The Boston Red Sox went back to the well and selected a pitcher out of Seminole State just as they did with Teddy Stankiewicz in the second round of the 2013 draft. On the draft card, it reads Edward Cosart, but he goes by Jake, and yes, he is the younger brother of Houston Astros pitcher Jarred Cosart.
Jake Cosart originally attended Duke as an outfielder, but after serving a redshirt year, he transferred to Seminole State and returned to the hill. He sits at 95-96 MPH but can top out at 98. He has a curveball that already flashes plus and can be a solid strikeout pitch. He also features a change, but it a work in progress.
District on Deck
Cosart stands 6’2” and weights 175 lbs., so there is a projection for him to put some healthy weight on. His delivery is very controlled, then explodes as he delivers the pitch and shouldn’t need a whole lot of work there. His arm slot is pretty consistent across his pitches, but his curve has a significantly different plane than his fastball, so hitters at the higher levels will be able to recognize the pitches relatively easily.
There are questions as to whether or not Cosart can pitch in the rotation long term, but he will certainly begin his pro career as a starter. To stay in a starting role, he will need his change to come along, but if it doesn’t, he still carries a very good middle reliever profile.
Overall the Red Sox have added plenty of solid young talent to their organization to help fill out an organization that is very top-heavy in talent. With solid 2013 draft and some smart choices this year, it appears they are re-stocking a system that is seeing a lot of players reach the big leagues and losing their prospect eligibility this season.