25. Nick Northcut (Third Baseman)
The Red Sox drafted Nicholas Northcut in the 11th round last season. Despite not being a high-round draft pick, there is a ton to like about him.
Northcut has average-to-above-average potential in every category except speed. Don’t expect more than about five steals on any given season. He’s also not going to get any extra bases, singles won’t be turned into doubles or anything like that.
However, everything else is great. Northcut probably won’t be a .300 hitter but he could reach the .270 range. Meanwhile, the right-handed hitter has great power potential. Enough that he should load the box score with a lot of doubles and home runs.
The prize for Northcut is his defense. He looks very natural at third base. His glove is as sure as they come, especially for a 20-year-old and he’s surprisingly agile for someone that doesn’t have much speed.
Northcut also has a very strong arm. Combine that with his good instincts and glove work and you should see a lot of great defensive plays from him.
Third base is a pretty loaded position for the Red Sox in the minors. Even with that, Northcut has the most defensive potential of the group.
That being said, he still has a lot of work to do offensively. While he has the potential, the numbers weren’t great in 2019. Northcut hit .211 with 10 doubles, two triples and one home run in 194 at-bats in Short-A last season. He did manage a 4-for-12 (.333) average over three playoff games as well though.
Due to the lack of production at the plate, Northcut will likely start the year in Short-A or Full-A. The Red Sox will take their time with him as well. That makes sense with Rafael Devers already manning the position the Majors. If they are patient with Northcut and let him grow, he could put it all together rather nicely.