Its an off-day and this will be the last time we take a look back at the ill-fated 2020 MLB Draft for the Boston Red Sox. Its been 6 years and nothing good has come out of it...for Boston anyway. Let's see how the draft turned out and never speak of it again.
1st Round - INF Nick Yorke
The good news was first round pick Nick Yorke did make the majors....the bad news was it wasn't with the Red Sox. Yorke showed promise in 2021 and 2022 after Covid ended then hit .268 with 13 home runs for the Portland Sea Dogs in 2023. Yorke was in Worcester in 2024 hitting .310 with 6 home runs when he was sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitching prospect Quinn Priester at the trade deadline. Yorke had an 11 game cup of coffee with the Pirates and 22 games in 2025. He made the Pirates out of Spring Training this season but was optioned back to Indianapolis after hitting .197 with one home run. The bottom line was former Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom drafted a production line of infielders in the early rounds from 2020-23 and deemed Yorke expendable. It was the right pick to make, its too bad he just had to seek his fortunes elsewhere. On top of everything, the Sox traded Priester too and Quinn went 13-3 with Milwaukee in 2025.
2nd Round - None
3rd Round - INF Blaze Jordan
As mentioned many times, 3rd round pick Blaze Jordan was a known name long before the 2020 draft hitting 400 foot bombs as a teenager in his native Mississippi. After clubbing 19 home runs his first three years of high school, Covid ruined his senior year but it didn't stop the Sox from taking him with the 89th pick of the draft. He developed slowly as most high schoolers turned MLB prospects do, but it was worth the wait.....for the most part. His breakout season was in 2023 for Greenville and Portland smashing 18 home runs and driving in 86. In 2024 he dealt with a broken finger that limited him to 7 home runs but in 2025 he was back to his old self, hitting 12 home runs and driving 62 runs between Portland and Worcester by the end of July. That's when the numbers game came into play. The Sox made a calculated decision with Triston Casas out for the season to stick with Dominic Brown as their first baseman rather than promote the 22 year old Jordan. Instead, Jordan was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for veteran relief pitcher Steven Matz. Matz solidified the bullpen that had been shaky and helped the Sox make the playoffs. Meanwhile given new life in St. Louis, Jordan is currently hitting .329 with 9 home runs for the Memphis Redbirds. A call to St. Louis will be here sooner rather than later. With all this in mind, was this a good pick? He hasn't made the majors yet so on a technicality, the Sox missed out on Cleveland Guardians outfielder Petey Halpin taken just 6 picks after Jordan. However, hindsight is 20/20. Had the Sox known Triston Casas would never come back, they might have traded a different prospect for Matz. Still, He won't turn 24 until December so if Blaze does make his debut this year, that's a feather in Chaim Bloom's cap. For a not so fun fact, Kyle Harrison was taken by the Giants 4 picks before Jordan for more salt in THAT wound.
4th Round - Jeremy Wu-Yelland
Injuries are a bitch and look no further than Boston's fourth round draft choice in the 2020 draft, Hawaii University left hander Jeremy Wu-Yelland. After failing as a starter, Yelland tossed 13 innings allowing just 1 run before the 2020 season was cancelled. The Sox took him in the fourth round 118th overall and put him back in the rotation where he was 2-4 with a 3.91 ERA between Salem and Greenville. Then disaster struck as he had Tommy John surgery in April of 2022 which wiped out most of his 2023 season as well. In 2024 he pitched like absolute crap for Greenville but after missing the first month of 2025, he rebounded to go 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in Portland. That's where the story ends because he's been on the Injured List ever since. If he doesn't come back soon throwing darts, he's a gonner. The Sox have a bevy of pitchers from the 2024 and 2025 drafts coming up and Yelland turns 27 in June. To add insult to injury, just three picks after the Sox took Yelland, the Milwaukee Brewers took outfielder Joey Wiemer who made his ML debut in 2023 and is hitting close to .290 with Washington this season. Yelland had the 95 mph fastball, its too bad his body isn't holding up. There's still a small fraction of hope they might get something out of him, but time is running out.
5th Round - Shane Drohan
Just like Nick Yorke, the good news was Boston's fifth round pick, left handed pitcher Shane Drohan out of Florida State University made the majors....it just wasn't with Boston. Drohan had a very peculiar journey as he posted a 7-4 record with a 3.96 ERA in 2021 for Salem and a 6-7 record with a 4.00 ERA for Greenville in 2022. In 2023 he started the season 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 6 starts to earn a promotion to Worcester where he....totally crapped the bed going 5-7 with a 6.47 ERA. Unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, Drohan was picked up by the Chicago White Sox where he battled injuries and ineffectiveness before the White Sox sent him back to the Red Sox in 2024. He missed 3 months in 2025 and was batting practice in 3 starts for Greenville....then suddenly found his groove in Worcester going 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA to end the season. Then then came the fateful trade that sent him, David Hamilton and Kyle Harrison to the Milwaukee Brewers for Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Siegler and a second round draft pick. Drohan actually made his MLB debut as a starter against the Red Sox on April 8th before being sent down to AAA. He was brought back up as a relief pitcher where he's thriving, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.63 ERA. Much like Blaze Jordan with St. Louis, it took a very long time but it looks like Drohan is off and running with Milwaukee. He's 27 years old now and he definitely seemed expendable with the bulk of the Sox draft choices being pitchers the last few seasons, a change of scenery might be what the doctor ordered. Then again, imagine HIM in the Sox bullpen now instead of Ryan Watson.
RFA - RHP Jacinto Arredondo
With only five rounds, the Red Sox ended up signing SIXTEEN rookie free agents following the draft. First up was right handed pitcher Jacinto Arredondo out of Tampa College. He was originally committed to Auburn back in 2017 but was one of the casualties when Sunny Golloway was fired...which is a story for another day. He was named D2 College World Series MVP for Tampa in 2019 and just like everyone else, his 2020 season was cut short due to Covid. Signed by the Sox, he was 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA out of the bullpen for Salem in 2021 but was batting practice in Greenville in 2022 posting a 3-1 record but with a 6.30 ERA. Realizing he was in over his head, he chose to retire in January of 2023. It takes a brave man to know when its not going to work out and chooses to retire rather than waste everyone's time. Currently he's the head baseball coach at South Sumter Prep School in Florida. Last year he was named Coach of The Year for their league. Nice to see Arredondo find success in coaching he didn't pitching with Greenville.
RFA - RHP Jordan DiValerio
Another rookie free agent signed was right handed pitcher Jordan DiValerio out of St. Joseph's University. Supposedly Chris Sale himself was apart of recruiting Jordan to sign with Boston. Unfortunately DiValerio was straight batting practice in his time in the organization. He was 4-0 with Greenville in 2022 but with a 5.32 ERA. In 2023 he was 5-6 with a 5.08 ERA for the Drive and got cut in Spring Training in 2024. He hooked on with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League and went 20-6 as a starter the last two seasons. Who knows, maybe someone will sign him as a reclamation project for the 2026 season? Either way its good to see him still active in the baseball world.
RFA - RHP Brian Van Belle
Much like Nick Yorke, its a shame that it took going to another organization for right handed pitcher Brian Van Belle to make his major league debut. Van Belle had allowed just 2 earned runs in 26 innings for Miami Ohio University when Covid wiped out the season. He showed flashes of promise in his rise from the Greenville Drive in 2021 to the Worcester Red Sox in 2024 but his ERA was rarely below 4.20. In 2025, he was 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA when he was sent to the Cincinnati Reds for a brown sack full of money. He was almost immediately traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for old pal Zack Littell. He had a 4 game cup of coffee for the Rays but injured his arm and not only missed the rest of the season, but he won't pitch this year either. Its a shame how he was just coming into his own when he went down. He'll be 30 at the start of the 2027 season but hopefully he bounces back.
RFA - Catcher Jose Garcia
In some cases you had guys that made it like Nick Yorke, Shane Drohan and Brian Van Belle...and then you have guys like Florida International University catcher Jose Garcia that didn't come close. Garcia caught 21 games between the Florida Complex and the Salem Red Sox in 2021 and caught 37 between Salem and Greenville in 2022. His problem? He couldn't hit. He hit just .216 in 2022 in Salem and just .177 in Greenville in his 5 game appearance. In February 2023 during Spring Training he realized he was in over his head and called it quits. Once again, it takes a smart and courageous man to walk away rather than waste people's time.
RFA - RHP Graham Hoffman
Injuries are known to derail careers and one of the casualties was right handed pitcher Graham Hoffman out of South Florida University. He had Tommy John surgery in 2019 and Covid wiped out 2020. He missed 2021 with a right flexor strain although he looked like he was turning the corner in 2022 between Salem and Greenville. In 2023 he bottomed out going 2-2 with a 6.55 ERA before he was released in August. These days he's a Corporate Banking Credit Associate in his home state wearing one of the finest suits and ties you'll ever see. Good to see him doing well, its a shame multiple injuries kept him from baseball success.
RFA - INF Jake MacKenzie
A lot of people felt the Sox gave up too soon on infielder Jake MacKenzie but he hasn't exactly burnt them since he's been gone. After having 3 good seasons for Fordham University, the Sox picked up MacKenzie as a rookie free agent after the 2020 draft. He played in just 54 games between Salem and Greenville in 2021 and suddenly was released in spring training in 2022. Why? Who the hell knows. After spending 2022 and parts of 2023 in the Independent League, MacKenzie was signed by the Colorado Rockies. After hitting .310 for the Complex Rockies, he was promoted to Spokane for a 5 game cup of coffee. That would be it for MacKenzie in pro ball as he ended up playing for Quebec in the Frontier League in 2024. The Sox cut their losses early with MacKenzie and it didn't come back to haunt them.
RFA - RHP Maceo Campbell
The Sox got what they paid for when they signed right handed pitcher Maceo Campbell out of Longwood University after the 2020 draft as a rookie free agent. Campbell pitched in just 16 games for Longwood and allowed 22 runs in 22 innings. What possessed then Sox GM Chaim Bloom to sign him is anyone's guess. He was 4-5 between Greenville and Salem in 2022 with an ERA over 6 and allowed 38 runs in 36 innings in 2023 for Greenville. He was released in spring training in 2024 and has been bouncing around the independent leagues ever since. No disrespect to Campbell as a human being and he did his best on the mound, but what about his stats at Longwood prompted Chaim Bloom to take a flier on him?
RFA - RHP Cole Milam
The Sox took a crapshot when they signed Southern Illinois Edwardsville right handed pitcher Cole Milam after the 2020 season. After having hideous 2018 and 2019 seasons in college, Milam looked to have been on the verge of a breakout in 2020 when Covid came to cancel the season. In 2021, he had an 11 game stretch where he looked like he knew what he was doing for the Complex but allowed 12 runs in 20 innings to finish the season in Salem. Rather than give it another shot in 2022, Milam called it quits in December 2021. Now he's a Certified Financial Planner for Gatewood Health Solutions in his home state of Illinois. If you need some financial planning in Illinois, he's the guy to see. After all, he wears an impeccable tie.
RFA - RHP Merfy Andrew-Marmolejos
What happens when a one trick pony's one trick isn't even that good? You get right handed pitcher Merfy Andrew-Marmolejos. He was already 22 years old when he enrolled at ASA College in Miami and proceeded to allow 32 runs in 26 innings in 2018 and 2019. Transferring to St. Thomas, he was 3-0 in 5 games before Covid wiped out the 2020 season. What caught the eye of the Sox? He could hit 101 on the gun. The problem is, he had absolutely no idea where it was going in college and then in the pro's, it had no movement. He allowed 23 runs in 19 innings between the Complex and Salem before he allowed 12 runs in 10 innings for the Complex before being released in July 2022. He looks to be having the time of his life on Instagram these days so its good to see him in high spirits. It's too bad his fastball was straight as an arrow.
RFA - 1B Cuba Bess
What a strange journey its been for Cuba Bess, who was signed as a first baseman out of Grand Canyon University following the 2020 draft. He hit .250 for the Florida Complex Red Sox in 2021 and was inexplicably cut in spring training in 2022. He was picked up by the Colorado Rockies and made it to Spokane in both 2022 and 2023. After getting cut by the Rockies, he spent time as a personal trainer before playing in the independent league in 2025 for the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. Least he's still in the game somewhere.
RFA - RHP Robert Kwiatkowski
As sad as it sounds, a lot of these prospects barely made it past A ball. One that did was right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski out of Marshall University. Also unlike the others, he looked to be on the fast track in 2021 when he went 6-0 with a 3.58 ERA for Salem. His breakout season was in 2024 when he was 11-2 with a 2.92 ERA out of the bullpen for Portland which earned him a late season promotion to the Worcester Red Sox. He was 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA and just as it looked like he had it figured it out....he was scooped up by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft. Pitching for the Knoxville Smokies in 2025, he was 2-2 with a 4.15 ERA when he was released in June. How his career fell apart just by the change of scenery is anyone's guess but those are the breaks. Still, he made it further than a lot of other people on this list.
RFA - C Juan Montero
As sad as it sounds, only 2 players remain with the organization that were drafted or signed in 2020 and the second one is Puerto Rican Baseball Academy catcher Juan Montero. Quite simply, he can't hit for beans. After playing 2 years in the Complex, he hit .247 with no home runs in 23 games with Salem in 2023. In 2024 he played in 50 games and batted an even .200. In 2025 he got in 26 games between Greenville and Portland hitting just .188. He was activated just 6 days ago for Worcester and hasn't got in a game yet. This is a classic case of being a damn good defensive catcher that can't hit at all. Reports say he's a good clubhouse leader which actually compares him to the legendary Bob Uecker. Uecker made a lifetime career out of self deprecating humor about how bad he was as a player, yet didn't want anyone to know he was pretty good defensively. I doubt Juan Montero is due to be baseball's next big comedian but hey, at least there's nothing wrong with his glove or throwing arm.
RFA - RHP Henry Nunez
Recently 2021 draft pick Elmer Rodriguez made his ML debut with the New York Yankees after he was drafted out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy by the Red Sox. What's that got to do with right handed pitcher Henry Nunez? He wasn't taken out of the Academy but he too was a Puerto Rican teenager signed by the Sox after the 2020 draft. Unlike Rodriguez, Nunez was batting practice for the Florida Complex Sox in 2021 although he was 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 2022. He was released in Spring Training in 2023. He's been out of baseball since then, oh well.
RFA - RHP Casey Cobb
One of the disappointments in this crop was right handed pitcher Casey Cobb. He allowed 1 run in 12 innings for Alabama University when Covid wiped out the 2020 season. Signed by the Red Sox, he looked like the right choice when he was 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA between Salem and Greenville in 2021. Then he fell apart in 2022 going 4-4 with a 6.27 ERA between Greenville and Portland. After posting a 5.62 ERA in Greenville in 2023, he was released in November. He pitched in the independent leagues in 2024, he was out of baseball. Its too bad, after 2021 he looked like a breakout star and he fizzled.
RFA - RHP Joey Stock
Another casualty of the 2021 season was right handed pitcher Joey Stock. It seemed nothing could go wrong for not only the Boston Red Sox but their farm system as well. Not just Casey Cobb, but Joey Stock from Saint John's allowed 9 runs in 26 innings between the Complex and Salem in 2021. In 2022 he was 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA between Salem and Greenville making it look like he was ready to break out in 2023. Instead he fell flat on his face going 1-5 with an 8.31 ERA. He decided to retire in October rather than try again in 2024. Like its been said many times, it takes a man of great courage to realize he's in over his head and walk away. Its too bad everything went to hell after 2021....for everyone really.
RFA - RHP Nate Tellier
Stop me if you've heard this, a right handed pitcher taken by the Red Sox after the 2020 draft had a good 2021 and fell apart after. This time I'm talking about Attleboro's own Nate Tellier out of Umass-Dartmouth. He was 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 2021 between the Complex and Salem when...you guessed it...he fell apart in 2022. He was 0-3 with a 6.31 ERA in 2022 and the good news was he went 6-1 for Greenville in 2023....bad news was he had a 7.13 ERA. He was released in Spring Training 2024 and now makes a living as one of the Savanah Bananas traveling opponents. Least he gets to have fun every day now.
The bottom line was the 2020 draft was an unmitigated disaster that produced some talent, albeit the Sox don't get to enjoy it. Only 3 players made the show with 2 more still in the Red Sox system and another one in AAA with the St. Louis Cardinals. Still, the fact there were only 5 rounds limited the talent pool and turned the 2020 collegiate and high school athletes into a signing free for all. Still, the name of the game is MLB talent and Shane Drohan, Brian Van Belle and Nick Yorke made it with Blaze Jordan knocking at the door. It would have been nice to get more out of the rest of them but that's how it goes. This was the final look back at the 2020 draft class and hopefully 2021 will be a lot more successful when all is said and done.
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