Red Sox 2017 Draft: Where Boston will pick in each round
By Sean Penney
A rundown of where the Boston Red Sox will make their selections in each of the 40 rounds of the upcoming 2017 MLB Draft this June.
The 2017 MLB Draft begins on June 12, with 40 rounds spread across three days. Where will the Boston Red Sox be making their selections in each of those rounds. Glad you asked!
The Red Sox have had the luxury of picking in the top half of the first round in recent years. As painful as it was to watch the team struggle for a couple of years, Boston is now beginning to reap the benefits of those down seasons. Andrew Benintendi, the No. 7 overall pick in 2015, is already making his mark in the majors as the starting left fielder for the Red Sox. Jason Groome, the No. 12 pick last June, is now the top pitching prospect in the organization.
Boston’s return to the postseason in 2016 means they’ll now be picking closer to the end of each round. The first selection they will make is the No. 24 overall pick in the first round.
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The last three picks in the first round will be rewarded to the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs as compensation for losing players in free agency. The Red Sox did not offer arbitration to any free agents who ended up signing elsewhere, so they won’t receive an extra draft pick. Sorry, there’s no compensation for losing David Ortiz to retirement.
After the first 30 picks are in the books there will be the first of two Competitive Balance rounds. The first six picks after Round 1 go to teams in either the smallest markets or the smallest revenue pools.
This means that Round 2 doesn’t begin until the 37th overall pick, pushing the Red Sox next selection to the No. 63 overall pick.
Another Competitive Balance round begins with the 68th pick and lasts through the 75th pick – which was forfeited by the St. Louis Cardinals and awarded to the Houston Astros for the database breach scandal.
The Red Sox will only pick twice in the top 100, as their third round pick falls at No. 101 overall.
Rounds 4 trough 40 are more standardized once compensation and Competitive Balance picks are out of the way. Boston will select in the 26th spot of each of those rounds.
Next: Brighter future - Benintendi or Judge?
40 picks in 40 rounds. Will any of those selections turn out to be a future star? It may take years before we know the answer to that. The current Red Sox roster is loaded with homegrown talent acquired through the draft. One day we may see players from this draft join them.