Off Day News: 2023 Draft Revisited (6/26/25)

Its an off day and since we're under three weeks away from the MLB Draft, its time to take a look at former Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom's final draft back in 2023.

1st Round - C Kyle Teel

The Red Sox scored with their first round pick, 14th overall in Virginia University catcher Kyle Teel. He made an immediate impact driving in 20 runs in 23 games between the Greenville Drive and Portland Sea Dogs to end 2023. In 2024 he was part of the "Goldust Trio" with Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony hitting 13 home runs and driving in 78 runs between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox. Then he was shipped out along with Chase Meidroth, Wilkeman Gonzalez and 2024 first round pick Braden Montgomery to the Chicago White Sox for ace pitcher Garrett Crochet. Teel slugged his way through AAA then made his Major League debut on June 6th for Chicago. Currently he's hitting .250 with no home runs but there's still 3 months left in the year. Ex-Sox GM Chaim Bloom scored with this pick and current Sox GM had to trade him to get the ace the Sox needed. Its business.

Currently - Chicago White Sox

2nd Round - SS Nazzan Zanatello

One of the reasons the Red Sox have a lack of depth at first base and catcher is Chaim Bloom drafting nothing but shortstops in the top 50 for 4 consecutive years. Nazzan Zanatello was taken in the second round out of Christian Brothers High School and hit just .156 for the Salem Red Sox last year in his first professional season. This year with the Greenville Drive he's hitting just .174 but with 5 home runs and 27 rbis. He's only 20 years old so he's got time to get his bat on the ball more often. I won't bother comparing him with other draft picks of the round because that would be unfair, maybe next year.

Currently - Greenville Drive

3rd Round - SS Antonio Anderson

Once again, Chaim Bloom took another high school infielder in an early round when he took North Atlanta High School shortstop Antonio Anderson in the third round. He hit just .186 for Salem last year but with 5 home runs and 34 rbis. This year he had 29 hits in 84 at-bats to get promoted to Greenville where he's currently hitting .252 with 2 home runs. He turns 20 in two days so the jury is still out on him as well, no sense comparing him to other draft picks yet.

Currently - Greenville Drive

4th Round - RHP Matt Duffy

The Sox didn't take their first pitcher until the fourth round when they tabbed Canisius University right handed pitcher Matt Duffy. Duffy had a 4.32 ERA his senior year in 14 starts and pitched in just 3 games to finish 2023. Last year his record was just 4-5 but had a 2.83 ERA in 21 starts for the Salem Red Sox. Unfortunately he had Tommy John surgery in March and won't pitch this year. Hopefully he'll bounce back next year.

Currently - Full Season Injured List

4th Round Compensation - SS Kristian Campbell

Talk about the end of one era starting another. When the Red Sox lost Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres, they got an extra pick in the fourth round. Bloom scored when he picked Georgia Tech shortstop Kristian Campbell. The 22 year old (23 in two days) hit .306 for Greenville last year with 8 home runs before getting promoted to Portland. He hit 8 home runs and drove in 35 runs to finish the season. If the "Goldust Trio" was Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony, then Kristian Campbell was not far behind. As it was, he was the first to make his MLB debut as a torrid hot streak in spring training had Kristian on the opening day roster. He tore it up in April becoming one of the top rookies, but faltered in the last two months dropping to a .223 batting average. He got demoted to Worcester where he's only hitting .200, but there's still time to turn it around. Still, even if he stays in Worcester for the next few months, at least he got to the dance. That's more than a lot of others in his draft class will say.

Currently - Worcester Red Sox

4th Round Compensation - SS Justin Reimer

The Sox received another fourth round compensation pick for losing Nathan Eovaldi to the Texas Rangers and selected yet another shortstop in Wright State's Justin Reimer. Reimer was a crapshot because he tore his ACL for Wright State before the draft and played in just 38 games for the Florida Complex Sox and Salem to end 2024. This year so far he's hitting .229 with no home runs in 39 games for Greenville. That's not good, especially when you're supposed to sacrifice average for power. He was never a power guy in college so his average better improve soon.

Currently - Greenville Drive

5th Round - LHP Connelly Early

Bloom finally got his head out of his ass and took a left handed pitcher in the fifth round, Virginia University's Connelly Early. Early went 12-3 for the Cavaliers but pitched in just 1 game for Salem to end the season. Last year he had some bad luck going 1-6 for Greenville in 15 starts but with a 3.72 ERA, earning a promotion to Portland. He was 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA to end the season. This year he's arguably been Portland's best pitcher, going 6-2 with a 2.70 ERA. The Sox haven't drafted a great lefty since Jon Lester, maybe Early will be the next one. Time will tell.

Currently - Portland Sea Dogs

6th Round - RHP CJ Weins

In the sixth round, the Sox took right handed pitcher CJ Weins out of Western Kentucky University. He was 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA last year for Salem when he was traded just before the trade deadline to the Detroit Tigers for veteran reliever Trey Wingenter. Weins began to pitch better, going 1-0 with a 2.20 ERA for the Lakeland Flying Tigers and 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA for the Western Michigan Whitecaps. He finished 2024 with the Erie Seawolves allowing 1 run in 3 innings. This year he's 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA for the Whitecaps and appears to be knocking on the door to AA again. Its too bad the Sox gave up his career for less than a month of Wingenter.

Currently - Western Michigan Whitecaps

7th Round - OF Caden Rose

In the 7th round, the Sox took Alabama University outfielder Caden Rose. Rose finished 2024 hitting .187 for Greenville but with 4 home runs. This year so far he's hitting just .162 in 56 games, albeit with 5 home runs. That's not gonna get it done, especially with other outfielders in the system such as James Tibbs and "The Password" coming up. He better start making some contact or he might be out of here in a year or two.

Currently - Portland Sea Dogs

8th Round - RHP Trennor O'Donnell

In the 8th round, the Sox tabbed right handed pitcher Trennor O'Donnell out of Ball State University. Trennor was 3-7 with Salem with a 4.00 ERA last year when he had shoulder surgery in July to end his season. This year he's 1-3 with a 4.70 ERA for Salem which isn't good. He turned 24 on June 6th so it'll be worth it to keep him around another year, but struggling to get Low A batters out is concerning. Worse yet, four picks after O'Donnell was chosen, the Milwaukee Brewers took Indiana University pitcher Craig Yoho. Craig made his debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on April 21st and is currently dominating AAA with the Nashville Sounds. This might be an oops when all is said and done.

Currently - Salem Red Sox

9th Round - RHP Blake Wehunt

The Sox once again drafted a mediocre pitcher when they took right handed pitcher Blake Wehunt in the ninth round. He was 4-4 with a 4.83 ERA for Kennesaw State before rising through the ranks in 2024. He was 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA for Salem but was 1-6 with a 4.42 ERA for Greenville. He ended the season pitching a game for Portland. This year he's 2-6 with a 3.72 ERA for Portland. The ERA is starting to look better but he turns 25 in November. He better get to Worcester real quick because other pitchers are going to pass him by.

Currently - Portland Sea Dogs

10th Round - LHP Ryan Ammons

It was a case of give up something to get something when it comes to 10th round pick, left handed pitcher Ryan Ammons out of Clemson University. Ammons never played a minor league game for the Sox before he was traded in December for current Sox reliever Justin Slaten. Slaten has been one of their reliable bullpen arms the last two seasons while Ammons is 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York Mets system. He's 24 years old at High A, but at least he looks like he has High A figured out. Still, the Sox would rather have Slaten for sure, nothing against Ammons.

Currently - Brooklyn Cyclones

11th Round - OF Nelly Taylor

In the 11th round, the Sox tabbed Polk State University outfielder Nelly Taylor. He looked pretty good last year when he belted 8 home runs and drove in 54 runs between Salem and Greenville before starting this season in Greenville. He's currently hitting .242 but with 5 home runs so far. The power is there, hopefully he can get that average up to make it to Portland. Time well tell on this one.

Currently - Greenville Drive

12th Round - RHP Max Carlson

The Sox selected North Carolina University right handed pitcher Max Carlson with their 12th round pick. Carlson looked like another bum as he was 5-2 with a 5.45 ERA in college, but turned it around in the pros. He was 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA and 6 saves out of the bullpen for Salem last year before going 1-1 with a 2.31 ERA for Grenville to end the season. This year he's slipped going 3-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 36 games. Still, he's only 23 and might pick it back up as the season goes on. The problem is, 9 picks after Carlson, the Seattle Mariners took current starting pitcher Logan Evans who's 3-2 with a 2.97 ERA for Seattle. Carlson has some work to do.

Currently - Greenville Drive

13th Round - RHP Cade Feeney

Life isn't fair for 13th round pick, right handed pitcher Cade Feeney out of North Dakota State University. He was 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA for the Greenville Drive last season before he had Tommy John surgery in October, knocking him out of this season. Let's see if he bounces back in 2026.

Currently - Greenville Drive

14th Round - LHP Jojo Ingrassia

In the 14th round, the Sox went with Cal State Fullerton left handed pitcher Jojo Ingrassia. He utterly dominated Salem in 2024 going 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 21 games. The problem was he missed the rest of the season due to an elbow injury. This year in Greenville he's 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA in just 17 innings. Let's see what he looks like when his elbow is properly healed.

Currently - Greenville Drive

15th round - OF Phoenix Call

The Sox first "did not sign" didn't occur until the 15th round when they took Calabasas High School outfielder Phoenix Call. Call ended up going to play college ball for the UCLA Bruins. He just finished his sophomore year at second base and hit .256 with 31 rbis. Not exactly eye popping numbers but then again. he's only a sophomore. He might get drafted at the end of next year or at least in 2027.

Currently - NCAA

16th Round - RHP Isaac Stebens

The Sox finally drafted a pitcher with good stats when they chose right handed pitcher Isaac Stebens out of Oklahoma State University. Stebens had a good showing last season, allowing just 1 earned run in 11 innings for Salem before going to Greenville where he was 3-3 with a 3.68 ERA. This year he's Greenville's closer, going 2-0 with a 1.97 ERA with 6 saves. Good closers are hard to find so hopefully he can keep this up when he reaches Portland.

Currently - Greenville Drive

17th Round - OF Dylan Schlaegel

The next non-signee was in the 17th round when the Sox took Legacy High School outfielder Dylan Schlaegel out of Texas. He chose to play college ball for Dallas Baptist instead. This season he hit .250 with 1 home run and 8 rbis in just 24 games. Maybe the Sox dodged a bullet with him not signing, but it was still a wasted draft pick.

Currently - NCAA

18th Round - LHP Zach Fogell

In the 18th round, the Sox took left handed pitcher Zach Fogell who had a miserable college experience. His first year at Brown in 2019 sucked and not only did Covid wipe out 2020, famously the Ivy League refused to play in 2021 as well. Fogell could have been drafted in 2022 but instead due to heavy rust, he went 0-4 with a 6.46 ERA. He transferred to UConn for 2023 to finish out his career and dominated, going 8-1 with a 1.89 ERA. Fogell ended 2023 not allowing an earned run for the Complex or Salem. Last year he was 5-2 with a 3.32 ERA for Greenville and this year he's allowed just 7 earned runs in 16 innings for the Drive. A promotion to Portland is imminent, just a question of when.

Currently - Greenville Drive

19th Round - OF Stanley Tucker

What a sad turn of events for 19th round pick, outfielder Stanley Tucker. He had just 10 hits in 67 at-bats for the Complex and Salem in 2023 after being chosen out of Texas A & M University. Last year he hit just .195 with 2 home runs for Salem. Some pundits thought he'd have a breakout in 2025, instead he hurts his wrist in Spring Training and hasn't played since. With the draft less than a month away, this was a crucial year of developing he's missing. Its a shame, can't fault a guy for being hurt but he wasn't playing well even before that.

Currently - Salem Red Sox

20th Round - RHP Robert Orloski

With the final pick in the 20th round, the Sox took Middleton High School right handed pitcher Robert Orloski from the state of Idaho. Orloski didn't sign with the Sox and chose to go to college at University of Texas San Antonio. He was 3-5 with a 5.94 ERA his freshman year but turned it around to go 8-0 with a 3.36 ERA with 9 saves out of the bullpen. He could be the UTSA closer next year which will greatly improve his draft stock. He would have made 150 grand if he signed with the Sox, maybe he'll make more next year. Either way, another wasted pick.

Currently - NCAA

Undrafted Rookie Free Agent - 1B Drew Ehrhard

Back in 2021, the Red Sox drafted Florida prep school shortstop Zach Ehrhard who ended up not signing with the Sox. Two years later, the Sox signed his older brother Drew out of Tampa University as a rookie free agent. Drew played 21 games for the Portland Sea Dogs last year and did hit .265 with 2 home runs. This year playing with his brother, Drew is hitting .245 with 2 home runs in 33 games. For a guy who wasn't even drafted, getting some playing time and getting some hits here and there in AA is further than a lot of guys drafted will reach. Keep fighting, Drew.

Currently - Portland Sea Dogs

Undrafted Rookie Free Agent - RHP Cooper Adams

Another undrafted crap shot the Sox took was right handed pitcher Cooper Adams out of Mt. St Mary's College where he was 8-3 but with a 5.03 ERA. He was 2-5 with a 5.08 ERA last year for Greenville and this year he's 2-3 with a 4.35 ERA for Greenville so far. He may not be putting up eye popping numbers but he's not getting lit up either. Other undrafted and late round picks in previous years couldn't even say that. Let's see how long he can hang, keep on trucking Cooper.

Currently - Greenville Drive.

Of the 22 players the Sox selected or signed, 3 never signed, 1 is currently in the majors, 1 made the majors but is currently in AAA, 12 are in High A, 3 are in Single A and 2 are in AA. Chaim Bloom's final draft produced two major leaguers in just two years and time will tell on the rest. Connelly Early is currently the one out of this group with the most potential to join Kristian Campbell and Kyle Teel but others might step up as well. Chaim Bloom's legacy does include Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, Niko Kavadas, Nick Yorke, Chase Meidroth, Kristian Campbell, Luis Guerrero and Hunter Dobbins already in the majors so it wasn't a total loss. Unfortunately drafting nothing but infielders in the first few rounds every year came back to bite the big club in the pitching department. Having to sacrifice Meidroth, Yorke, Teel and Kavadas for pitching is the price you pay for mistakes like that. Hopefully Craig Breslow doesn't make the same mistake next month.

Off Day News: 2022 Draft Revisited (6/19/25)

Its another off-day and since we're just under a month away from the 2025 MLB Draft, its time to take a look back at the 2022 group of draftees and how they're doing today.

1st Round - SS Mikey Romero

One of the reason's why the Boston Red Sox have a lack of depth at first base and catcher is former Sox GM Chaim Bloom drafting a high school shortstop in the first round three years in a row. In 2022 he took Mikey Romero out of Orange Lutheran High School. Romero looked to be living up to his billing with 15 hits in 9 games to end 2022 with the Salem Red Sox but crashed his second season. In 2023 he played just 34 games due to injury but rebounded in 2024, hitting 16 home runs between the Greenville Drive and Portland Sea Dogs. This year so far he's played in 38 games but he's hitting .250 with 7 home runs. He plays well when he's healthy and he's knocking on the door to Worcester. He's only 21 years old so he's got plenty of time to make the majors.

Currently - AA

2nd Round - SS Cutter Coffey

As mentioned before, former Sox GM Chaim Bloom kept drafting shortstops in the top fifty and 2nd round pick Cutter Coffey out of Liberty High School was no different. Coffey had just 76 hits in 98 games in 2023 and was hitting just .238 for the Greenville Drive when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays last July for backup catcher Danny Jansen. He hit just .185 to end the year for the Vancouver Canadians but turned it around this year. He's hitting .278 with 5 home runs and 36 rbis so he's knocking on the door to AA. The Sox gave up a potential star for 30 games of Danny Jansen.

Currently - High A

2nd Round Compensation - OF Roman Anthony

The Red Sox got this pick as compensation for the Detroit Tigers signing Eduardo Rodriguez after the 2021 season.....and what a "trade" that was. Anthony was an 18 year old outfielder who attended the same high school as Anthony Rizzo and he started off slow for Salem, hitting .189 to end 2022 and .228 to start 2023. Then he exploded in Greenville, bashing 12 home runs and hitting .294 to earn a late call up to Portland. There he had 12 hits in 35 at-bats to end the season. In 2024 he was part of the "Goldust Trio" with Kyle Teel and Marcelo Mayer hitting 18 home runs and driving in 65 between Portland and Worcester, hitting .344 in Worcester particularly. He was hitting .288 with 10 home runs this year before finally making his major league debut on June 9th. Currently he's struggling hitting .121 with one home run and 5 rbis. Still, Dustin Pedroia didn't light the world on fire at the end of 2006 so judge slowly. Just the fact he's got this far is remarkable in itself.

Currently - MLB

3rd Round - LHP Dalton Rogers

Ex-Red Sox general manager Chaim Bloom finally drafted a pitcher in the top 100 with pick number 99 in the third round when they chose Southern Mississippi left handed pitcher Dalton Rogers. Dalton started out strong at the beginning of 2023 by allowing just 6 earned runs in 21 innings for Salem but has been straight batting practice since. He was 2-6 with a 5.52 ERA in 17 starts for Greenville in 2023 and 2-7 with a 5.12 ERA in 2024. He did seem to figure it out this year allowing 3 runs in 20 innings to earn a call up to Portland....where he's currently 2- with a 5.92 ERA. If he's struggling in AA that's not a good a sign. 2 picks after the Sox took Rogers, the Chicago White Sox took right handed pitcher Jonathan Cannon. Cannon made his ML debut last year but is 7-17 with a 4.55 ERA combined for Chicago. Cannon's record may not be great, but at least he's in the majors. Rogers has a long way to go.

Currently - AA

4th Round - 2B Chase Meidroth

Bloom scored with his fourth round pick, San Diego University second baseman Chase Meidroth. Chase had 4 home runs in 19 games to end the 2022 season in Salem then broke out in 2023. He hit .338 with 2 home runs for Greenville to earn a call up to Portland. He hit .255 with 7 home runs to finish the season there. In 2024 he was on the fabled Worcester team with the "Goldust Trio" of Mayer, Teel and Anthony where he hit .293 with 7 home runs and 57 rbis. If it wasn't for the numbers game, he might have gotten the call to Boston in September. With the outfield and infield crowded, Meidroth was apart of the trade along with Teel to send Garrett Crochet to Boston. Crochet has become Boston's ace while Meidroth is currently hitting .269 with 2 home runs, 9 rbis and 9 steals. He's having a pretty good start to his career, but with the logjam in the infield the Sox had and desperate need for an ace, you'll make that trade 10 times out of 10.

Currently - MLB

5th Round - LHP Noah Dean

The next pitcher drafted with Old Dominion left-hander Noah Dean in the 5th round. Dean struggled in Salem in 2023 by going 2-8 with a 6.29 ERA but was 2-3 with a 3.96 ERA to begin 2024. He was batting practice in Greenville going 0-1 with a 6.38 ERA to finish the season. This year he's currently 1-2 with a 4.61 in Greenville. At least Rogers got to AA, Dean is struggling in A ball. Luckily no one else drafted after Dean in the 5th round made the majors, but it would suck if he didn't get out of A or AA in the next year or two.

Currently - High A

6th Round - RHP Alex Hoppe

Taking yet another pitcher, Bloom chose right handed pitcher Alex Hoppe out of UNC Greensboro. His ERA went up every year from 2022 (2.97 at UNC), 2023 (3.93 at Greenville) and 2024 (5.43 at Portland). This year he was 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA with Portland before getting the call to Worcester. So far with the WooSox he's 0-1 with a 4.86 ERA in Worcester. Not exactly a good career trajectory, just like Wyatt Olds. Worst yet, 7 picks after the Sox took Hoppe, the San Francisco Giants pitched starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong. Hayden made his ML debut last year and is currently 2-1 with the Giants and scheduled to pitch this Saturday against the Red Sox. Bet the Sox wish they had him instead of Hoppe unless Alex turns it around.

Currently - AAA

7th Round - RHP Caleb Bolden

The Sox first real definitive miss was taking right handed pitcher Caleb Bolden out of Texas Christian University with their 7th round pick. He allowed 9 runs in 9 innings to end 2023 in Greenville and was 1-2 with a 3.88 ERA for Portland last year. This year he got rocked in his only start before going on the Injured List. He was just removed from the list five days ago so it would be unfair to judge his season, but he's already 26 and in AA. Worst yet, four picks after Bolden was chosen, the Houston Astros took AJ Blubaugh who made his ML debut on April 30th. Once again, bet the Sox wish they had Blubaugh right about now.

Currently - AA

8th Round - RHP Jonathan Brand

With their 8th round pick, the Sox took Miami Ohio Univerity right handed pitcher Jonathan Brand. He had a good season for Salem in 2023 going 4-2 with a 2.58 ERA. Last year he didn't allow an earned run in 11 innings for Greenville to get the call to Portland. He was 2-3 with a 4.67 ERA to finish the season. This year he started in Greenville and allowed just 1 run in 6 innings before coming back to Portland. He pitched so well he got a cup of coffee with Worcester. Currently he's in Portland with a 1-1 with 2.57 ERA, which is fine, but 7 picks after Brand was chosen the Giants took outfielder Wade Meckler. Meckler made his ML debut in 2023 but is hitting .260 with the Sacramento River Cats currently. Hopefully Brand can keep momentum going.

Currently - AA (formerly AAA)

9th Round - C Brooks Brannon

In the 9th round, the Sox took Randleman High School catcher Brooks Brannon. He looked strong out of the gate in 2023 when he hit 3 home runs in 9 games for Salem but last year he hit .251 with 6 home runs for the Sal Sox. This year at Greenville he's hitting .265 with 5 home runs and 30 rbis. He's only 21 years old and the Sox are devoid of catchers so they're going to hope Brannon can develop.

Currently - High A

10th Round - RHP Isaac Coffey

The Sox might have found something with their 10th round pick, right handed pitcher Isaac Coffey out of Oral Roberts University. He was 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in 11 starts for Greenville in 2023 to earn a call-up to Portland. He was 7-4 with a 3.92 ERA to end the 2023 season. Last year he was Portland's best pitcher going 11-4 with a 3.17 ERA and just missed the call to Worcester. This year he didn't allow a run in 6 games in Portland to earn the permanent call to Worcester. Currently he's 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA but has only pitched in 5 games this year. Too early to judge with another few months left in the season. 2 picks after the Red Sox picked Coffey, the White Sox took first baseman Tim Elko who has 4 home runs in 18 games this season. With bullpen injuries and ineffectiveness, you never know if and when Coffey makes his debut.

Currently - AAA

11th Round - RHP Marques Johnson

The Sox drafted Long Beach State Univeristy right handed pitcher Marques Johnson with their 11th round pick. He was 2-2 with a 6.55 ERA in Greenville before he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in July of 2023 for Mauricio Llovera. He didn't allow a run in 18 innings for the San Jose Giants to end the season and was 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA last season. This year he's allowed 6 runs in 26 innings for the Eugene Emeralds. He's going to be 25 in July and still in A ball but at least he's proven to get A hitters out. He was called up to Richmond just yesterday. Too bad the Sox gave him up for a rental that accomplished nothing.

Currently - AA

12th Round - LHP Hayden Mullins

In the 12th round, the Sox selected Auburn University right handed pitcher Hayden Mullins. Just like Matt Litwicki in 2021, Mullins was an injury risk as he pitched in just 23 games for Auburn and didn't make his franchise debut until August of 2023. He was 3-5 with a 3.94 ERA in Greenville last year and allowed 2 earned runs in 17 innings to earn the call up to Portland this year. Currently he's 1-2 with a 2.38 ERA and it looks like he's on the right track. Just two picks after the Red Sox took Mullins, the Chicago White Sox took infielder Brooks Baldwin who's got 3 homers for the ChiSox this year. Lot of 22 draftees on this year's White Sox it seems.

Currently - AA

13th Round - SS Gavin Kilen

The Sox first non-signee was their 13th round draft pick, high school shortstop Gavin Kilen. Kilen spurned the Sox to sign with Louisville University where he hit .265 in 2023 and .330 with 9 home runs last year. He transferred to Tennessee this year and he hit .357 with 15 home runs for the Vols, recently appearing in the college world series. He looks like a star in the making and a future top pick, so good on the Sox for knowing the talent....but they drafted him 3 years too soon.

Currently - NCAA

14th Round - SS Travis Sanders

The Sox next wasted draft pick was in the 14th round when they drafted yet another high school shortstop in Travis Sanders. He chose to attend Texas Tech instead and transferred to Baylor for the 2025 season where he hit .335 with 8 home runs. He burned the Sox for Texas Tech and burned them for Baylor.....he's gonna love MLB free agency down the road.

Currently - NCAA

15th Round - LHP Nathan Landry

The Sox whiffed again in the 15th round when they chose left handed pitcher Nathan Landry out of Missouri University. He was straight batting practice, going 1-1 with a 7.54 ERA for Greenville in 2023 and was 2-1 with a 5.24 ERA for Greenville last season when he was released in August. Usually teams don't give up on guys after 2 seasons, Wyatt Olds for example was batting practice for 3 full seasons before figuring it out this year. Something else might have been up, but either way he was given the boot and wasn't pitching in the pros as of 2025.

Currently - Out of MLB

16th Round - RHP Garrett Ramsey

Another Sox swing and miss was their 16th round pick, right handed pitcher Garrett Ramsey out of Southern Mississipi University. Once again this was a weird turn of events. He was struggling for the Florida Complex in 2023 going 1-3 with a 5.32 ERA before getting a cup of coffee with Salem to end the season. Then he was released in spring training on the eve of the 2024 season. Just like with Nathan Landry, something else must have been going on to give up on a prospect THAT quickly.

Currently - Out of MLB

17th Round - OF Deundre Jones

To complete the bizarre trifecta of releases, look no further than 17th round pick Deundre Jones out of Lutheran South High School. Jones hit .191 with 2 home runs in 28 games with the Florida Complex in 2023 before he was cut in spring training on the eve of the 2024 season. Again, he played 28 games in rookie ball, something else must have been a factor to cut him so soon. Maybe GM Craig Breslow wanted to wipe the slate of any underperforming Bloom picks.

Currently - Out of MLB

18th Round - RHP Austin Erlicher

When the "draft & follow" rule was re-instituted, the Sox used it on 18th round pick Austin Erlicher out of Santa Rosa Junior College. The Sox let Austin pitch for Santa Rosa in 2023 and he got hurt at the end of the season which kept him out for most of 2024 as well. He pitched in just 2 games for Salem to end 2024 but so far has been healthy for Salem. So far he's 2-2 with a 3.69 ERA so judge slowly on this one.

Currently - Low A

19th Round - RHP Jaret Godman

Ex-Sox GM Chaim Bloom drafted Wyatt Olds in 2021 despite being terrible in his senior season at Oklahoma University. He didn't learn his lesson as he drafted right handed pitcher Jaret Godman after Godman had an ERA over 6 in his junior and senior seasons. Ironically Oklahoma won the national championship in 2022 with him. His incompetence carried over to the pros where he allowed 7 runs in 7 2/3 innings in 2023 for Greenville. He voluntarily retired in spring training 2024 and it takes a lot of smarts and balls to say "You know what, I'm just not that good". Good luck to Godman wherever he is now, at least he has self awareness.

Currently - Out of baseball

20th Round - RHP Connor Butler

With their final pick in the 20th round, the Sox selected Biola right handed pitcher Connor Butler. Biola stands for Bible Institute of Los Angeles and why the Sox wanted to draft a future youth pastor that had a 4.50 ERA his senior year at a little known Division 2 school, ask Chaim Bloom. Not surprisingly Butler pitched in 23 games between the Complex and Salem while allowing 23 runs in 2023. He was released along with a ton of others in spring training on the eve of the 2024 season. Not that 20th round picks are can't miss prospects, but at least they could have TRIED drafting someone who had a chance of making it. Nothing against Butler himself, he did his best, but what was Bloom thinking?

Currently - Out of baseball

UFA - RHP Matt Donlan

This poor bastard got a raw deal for sure. Following the 2022 draft, the Sox signed UConn catcher Matt Donlan due to his New England heritage. Between 2022 and 2024 he played in just 37 games and had just 17 hits. Matt wanted to try his luck as a pitcher and ended up blowing his arm out, requiring Tommy John surgery that's going to take him out of this year as well. Still, not much you can expect from an undrafted rookie free agent.

Currently - AA

UFA - SS Bryant Zayas

Here's a redemption story. Shortstop Bryant Zayas was recruited by North Carolina University but chose to sign with the Red Sox as an undrafted rookie free agent. He hit .242 with a home run in 32 games with the Complex in 2023 but was one of the many released during spring training in 2024. Zayas ended up committing to Lynn University, a Division 2 school in Florida and this season he hit .295 with 3 home runs in 38 games. Its a wonder why the Sox gave up on him so quickly, but kudos to him for landing on his feet and possibly getting another shot down the road.

Currently - NCAA

So far the 2022 draft has produced 2 major leaguers in Roman Anthony and Chase Meidroth with Alex Hoppe, Jonathan Brand and Isaac Coffey at least making AAA. Mikey Romero, Dalton Rogers, Caleb Bolden, Marques Johnson, Hayden Mullins and Matt Donlan are in AA with Cutter Coffey, Noah Dean and Brooks Brannon in High A. Austin Erlicher is in Low A with Nathan Landry, Garrett Ramsey, Deundre Jones, Jaret Godman and Connor Butler out of baseball. Gavin Kilen and Travis Sanders never signed and Bryant Zayas was released but are back in college with Kilen and Sanders. Still a little early to judge the younger guys that were taken out of high school like Romero, Brannon, etc but taking all those pitchers in a row and none of them have shown outstanding stuff is a bad sign. Still, it took 4 years for Hunter Dobbins to make his ML debut so any of these guys could make it next year. 2021 was the last good season for the Sox so they picked low in every round. Still, two of their guys made the majors already in just three years so it wasn't the worst draft ever.

Crochet, Mayer Stop Mariners (6/18/25)

The lack of offense reared its ugly head once again as the Boston Red Sox had just 3 hits in today's get-away game against the Seattle Mariners. The good news was that's all they needed to win this game and the series as Garrett Crochet (7-4, 2.20 ERA) continued his dominating season by holding the Mariners to just 1 run in 6 solid innings. Luis Castillo allowed just 3 hits in his 6 innings but two of them were a solo home run to Marcelo Mayer and a two run home run by Trevor Story. Sox manager Alex Cora had Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock and Arolids Chapman handle the seventh and eighth innings, but shockingly went to Greg Weissert to close the game out. Fortunately Weissert shut the door as the Sox had won 2 of 3 from Seattle and 7 out of 8 overall with a 3-1 victory over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

                                                        Jade Greene approves of the win

Castillo got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Abraham "El" Toro flied out to left but Roman Anthony was hit with a pitch. Romy Gonzalez forced Anthony at second to end the inning. Crochet got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Dylan Moore took strike three to start. Julio Rodriguez struck out swinging but Cal Raleigh doubled to left. Jorge Polanco flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Marcelo Mayer bashed his fourth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Trevor Story struck out swinging before David Hamilton flied out to right. Kristian Campbell struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                     Mayer gets the Wally Head

The Mariners answered right back in the bottom of the second as Duran dropped a ball by Randy Arozarena for a "double" to start. Randy moved to third on a fly ball to center by Mitch Garver and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Donovan Solano and Ben Williamson stroked back to back base hits, but Miles Mastrobuoni forced Williamson at second. Moore took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Mariners tie it

Somehow Connor Wong got a base hit to center to start the top of the third but Duran flied out to left. El Toro forced Wong at second and Anthony grounded out to second to end the inning. Rodriguez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Raleigh grounded out to third. Polanco struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Gonzalez grounded out to first to start. Mayer walked and Story belted his 10th home run of the season to put Boston back on top. Hamilton took strike three and Campbell grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were up 3-1.

                                                          Home run Story

Arozarena grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Garver singled to center. Solano struck out swinging and Williamson flied out to left to end the inning.

Wong grounded back to the mound to begin the top of the fifth before Duran lined out to center. El Toro flied out to left to end the inning. Mastrobuoni lined out to second to open the bottom of the fifth but Moore singled to left. Rodriguez forced Moore at second then took second on a wild pitch. Raleigh struck out swinging to end the inning.

Anthony walked to start the top of the sixth but Gonzalez lined out to center. Mayer struck out swinging but Anthony stole second base. Story grounded out to short to end the inning. Crochet returned for the bottom of the sixth and Polanco struck out swinging to start. Arozarena lined out to left and Garver struck out swinging to end the inning. Crochet tossed 6 solid innings of 1 run ball allowing 6 hits while striking out 8 batters.

                                                               Crochet gets it done

Carlos Vargas came in to pitch the top of the seventh as Hamilton flied out to left to start. Campbell struck out swinging and Wong flied out to right to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Ceddanne Rafaela now in center. Solano struck out swinging before Williamson grounded out to second. Mastrobuoni grounded out to third to end the inning.

Gabe Speier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Duran lined out to first to start. Toro flied out to right and Anthony grounded out to second to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Moore grounded out to third to start. Rodriguez struck out swinging and Raleigh grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Gonzalez grounded out to second to start. Mayer flied out to left and Story took strike three to end the inning. The Sox had just 3 hits in the entire game. For whatever reason, Sox manager Alex Cora had Greg Weissert close out the bottom of the ninth and Polanco grounded out to second to start. Arozarena walked and Dominic Canzone pinch hit for Garver. Canzone grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won the game 3-1.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of the Night is Garrett Crochet. He got the win by allowing just 6 hits and a walk while striking out 8 in 6 innings.

                                                           Garrett Hero

The Good:

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Garrett Whitlock tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Greg Weissert earned his third save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 4.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 4.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Kristian Campbell was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 2 but walked and stole a base.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 wit 2 strikeouts but hit a two run homer.

Honorable Mention:

Ceddanne Rafaela played center in the final innings.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox offense has scored 20 runs in their last 8 games and won 7 of them....that's on the pitching. With the exception of Walker Buehler yesterday, the starters have been going 6 innings or longer in every single start. FINALLY Alex Cora got his head out of his ass and let his pitchers throw. Maybe losing Justin Slaten and Brennan Bernardino falling apart woke him up to start using the starters more and bullpen less. Either way, the trio of Whitlock, Chapman and Weissert has been working lately. Crochet has been a true ace this season and it would be a shame to waste that kind of year. The problem is with Rafael Devers traded and three power hitters on the Injured List, things look bleak for the offense. The rookies are barely hitting at all and they can't rely on utility players for too long. Still, keeping runs off the board will win you more games than you'll lose. Hopefully the pitching can hold up until something can be done about the offense. The fact the Sox have turned it around a little bit made them watchable if nothing else. The win improved the Sox to 39-37, 5.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox travel to San Francisco to play Rafael Devers & the Giants. Hunter Dobbins (4-1, 3.74 ERA) takes on Captain TBD of San Francisco. The game begins at 10:10 PM Eastern time at Oracle Park.