5 things to know about the Red Sox 2nd round draft, which steals Jud Fabian

Red Sox

Fabian has had a bad year in 2021, but the power and defense that made him such a top prospect could make him a draft steal for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox have already secured one of the best players in the first round of the MLB Draft, knocking out shortstop Marcelo Mayer with the No.4 pick overall.

Then the team grabbed a prospect many thought could be just as good with the second round pick, taking University of Florida outfielder Jud Fabian at 40.

Fabian, 20, certainly didn’t go as high as some experts predicted he would enter the 2021 varsity season. His batting average dropped 45 points in his junior year, thanks to a streak strikeouts.

But his draft-day slide could benefit the Red Sox, as they could get an above-average glove and arm in centerfield combined with some tantalizing power he has shown this year to the tune of 20 home runs.

Here are some things to know about the Red Sox second-round pick.

It was once considered a Top 10 pick.

The fact that the Red Sox got Fabian with the 40th overall pick is extraordinary, considering how the evaluators predicted it for 2021.

But as CBS Sports analyst RJ Anderson wrote Sunday, this season has not gone as planned for the new Sox outfielder.

“Fabian entered the season third among the top prospects in the class,” Anderson wrote. “He had an impressive track record against the SEC competition; he was young for junior college; and the scouts predicted that he had more power. Then Fabian, an upside down guy (he hits right, throws left), went… well, the wrong way. He has scored 29.4 percent of his plate appearances in the regular season, including 36 percent of those he made in February and March.

While Fabian ultimately reduced strikeouts as the season went on, his struggles clearly made an impression on teams and contributed to his drop on Draft Day.

Although he hit 20 home runs and had an OPS of 0.924, he finished the 2020 season with just 0.249, which was down from the 0.294 and 1.010 OPS average he put in in second year. (but with only five circuits).

But, as MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo added, “Jud Fabian has great tools – a ton of power, he’s running really well, he’s playing really good defensive midfield. It’s just this punching ability that has some concern, if he gets to that power enough. “

Baseball is in his family.

When Fabian’s strikeout epidemic peaked during the 2021 college season, he turned to his “lifelong batting coach” for advice: his father, Eric.

In particular, the two worked on his two-shot approach, including simplifying his swing.

“My dad and I had a lot of phone calls and we were just talking about my swing because that’s what we’ve been doing all my life, seeing what works best for me and what suits him best,” said said Fabian. . “We’ve had a lot of discussions this year and it’s been a big help. He’s been the biggest help for me this year in changing my approach… and he’s definitely a big part of why I’m the player I am today.

Fabian also says some of his earliest sports memories are watching his uncles Matt and Andrew Fabian play baseball in high school.

He has scored twice on another top prospect this year.

The powerful young hitter still had his moments this year, however.

As Red Sox fans know, few college hitters got the better of Vanderbilt’s fireballer and second overall pick Jack Leiter this year.

Fabian was one of the few.

The outfielder touched up Red Sox fan-favorite draft prospect for back-to-back batting homers when the two faced off earlier this season – one of which was a draw.