[ad_1]
The Red Sox may never have a better opportunity to add top talent to their farming system than the No.4 pick in Sunday’s 2021 MLB Draft. In fact, Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom is counting on it.
If the Red Sox make a habit of picking at the top of the draft, it will be because they lose. And the goal is to use that pick to help build a lasting winner that leaves the Red Sox at the bottom of the first round every year, which is ultimately where every team wants to be.
“You’ve done it,” Bloom said this week on NBC Sports Boston’s Talkin ‘Baseball. “We never want to choose at this location again. Having said that, it’s an opportunity which, given that we have it, we want to make the most of it.”
The Red Sox will have to travel the country to fill most of their selection table, but not the top of it. To make their first choice, they’ll really only need to familiarize themselves with three names.
Report: Draft top prospect Jack Leiter ‘really wants’ to play for Red Sox
Assuming California high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer becomes No.1 overall in the Pirates, the Red Sox will likely choose from the following trio: Dallas high school shortstop Jordan Lawlar, Louisville wide receiver Henry Davis and Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Leiter.
In conversations with rival evaluators and other league sources, Leiter and Davis are the players most often linked to the Red Sox, although MLB.com recently predicted they would take on Lawlar, who is in the running to be. selected n ° 2 by his hometown. Rangers.
There is a lot to like about the three. Lawlar was the Gatorade Player of the Year for Texas as a five-tool shortstop who got comparisons to former No. 2 overall pick Bobby Witt Jr. Davis has an advanced approach to the plate and an absolute one-arm cannon behind him in a defensive impact position. Leiter is the top pitcher in the draft and the son of a former All-Star.
Review of the last 20 fourth picks in the MLB Draft
Perhaps the Red Sox will surprise and go with Georgia high school student Brady House or Leiter Vanderbilt’s rotating mate Kumar Rocker, but the safest bet seems to be the aforementioned trio, with an emphasis on Leiter and Davis.
The Rangers are the wild card. For months, it appeared they had focused on Lawlar. Vanderbilt’s commit plays his ball in high school at Jesuit College Prep in Dallas, just 25 miles from Globe Life Field. He’s a formidable athlete with the reach and arm strength to hold on to the shortstop. However, MLB.com’s most recent simulation project saw Texas take Leiter while continuing a trend of targeting productive college players at the top of the project.
It could thwart the plans of the Red Sox, who have been linked with Leiter since the start of the season. The 6-foot-1 right-hander went 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA in his sophomore, defeating Mississippi State in Game 1 of the College World Series, which Vandy would lose in three games (the final a resounding loss began by Rocker). He tied his teammate with 179 strikeouts in the nation’s lead while also featuring a fastball that hit 97 mph.
Leiter would try to demean himself to the Red Sox, but with limited bonus pools, it’s unclear how much he could really demand of Boston than anyone else. If the Rangers decide to catch him, then the Red Sox could very well turn to Davis.
Bloom addresses when Duran, Casas might be called out
Off-season training partner of Red Sox pitchers Matt Barnes and Adam Ottavino, according to this excellent Boston Globe story, Davis ticks several boxes. He strikes on average (0.370), he exhibits above-average strike zone comprehension (0.482 OBP), he possesses potency (15 HR), he has kicked out 48% of potential base thieves, and he is clearly the best player in university position in the draft.
That last bit represents an important distinction, as hitters are generally safer bets at the top of the draft than pitchers.
“You rate everyone on the merits,” Bloom said. “Position players and pitchers have different types of risks. We have to make sure that we assess those risks correctly with a clear head and that most importantly, we nail the talent of the player, the makeup of the player, who the player is.”
We will have the answer to this question on Sunday. It could be Leiter. It could be Davis. It could be Lawlar. The Red Sox expect him to be someone important.
“We’re lucky in this place to get together with someone we really love,” Bloom said. “We have to make sure that we line them up the right way and that we just pick the best player for the Boston Red Sox. “
[ad_2]
Source link