Its another off-day and today we're going back four years to take a look at how the 2022 MLB Draft has gone for the Boston Red Sox so far. Unlike 2021, the 2022 draft wasn't nearly as successful with one exception. Pretty much everything fell apart after 2021 including ex-GM Chaim Bloom's drafting.
1st Round - SS Mikey Romero
Defying all logic, for the third straight year Bloom took a high school shortstop with his first round pick. This time it was Orange Lutheran's Mikey Romero who went 24th overall. At first he lived up to his billing, finishing the 2022 season with a 19 game stretch between the Florida Complex Sox and the Salem Red Sox where he hit .304 with a home run combined. In 2023 he was limited to just 34 games due to injuries and just 78 in 2024. However, he clobbered 16 home runs between the Greenville Drive and Portland Sea Dogs in that season. Last year between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox he hit .245 but with 17 home runs. This year he's hit the wall by hitting .227 with 4 home runs, and worse yet, the pick taken directly after him is 6 foot 7 monster Spencer Jones of the New York Yankees. The word is still out on the 22 year old Romero but if he's not hitting in Worcester, how is he supposed to hit in Boston on a team with Trevor Story out and Marcelo Mayer struggling? Log jam aside, he might be trade bait at the deadline or he might very well get a call if Mayer continues to struggle. Time will tell.
2nd Round - SS Cutter Coffey
One of the reasons Bloom is no longer employed was drafting nothing but high school infielders in the first few rounds every year. Second round pick Cutter Coffey was taken out of Liberty High School and didn't look like he was going to make it far, hitting .210 between Salem and Greenville in 2023. In 2024 he was hitting .238 with 14 home runs when he was packaged in a trade for Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen. Last year he hit .273 with 11 home runs but this year for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, he's hitting .230 with 2 home runs. A lot of Bloom guys were the "launch angle" all or nothing hitters that are completely useless once the power dries up as they climb the ladder. Coffey having only 2 home runs in AA is very telling. Worse yet, in the second round that year Hunter Barco, Connor Prielipp, Blade Tidwell, Adam Mazur, Milwaukee sensation Jacob Misiorowski and others have all made the show. All the Sox have to show for this pick was 30 games of Danny Jansen. Did I mention Chaim Bloom was fired?
2nd Round - OF Roman Anthony
If it wasn't for Chaim Bloom using his second round compensation pick they got for losing Eduardo Rodriguez on Stoneman Douglas High School outfielder Roman Anthony, this might have been one of the worst drafts in team history. Anthony started 2023 slow hitting just .228 with Salem, then morphed into a star in a promotion to Greenville. He hit .294 and clubbed 12 home runs to finish the season then joined Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel as the "Goldust Trio" in 2024. Anthony hit 18 home runs between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox and fans were screaming for the Sox to call him up in 2024. Due to injuries and ineffectiveness, Anthony finally made his ML debut on June 9th last season. After starting slow, he was arguably the team's best hitter in July and August. One of the reasons the Sox got knocked out by the Yankees was Anthony suffered an oblique strain on September 4th that kept him out for the rest of the season. This year he's suffered eight different injuries and was limited to just 30 games. Angry Sox fans are already calling him a bust for getting hurt but when he's healthy, he's a deadly hitter. He'll be back to form soon and because of that, this pick was a slam dunk for Bloom.
3rd Round - LHP Dalton Rogers
The first pitcher chosen in the top 3 rounds in Bloom's history was left hander Dalton Rogers out of Southern Mississippi University. After storming out of the gate with a 2.49 ERA for Salem in 2023, he flatlined in Greenville with a 5.52 ERA to finish the season and went 2-7 with a 5.12 ERA for Greenville in 2024. He finally figured out Greenville in 2025 going 2-1 with a 1.31 ERA and was serviceable for Portland to finish the year going 4-5 with a 3.52 ERA. So far he's 0-1 but with a 2.30 ERA for Portland and he may or may not be in Worcester soon depending on if he can keep the momentum. The problem is, he's 25 years old still in AA while 6 picks later the Los Angeles Dodgers took outfielder Alex Freeland who's hit 3 home runs for LA this season. As for pitchers, two picks after Rogers the Chicago White Sox took Jonathan Cannon who may have sucked with the White Sox from 2024 to the present, at least he made the show. The word is still out on Rogers but he better figure it out quick.
4th Round - 2B Chase Meidroth
In a huge case of giving up something to get something, the good news was fourth round pick Chase Meidroth made MLB....just not with Boston. Chase was a stud in the making at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 with the with the Greenville Drive before hitting .255 with 7 home runs to finish the year in Portland. In 2024, while the "Goldust Trio" were making headlines, Chase quietly batted .293 with 7 home runs for the Worcester Red Sox. Rumors were after the season he was a shoe-in to make the 2025 Red Sox opening day roster......and then the big trade. First round picks Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel along with Chase and pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez were sent to the Chicago White Sox for ace Garrett Crochet. While Crochet became the ace the Red Sox needed, Meidroth became the solid second baseman the White Sox needed. He batted .253 with 5 home runs as the every day starter in 2025 and so far this year he's hitting .273 with 5 home runs. Forget that he might be a great second baseman for Chicago, the bottom line was Chaim Bloom scored with this pick. With Garrett Crochet on the 60 Day Injured List after sucking in April, the trade looks pretty bad with Montgomery, Teel and Meidroth headed to stardom for one good year of Crochet. Still a win for Bloom.
5th Round - LHP Noah Dean
Boston's 5th round pick, left handed pitcher Noah Dean out of Old Dominion, turned out to be a waste. He was 2-8 with a 6.29 ERA in Salem in 2023 which was a pretty bad sign. He was 2-3 with a 3.96 ERA for Salem in 2024 before getting bombed in Greenville to end the season. Last year he was 2-6 with a 5.68 ERA for Greenville and was released in Spring Training earlier this season. He hooked on with the Washington Nationals where he allowed 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Harrisburg Senators before being placed on the Injured List. Currently he's 0-2 with a 4.66 ERA but the bottom line is he looks like he can't pitch at the AA level. Adding insult to injury, our old pals the White Sox took left handed pitcher Tyler Schweitzer just two picks after Dean. Tyler got a 4 game cup of coffee with Chicago before being sent back to the Charlotte Knights this season. Still, those four games were more than the Sox got from Dean.
6th Round - RHP Alex Hoppe
In another case of picking the right guy only to mishandle him, here we have right handed pitcher Alex Hoppe. Taken in the sixth round, he went 2-5 with a 4.10 ERA between Greenville and Portland in 2023. In 2024 he was 4-5 with a 5.43 ERA out of the bullpen for Portland. Last year he was 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA between Portland and Worcester seemingly knocking at the door. Then he became a victim of the minor league salary dump in November when he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for power hitting outfielder Luke Heyman, Seattle's 14th round pick in last year's draft. Heyman is currently hitting .207 with 2 home runs for the Greenville Drive while Hoppe didn't allow a run in 8 innings for the Tacoma Railers, earning a cup of coffee with Seattle. Hoppe is 0-1 with a 5.50 ERA for the Mariners but at least he's there. Unless Heyman hits about 40 more home runs, that looks like a bad trade in sea full of them for current GM Craig Breslow. Hoppe was the right pick to make, but they got little in return for him....seems like a common theme.
7th Round - RHP Caleb Bolden
The next big misfire was 7th round pick, right handed pitcher Caleb Bolden out of TCU. He was 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA between Salem and Greenville in 2023 before going 4-2 with a 4.12 ERA between Greenville and Portland in 2024. Last year he was stuck in Portland going 3-6 with a 5.74 ERA. This year he's 2-2 with a 4.33 ERA and it looks like AA might be his stopping point. If he's putting up mediocre AA numbers at age 27, why bother calling him up to Worcester? Why is this such a misfire? Literally ONE pick after Bolden the New York Yankees took....oh yes....Walpole's own Cam Schlittler. Schlittler famously ended the Red Sox season last October and has thrown 2 gems against them this season. Not only that, he's the odds on favorite to win AL Cy Young this year. The Sox could have had him....instead they took Caleb Bolden. Yikes.
8th Round - RHP Jonathan Brand
Another lost pick was 8th round pick, right handed pitcher Jonathan Brand out of Miami Ohio University. He was 4-2 with a 2.58 ERA for Salem in 2023 before stalling in Portland in 2024 going 2-3 with a 4.67 ERA. In 2025 he played for three levels allowing 2 earned runs in 20 innings for Greenville and going 1-3 with a 3.48 ERA for Portland. He also allowed 4 runs without recording an out for Worcester and that lasting image is why Craig Breslow left Brand unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. Brand was picked up by the Texas Rangers where he's currently with the AA Frisco Rough Riders where he's 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA. Whether he becomes like Hoppe and Meidroth is still up in the air but the bottom line is he's another guy they don't have the services of anymore. The one who scored that late in the 8th round was the San Francisco Giants taking outfielder Wade Meckler. He had a 20 game cup of coffee with the Giants in 2023 and a 14 game stretch with the Los Angeles Angels earlier this year. That's still more than the Sox got out of Brand.
9th Round - C Brooks Brannon
The Sox might have gotten a diamond in the ruff when they took Randleman High School catcher Brooks Brannon in the 9th round. He hit .264 with 6 home runs in 2023 for the Florida Complex Sox and Salem before hitting a combined .243 with 6 home runs between those two teams. In 2025 he hit .252 with 10 home runs between Greenville and Portland. This year he's on the verge of a breakout smashing .295 with 9 home runs. It took some time but the 22 year old seems to be on the verge of hitting Worcester and it comes at a needed time. The Sox are pretty much done with Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez regressed. If Brannon can keep the average and power stroke going he might be the answer at catcher in a year. Sadly, not a single 9th round pick from ANY team has made the majors yet so no harm done with this one yet.
10th Round - RHP Isaac Coffey
Boston's next misfire was in the 10th round when they took right handed pitcher Isaac Coffey out of Oral Roberts University. Isaac looked destined for success when he went 11-6 with a 3.37 ERA combined for Greenville and Portland in 2023. In 2024 he again impressed by going 11-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 21 starts. Then....WHAM....he pitched in just 17 games between Portland and Worcester in 2025 due to injuries. This year he was 0-1 with a 4.18 ERA between Portland and Worcester before being placed on the Injured List on May 13. Its a shame because he looked like the real deal heading into the 2025 season. To add insult to injury, just two picks after Coffey, the Chicago White Sox took first baseman Tim Elko. Man they nailed this draft didn't they? Maybe Coffey will shake off these injuries since he's only 25, but as of now, looks like a waste.
11th Round - RHP Marques Johnson
One of the first of the 2022 draft class to be traded or released was 11th round pick, right handed pitcher Marques Johnson out of Long Beach State. Johnson sucked for the Salem Red Sox in 2023 posting a 2-2 record with a 6.55 ERA when he was traded in July to the San Francisco Giants for relief pitcher Mauicio Llovera who had allowed just 1 run in 5 innings at the time of the trade. Naturally Llovera posted a 1-3 record with a 5.46 ERA after the trade as the Red Sox plummeted out of playoff contention. Meanwhile Johnson pitched in just 6 games in 2024 due to injury but bounced back in 2025 to post a 2-3 record with a 2.53 ERA between Single and Double A. This year he's with the Sacramento River Cats and he's 3-1 but with a 5.79 ERA. Still, he's gotten this far and is still a hot stretch away from a call up. Unfortunately for the Sox, they gave up his career for an ineffective relief pitcher. Just 5 picks after Johnson, the Tampa Bay Rays took Drew Sommers who made his ML debut with the Detroit Tigers. The word is still out on Johnson but Chaim Bloom gave up on him too early.
12th Round - LHP Hayden Mullins
Another wet fart of a draft pick was in the 12th round when the Sox took left handed pitcher Hayden Mullins out of Auburn University. Mullins pitched in just 4 games in 2023 due to injury but bounced back in 2024 to go 4-5 with a 3.94 ERA in 17 starts for Greenville. Last year he was Portland's pitcher of the year going 7-2 with a 2.44 ERA in 18 starts. That means he's dominating Worcester now right? WRONG! He started this year in Portland and sucked, going 3-1 with a 4.85 ERA in 8 starts. You'd think 2025 would have been a launching pad instead it looks like a one year wonder. Worse yet....stop me if you've heard this....two picks after Mullins the White Sox took Brooks Baldwin. How do you get out-drafted by the damn White Sox? Still, Mullins can still turn it around but damn, how do you dominate AA one year and suck the next?
13th Round - SS Gavin Kilen
The first guy not to sign with the Red Sox was their 13th Round pick, Milton High School shortstop Gavin Kilen. Kilen spurned the Sox for Texas Tech then transferred to Tennessee U where he became a star. That led to him getting picked in the first round by the San Francisco Giants 13th overall in last year's draft. This year he's hitting .287 with 5 home runs for the Eugene Emeralds in High A. The Sox had the right idea by taking him, just the wrong year. Thankfully nobody else taken in the 13th round has come back to haunt this pick....yet.
14th Round - SS Travis Sanders
The next guy not to sign was Copperas Cove High School shortstop Travis Sanders. Like Kilen he started at Texas Tech but is now with the Baylor Bears. He hit .335 with 8 home runs in 2025 for Baylor and this year he's hitting .369 with 9 home runs so far. He could be a top pick in the draft if he keeps up this momentum. Too bad the Sox drafted him a few years early, like with Kilen. Thankfully nobody else in the 14th round has made their ML debut yet so this pick hasn't come back to haunt them yet.
15th Round - LHP Nathan Landry
Another wasted pick was 15th round draft choice, Nathan Landry, a left handed pitcher out of Missouri University. He started out strong in 2023, allowing no runs in 10 innings for Salem before being promoted to Greenville. He imploded, allowing 20 runs in 22 innings for the Drive. In 2024 he was 2-1 with a 5.24 ERA before he was released in August just like that. Who knows why they gave up on him so quickly when Wyatt Olds has been in the system for 6 seasons with ERAs over 6. He went to the Indy League where he allowed 27 runs in in 12 innings last year. Thankfully no other 15th round picks have made it after him either so no big loss.
16th Round - RHP Garrett Ramsey
At least Nathan Landry made it to 2024, 16th round pick Garrett Ramsey didn't even do that. In 2023 he was 1-3 with a 5.32 ERA in 17 games out of the bullpen then allowed 8 runs in 8 innings for the Salem Red Sox. He was released in Spring Training in 2024. Why they gave up on him THAT quickly is weird considering how many chances others have gotten. Chaim Bloom may have hit on his early round picks but late round, different story. The only solace is no other 16th round picks have come back to haunt the Sox either.
17th Round - OF Deundre Jones
The Red Sox front office has some explaining to do when it comes to 17th round pick, Deundre Jones. He was drafted out of Lutheran South High School as an outfielder and he hit .191 for the Florida Complex in 2023 before being released in Spring Training in 2024. Somehow he went back to college and now attends a small school in Florida where he's with the Lynn Fighting Knights. Maybe he'll do better the second time around if he gets another shot. No other 17th round pick made it after him so once again this was no big loss.
18th Round - RHP Austin Erlicher
Injuries suck and unfortunately 18th round pick, right handed Austin Ehrlicher has had to many of them. He was already damaged with a badly injured shoulder when he was drafted and not only missed all of 2023, but pitched in just 2 games for Salem in 2024. Last year he was 3-3 with a 3.22 ERA between starting and relieving in Salem, then got promoted to Greenville. He was 1-0 with a 0,96 ERA in 6 games and looked to be ready to roll this year......he didn't. He allowed 11 runs in 11 innings for the Drive before being placed in the Injured List again. Shame, he seemed to have been ready to take it to the next level after last season. Worse yet, the Tampa Bay Rays took Duncan Davitt five picks later who played in one game this season for....you guessed it....the Chicago White Sox.
19th Round - RHP Jaret Godman
I've said it before but it takes a great man to admit when he's in over his head and calls it quits. That was the case for 19th round pick, right handed pitcher Jaret Godman. Much like his teammate Wyatt Olds, Godman was a bum in college. I don't know what Chaim Bloom was thinking when he saw Jaret post a 6.49 ERA in his junior year and a 6.98 ERA his senior and go "Oooh that's good." Whether or not he picked Jaret just to save money is anyone's guess. Either way, Jaret allowed 7 runs in 7 innings for the Greenville Drive in 2023 and voluntarily retired in Spring Training the following season. The scout who signed him was named Chris Reilly and someone needs to ask what he saw in Jaret that Jaret himself was like "Yeah this isn't for me." Just another reason why Chaim Bloom is no longer the GM.
20th Round - RHP Connor Butler
By the 20th round of the draft, most teams are scraping the bottom of the barrel. The Red Sox were no different when they took right handed pitcher Connor Butler out of Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Not only that, pitching against future youth pastors, he had a 4.50 ERA his senior year as well. Naturally he allowed 13 runs in 18 innings for the Florida Complex Sox and 10 runs in 9 innings for Salem in 2023. Butler was released in spring training 2024 but now he works as a pitching instructor for D-BAT training in his home state of Boise, Idaho. Not much to expect out of a 20th round pick that went to a bible school. Least he found work as an instructor.
URFA - C Matt Donlan
After the 2022 draft the Red Sox signed UConn catcher Matt Donlan has a rookie free agent. Donlan hit .148 for Salem to end 2022, .125 for Greenville to start 2023, and .222 for Portland to end 2023. After hitting .146 in Portland to start 2024, he decided to try his luck as a pitcher instead. Immediately he blew his arm out, had Tommy John surgery and retired. That wasn't the end for him though, he's now the Director of Program Development for Harvard University. Some guys are better in the office than on the field and so far that's been the case for Donlan. Least he's doing well where he is.
UFA - SS Bryant Zayas
Just like Deundre Jones, the Sox other undrafted rookie free agent ended up with the Lynn Fighting Knights. Bryant Zayas hit .323 with 4 home runs for Miami Christian High School in 2022 and hit .242 with a home run for the Florida Complex in 2023. Much like a lot of people, he was released in spring training in 2024 without ever getting a shot to prove himself. He ended up going to Lynn in 2025 and he's currently a sophomore there. Maybe he'll get another chance in a year or two. Either way, the fact they got nothing out of him is an indictment on Bloom, not Zayas.
This was a very top heavy draft as Roman Anthony, Chase Meidroth, and Alex Hoppe made the shows with a couple of others still with a shot....then it goes completely downhill after the 10th round. Whether or not Bloom paid no attention or took scouts at their word without ever seeing guys play, this draft class flat out sucked. There's still time for Brooks Brannon and Jonathan Brand to make the dance and Gavin Kilen looks like a stud....for the wrong team. The bottom line is bad drafts can kill a franchise and this pretty much did. The Sox have had only one winning season since 2021 and bad drafting is partly to blame. Thankfully 2023 was a bit more successful.
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