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Red Sox: Best and Worst MLB Drafts of this century

By Mike El-Far

Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez (7) shows the umpire the ball after a play at the plate in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez (7) shows the umpire the ball after a play at the plate in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Since 2000, the Boston Red Sox have had some great drafts, and some that hope to be forgotten. Here are some highlights and lowlights.

May 24, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of Fenway Park as the sun sets during the fourth inning of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
May 24, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of Fenway Park as the sun sets during the fourth inning of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

Over the last 17 years, the Boston Red Sox have been blessed with four of the game’s best General Managers. Dan Duquette, Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington, and Dave Dombrowski have all molded this franchise in their likeness.

Their collective ideas have brought three World Series titles to Boston, and have helped to redefine the culture and stigma of the Red Sox. One major way they did that was through the use of the MLB Draft.

The MLB Draft is inherently unlike the other sports of the “Big 4”. It takes years for players to break into the majors, and it might take years after that for them to reach their peak. It is very different from the NBA, where top draft picks sometimes turn into a top 10 player in the league in their rookie year.

Perfect example: the best draft since 2000 took over five years to really show the value of that draft. For the sake of this post, no draft past 2014 will be able to make the list. It is just too early to decide if that was a great or horrible draft. Sorry, Andrew Benintendi.

While there was a clear cut best and worst draft since 2000, there were some honorable mentions on both sides. To start, let us look at the two drafts that finished just behind the best draft.

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