The MLB draft may not be as popular as the NFL or NBA drafts, but it still plays a huge part in the future of a franchise and with the Red Sox potentially not contending for the next few years, this year’s draft was as important as ever. It wasn’t quite as major a draft as 2011, when the Red Sox netted Matt Barnes, Blake Swihart, and Jackie Bradley— but they still got some potentially very important pieces of the future. In today’s post, I’ll be looking at how those players have fared in their first professional seasons.
- Deven Marrero, Lowell Spinners– Marrero was taken with the Red Sox’ first pick in this year’s draft (24th overall) and was almost immediately sent to Low-A Lowell. So far, he’s been a bit inconsistent but overall solid with a triple slash line of .269/.366/.374 to go with 2 home runs, 21 RBIs, and 24 steals. Adding those solid offensive numbers to his high-caliber defense, there’s a good chance that Marrero could be the shortstop of the future.
- Brian Johnson, Lowell Spinners- Johnson was taken a few picks after Marrero (31st overall) in the first round and also signed quickly and went to Lowell. He had been doing great in 4 starts (5.2 innings pitched), he had allowed no runs while striking out 4 before he was hit in the eye on a comeback liner, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Assuming he comes back strong, he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
- Pat Light, Lowell Spinners- Light was taken in the supplementary round with the 37th pick in the draft, and like most college draftees he reported to Lowell. In 10 starts with the Spinners, he’s gone 0-2 with a 2.96 ERA and has stuck out 9.25 per nine innings. Light throws hard and if he works out some control issues he could be a solid starter; otherwise, he seems to have a pretty high floor of being a late inning reliever.
- Ty Buttrey, GCL Red Sox- Supposedly close to unsignable, the Red Sox took a chance with Buttrey in the 4th round and were able to lock up the high school starter. The hard throwing righty has good stuff and it was on display for the GCL Red Sox, as he put up a 1.80 ERA and 5 strikeouts in 4 games (5 innings) this year. The 19 year old projects as a starter and could be a middle-of-the-rotation guy.
Pleasant Surprises:
- Justin Haley, Lowell Spinners- One of many college pitchers the Red Sox took in this draft, Haley was grabbed in the 6th round out of Fresno State. He reported to Lowell and had quite a bit of success in 12 starts (31.2 innings pitched), going 0-1 with a 1.71 ERA. Haley has a good, live fastball and if he could develop a good third pitch, he should project as a starting pitcher.
- Kyle Kraus, Lowell Spinners/Greenville Drive- The Red Sox took Kraus in the seventh round and had him report to Lowell. A starting pitcher in college, Kraus converted to the bullpen in his first profession season and pitched well enough (2.61 ERA in 10 games) to earn a promotion to Single-A Greenville where he put up a 2.81 ERA in 5 games (2 starts). Kraus, 22 years old, has potential to be a fast-moving bullpen piece that could reach the majors in a few years.
- Mike Meyers, GCL Red Sox- The 18 year old Meyers was drafted out of high school in the 12th round and quickly moved to the Gulf Coast League. While there, he played well on all facets of the game– batting .337/.384/.478 with a home run, 10 RBIs, and 10 doubles with solid defense. The toolsy shortstop could reach the big club in a few years if he continues this success.
- Jeffrey Wendelken, GCL Red Sox- The big right-hander was signed out of high school at the age of 19 and he reported to the GCL Red Sox. He converted to the bullpen and had quite a bit of success, going 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA and an amazing 28 strikeouts (good for 11.81 K/9) in 13 games (21.1 innings). The righty projects to be a solid reliever if he can keep this up.
- Greg Larson, Lowell Spinners- One of many pitchers the Red Sox drafted out of Florida this June, Larson was drafted and was added to the Lowell bullpen. In 14 games in 2012, he went 1-1 with a 2.64 ERA and 26 strikeouts. He doesn’t have fantastic tools, but he was drafted in the 20th round and should fit into a major league bullpen eventually.
Disappointments (So Far):
- Mike Augliera, Lowell Spinners- Augliera was drafted in the 5th round out of Binghamton College and reported to Lowell after leading the college level in K/BB ratio. He’s kept that ratio (a ridiculous 40:3 mark) but in other respects has faltered– going 0-3 with a 4.84 ERA in 14 starts. A guy with his control deserves to be a starter, and hopefully he can stick it out in that role.
- Nathan Minnich, GCL Red Sox/Lowell Spinners- Minnich was drafted in the 8th round out of Shepard University after being named Division II Player of the Year. He reported to Lowell, where he batted .136/.255/.136 before being demoted to GCL, where he’s batted .232/.367/.305 so far. He doesn’t have much power for a first baseman despite great discipline and probably won’t amount to much in Boston.
- Shaq Green-Thompson, GCL Red Sox- Being drafted in the 18th round doesn’t normally constitute disappointment, but in Green-Thompson’s case it does. In 39 at bats with the GCL Red Sox, he collected all of zero hits. Let’s be frank, he doesn’t have a future in baseball.