Profar grounded out to second to end the inning. Merrill made a great running catch to rob Duran of a hit to start the bottom of the third and Hamilton lined out to first. Abreu got a base hit to right and Devers did the same to move Wilyer to third. A passed ball scored Abreu but Valdez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                          Abreu scores another run

Cronenworth got hit with a pitch to start the top of the fourth but Machado grounded into a double play. Solano grounded out to second to end the inning. Yoshida got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth and a passed ball moved him to second. Smith grounded out to first to move Yoshida to third but McGuire flied out to center. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

Merrill got a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth and Kim dropped down a bunt to move him a second. Higashioka grounded out to third and Johnson flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Winckowski who allowed just 4 hits in 5 shutout innings.

                                                         Good work Winckowski

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Duran blasted his ninth home run of the season to increase the lead. Hamilton flied out to left and that was it for Waldron. Wandy Peralta came in to pitch and Abreu got a base hit to center. A wild pitch moved Abreu to second and a grounder to second by Devers moved Wilyer to third. Valdez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                               Duran leaves the yard

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Arraez got a base hit to right to start. Profar flied out to center but Arraez moved to second on a grounder to short by Cronenworth. That was it for Bernardino as Justin Slaten came in to face Machado. Manny grounded out to third to end the inning. Stephen Kolek came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida got a base hit to right to start. Smith grounded into a double play and McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning.

Solano struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh but Merrill doubled to center. Kim doubled to left to score Merrill to cut the lead. Higashioka grounded out to short to move Kim to tbhird and David Peralta pinch hit for Johnson. Peralta grounded out to second to end the inning with the Padres down 4-1.

                                                             Kim drives in a run

Adrian Morejon came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran walked and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Hamilton. A wild pitch moved Duran over to second and Refsnyder walked. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Abreu and struck out swinging before Devers flied out to center to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Arraez grounded back to the mound to start. Profar got a base hit to center but Cronenworth struck out swinging. Machado flied out to right to end the inning. Jeremiah Estrada came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Valdez flied out to center to start. Yoshida flied out to center as well and Smith completed the trifecta with a fly out to center to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Solano flied out to right to start. Merrill struck out swinging and Kim lined out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-1.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Josh Winckowski. He blanked the Padres for five innings to give the Sox a much needed win.

                                                        Hero Winckowski

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Rob Refsnyder walked as a pinch hitter.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 16th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have been banking on the home grown starters such as Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello this season while being patient with Nick Pivetta. Hopefully Winckowski has figured things out to give them a lift moving forward. The Sox could really use an ace but we all know Sox GM Craig Breslow is "on a budget" so that's not possible. We still have a month before the trade deadline to see what Breslow can do to add to the team. Still, a win is a win and Duran and Devers were a big part of today's win. The three headed monster of Justin Slaten, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen are also tough to beat. If the Sox can keep their starters going 6 or 7 innings, they'll be in good shape moving forward. But who are we kidding? The win improved the Sox to 44-40, 9 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night on the road in Miami for a three game set with the Marlins. Kutter Crawford (3-7) goes for the Sox against Valente Bellozo of Miami. The game begins Tuesday night at 6:40 PM at Loan Depot Park.

Padres Pound Houck, Sox (6/29/24)

So much for the feel good story of the June 2024 Boston Red Sox. After crushing everyone in their path after being embarrassed by the hapless Chicago White Sox, they came crashing down to earth with their fourth straight loss. Today the San Diego Padres laid waste to their bungholes by taking out Tanner Houck (7-6, 2.67) on his 28th birthday and the Boston bullpen. The Sox defense didn't help either with 3 errors as the Padres pounded out 16 hits and 11 runs. Meanwhile Michael King held the Sox bats to just 1 measly run in 6 innings and the bullpen wasn't even challenged. A six run fifth inning sealed the deal as San Diego bashed the Sox 11-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                  "Well that got out of hand quickly" - GL

Birthday boy Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Luis Arraez grounded out to short to start. Jurickson Profar struck out swinging and Jake Cronenworth flied out to right to end the inning. King got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran popped up to second to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Tyler O'Neill also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Padres struck first in the top of the second as Manny Machado grounded out to second to start. Donovan Solano singled to right, Jackson Merrill got a base hit to right and Ha-Seong Kim singled to center. Duran booted the ball for an error to allow Solano to score to put the Padres up. Brett Sullivan struck out swinging and Bryce Johnson grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Padres up 1-0.

                                                           "I don't got it" - Duran

Rafael Devers took strike three to start the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida lined out to left. Connor Wong popped up to first to end the inning.

The Padres iced the game in the top of the third as Arraez got a base hit to left to start. Profar and Cronenworth both struck out swinging but Machado hit a home run all the way to Maine to increase the lead. Solano lined out to center to end the inning with the Padres up 3-0.

                                                            Machado ices it

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to first to start. Dominic Smith got a base hit to right but Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Merrill hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to start the top of the fourth and Kim grounded out to third. Sullivan lined one off of Houck but Valdez threw him out anyway. Johnson grounded out to first to end the inning with the Padres up 4-0.

                                                            Merrill goes yard too

Abreu doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth and ONeill lined out to short. Devers grounded out to second and Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning.

The Padres finished off Houck in the top of the fifth as Arraez walked to start. Profar got a base hit to center to move Luis to third and Cronenworth got a base hit to right to score Arraez. Machado then hit a three run bomb into the Charles River to pretty much Houck's ERA title hopes. Solano lined out to third and FINALLY Sox manager Alex Cora yanked Houck. He was awful, allowing 8 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Bailey Horn made his Major League debut by getting Merrill to line out to center but Kim got a base hit to left. Sullivan hit a home run all the way to Portugal to increase the lead. Johnson struck out swinging but the Padres put up six runs to lead 10-0.

                                       "Gadzooks! This birthday sucked" - Houck

Wong got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fifth and Valdez walked. Smith took strike three and Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Arraez doubled to right to start the top of the sixth and moved to second on the Profar grounder to short. Cronenworth hit one up the elevator shaft and Machado grounded out to second to end the inning. Tyler Wade came in for Profar to start the bottom of the sixth but Duran broke up the shutout with his eighth home run of the season. Abreu singled to center but O'Neill struck out swinging. Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were down 10-1.

                                                          Duran goes yard

Solano grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh and Merrill did the same. Kim walked and Horn threw a routine grounder by Sullivan away for an error. Johnson walked to load the bases but Arraez struck out swinging to end the inning. Apart from the home run to Sullivan, not the worst debut for Horn.

                                                          Horn in his ML debut

Yuki Matsui came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Wong struck out swinging but Valdez doubled to right. Smith took strike three to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Wade struck out swinging to start. Devers booted a grounder by Cronenworth for yet another error but Machado took strike three. David Peralta pinch hit for Solano and got a base hit in the hole at short. Merrill doubled to right to score Cronenworth to wrap up the scoring. Kim grounded out to short to end the inning with the Padres up 11-1.

                                                      Merrill drives in another run

Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to short to start. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Duran and was hit with a pitch. Abreu struck out swinging and O'Neill also went down hacking to end the inning.

Reese McGuire took over for Yoshida in the lineup but behind the plate in the field and Smith the first baseman came in to pitch. Sullivan flied out to right before Johnson did the same. Arraez got a base hit to center but Wade lined out to center to end the inning. Smith pitched better than Kelly, Houck and Horn. May as well keep him there when Triston Casas comes back.

                                                         Good work Smith

Enyel De Los Santos came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Devers struck out swinging to start. McGuire walked but Wong popped up to second. Valdez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the game. The Padres had won it 11-1.

                                                            Padres win

Jackass of the Night is Tanner Houck. He allowed 8 runs in just 4 1/3 innings off 9 hits and a walk.

                                                          Happy birthday Jackass

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was hit with a pitch in his only at-bat.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 at the plate and pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

Bailey Horn allowed 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings and made an error.

Zack Kelly allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran hit a home run but struck out and made an error to allow a run to score.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Reese McGuire caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

So much for the resurgent 2024 Red Sox. For two weeks they looked like a competent baseball team but now they've lost 4 in a row and crashed down to Earth. Its a shame too because the 8-9-1 combo of Rafaela, David Hamilton and Duran was running teams out of the ballyard but it appears Sox manager Alex Cora has gotten away from that. Houck sucked on his birthday, maybe he had too much cake before the game. Tough way for Bailey Horn to make his ML debut, especially since he got outpitched by a first baseman. When your first baseman throwing a clean inning on the mound is a highlight of your afternoon, you know it was a bad day. The Sox have to rebound in a hurry or else they'll remain at the bottom of the standings. The loss dropped the Sox to 43-40, 10 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid the sweep tomorrow when Josh Winckowski (1-1) gets the start against Matt Waldron of San Diego. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Nine Run Padres Surge Beats Sox (6/28/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Tyler Heineman and Isaiah Campbell were optioned down to Worcester while Connor Wong was removed from the Paterinity List. The Sox also called up 26 year old relief pitcher Bailey Horn from Worcester to make his ML debut. Congrats to Horn.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                   IN

The good news was the Boston Red Sox limited the amount of runs they gave up to only one inning. The bad news was they gave up NINE of them. The Sox had a 1-0 lead over the San Diego Padres courtesy of proud papa Connor Wong's rbi, then Nick Pivetta (4-6, 4.39 ERA) imploded in the top of the fifth inning. Kyle Higashioka put the Padres ahead with a 2 run bomb and the Padres got another run before the plug was pulled on Pivetta. Greg Weissert poured gas on the fire by allowing all three inherited runners to score before giving up a 3 run bomb of his own to Jackson Merrill. The Sox could only muster 1 run off the Padres bullpen as they went down in flames 9-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                    "Nine run inning....oh brother"

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Luis Arraez lined out to right to start. Jurickson Profar grounded out to first and Jake Cronenworth struck out swinging to end the inning. Randy Vasquez got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran got a base hit to right to start. David Hamilton flied out to right and Bryce Johnson made a great running catch to rob Wilyer Abreu of a base hit. Rafael Devers lined out to left to end the inning.

Manny Machado struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Donovan Solano singled to center. Jackson Merrill flied out to right and Ha-Seong King forced Solano at second to end the inning. Tyler O'Neill popped up to third to start the bottom of the second but Masataka Yoshida doubled to right. Connor Wong grounded out to first to move Yoshida to third but Dominic Smith popped up to second to end the inning.

Kyle Higashioka popped up to third to start the top of the third but Johnson took strike three. Arraez singled to center but Profar popped up to short to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right to open the bottom of the htird and Duran flied out to center. Hamilton also flied out to center to end the inning.

Cronenworth struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Machado got a base hit to center. Solano forced Machado at second and Merrill grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu hit a roller to third. Machado threw the ball away for an error to allow Abreu to reach second. Devers walked but O'Neill struck out swinging. Yoshida flied out to center but Wong got a base hit to right to score Abreu. Smith lined back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Wong drives in a run

Things imploded in the top of the fifth as Kim got a base hit to center to start. Higashioka hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to put the Padres up for good and Johnson pounded a ground rule double down the right field line. Arraez got a base hit to center to move Johnson to third and a wild pitch moved Luis to second. Profar walked to load the bases and that was it for Pivetta. He got hit with Dice K disease in the fifth inning and he'd be charged with 5 runs in 4 innings. Greg Weissert came in to pour gas on the fire as Cronenworth got a base hit to left to score Johnson and Arraez. Machado beat out a grounder to third to re-load the bases and Solano got a base hit to center to score Profar and Cronenworth. Merrill then hit a 3 run home run all the way to Ecuador to ice the game. Kim struck out swinging but Higashioka walked as boos rained down. Johnson flied out to left and Arraez popped up to third to end the nightmare inning with the Padres up 9-1.

                                                         That got out of hand quickly

Rafaela got a base hit off the body of Velasquez to start the bottom of the fifth and unfortunately, Randy had to leave the game. Wandy Peralta came in and Duran forced Rafaela at second. Hamilton forced Duran at second and Abreu lined out to second to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Profar got a base hit to right to start. Cronenworth popped up to second and Machado grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox got a run back when Devers pounded his 17th home run of the season to start. Stephen Kolek replaced Peralta and O'Neill grounded out to second. Yoshida was plunked but Wong struck out swinging. Smith lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 9-2.

                                                             Devers goes yard

Solano walked to start the top of the seventh and Merrill popped up to short. Kim struck out swinging and Higashioka grounded out to second to end the inning. Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Duran flied out to left. Hamilton struck out swinging and Abreu forced Rafaela at second to end the inning.

Johnson flied out to left to start the top of the eighth and Arraez grounded out to second. Profar walked and Tyler Wade pinch ran for him. Cronenworth flied out to right to end the inning. Old friend Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Devers. Gonzalez popped up to first and O'Neill struck out swinging. Yoshida walked but Wong popped up to second to end the inning.

Machado flied out to center to start the top of the ninth and David Peralta pinch hit for Solano. Peralta struck out swinging and Merrill grounded out to first to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by Anderson to toss 4 scoreless innings. Yuki Matsui came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Smith flied out to right to start. Rafaela doubled to left but Duran struck out swinging. Hamilton also struck out swinging to end the game. The Padres won the game 9-2.

                                                                 Padres win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He came in a 2-1 game and left after allowing 3 inherited runners to score and four of his own.

                                                         Watch it go, Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with a walk and a home run.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 4.

Chase Anderson tossed 4 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4.

Nick Pivetta was tagged with 5 runs in just 4 innings off 7 hits and a walk to take the loss.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Bad loss for the Sox and it was one of the worst cases of Dice K Disease all season. Pivetta was cruising through four and not only did he lose it, but Weissert poured gas on the fire allowing three inherited runners to score and four of his own. The Sox bats did nothing against Vasquez and the Padres bullpen but allowing 9 runs in one inning is usually a confidence killer. The Sox were rolling on the road but now they've lost 3 out of 4 games at home. That's not the way to get back into the race and they need to turn it around quick with the all-star break approaching. The further the New York Yankees push them back, the less likely a playoff run is realistic. The loss drops the Sox to 43-39, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to snap their three game losing streak tomorrow afternoon against the Padres when Tanner Houck (7-5) takes on Michael King of San Diego. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News: 2021 Draft Revisited (6/27/24)

It's another off-day and its time to take a look at former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom's 2021 MLB Draft choices. With Covid in the past, this time there was going to be 20 rounds and the Red Sox owned the fourth overall pick due to their garbage 2020 season. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did.

1st round - INF Marcelo Mayer

The fourth overall pick turned out to be Eastlake High School shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer has lived up to his billing so far, hitting .275 for the Florida Complex league to end 2021. In 2022 he hit 13 home runs and drove in 53 runs between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive. He stalled a bit in 2023 as he tore up Greenville hitting .290 with 7 home runs and 34 rbis but faltered for the Portland Sea Dogs. He hit just .189 with 6 home runs and 20 rbis. This year he's apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel, hitting .308 with 6 home runs and 34 rbis so far. The 21 year old is on the fast track to Worcester and could be competing for a Boston job in Spring Training next year if he's not traded.

2nd round - OF Jud Fabian

Chaim Bloom goofed with his second round pick. Jud Fabian was a hell of an outfielder for the Florida Gators hitting 20 home runs and driving in 46 runs his junior year. The Sox took him with the 40th overall pick but he refused to sign, staying for his senior year. Apparently its come out since that the Baltimore Orioles had a 3 million dollar deal ready for him with the 41st pick but Bloom beat the O's to the punch. Guess who drafted Fabian in the second round of the 2022 draft? That's right. This season Jud is hitting just .235 but with 13 home runs & 36 rbis for the Bowie Baysox and could be promoted to AAA soon. Talent wise Fabian was the right pick to make, too bad he had his heart set on playing for Baltimore. Big mistake by Bloom.

3rd round - 2B Tyler McDonough

The Sox third round pick in this draft 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 in 2022. Last year he hit an even .250 shuffling between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox. This year he hit .261 with the Sea Dogs before being called up to Worcester. In 10 games he's hit .242 which isn't going to get him called up to Boston. Still, at 25 he's in Worcester and hopefully he can turn the jets on to make it to Boston.

4th round - RHP Elmer Rodriguez

The first pitcher chosen in the draft wasn't until the first round and it was a Puerto Rican high school JUNIOR named Elmer Rodriguez. He graduated in 2021 and made his debut in 2022 where he allowed just 8 earned runs in 33 innings between the Complex and Salem. Last year he was Salem's best pitcher, going 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 starts. This year he's 2-3 with a 2.74 ERA and it might be time to promote him to Greenville. He doesn't turn 21 until August but they're moving him along slowly. It better work out because you don't want him in the minors at 24-25 if he has nothing left to prove.


5th round - C Nathan Hickey

When Nathan Hickey was picked in the fifth round out of Florida University, he instantly became one of the top catchers in the system automatically. Unfortunately he may not be the chosen one anymore with Kyle Teel being the top ranked guy. Hickey didn't accomplish much at the Complex and Salem in 2021 but in 2022 he rebounded to crack 16 home runs and drive in 62 between Salem and Greenville. He spent 2023 in Portland where he hit just .258 but hit 15 home runs while driving in 56. Now he's in Worcester hitting just .211 with 8 home runs and 38 rbis. Kyle Teel may leapfrog him eventually but as of right now, he could be the emergency catcher in Boston if something happens to Connor Wong or Reese McGuire. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but he's one step away from the majors.

6th round - C Daniel McElveny

This might be one of Chaim Bloom's worst draft picks when all is said and done only for who was drafted around him, but I'll get to that in a second. Daniel battled a ton of injuries, playing just 43 games between the Complex and Salem in 2022. Last year he played just 9 games again and now he's healthy, but he's hitting just .189 in 29 games for Salem as a backup catcher. Sixth round picks shouldn't be expected to bring first round production but here's the kicker....McElveny was the fourth selection of the 6th round, Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo was taken 12th in the round. Carlos Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers this year at 15th. Spencer Arrighetti made his debut this year with the Houston Astros picked one slot after Rodriguez. Sox pitching prospect Dick Fitts was taken 21st in the round and another Sox prospect Taylor Broadway was taken 23rd. Not a good look when three guys picked after you have already reached the majors and two more that got traded to Boston are ranked higher than you in your own organization. Hopefully Daniel can turn it around, otherwise this could be Bloom's biggest whiff not counting Jud Fabian.

7th round - RHP Wyatt Olds

24 year old right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds was a classic case of "What were you expecting?" Olds had a horrible senior year at Oklahoma University going 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA, getting pulled from the rotation at the end of the year. Chaim Bloom took him in the seventh round anyway. He pitched in only 6 games in 2021 and was straight batting practice in 2022. He was 4-9 with a 6.01 ERA for Greenville although he allowed 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings for Portland. In 2023 he was even worse, going 0-7 with a 8.47 ERA before getting pulled from the rotation. This year he's 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA. The guy simply is not good and Bloom knew it when he drafted him. To make matters worse, 7 picks after Olds was taken, the Washington Nationals took Jacob Young who made his MLB debut in 2023. Five picks after Young, the Houston Astros took Joey Loperfido who made his MLB debut in April of this year. Its one thing to pick a guy and he doesn't pan out, its another thing to pick a guy who wasn't good and expect anything different.

8th round - RHP Hunter Dobbins

Speaking of crapshots, the Sox took one with their 8th round pick. Hunter Dobbins showed promise at Texas Tech before his 2020 season was cut short due to Covid. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and was 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 17 starts for Salem in 2022. He started to turn it around in 2023 going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA for Greenville before going 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA for Portland to end the season. This year he's 4-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts so far and a promotion to Worcester might be coming soon. Its a shame its taken him this long to get to AA, needing elbow surgery sucks.

9th round - 3B Tyler Miller

The Sox took Auburn third baseman Tyler Miller in the 9th round in 2021 and looked to be on the fast track when he hit .300 between the Complex and Salem at the end of 2021 with 3 home runs and 20 rbis. Then in 2022 he hit just .219 with 13 home runs and 59 rbis for Salem. Last year he hit .263 with just 9 home runs and 51 rbis in 91 games for Greenville. He started this year hitting .275 with 4 home runs for Greenville before getting promoted to Portland. He's played 24 games and has just 1 home run with 11 rbis while batting .247. He's been perfectly mediocre since the end of 2021 and at 24 years old, he may get leapfrogged by future picks. Least he's made it to AA, more than others on this list can say.

10th round - RHP Matt Litwicki

What an unfortunate career for 10th round pick Matt Litwicki. He pitched in just 22 games for the Indiana Hoosiers due to injuries and didn't make his Sox debut until June of 2023....where he was awful for the Complex and Salem before getting released again. He pitched in just 28 games going back to 2019 due to injuries. Just like Hunter Dobbins, Bloom drafted Litwicki knowing he was an injury risk. This one just didn't pan out.

11th round - 1B Niko Kavadas

The Sox looked to have scored with their 11th round pick when they chose hulking first baseman Niko Kavadas. He hit 24 home runs and drove in 76 runs between Greenville and Portland in 2022 and hit 22 home runs with 69 rbis between Portland and Worcester in 2023. This year he's hitting .276 with 14 home runs and 49 rbis and fans are mad that he's not in Boston. After Triston Casas went down, the Sox have relied on the trio of Bobby Dalbec, Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper and only Smith looks even halfway competent. Maybe the Sox will come to their senses and bring up Kavadas at some point once Casas comes back. Either way, he's the closest of anyone to reach the majors of this draft group.

12th round - RHP Christopher Troye

Just like Wyatt Olds, 12th round pick Christopher Troye another guy that had sub-par stats in college when he was drafted. He allowed 31 runs in 51 innings for U-Cal Santa Barbara while having mediocre seasons in 2021 for the Complex and 2022 for Salem. He started to figure it out of the bullpen last year when he posted a 1.96 ERA for Greenville and 3.77 for Portland. This year he fell apart, allowing 12 runs in 11 innings so far this year. Compounding this is 8 picks after Troye, the Seattle Mariners took Corey Rosier who's now with Portland as well. The killer was 10 picks after Troye, the San Francisco Giants took Landen Roupp who just made his ML debut with the Giants this year. There's still time to turn it around for Troye but once again, what were the Sox expecting when looking at his college stats?

13th round - SS Zach Ehrhard

The Sox rolled the dice and crapped out with their 13th round pick, Wharton High School shortstop Zach Ehrhard. Ehrhard spurned the Sox and went to play in college for Oklahoma State. He had a good freshman year but a lousy sophomore year. He took a big step this year hitting .330 with 14 home runs and 57 rbis. One more year of this and he could be in the first five rounds of next year's draft. Hopefully he's not the next Mark Teixeira.

14th round - RHP Jacob Webb

For two years it looked like 14th round pick Jacob Webb would be the first to make the majors. He allowed 2 runs in 12 innings between the Complex and Salem to end 2021 then ended the 2022 season in Portland. Then last year he was 8-3 but had a 5.03 ERA out of the bullpen. This year he's 6-1 but with a mediocre 4.35 ERA. Going 14-4 in Portland is fine, but not with that ERA. He might get a crack at Worcester before the year is over but he looked on the fast track in 2022 only to falter this year. To make matters worse, the last pick of the 14th round was Jordan Leasure, chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Leasure was traded by the Dodgers last year as part of the package for Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox and made his debut for the hapless ChiSox this year. Still, getting a major leaguer out of the 14th round is an accomplishment, Webb could be there eventually.

15th round - SS Payton Green

Once again the Sox wasted a draft pick when their 15th round selection, shortstop Payton Green decided to go to North Carolina State instead. After two years at NC State, he transferred to Georgia Tech this season where he hit .309 with 12 home runs and 42 rbis. Just like Ehrhard, he might increase his draft stock next year. What's worse, the Cincinnati Reds took outfielder Blake Dunn with their 15th round pick and he made his ML debut earlier this month. Another swing and a miss by Bloom.

16th round - 2B BJ Vela

Speaking of wasted picks, one of the weirdest was 16th round pick BJ Vela. Vela looked to have things figured out when he hit .342 in 21 games for the Complex but was surprisingly cut before Spring Training last year. It was never revealed why they gave up so quick on him but to make matters worse, the San Diego Padres took Gonzaga pitcher Alek Jacob with their 16th round pick. Jacob had a cup of coffee with the Padres last year making the Vela pick look even worse. Something must have happened with Vela, oh well.

17th round - RHP Luis Guerrero

The Sox finally got one right in the 17th round when they picked Luis Guerrero out of Chipola Junior College. He went 4-3 with a 4.18 ERA for Salem in 2022 before posting a 2.08 ERA for Greenville. Last year he was Portland's closer going 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA with 18 saves before getting the late call to Worcester. This year he's 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA for Worcester and just like Kavadas, Guerrero is knocking on the door to the big leagues. Not bad for a 17th round pick to be one of the closest to the majors.

18th round - OF Phillip Sikes

In the 18th round the Sox picked Texas Christian outfielder Phillip Sikes. Sikes batting average has dipped at every level. He hit .392 for the Complex in 2021 before he hit .258 in Salem & .248 in Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit .210 for Portland although he rebounded so far this year to hit .256 with 4 home runs and 19 rbis. The fact he was leapfrogged by Roman Anthony shows that this might not have been a great pick. Still, what are you expecting out of the 18th round?

19th round - RHP Tyler Uberstine

What a sad career for 19th round pick Tyler Uberstine. Just like Wyatt Olds and Christopher Troye, Tyler was a bum for Northwestern going 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA his last year in college. Tyler was 4-4 with a 4.63 ERA for Salem to start 2022 but was better in Greenville, going 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He started 2023 on the Injured List and had to have Tommy John surgery in June. He may not pitch this year either and its a shame, but injuries are part of the game.

20th round - SS Josh Hood

Just like Zach Ehrhard and Payton Green, Pennsylvania University infielder Josh Hood didn't sign with the Red Sox. He instead transferred to NC State and was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. Last year he hit 13 home runs between A and A+ ball and began this year with the Everett AquaSox hitting just .237 with 6 home runs & 31 rbis. Still, to go from the 20th round to the sixth and making it to High A is nothing to sneeze at.....too bad its not with the Red Sox.

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. 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.

That's going to do it for this 3 year look back at the 2021 draft. So far Payton Green, Josh Hood, Zach Ehrhard and Jud Fabian never signed while Matt Litwicki, BJ Vela, Kier Meredith and Jhonny Felix are gone. The two closest to the majors are Guerrero and Kavadas while Mayer is still the chosen one. Fringe guys like Webb, Dobbins, McDonough and Sikes are still out for the jury to decide. Either way, not a single guy in this draft has made the majors yet, that's an indictment on Bloom.