13. Nick Decker
Nick Decker didn’t see much playing time after getting drafted by the Red Sox in the second round in 2018. He went 1-for-4 with a double and a run in the Gulf Coast League.
That’s it though, as a left wrist fracture limited his season.
The outfielder may not have gotten a chance to prove himself yet, but the projections are there. With that in mind, there’s not much not to like about Decker. The 18-year-old is solid across the board with no glaring weaknesses in his projections.
He has enough speed that it won’t cause any problems for him. Steals aren’t ever going to be a major part of his game, but Decker could be threatening enough of the basepaths to snatch a few each year. He also has enough speed to play the outfield well.
Speaking of the outfield, Decker already looks pretty comfortable defensively. That’s only made better by a strong arm that could keep runners from advancing on him too often. Don’t expect him to turn into a perennial Gold Glover, but he could be average-to-above-average in the outfield.
Decker’s bat is the real prize here. The left-handed hitter has the ability to hit for both contact and power. As of right now, I’d say he projects to be a power hitter who can hit for average. By that, I mean he should be able to hit 30-plus home runs and drive in plenty of runs while keeping a solid enough average.
Decker definitely has raw power but also seems to not just focus on home run hitting. That’s a fantastic combination as it makes him an all-around dangerous player with the bat in his hands.
At 18 (with just four at-bats in the Red Sox organization) Decker still has a long way to go before reaching the Majors. That means a lot can happen between now and then as it pertains to him and the current situation for the Red Sox. Again, this makes it hard to project exactly what type of situation he’ll be in when the time comes. That being said, it bodes well for him.