Who did Boston Red Sox select in the 2020 MLB Draft?
Who did the Red Sox select in the 2020 MLB Draft?
Major League Baseball made the decision to reduce the number of rounds from forty to five for this year’s amateur draft. This has affected the Boston Red Sox more than other team since they lost their second round pick to the sign-stealing investigation.
The Red Sox ultimately had four selections in this year’s draft. They had the 17th overall pick in the first round, the 89th selection in the third round, the 118th pick in the fourth round, and the 148th pick in the fifth round. Here’s who they drafted:
Round 1 – Red Sox Pick 17:
The Red Sox selected Nick Yorke, a second basemen out of Archbishop Mitty High School(CA). He also played shortstop before undergoing shoulder surgery during his junior year of high school.
Most people were shocked to hear his name picked this early since Yorke had been ranked as the 139th best prospect in the draft, according to MLB.com. He also was previously considered a hard sign, having been committed to the University of Arizona, but the team is confident they can sign him for lower than slot value.
Chaim Bloom, through The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, has come out saying, “We love this kid’s bat. We think he has a chance to be a special bat.”
Scouts also compared him to former draft pick Kevin Youkilis. They also feel that his stock would have only risen with a completed senior baseball season.
In his shortened 2020 season, Yorke played five games, finishing with a .533 BA. He had 8 hits, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI, according to Max Preps. The Red Sox see him moving up the ranks slowly and having him be the team’s long term second basemen. Hopefully, he turns out to have a long successful career.
Round 3 – Red Sox Pick 89:
The Red Sox selected Blaze Jordan, a corner infielder out of DeSoto Central High School. He is also considered a hard sign, having committed to Mississippi State to continue his career.
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Many fans across the country were ecstatic to hear his name, having been ranked the 42nd best draft prospect by MLB.com. He is also familiar to many people after he won the High School Home Run Derby last year. The high school hitter destroyed many home runs into the stands of Progressive Field. He has apparently hit multiple 500+ feet moon shots as well.
Scouts were surprised that Jordan fell to their third round pick. As a 17-year-old senior, he managed to play in 13 games in his shortened season. In 45 at bats, he had 19 hits, 0 home runs, and 4 RBI, according to Max Preps. Hopefully he can put some dents in the Green Monster in the future.
Round 4 – Red Sox Pick 118:
The Red Sox drafted Jeremy Wu-Yelland, a left-handed pitcher out of the University of Hawaii. He was a college junior who was unranked by MLB.com.
He can start for Boston, but will most likely come out of the bullpen. He only started 8 games out of his 40 appearances in college. In 7 relief appearances in 2020, Wu-Yelland went 1-1 with a 0.69 ERA in 13 IP. He will definitely be in the mix for a bullpen spot in a few seasons.
Round 5 – Red Sox Pick 148:
With their final pick, the Red Sox selected Shane Drohan, a left-handed pitcher out of Florida State University. He was also a college junior, who was ranked 147th by MLB.com.
Drohan was previously drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 23rd round (683rd pick). He became a starter in his sophomore season after making zero starts in his freshman year. In 2020, he made four starts, finishing 0-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 17.2 IP. He can help out a depleted Red Sox rotation in the future.
With the change in length of the MLB Draft, Boston has the opportunity to sign an unlimited amount of undrafted players for signing bonuses (at most $20,000). Look out for utter mayhem between teams snagging players starting on Sunday.
Next. The worst Red Sox first-round draft picks of all-time. dark
Although many analysts are confused by the Red Sox draft class of 2020 (mostly because of the selection of Nick Yorke in the first round), they have a special group of athletes that can make a significant impact at the major league level in the future. Don’t forget about these names.