SECAUCUS, NJ - JUNE 4: Boston Red Sox team reps Fred Lynn and Edgar Perez during the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft at Studio 42 at the MLB Network on Monday, June 4, 2018 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
SECAUCUS, NJ – JUNE 4: Boston Red Sox team reps Fred Lynn and Edgar Perez during the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft at Studio 42 at the MLB Network on Monday, June 4, 2018, in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
With two days of the draft in the books, let’s take a look at rounds 3-11 for the Boston Red Sox. Did they land any hidden gems?
After an exciting day one of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Boston Red Sox got back to it with rounds 3-10. Just a day after surprising the world by opening their draft with two high school bats, the Red Sox drafted college players exclusively in the next eight rounds.
Furthermore, it’s possible that all of them will be under slot signees which could mean two things. The first possibility is that Triston Casas and Nick Decker, their day one selections, will cost significantly over slot to get signed. The second possibility is that the team has their eye on a tough sign or two that fell out of the first 10 rounds.
There is certainly a decent chance at least Triston Casas will cost more than his draft slot. He’s not far from his BA ranking of 25, or even his MLB rank of 20. But he did have his name tied to the Marlins at the 13th pick.
If the Red Sox had a deal worked out with him before the pick was announced, it may be because they were willing to go over slot to ensure he’d forgo his commitment to the University of Miami. It seems less likely that Nick Decker would be an over-slot signee given his rankings of 74 (MLB) and 110 (BA) relative to his being picked 64th.
What kinds of players could they be targeting on day three?
As of Wednesday morning, there are 12 players in the top 100 ranking by MLB, and 15 by BA’s count. That MLB link is a live page that will update as the draft continues. So it may have a different count by the time you are reading this.
That said, the most intriguing names still available are certainly Cole Wilcox, Kumar Rocker, and Nander De Sedas. Wilcox and Rocker are high school pitchers, and De Sedas is a high school shortstop. Unfortunately, no matter how much money the Red Sox might be saving with under slot draftees in rounds 3-10, it won’t be enough.
The lowest bonus allotment for a first round pick this year was $2,275,800.00. Even if we go to the end of the Competitive Balance Round A, it was $1,664,200.00 at pick 43.
For players who had demands high enough to be skipped over in the first round, it’s unlikely that a team with a combined $2,160,000.00 pool for picks 3-10 is going to free up enough money. More likely, we’ll see more raw, toolsy high school players.
Give me some names!
They could also target someone like Isaiah Campbell. Campbell is a draft-eligible redshirt sophomore from Arkansas. He’s a right-handed pitcher who probably has the talent to have been a first-round pick, but had his draft stock dinged with less than stellar season and some injuries.
He has plenty of leverage in that he can return to school as a junior, not a senior, and take his chances with the 2019 draft. But if he’s eager to get his pro career started, and a team can scrap together a few hundred thousand to offer him, he may bite.
Then there’s Own Sharts, RHP out of Simi Valley High School in California. He pitches in the low 90’s and can maintain it deep into starts. He has a commitment to Nevada, but Baseball America projects him as a 3rd to 5th round pick.
So an offer in the $400K range might be enough to entice him. And let’s be honest, while he’s probably a reach, it’s worth including him so that we can type the name Sharts. Yeah, I’m a child in a man’s body.
Regardless of who they target, it appears that the Red Sox will have some money to spread around. We’ll be sure to post a recap of rounds 11-40, highlighting any of the interesting names that do get selected.
Let’s look at the day two picks.
Boston Red Sox Draft Pick Round 3 – Durbin Feltman, CL (TCU)
It’s odd to look at a college reliever as a third-round pick and get excited. But here we are anyway. Durbin Feltman has been absolutely untouchable on the mound for Texas Christian University this season. He works in the mid 90’s and touches 98 with his fastball. He pairs that with a hard slider and can get strikeouts with both.
What’s more interesting is that he could potentially help the Red Sox this year. As a drafted reliever, he can just focus on what works for him and fly through the minors.
Since the Red Sox will be severely limited in what they can do at the trade deadline, this pick serves as a bit of a hedge against their lack of luxury tax space, and their lack of trade chips. Worst case scenario, he should be a fine addition to the bullpen sometime in the 2019 season.
Boston Red Sox Draft Pick Round 4 – Kole Cottam, C (University of Kentucky)
Cole Kottam is unranked by MLB and is all the way down at 361 on BA’s list. He’s an interesting grab because he’s clearly an under slot draftee, but he could be more valuable than his ranking suggests.
He’s a bat first catcher who also spent time at first base in his time with Kentucky. The carrying tool for him is his power, which fits with their first two selections. There’s also this tidbit from Alex Speier:
Red Sox 4th round selection C Kole Cottam is highly alliterative and hit 19 homers this year. Sox have taken 3 position players so far, all with power as headline tool.
As a draft-eligible sophomore, he may not be extremely cheap to sign, but there’s a pretty good chance he won’t command the full $417,800.00 bonus the slot has allotted. Potential savings here could be as much as $150K.
Boston Red Sox Draft Pick Round 5 – Thad Ward, RHP (University of Central Florida)
Thad Ward is a RHP out of Central Florida who was unranked by either MLB or BA. This is certainly a money-saving pick and should free up most of the $311,800.00 slot allotment. He pitched both as a reliever and a starter for Central Florida, with a 3.27 ERA and 84 K in 63 ⅓ IP. He supposedly throws in the mid 90’s. Expect him to sign for something in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Boston Red Sox Draft Pick Round 6 – Delvin Granberg, OF (Dallas Baptist University)
Delvin Granberg is unranked by MLB but clocks in at 246 on BA’s list. At pick 190, he should also free up some money for day three picks. He is an outfielder with a plus bat and decent pop. He might grow into average power.
His speed is above average but not plus, and his defense is passable in the corners. He has a chance to be the third or fourth best outfielder in the Red Sox system once he signs. But that’s more a commentary on how thin they are in the outfield on the farm. Potential savings here probably won’t exceed $100K.
Boston Red Sox Draft Pick Round 7 – Jarren Duran, 2B (Cal State Long Beach)
Jarren Duran was selected with the 220th overall pick and was unranked by MLB. BA had him at 170th on their list, however, so this may be close to a slot signing. Duran is a second baseman with absolutely stunning speed.
He also has good on-base skills, even though his contact skills are lacking. That could prevent him from getting on base enough at more advanced levels. But it has worked for him so far.
He’ll need to develop enough hit and enough pop to force pitchers to stay out of the middle of the plate to be successful at the major league level. That said, his ceiling is likely something in the mold of Billy Hamilton, without the plus defensive rating.
Boston Red Sox Draft Pick Round 8 – Elih Marrero, C (St. Thomas University)
This is another place where the Red Sox can save some money. Elih Marrero is the cousin of former Red Sox infielder Deven Marrero. He’s a switch-hitting catcher with a promising bat, but off the field issues have threatened to derail his career. Chances are he will sign for very near the minimum which would free up most of the $157,700.00 the slot has allotted. He wouldn’t be the first Red Sox catching prospect with a history of drinking and driving, either. 2012 draftee Jon Denney had his career ruined because of difficulties with alcohol.
Boston Red Sox Draft Pick Round 9 – Brian Brown, LHP (NC State)
Brian Brown is another under slot pick. He is unranked by either MLB or BA and lacks the stuff to draw much attention. He has good command and mixes his pitches well, which has led to success at NC State.
His 2.74 ERA in 98 ⅔ IP makes him appear to be a solid high floor, low ceiling pick who won’t cost much to sign. As a college senior, expect him to agree to a bonus near the minimum, freeing up most of $144,600.00 slot allotment. Alex Speier did tweet a reason to be optimistic about him, however:
Red Sox 9th rounder LHP Brian Brown had been on the Golden Spikes watch list after going 6-0 with a 0.99 ERA through 10 starts. He struggled down the stretch, but the performance in a good college conference is atypical for a college senior sign who can save $.
With their final pick of day two, the Red Sox selected Grant Williams out of Kennesaw State. Another unranked draftee, the second baseman was a Cape Cod All-Star in 2017. He is another senior, so another opportunity to sign near the minimum and free up more than another $100K.
He slashed .309/.399/.462 and belted 5 HR while walking nearly twice as often as he struck out. With this pick, the Red Sox completed the day without drafting a single high school player.
Conclusions to draw from day two?
If I had to guess how much money the Red Sox may have freed up with these under slot picks, it could be as high as $800,000.00. I’d probably put the range at $500-750K with fairly low error bars. That could mean one big tough sign, or a few smaller tough sign picks.
And while it remains unlikely they would land Cole Wilcox, Kumar Rocker or Nander De Sedas, if the bonus money saved is in excess of $800K, one of those players is not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
I wouldn’t get my hopes up, though. Who are you looking for them to pick on day three? Let us know in the comments!
