Sox Outlast Marlins in 12 Innings (7/4/24)

Its never easy for the Boston Red Sox but they got to enjoy their fourth of July this season after a hard fought 12 inning victory over the Miami Marlins. Nick Pivetta had one of his best starts of the season tossing 7 shutout innings allowing only a hit and 2 walks while striking out 10. The problem is the Sox could only get 2 runs off Kyle Tyler of Miami. Then in the bottom of the eighth Justin Slaten coughed up the lead to tie the game. Plunged into extra innings, Tyler O'Neill and Enmanuel Valdez drove in runs in the top of the 11th but Zack Kelly served up a 2 run gopher ball to Jesus Sanchez to tie the game. In the 12th, David Hamilton and O'Neill drove in runs to put Boston ahead again. Greg Weissert gave up a sac fly to Jonah Bride but Josh Bell flied out to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-5 in 12 innings at Loan Depot Park.

                                                             Sox fans by the end

Tyler got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. David Hamilton walked and Tyler O'Neill singled to right. Both runners pulled off a double steal and Rafael Devers grounded out to first to score Hamilton. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                             Devers starts the party

Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jazz Chisholm Jr flied out to left to start. Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Reese McGuire grounded out to short. Dominic Smith got a base hit to right but Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning. Jesus Sanchez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Jake Burger struck out swinging. Xavier Edwards took strike three to end the inning. 

Duran grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third and Hamilton grounded out to second. O'Neill grounded out to short to end the inning. Rafaela made a great jumping catch to rob Vidal Brujan of a hit and Enmanuel Rivera struck out swinging. Ali Sanchez lined out to third to end the inning.

Devers walked to start the top of the fourth and Abreu forced him at second. Abreu was thrown out at second trying to steal and Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning. Chisholm Jr walked to star the bottom of the fourth and De La Cruz struck out swinging. Chisholm was thrown out at second trying to steal but Bell walked. Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning.

McGuire popped up to short to start the top of the fifth and Smith flied out to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Burger struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Edwards flied out to center. Brujan grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the sixth as Duran popped up to short to start. Hamilton got a base hit to center and O'Neill walked. AJ Puk came in to pitch and the duo pulled off another double steal. Once again Devers grounded out to first to score Hamilton with another run. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                       Tip your cap to the runners

Rivera flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez flied out to center. Chisholm Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yoshida grounded out to first to start the top of the seventh and McGuire struck out swinging. Smith flied out to left to end the inning. Pivetta came back for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh as De La Cruz flied out to right to start. Bell grounded out to first but Sanchez tripled to center to break up the no-hitter. Burger struck out swinging to end the inning and that was it for Pivetta. He was outstanding, allowing just a hit and 2 walks while striking out 10 batters in 7 innings.

                                                     He was 7 outs from the no-hitter

Anthony Bender came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela took strike three to start. Duran got a base hit to center and Brujan threw a ball away after Hamilton grounded out to first. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth as Edwards grounded out to first to start. Brujan walked and Nick Gordon pinch hit for Rivera. Gordon walked and Jonah Bride pinch hit for Sanchez. A wild pitch moved Brujan to third but Bride struck out swinging. Brennan Bernardino came in to face Chisholm and the move backfired as Chisholm got a base hit to right to score Brujan. De La Cruz singled to center to score Gordon and it was a good thing the Sox weren't at Fenway or else the whole city of Boston would be booing Alex Cora and the Sox bullpen for blowing Pivetta's gem. Bell grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Marlins tie it up

Nick Fortes took over for Gordon with Tanner Scott now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Devers struck out swinging an Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Yoshida did the same to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Sanchez doubled to right to start. Burger struck out swinging and Edwards got a base hit to center. Sanchez motored around third and Duran came up firing.....OUT! But wait! The Marlins challenged that McGuire interfed with Sanchez but the umpires upheld the call. Brujan was intentionally walked but Fortes flied out to left to end the inning.

Andrew Nardi came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Masataka Yoshida at second base and Andrew Nardi on the mound. Micro managing Cora instead pinch hit Connor Wong for McGuire and Enmanuel Valdez running for Yoshida. Wong struck out swinging and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Smith. Gonzalez flied out to right and Rafaela was intentionally walked. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth and Fortes started the inning at second base. Bride grounded out to first to move Fortes to third and Chisholm was intentionally walked. Chisholm stole second but De La Cruz struck out swinging. Bell also went down hacking to end the inning.

Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the top of the 11th with Duran at second base. Hamilton grounded out to first and O'Neill hit a roller to short. Edwards threw the ball away allowing Duran to score and O'Neill to advance to second. Devers was intentionally walked but Refsnyder was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Valdez got a base hit to right to score O'Neill and reload the bases. Wong struck out swinging and Gonzalez forced Valdez at second to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                              Valdez drives in a run

Kelly returned to close out the bottom of the 11th with Bell at second base but Sanchez immediately hit a home run all the way to Tampa Bay to tie the game. Burger struck out swinging, Edwards grounded out to first and Brujan did the same to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                         Sanchez ties it up

Old friend Matt Andriese came in to pitch the top of the 12th with Romy Gonzalez starting at second. Rafaela got a base hit to left to move Romy to third and Ceddanne stole second. Duran struck out looking but Hamilton grounded out to third to score Gonzalez. O'Neill doubled to center to score Rafaela to seemingly ice the game. Devers was intentionally walked and Refsnyder flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 6-4.

                                                         Hamilton puts the Sox ahead

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the 12th and Brujan started at second. Fortes singled off the glove of Gonzalez to move Brujan to third and Vidal scored on the Bride sac fly to center. Chisholm Jr flied out to center but De La Cruz singled to center. Bell flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had survived 6-5 in 12 innings.

                                                                    Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tyler O'Neill. He drove in 2 runs including the final run that decided the game.

                                                             Hero O'Neill

The Good:

Rafael Devers walked 3 times in 6 plate appearances with 2 rbis.

Enmanuel Valdez singled and drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3.

Nick Pivetta tossed 7 shutout innings allowing a hit and 2 walks with 10 strikeouts.

Kenley Jansen tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsynder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Brennan Bernardino allowed 2 inherited runners to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Zack Kelly allowed 2 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 5 but walked, stole two bases, drove in a run and scored 2 runs.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 2 but scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, stole a base and scored a run.

Greg Weissert got the save by allowing an unearned run in the bottom of the 12th.

Final Thoughts:

Happy fourth of July everyone. The Sox had a bash today knocking off the Miami Marlins for their fourth consecutive win. Ever since they dropped those two games to Chicago back in June the Sox have gone on a little bit of a run. They probably have no chance to catch the Baltimore Orioles or New York Yankees but a nice hot streak leading to the all-star break could have them in a playoff spot of some sort. Gotta feel for Pivetta who was literally unhittable for 6 2/3 innings just to end up with a no-decision. Kudos to the Sox for fighting back again and again to take the game though. Can't say they didn't want in and normally Sox manager Alex Cora managing every game like its Game 7 of the World Series gets annoying, but when you're fighting for your playoff lives in July you have to pull out all the stops. Things worked out this time thanks to some clutch hitting but Justin Slaten needs to cut down on the blown saves. Still, a win is a win and this one was important in the era of the third wild card. The win improved the Sox to 47-40, 8 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to New York for a three game deathmatch with the Yankees. Tanner Houck goes for the Yankees against Nester Cortes of New York. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Bello, Sox Defeat Marlins (7/3/24)

That was a much better start for Brayan Bello (8-5, 5.19 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox. Against the hapless Miami Marlins, Bello tossed 6 2/3 innings allowing just a single run back in the first inning. The Sox offense got to Trevor Rogers for two runs in the third on rbis from Masataka Yoshida and Rafael Devers. After Yoshida drove in a run in the seventh, they iced the game in the ninth with a bases loaded double by Rafael Devers. Greg Weissert slammed the door and the Sox had beaten the Marlins 7-2 at Loan Depot Park.

                                                          Kobe Lee approves of the win 

Trevor Rogers got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder walked but Tyler O'Neill lined out to left. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jazz Chisholm Jr singled to right to start. Bryan De La Cruz got a base hit to right and Josh Bell's fly ball to center moved Jazz to third. Jesus Sanchez got a base hit to right to score Chisholm and put Miami on top. Jake Burger took strike three but both runners moved over on a balk. Xavier Edwards flied out to center to end the inning with the Marlins up 1-0.

                                                             Sanchez puts Miami ahead

Connor Wong got a base hit to left to start the top of the second then promptly stole third. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center. Dominic Smith took strike three and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Vidal Brujan flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Emmanuel Rivera grounded back to the mound. Nick Fortes took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Duran grounded out to second to start. Refsnyder walked and O'Neill got a base hit to left. Devers singled in the hole at short to score Refsnyder to tie the game. Wong flied out to right but Gonzalez walked. Masataka Yoshida singled off the glove of Rogers to score O'Neill. Smith took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.                         

                                                              Yoshida puts the Sox on top

Chisholm grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third but De La Cruz walked. Bell grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Huascar Brazoban came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran got a base hit in the hole at short then took second & third on the grounder to third by Refsnyder. O'Neill lined out to center to end the inning. Sanchez got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth and Burger got a base hit to right. Edwards struck out swinging but Brujan beat out a double play ball. Rivera grounded out to short to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth and Wong hit one up the elevator shaft. Gonzalez got a base hit in the hole at third then stole second. Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Fortes struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fifth and Chisholm struck out swinging. De La Cruz grounded out to short to end the inning.

Smith grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Rafaela tripled into the centerfield gap. Duran struck out swinging and Refsnyder grounded out to third to end the inning. Duran made a great running catch to rob Bell of a hit to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez grounded back to the mound. Burger struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the seventh with Calvin Faucher on the mound as O'Neill walked to start. Devers walked and Wong singled in the hole at short to loa the bases. Gonzalez forced O'Neill at home and Andrew Nardi came in to face Yoshida. Masataka grounded out to third to score Devers but Smith took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                            Yoshida drives in a run

Edwards struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh and Brujan flied out to left. Rivera got a base hit to center and Fortes singled to right to chase Bello. He did well, allowing just 1 run off 7 hits and a walk. Brennan Bernardino came in to get Chishom to ground out to first to end the inning.

                                                              Good work Bello

Anthony Bender came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to third to start. Duran grounded out to second and Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning. Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and De La Cruz struck out swinging to start. Refsnyder made a great diving catch to rob Bell of a hit but Sanchez got a base hit to left. Burger lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox broke it open in the top of the ninth with Anthony Maldonado now on the mound as O'Neill got a base hit to left to start. Devers tripled into the right field corner to score Tyler but Wong grounded out to second. David Hamilton pinch hit for Gonzalez and struck out swinging but Yoshida walked. Smith walked to load the bases and Rafaela cleared them with a double to left. Duran lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                             Rafaela ices it

Greg Weissert came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Edwards got a base hit to left...booted by Refsnyder for an error to allow Edwards to make it to third. Brujan struck out swinging and Rivera hit a sac fly to center to score Edwards. Fortes flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-2.

                                                                 Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brayan Bello. He tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball off 7 hits and a walk.

                                                                   Hero Bello

The Good:

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs.

Connor Wong was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis.

Brennan Bernardino got the final out of the seventh inning.

Chris Martin tossed a scoreless eighth inning. 

The Bad:

David Hamilton struck out in his only at-bat.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with an error but walked twice and scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Beating the Marlins is nothing to write home about but the Sox need to beat up on the bad teams. After that disaster against Chicago last month, the Sox have gone on a little bit of a run to get back to respectability. Again, beating Miami isn't the greatest but for Bello to utterly dominate them is a good sign. The trio of Rafaela, Devers and Yoshida provided all the run support they needed. The only blemish on the night was Refsnyder's error in the ninth but thankfully the Sox were comfortably ahead to get past it. With the trade deadline a month away, the biggest need is a starter. The Sox are not going to make the playoffs with a rotation of Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta and Cooper Criswell. The Sox need an ace and if they want to sell the Goldust Trio of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel to get one, Sox fans would be all for it. Until then, enjoy the win streak because it looks like the Sox have been playing a lot better lately. The win improved the Sox to 46-40, 9 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it four wins in a row and a series sweep against the Marlins tomorrow evening when Nick Pivetta goes for Boston against Kyle Tyler of Miami. The game begins at 6:40 PM at LoanDepot Park.

Rafaela, Sox Bash Marlins (7/2/24)

After a successful month of June that saw the Boston Red Sox claw their way back to respectability, the Sox opened the month of July with a salvo on the Miami Marlins. Kutter Crawford (4-7. 3.42 ERA) put together one of his best starts of the season by holding the Marlins to just one run in six strong innings. Offensively the Sox got to Miami starter Valente Bellozo for two runs in the first on a single by Rafael Devers. Ceddanne Rafaela delivered the knockout punch with a three run home run in the fourth inning. The Sox survived Zack Kelly giving up a couple of runs in the bottom of the seventh but the Sox scored 3 more runs to pad the lead. It all added up to a comfortable 8-3 victory over the Marlins at Loan Depot Park.

                                                      Brandi Love approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Bellozo in the top of the first as Jarren Duran flied out to left to start. Tyler O'Neill singled in the hole at short and Wilyer Abreu doubled to center. Rafael Devers smacked a base hit to right off the glove of Jake Burger to score both runners. Connor Wong struck out swinging but Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to left. Enmanuel Valdez took strike three to end the inning with Boston up 2-0.

                                                              Devers drives in a pair

Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jazz Chisholm Jr flied out to right to start. Bryan De La Cruz struck out swinging and Josh Bell popped up to first to end the inning. 

Dominic Smith struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third. Duran walked and stole second, but O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning. Jesus Sanchez grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Jake Burger flied out to left. Xavier Edwards flied out to center to end the inning.

Abreu struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Devers did the same. Wong completed the trifecta by swinging at air to end the inning. Vidal Brujan flied out to left to start the bottom of the third and Emmanuel Rivera struck out swinging. Nick Fortes got a base hit to center but Chisholm took strike three to end the inning.

Yoshida got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth and Valdez got a base hit to left. Smith popped up to third but Rafaela bashed his ninth home run of the season to increase the lead. Duran flied out to center and O'Neill lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                          He got all of that one

De La Cruz flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Bell struck out swinging. Sanchez grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Abreu took strike three to start the top of the fifth and Devers grounded out to first. Wong lined out to second to end the inning. The Marlins struck back in the bottom of the fifth as Burger hit a home run all the way into the Atlantic Ocean to start. Edwards and Brujan both struck out swinging but Rivera beat out a roller to third. Fortes grounded out to third to end the inning with the Marlins down 5-1.

                                                        Burger gets one back

Declan Cronin came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Valdez flied out to left but Smith hit a ground rule double to center. Rafaela grounded out to second to end the inning. Crawford returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Chisholm Jr popped up to third to start. De La Cruz flied out to center and Bell took strike three to end the inning. Crawford held the Marlins to just 3 hits and a run in 6 strong innings.

                                                                    Good job Crawford

Duran grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh but O'Neill got a base hit to center. Abreu flied out to center but Devers got a base hit to left. Wong drilled a base hit in the hole at short to score O'Neill and Yoshida got a base hit to center to score Devers. Valdez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                        Yoshida drives in a run

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Sanchez hit a home run all the way to India to start. Burger grounded back to the mound but Edwards singled to center. Brujan did swing and miss for strike three...but the ball got away from Wong allowing Vidal to make it to first. Rivera got a base hit to center to score Edwards but Fortes popped up to Kelly to end the inning with the Marlins down 7-3.

                                                    Longest home run of the season

JT Chargois came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Smith took strike three to start. Rafaela grounded out to third but Duran clobbered his tenth home run of the season to wrap up the scoring. O'Neill walked but Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-3.

                                                      All smiles in this one

Bailey Horn came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Chisholm Jr grounded out to first to start. De La Cruz struck out swinging and Bell grounded out to short to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to first to start the top of the ninth and Wong grounded out to third. Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Horn came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Sanchez lined out to center to start. Burger got a base hit to center but was forced at second by Edwards. Xavier took second on defensive indifference but Brujan grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

                                                                      Sox win

 

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His three run home run proved to be the difference maker.

                                                                Sox salute our Hero

The Good:

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Kutter Crawford earned the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing just 3 hits.

Bailey Horn tossed the final two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Zack Kelly allowed 2 runs in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base but the one hit was a home run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Good way to start the month by beating up on a bad team. After the Chicago disaster last month, the Sox definitely need to take care of business against the Marlins. Crawford looked great tonight and that's what the Sox are going to need moving forward. Sox GM Craig Breslow banked on the homegrown starters like Crawford, Brayan Bello and Tanner Houck and if they don't deliver, that's on Craig for not getting an ace after trading Chris Sale. The bats came through in this one and its nice to see the power stroke from Duran and Rafaela. If only Trevor Story was healthy this lineup could bop with anyone. Still, a win is a win even if its against a bad team. The win improved the Sox to 45-40, 9 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it three wins in a row and second straight against the Marlins tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (7-5) takes on Trevor Rogers of Miami. The game begins at 6:40 PM at Loan Depot Park.

Off-Day News: 2022 Draft Revisited (7/1/24)

Its an off-day so its time to continue our coverage of the Chaim Bloom era with his 2022 Draft selections two years later. As of this writing. not a single prospect from the 2020 or 2021 draft has made the majors and....big surprise....no one from 2022 has either. But, let's take a look at who got drafted anyway.

1st round - SS Mikey Romero

Sox fans were very unhappy when Bloom used the 24th overall pick in the draft on yet another high school shortstop in Mikey Romero. After already taking Nick Yorke in 2020 and Marcelo Mayer in 2021, the consensus was they were going to draft another need. Still, the end of 2022 Romero showed promise getting 24 hits in 19 games between the Florida Complex League and the Salem Red Sox. Then in 2023 he was marred with injuries, playing in just 34 games getting just 1 hit in 10 at-bats for the Greenville Drive. This year he's battled injuries again and he's hitting just .225 in 23 games for the Drive. Considering they have David Hamilton and Trevor Story (on paper) in the majors, Nick Yorke in AAA and Marcelo Mayer in AA, the fact they chose Romero was a head scratcher. Worse yet, the Colorado Rockies took Jordan Beck with their first round pick and he made his debut with the Rockies this year. Now Romero is only 20 years old and there's plenty of time to turn it around, but he's got a LOT of competition.

2nd round - SS Cutter Coffey

Once again the Sox looked like they had no idea what they were doing when they used their 2nd round pick, 41st overall to take yet another high school shortstop, Cutter Coffey out of Liberty High School. He hit just .125 for the Complex at the end of 2022 and hit .226 for Salem to begin 2023. He ended 2023 hitting .136 for the Greenville Drive. This year he's turned it around a little bit hitting .252 with 12 home runs and 37 rbis so far for Grenville. Just like Romero, he's only 20 years old so the jury is still out on him. Bloom's reluctance to draft a pitcher early bit him in the ass as Adam Mazur was drafted in the second round by the San Diego Padres and he made his ML debut this year. Hopefully Coffey can turn out better than what he's projected to.

2nd round - OF Roman Anthony

Chaim Bloom's only slam dunk of this draft was actually a compensation pick for losing Eduardo Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers. High school outfielder Roman Anthony ripped up the Complex before playing 10 games for the Salem Sox to end 2022. In 2023 he was hitting just .228 with one home run for Salem when he got a call to Greenville. Suddenly he exploded, hitting 12 home runs and knocking in 38 runs to earn a promotion to Portland. At 19 years old, he had 12 hits in 10 games to end the season strong with the Sea Dogs. This year he's apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Kyle Teel and Marcelo Mayer, hitting .255 with 7 home runs and 22 rbis. Just like Romero and Coffey, he's only 20 years old but he's closer to Worcester than either of them.

3rd round - LHP Dalton Rogers

Bloom finally came to his senses when he used his 3rd round pick on left handed college pitcher Dalton Rogers out of Ole Miss. Problem is...Rogers really sucks. He was 2-6 in 17 starts with a 5.52 ERA last year for Salem and so far this year he's 2-3 with a 6.38 ERA for Salem. If he's struggling to get Low A batters out, what's he going to do against High A or AA? To make matters worse, two picks after Rogers the Chicago White Sox took Georgia pitcher Jonathan Cannon who made his ML debut in April. Rogers better turn it around or else he's going to be yet another wasted pick by Bloom.

4th round - 2B Chase Meidroth

Ironically the closest to the majors out of anyone is their fourth round pick, Chase Meidroth. Drafted out of San Diego University, Chase ended 2022 with 4 home runs, 12 rbis and a .309 batting average. In 2023 he hit .338 for Greenville in 20 games to earn a promotion to Portland. He hit .255 with 7 homers and 43 rbis for the Sea Dogs. This year he's the starting second baseman for the Worcester Red Sox hitting .294 with 3 home runs and 29 rbis. If it wasn't for the log-jam of infielders not only in Boston but Worcester as well, he might have already made his debut for another team. He might be used as trade bait or if someone else get traded he could be last man standing. Still, he's the closest of anyone on this list to the majors.

5th round - LHP Noah Dean

Needing another lefty starter, Bloom took Old Dominion pitcher Noah Dean in the fifth round. Unfortunately he was batting practice in Salem in 2023, going 2-8 with a 6.29 ERA in 17 starts. This year he's shown improvement as in 11 starts he's 1-2 with a 3.95 ERA. He might make it to Greenville this year if he continues to show improvement. Fortunately no one chosen after him in the 5th round has made the majors yet so Bloom doesn't have to take a bath on this pick yet.

6th round - RHP Alex Hoppe

Bloom tried to make up for the lack of pitchers drafted in the first few rounds by taking four in a row between rounds 5-8. Unfortunately right handed pitcher Alex Hoppe was simply mediocre for Greenville last year going 1-4 with a 3.93 ERA out of the bullpen before getting a promotion to Portland. This year so far he's been worse, going 1-3 with a 5.22 ERA. The guy throws gas but unfortunately its been straight, he better learn movement or else AA will all he'll ever see.

7th round - RHP Caleb Bolden

Third on the list of pitchers is right handed pitcher Caleb Bolden, taken in the seventh round. Once again, Bloom thought he could take a bum in college and try to fix him. Bolden allowed 28 runs in 39 innings for Texas Christian University although he did post a decent 3.67 ERA for Salem before he was promoted to Greenville last year. This year he's been AWFUL for both Greenville and Portland, allowing 23 runs in 30 innings. Just like Wyatt Olds last year, what was Bloom expecting? Its not Bolden's fault for being drafted, he's doing his best. Just another reason why Bloom deserved to be fired.

8th round - RHP Jonathan Brand

Shockingly in the 8th round, Chaim Bloom took a pitcher with good stats in college. He plucked Jonathan Brand out of Miami Ohio University where he showed promise last year going 4-2 with a 2.58 ERA out of the bullpen in Salem. This year he started in Greenville allowing just 1 unearned run in 11 innings to earn a promotion to Portland. So far in Portland....as usual he's been batting practice allowing 13 runs in 19 innings. Amazing how none of the pitchers Bloom has drafted in this draft have been any good above the Single A level. Oh it gets worse, later in the 8th round the San Francisco Giants took outfielder Wade Meckler out of Gonzaga University. Meckler played in 20 games for the Giants last year and looks to make a return this year. That's 20 games more than anyone else on this list.

9th round - C Brooks Brannon

In the 9th round, the Sox took Randleman High School catcher Brooks Brannon. Brannon played just 22 games between the Complex and Salem in 2022 and 2023 although he's hitting .327 with 2 home runs and 8 rbis in 13 games for Salem this year. He's only 20 years old so hopefully he continues to show improvement. Maybe this one may work out, who knows?

10th round - RHP Isaac Coffey

With the 10th round pick, the Sox took right handed pitcher Isaac Coffey out of Oral Roberts University. He had somewhat of a breakout year in 2023 going 11-6 in 23 starts between Greenville and Portland. This year he's 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 12 starts with the Sea Dogs. Not exactly eye popping stuff to get him to Worcester. Still, a hot streak might just get him there by the end of this season. Least he's not batting practice...yet.

11th round - RHP Marques Johnson

In the 11th round, the Red Sox took right handed pitcher Marques Johnson out of Long Beach State. He was 2-2 with a 6.55 ERA in Salem when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Mauricio Llovera. Back home for the San Jose Giants, he allowed just 2 runs in 18 innings the rest of the season. Unfortunately he hasn't pitched yet this season due to injuries and its a shame. Being home might have motivated him to pitch well. Not our problem anymore.

12th round - LHP Hayden Mullins

The Sox took a crapshot in the 12th round when they took left handed pitcher Hayden Mullins out of Auburn University. He had already had Tommy John Surgery when he was drafted and didn't make his debut until August of 2023. He pitched in just four games to end the season but this year he's 2-4 with a respectable 3.48 ERA in 13 games for Greenville. Losing a crucial year of development in 2023 sucks but hopefully he can continue to improve as this season goes on.

13th round - SS Gavin Kilen

The Sox took yet another shortstop in Gavin Kilen out of Milton, Wisconsin with their 13th round pick. Unfortunately, he didn't sign and instead chose to go to Louisville University. His Freshman year he hit .265 with 18 rbis but this year he hit .339 with 10 home runs and 44 rbis in 56 games. He's definitely on the fast track to greatness, only question is if he can keep up the momentum in 2025 and beyond. Just like Jud Fabian, good pick to make, just didn't work out.

14th round - SS Travis Sanders

Once again the Red Sox took a shortstop in the 14th round and once again the guy didn't sign. Travis Sanders from Copperas Cove, Texas decided to sign with Texas Tech University instead......but instead played for the Healdsburg Prune Packers in 2023. After spending this year at Texas Tech, he's transferring to Baylor University for the 2025 season. Good luck with that.

15th round - LHP Nathan Landry

In the 15th round, Bloom chose another lefthanded pitcher. Nathan Landry was a junkballer that spent two years in junior college before pitching for Missouri in 2022. After he was drafted he pitched in 27 games in 2023, bottoming out with a 1-1 record and 7.54 ERA in Greenville. This year he's allowed 21 runs in 34 innings for Greenville. If he can't get Single A batters out, how is he supposed to get AA batters out or beyond? Looks like he may not get the chance if he keeps pitching this badly.

16th round - RHP Garrett Ramsey

The Sox took right handed pitcher Garrett Ramsey out of Ole Miss in the 16th round and he sucked in the Complex for much of 2023 before ending the year in Salem allowing 8 runs in 9 innings. He got cut in Spring Training this year and one has to wonder the reason behind it. You got guys who at least get a crack at AA but Ramsey didn't even get that far. Another wasted pick.

17th round - OF Deundre Jones

The Sox took Lutheran South High School outfielder with their 17th pick and he hit .191 with 2 home runs and 10 rbis in 2023 for the Complex. He was released in Spring Training this year which makes you wonder why they gave up on a kid who wasn't even 21 yet. Was he really THAT bad? If so, its another indictment on the total failure of the Chaim Bloom regime.

18th round - RHP Austin Ehrlicher

In the 18th round, the Sox took right handed pitcher Austin Ehrlicher out of Santa Rosa junior college. He was a "draft & follow" and didn't play in 2022 or 2023 due to an elbow injury. He pitched in a whopping 2 games this year although he allowed no earned runs in 6 innings. He's only 21 so they may keep him round to see if he's got anything if he recovers....if.

19th round - RHP Jaret Godman

Remember back in 2021 when Chaim Bloom drafted Wyatt Olds out of Oklahoma University even though he was awful? Bloom didn't learn his lesson as he took Olds teammate Jaret Godman with the 19th round pick in 2022. Just like Olds, Godman totally sucked in college too. Naturally he pitched in 7 games for Greenville in 2023 going 0-1 with an 8.22 ERA before he called it quits after the season. It takes a good and smart man to realize when he's in over his head. Once again, its not Godman's fault, its the guy who looked at his 6.98 ERA at Oklahoma and said "oooh that's good!"'

20th round - LHP Connor Butler

With the 20th and final pick in the 2022 draft, Chaim Bloom took BIOLA left handed pitcher Connor Butler. BIOLA stands for Bible Institute Of Los Angeles. Father Butler pitched 27 innings between the Complex and Salem in 2023 and allowed 23 runs before he was cut in Spring Training this year. Not that 20th round picks are safe bets to make the majors anyway, but you have to wonder what Boston scouts were doing when they looked at his 4.50 ERA for a small college and thought he was their guy. No offense to Butler himself, but the ones who picked him were out to lunch.

URFA - C Matt Donlan

Just like in 2021, the Sox picked up two undrafted rookie free agents following the 2022 draft. The first one was UConn catcher Matt Donlan. He hit just .260 with 12 home runs for UConn in 2022 before hitting just .148 to end the year in Salem. In 2023 he hit .125 for Greenville and .222 for Portland upon his promotion. This season he's hit .146 in 16 games for the Sea Dogs and it doesn't look like he can hit at all. Still, he wasn't even drafted and he got further than picks 11 through 20. That's an indictment of Bloom's failure, not Donlan's.

URFA - SS Bryant Zayas

The other undrafted rookie free agent was shortstop Bryant Zayas out of Miami Christian University. He did have good numbers for MCU hitting .323 with 4 home runs and 19 rbis but didn't make his debut until 2023. He hit .242 with one home run and 14 rbis last year for the Complex before being cut in Spring Training. Once again, they gave up quickly on him without giving him a real chance. That's just the way it is sometimes.

All in all this might be Bloom's biggest failure when all is said and done. It looks like Roman Anthony and Chase Meidroth are the real deal and the word is still out on Mikey Romero, but the talent dropoff totally nosedives after those three. Here's the worst part, with the exception of Isaac Coffey, not a single pick from 9 through 20 reached Portland. Noah Dean, Alex Hoppe, Dalton Rogers and Jonathan Brand aren't lighting the world on fire either. Now its only been two years, but when only three guys look like they have a shot at the majors out of 22, that's an utter failure. Now if Meidroth and Anthony make the majors either with the Sox or elsewhere, at least that's something. Still, that's three draft and ZERO major leaguers so far for Bloom.