With the 219th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Texas Christian University right-hander Caleb Bolden.
Bolden, 23, is a fifth-year senior who spent the first four years of his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas before transferring to TCU for the 2022 season. In 23 appearances (one start) with the Horned Frogs, the Texarkana native posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 46 strikeouts to 19 walks over 39 innings of work.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Bolden underwent Tommy John surgery three years ago, which resulted in him missing the entirety of the 2019 season at Arkansas.
Per his Baseball America scouting report, Bolden “is a low slot sinker/slider pitcher with a low effort delivery and solid arm talent. His stuff has never played as good as the pitch-mix that he has.”
This is the second time Bolden has been drafted, as the righty was previously taken by the Rays in the 16th round of the 2017 amateur draft out of high school. Rather than sign with Tampa Bay, though, Bolden elected to go to college.
The Red Sox last drafted a TCU pitcher in 2018, when they took fellow reliever Durbin Feltman in the third round. Bolden, on the other hand, becomes the fourth college hurler Boston has selected in this year’s draft, joining the likes of Dalton Rogers, Noah Dean, and Alex Hoppe.
The expectation seems to be that Bolden, who turns 24 in December, will sign for less than the $208,600 that is allotted to the 219th overall selection in the 2022 draft. The Red Sox have until August 1 to sign Bolden, as well as the rest of their draft picks.
(Picture of Caleb Bolden: Texas Christian University Athletics)
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