BoSox Injection
Fansided

Red Sox 2017 Draft Preview: 5 possible first-round picks

By Mike El-Far

Jun 2, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski speaks with the media before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 2, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski speaks with the media before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Jun 28, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox hat and glove lay in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox hat and glove lay in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

More from Red Sox Draft

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.

Home/Red Sox Draft