Boston Red Sox: A look at the top 10 all time 1st round picks

All Time Red Sox Draft Pick #10. Jed Lowrie: 15.1 rWAR

Drafted 45th overall in the 2005 draft, Jed Lowrie had a rocky start to his career with the Boston Red Sox. He cracked the majors in 2008 and was a bit below average half a season’s worth of games. He struggled mightily in 2009 over 32 contests. And then looked incredible with a 144 wRC+ in 55 in 2010. It looked like he’d finally busted out. But more than a half season’s worth of struggles in 2011, and a lack of a clear place for him to play led to his being traded to the Houston Astros in a package for Mark Melancon.

That’s also when he started hitting. A 110 wRC+ that year was followed by a 120 the next in Oakland. It was also his first fully healthy season with 154 games played. He would struggle with injuries the next three seasons, and hit near or below league average in each of them. Then he had another healthy season in 2017. He played in 153 games and finished the year with a 119 wRC+ and 14 HR. This season he has exploded out of the gate with a 132 wRC+ and 9 HR in 59 games. He has amassed 2.3 rWAR already. At just 34 years old, he may have a few more productive years in him and could certainly pass the next guy on the list.

All Time Red Sox Draft Pick #9. Clay Buchholz: 15.9 rWAR

This one might be a bit controversial. Clay Buchholz didn’t leave Boston on good terms. He was worth so little at the time that he brought back just Josh Tobias in a trade. Who is Josh Tobias, you ask? Exactly. But the often beleaguered righty actually had some huge moments for the Red Sox. He looked like the team’s next ace when he opened his career with a quality start followed by a no hitter.

He was drafted 42nd overall in the 2005 draft, having fallen from the top of the round due to an incident involving the theft of some laptops. His ceiling was enormous. Unfortunately, he never quite put it all together and struggled with injuries. Often to the dismay of fans eager to see him figure it out. There was no better example of this than his 2013 season. He started the year 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA.

Would the real Clay Buchholz please stand up?

Then he landed on the DL with a neck strain suffered while holding his infant son at night. While certainly a real injury, it was exactly the kind of injury that fueled speculation that he was a “soft” player who didn’t really want to be out on the mound. Such assumptions are tough to quantify, but such is the nature of fandom.

While not much help during the first two rounds of the playoff run in 2013, his hot start did help the team secure the division. And he went 4 IP with no runs allowed in his one WS appearance. He also had a solid but not spectacular start in the 2009 playoffs, going 5 IP and allowing just 2 ER. Clay Buchholz had the talent to land much higher on this list. That is the driving force in the frustration fans feel over him. He is currently pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks and has a 1.50 ERA over 3 starts. We’ll see if he can keep it up. Regardless, what the Red Sox got out of him, while underwhelming, still makes this a good pick.

Next: #7, 8