Red Sox 2017 Draft Preview: 5 possible first-round picks
With the 2017 MLB Draft on Monday, here are five players that could reasonably be taken at pick 24 by the Boston Red Sox.
The MLB Draft is unlike the other three popular professional sports in the USA. First, drafting for all-around talent over the needs of your organization sets this draft apart. Also, the development of baseball players takes longer than any other of the “Big 4” sports. So the draft becomes very anti-climatic.
This seems to be a pretty talent-heavy draft, especially at the pitcher position. Also, the top of the draft is extremely talented. Brendan McKay might be the best two-way college player since Dave Winfield. Both Hunter Greene and Royce Lewis are prep-players who should become household names over the next decade.
Now, those aforementioned players have no chance of being drafted by the Red Sox. With Boston picking at 24, they will not have a chance to get one of these “super prospects”. But, that does not mean that they will not be able to get a talented player at their slot.
There are many different directions that Dave Dombrowski could go in this draft. With it being a pitcher heavy draft, maybe he decides to take a pitcher. Does he follow up the 2016 1st-round pick with another high school arm? Or does he go for the player with more immediate impact in the proven college arm?
Does the front office try to add another college bat to increase the young core that Boston has? Or do they go for the highest talent and get a prep star who could project into an elite player at the next level?
There are many questions heading into the draft, and by Tuesday morning there should be some answers. Here are some players to keep an eye out for being selected by the Red Sox.
Alex Faedo
With this being a pitcher heavy draft, it is no surprise that the Boston Red Sox might want to take a pitcher. Last year, they were able to take a possible No. 1 pick Jason Groome at 12. While Groome was a high schooler who should spend awhile in the minors, a possible pick would make a much more immediate impact.
Alex Faedo seems to be as much of a “safe” pick as there is. The University of Florida standout emerged as one of the best starters in college this year. Faedo boasts three above average pitches that he uses to make many batters miss.
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The numbers for Faedo really prove the bright future that this kid has. Florida is in what is the best conference for college baseball, the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He was named to the 2nd All-SEC team for the 2017 season.
Going 7-2 this season, it is clear that Faedo is able to put his team in a winning position most times he steps on the mound. Also, he sported a 2.80 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP this year, so it is clear the dominance he had at the collegiate level.
The flaw of Alex Faedo? He really does not have a glaring weakness, well not one for a college player. He is able to take control of a game on the mound, and could be in a major league rotation by the middle of 2018, at the earliest. Truthfully, I doubt Alex Faedo falls to where Boston makes their first selection. If for some reason he does, Dave Dombrowski won’t let him fall any further.
Keston Hiura
Keston Hiura is a second baseman/outfielder that plays at the University of California at Irvine. The 20-year old has received a lot of praise by many draft experts. Some have even proclaimed that he might have one of the best two or three bats in this draft.
In many mock drafts, Hiura is slotted to be picked by Boston at 24. Both Bleacher Report and ESPN have him at that slot. It seems to be the consensus that if Hiura is available at 24, Boston will draft him.
Now, you are probably wondering why Hiura would fall to 24 in the draft? He has one of the most polished bats in college, that should be a very high pick. Well, with every player, there are both positives and negatives.
The negatives for Hiura are big. It seems to be basically a foregone conclusion that he needs Tommy John Surgery. That would essentially keep Hiura out of action until probably 2019. So anyone who takes Hiura must factor in his injury problem.
Also, he mainly played DH this season, due to the injury. While he can play second base and he’s an outfielder, his defense is his worst tool by a fair amount. Many analysts have him as a fringe MLB defender, so teams have to be very high on his offensive talent.
Injury or not, Hiura is one of the best pure hitters in the draft. He hit .330 with 7 home runs and 52 RBI’s in 56 games this season. While the injury is something to monitor going forward, if Hiura falls to Boston at 24, they shouldn’t pass up on this kid. He very well could be everything Boston wants in a future replacement to Dustin Pedroia.
Alex Lange
Following the trend of a pitcher-heavy draft, the Boston Red Sox might follow the wave by taking a pitcher in the first round. While the Red Sox have a very solid current MLB rotation, baseball is the one sport where drafting for need is not necessary to future success. Usually, the teams who grade talent over need tend to do the best.
Alex Lange is someone who has a lot of talent. Just like Alex Faedo, Lange was one of the best starters in the talent-rich SEC. Lange was the anchor of the rotation of the 4th best team in the country, the LSU Tigers.
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In 16 games this season, Alex Lange has gone 9-5 with a 2.87 ERA. He is clearly the strikeout pitcher in the Tigers rotation, having almost double the strikeouts (124) as the next highest starter (63). Finally, Lange led the Tigers with 4 complete games this season. There is no concern for Lange not being able to go deep into games.
Lange is currently projected to get drafted roughly in the back-end of the 1st round on Monday. There isn’t a real concern that Lange will not sign wth whatever team drafts him and go back to school for his senior season. But, Lange might not join his future employer right away.
LSU is one of the top baseball programs in the country, and they are currently ranked 4th in the country. They are one of the favorites to win the tournament. Because of that, if the Tigers make a deep playoff run, Lange might not be able to report until early July. That is, if he signs his deal by then.
Alex Lange has a good chance of being on the board when Boston picks. With that being said, I’m not too sure that Boston pulls the trigger on drafting him. He is a very skilled player, but his ceiling is not super high. Dave Dombrowski loves taking players who have a very high ceiling, so Boston might stay away from Lange.
Nick Allen
Even though this is a pitcher-heavy draft, there are some concerns with taking pitchers this early in the draft. One, the fail rate for pitching prospects is much higher than position players. Also, the development for a pitcher, especially a starter, normally is longer.
An exciting position player that could be taken by Boston is Nick Allen. Allen is a prep school shortstop from California. He has risen up through draft boards over the past two months due to one facet of his game: his defense.
There is no doubt that Nick Allen can be a great defender at the MLB level. He makes tough plays look effortless, and has a cannon of an arm. Allen is someone who will be able to make any plays you ask for him at the next level.
What makes him intriguing to Boston is where they can use him. First, Allen seems to be the perfect fit to replace fan-favorite Dustin Pedroia. Allen plays amazing defense, and his bat should be able to hit above average at the next level. With his development probably being over three years, he could be the next great second baseman for Boston.
Also, there is a chance he could play at his position for the Red Sox. With the current young core that Boston has, there is no guarantee all of those players re-sign. Xander Bogaerts could very well be the odd man out, and Nick Allen could be the player to replace him. Many front office members for Boston remember the days of Alex Gonzalez and Julio Lugo, so getting a shortstop of the future could be high on their priorities.
Seth Romero
Seth Romero is the wild card of the MLB Draft. His talent is absolutely unquestionable. The 21-year old left-handed pitcher has been very good coming out of the bullpen for the University of Houston. He has a blazing fastball that he pairs with a slider that could make many hitters buckle. Also, his changeup has gotten better, and Romero could take the leap forward with that pitch as well.
So then why is Romero a wild card? Seth Romero might have the terrible distinction of being the prospect with the most off-field issues to ever enter the draft.
First, Romero was suspended for a violation of team rules in the 2016 season. Fast forward a year, and he was once again suspended from the team. This was because he allegedly failed a drug test and missed curfew.
On May 9th, it was the final straw for UH. Romero was involved with an altercation with a teammate, and the Cougars were left with no choice. They dismissed Romero from the baseball team, and he is not welcome back to the university.
Now, Romero has a very high chance of not being a first-round pick. While the general public does not know the whole story about Romero, many conclusions can be reasonably made. There is a legitimate question of if Romero can coexist on a team. Many teams will stay away from him due to the possible headache.
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But, as stated earlier, his talent is undeniable. The Boston Red Sox probably will not take Romero. But, he could reasonably join an MLB bullpen this year. And if Dave Dombrowski thinks he could help Boston this year, the Red Sox might pull off the most shocking pick of the draft.