Ranking the top-five selections that the Boston Red Sox have made in the first round of the MLB Amateur Draft in franchise history.
The Boston Red Sox selected first baseman Triston Casas with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2018 MLB amateur draft. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound slugger is considered one of the best high school power hitters in this draft. Will he go on to develop into the next great prospect to emerge from the Red Sox farm system?
It may take years to answer that question. The MLB draft has few surefire hits and the Red Sox have had their fair share of misses in the first round. The last decade alone has seen the club whiff in the first round on Casey Kelly, Anthony Ranaudo, and Bryce Brentz. None of those once-promising prospects has gone on to establish themselves at the major league level.
Some of the prospects selected in the last few drafts deserve more time to prove themselves but time is running out for Blake Swihart and Brian Johnson to live up to their draft day expectations.
While the MLB draft is littered with far more failures than success stories, there are several first-round picks that stand out in Red Sox history. Of course, there are many more diamonds in the rough that the Red Sox plucked in later rounds. Mookie Betts was a fifth-round pick and Wade Boggs was a seventh-round pick.
For now, we’re focused on first-round picks. The selections where the scouting department and front office were counted on to find a blue chip prospect and they came through.