Red Sox draft coverage: potential pitching targets

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday we took a look at a few of the hitting prospects that the Red Sox could look to take with their first round pick in the MLB Amateur Draft. Today we will turn our attention to pitchers, looking at a few of the top arms to whom the Red Sox could give a long look with the 26th pick of the draft. Let’s get started.

• Spencer Adams represents the type of projectable high school pitcher that is so coveted around draft-time. Adams is 6’4″ and 180 pounds and he is already able to consistently throw his fastball in the low 90’s and touch as high as 95 mph. His arsenal also features a sharp slider that could be an excellent put-away pitch for Adams in the future and his change and curve could develop into solid offerings as well. Of this year’s high school pitching class, Adams is one of the best and has the ability to become a pretty good pitcher before too long.
• Nick Burdi has perhaps the most “ace” potential of any potential Red Sox target in this year’s draft class and much of that potential comes from his elite arm strength. Burdi may be the hardest thrower in this year’s draft class, sitting in the mid-to-upper 90’s and regularly touching 100 mph in his career at Louisville. There are some concerns regarding his control and secondary pitches that could push him into the bullpen in the pros, but he could profile as an elite reliever and that has plenty of value.
• Erick Fedde is in a situation similar to another big arm in this year’s draft class– Jeff Hoffman– in that they both were top draft prospects before receiving Tommy John Surgery this spring. While Hoffman will likely still be taken before the Red Sox draft, however, Fedde has a good chance of falling to the Red Sox. When healthy, his fastball sits in the low 90’s with good life and command and he also mixes in a potentially solid change and slider that could make him a mid-rotation starter within a few years.
• Kodi Medeiros, who could become the second significant Hawaiian-born player in the Red Sox organization, has an intriguing fastball-slider combination that could make him a viable option for the Red Sox with the #26 pick. Soon to turn 18, Medeiros throws in the low-to-mid 90’s with great movement and an excellent slider. Coming from the left side makes Medeiros even more valuable and he could certainly warrant a selection with the #26 pick.
• Luke Weaver fits the prototype of many other college pitchers in whom  the Red Sox have shown interest this year. He throws hard, touching as high as 97 mph and sitting the low-to-mid 90’s, and has one above-average secondary pitch with his change. However, there are still concerns with Weaver’s control and with the development of a reliable third pitch. If he can further develop his slider, however, he should be able to stick as a big league starter.