Boston Red Sox: 2018 MLB draft day three recap and full grade

Who stood out for the Red Sox on day three?

Red Sox 2018 Draft Pick #11 – Nicholas Northcut, 3B/RHP – Mason Williams HS (OH)

Nicholas Northcut was announced as a right-handed pitcher. That may mean he intends to play two ways early on in his minor league career. But more than likely, the Red Sox drafted him for his bat. The third baseman has plus raw power that has been rated as highly as 70 on the 20-80 scale. What’s exciting about that power is that he doesn’t have much of a problem with his swing and miss rate. So it could play up to near his raw rating in games. He has a strong arm and good hands to compensate for limited range at the hot corner. As a pitcher, he works in the low 90’s, but again, it’s his bat that got him picked.

This is a profile that, in a vacuum, likely goes no later than the third round. Baseball America had him ranked 69th, MLB had him 81st on their list. He has a firm commitment to Vanderbilt. That commitment is likely why he fell out of the first 10 rounds. Chances are it will cost more than the roughly $560K the Red Sox third-round draft slot was worth to sign him. Luckily, the Red Sox may have freed up as much as $800K with their under slot picks.

Will that be enough? That’s the question, but if you are looking for reasons to hope here’s a reason. The fact that he was selected in the 11th round and not near the very end of the draft may indicate that they’ve had conversations with him about what it will take to get it done. Including giving him the chance to pitch as well. This is easily the most intriguing day three pick the team made.

Red Sox 2018 Draft Pick #12 – Chase Shugart, RHP – Texas University

Picks in this range are capped at $125K per draftee and don’t count toward the total draft pool. Unless they go over. Any overage comes out of that pool. That’s why Northcut’s cost is tied to the money they likely saved on day two. This pick probably won’t exceed that limit, and if it does it won’t be by much. Shugart is rated 294th by Baseball America, and is a college junior coming off of a season in which he moved from the bullpen to the rotation and didn’t succeed in his new role. He was almost certainly drafted by the Red Sox as a reliever.

And as a reliever, his fastball plays up out of the pen and his slider and curve both look better as well. Starting his pro career in the pen would also give him a clearer path to the bigs, and likely a faster one. Unless he is convinced he will take a massive step forward next year as a starter, he should sign. As a senior, he’ll have no leverage and would likely be looking at an even smaller bonus.

Red Sox 2018 Draft Pick #13 – Dylan Hardy, OF – University of South Alabama

As a college junior, Dylan Hardy could choose to go back to school which gives him a little leverage. As a senior, he loses that threat, though, so unless he believes he will have a significantly better year in 2019, he’s better off signing now. He has a good hit tool and above average speed with a little bit of pop. He played left field in college, though mostly because he was teammates with Travis Swaggerty. Hardy may end up more organizational filler than top 10 prospect, but his tools give him a chance to crack the big leagues eventually.

This isn’t a terribly exciting pick, but it is worth mentioning because of the fact that the Red Sox have such little depth in the outfield organizationally. And you never know when someone will play well beyond their projections. Baseball America had him rnaked 492nd out of 500 players they bothered to write up. He may be able to get something close to the $125K the team can spend without tapping into their bonus pool.

Next: More day 3 standouts