Author: Brendan Campbell

Blogging about the Boston Red Sox since April '17. Also support Tottenham Hotspur.

Red Sox officially sign top draft pick Kyle Teel

The Red Sox have officially signed 2023 first-round draft selection Kyle Teel, the club announced earlier Friday afternoon.

Teel, who is at Fenway Park to take batting practice ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Mets, received a $4 million signing bonus, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. The slot value for the 14th overall pick in this year’s draft was $4,633,100.

Boston took Teel with its first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft earlier this month. The Virginia product was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in this summer’s class, which ranked first among draft-eligible catchers.

“Kyle is a guy that we had very high on our board for obvious reasons,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said of Teel in a team-released statement. “He had an unbelievable 2023 season offensively and is arguably one of the best college athletes in the draft. We think he’s going to be really valuable for us. We’re excited to add an athletic catcher to the system, and we were thrilled to get him with the 14th pick.”

Teel, 21, spent the last three seasons at Virginia after taking himself out of draft consideration in 2020 despite being regarded as a top-100 talent coming out of Mahwah High School in New Jersey. This past spring, the left-handed hitting junior batted a stout .407/.475/.655 with 25 doubles, 13 home runs, 69 RBIs, 67 runs scored, five stolen bases, 32 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 65 games (297 plate appearances) with the Cavaliers.

Defensively, Teel made 65 starts at catcher this season and caught all but 23 innings for the Hoos. In that time frame, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound backstop threw out 15 of 24 possible base stealers. Between what he did on both sides of the ball, Teel was named the 2023 ACC Player of the Year as well as a consensus first team All-American.

While he has past experience in the outfield, it appears as though the Red Sox are committed to developing Teel as a catcher moving forward. As such, he will undoubtedly emerge as the top catching prospect in Boston’s farm system ahead of the likes of Nathan Hickey, Johanfran Garcia, Brooks Brannon, and Enderso Lira, among others.

Teel, who does not turn 22 until next February, is the first catcher the Red Sox have taken in the first round of a draft since Blake Swihart, who was selected 26th overall in 2011. He is also the first college player Boston has used a first-round pick on since 2017, when Missouri right-hander Tanner Houck was taken with the 24th overall pick.

In addition to Teel, the Red Sox announced that they signed 13 additional 2023 draft picks in fourth-rounder Matt Duffy, compensatory fourth-rounder Kristian Campbell, fifth-rounder Connelly Early, sixth-rounder, CJ Weins, seventh-rounder Caden Rose, eight-rounder Trennor O’Donnell, ninth-rounder Blake Wehunt, 10th-rounder Ryan Ammons, 12th-rounder Max Carlson, 13th-rounder Cade Feeney, 14th-rounder Jojo Ingrassia, 16th-rounder Isaac Stebens, and 18th-rounder Zach Fogell.

Of the eight players who have yet to officially sign, second-rounder Nazzan Zanetello is arguably the most notable. That being said, the 18-year-old shortstop out of Christian Brothers College High School (St. Louis, Mo.) is expected to forego his commitment to Arkansas by putting pen to paper in Boston on Saturday, per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Kavadas, 24, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Portland up until this point. In 69 games for the Sea Dogs, the left-handed hitting first baseman batted .204/.386/.430 with eight doubles, a team-leading 14 home runs, 42 RBIs, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases, 63 walks, and 110 strikeouts over 293 plate appearances.

Among 64 qualified hitters in the Eastern League coming into play on Friday, Kavadas ranked first in walk rate (21.5%), last in strikeout rate (37.5%), ninth in on-base percentage, 29th in slugging percentage, 18th in OPS (.816), 11th in isolated power (.226), 26th in swinging-strike rate (11.2%), and 14th in wRC+ (128), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Kavadas has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this year come at first base. Outside of serving as Portland’s designated hitter on four separate occasions, the 5-foot-11, 235-pounder has logged 567 1/3 innings at first and has yet to commit an error in 477 defensive chances.

Kavadas was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Notre Dame. The Indiana native signed with the club for $250,000 and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

After taking home Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors last year, Kavadas has come back to earth a bit in 2023. As his numbers with the Sea Dogs this season indicate, he has become somewhat of a three-true-outcomes player in that nearly 64% of his plate appearances have resulted in either a strikeout, walk, or home run.

While both his power and approach at the plate are held in high regard, there are some concerns when it comes to the swing-and-miss in Kavadas’ game as well as his ability to succeed against left-handed pitching. Adding on to that, Kavadas is limited in what he can do defensively, so most evaluators have pinned him as a potential platoon designated hitter/bench bat moving forward.

With this promotion, Kavadas — who does not turn 25 until October — will once again be tasked with adjusting to a more advanced level of pitching as he moves one step closer to the major-leagues. Kavadas is the second member of Boston’s 2021 draft class to make the jump from Portland to Worcester this season, joining utilityman Tyler McDonough.

Kavadas will start at first base and bat eighth for the WooSox in their series opener against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at 121 Financial Ballpark on Friday night.

(Picture of Niko Kavadas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote outfield prospect Allan Castro to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting outfield prospect Allan Castro from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Castro, 20, batted .247/.376/.379 with 20 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 29 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 51 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 69 games (306 plate appearances) with Salem this season. While a .754 OPS certainly isn’t eye-popping, the switch-hitter has picked things up offensively as of late.

Over his last 18 games dating back to June 14, for instance, Castro has slashed a stout .328/.456/.508 with six doubles, one triple, one homer, nine runs driven in, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, and more walks than strikeouts (16-to-10) across 79 trips to the plate heading into the All-Star break.

Among qualified hitters in the Carolina League to this point in the season, Castro ranks third in highest walk rate (16.7%), 12th in lowest strikeout rate (17.6 percent), 16th in on-base percentage, 17th in OPS, ninth in line-drive rate (25.3 percent), 17th in swinging-strike rate (9 percent), and 16th in wRC+ (123), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield positions for Salem. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder logged 31 innings in right, 185 in left, and a team-leading 282 2/3 innings in center. Between the three spots, he recorded four outfield assists while committing four errors in 96 total chances.

Castro is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $100,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2019.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Castro did not make his organizational debut until 2021, when he posted a .756 OPS in 46 Dominican Summer League games and subsequently earned Red Sox Latin Program Position Player of the Year honors.

Castro took his talents stateside last season and appeared in 39 Florida Complex League games before making the jump to Salem in late August. Though he hit just .188 (6-for-32) in his first taste of Low-A ball, the Red Sox were encouraged by the year Castro had overall.

“Castro took a significant step forward this season,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero told BloggingtheRedSox.com back in September. “He’s continued to grow and gained a lot of strength. Additionally, he found ways to make his swing more efficient and started using the whole field more often.”

Romero went on to say that Castro’s “athleticism is starting to show itself more on the field” and noted that the then-19-year-old was “sort of a sleeper prospect who we expect will do more things in 2023.”

Castro, who does not turn 21 until next May, is now slated to join a talented outfield group in Greenville that is headlined by top prospect Roman Anthony. Like Castro, Anthony also began the season in Salem before earning a promotion last month.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox select high school righty Robert Orloski with final pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Middleton (Idaho) High School right-hander Robert Orloski with their 20th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 598 overall.

Orloski was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 465 prospect in this year’s draft class. The 18-year-old righty is currently committed to play college baseball at Texas-San Antonio.

Orloski is looking to become the first high school pitcher out of Idaho to sign with a club after being drafted in the bonus pool era. The Gem State native is coming off a dominant senior season in which he went 7-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 92 strikeouts to 19 walks in 11 appearances spanning 56 innings of work. He was named the Gatorade Idaho Baseball Player of the Year for his efforts.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Orloski “has a high-energy windup and fast arm, with a few moving parts and some effort throughout his finish,” per his Baseball America scouting report. “He has mostly pitched in the 88-92 mph range, but will sit in the low 90s early in starts with bat-missing qualities to his fastball.

“During the 2022 Area Code Games, Orloski showed a 79-81 mph slurvy breaking ball that varied in shape but lacked hard bite, though scouts this spring have spoken more positively about his breaking ball and think it could become a solid secondary pitch. He has also flashed a decent low-80s changeup that has shown well versus left-handers.”

Speaking with Michael Lycklama of the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday, Orloski said that the Red Sox scouted him “heavily” throughout his high school career. He also indicated that the club has yet to offer the kind of money he is looking for with the signing deadline a little less than two weeks away.

“It’s all good,” Orloski said. “I’m still kind of waiting. I haven’t received the money I wanted. So we are still waiting to see if I can get that. If not, I’ll go to college.”

Orloski, who turns 19 in October, is likely in search of a bonus that exceeds the slot value for his pick ($150,000). The Red Sox can offer him more than that, but they would have to dip into their bonus pool in order to do so.

When speaking with reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Greg McKenna) on Tuesday, Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said he was unsure whether the club would be able to sign Orloski — as well as 15th-rounder Phoenix Call — away from their college commitments

Regardless of that, Orloski is the first prep pitcher Boston has drafted since 2021, when it took Puerto Rican righty Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round out of Leadership Christian Academy.

That concludes this year’s installment of the draft. All told, the Red Sox took eight right-handed pitchers, four left-handed pitchers, five infielders, four outfielders, and one catcher over this three-day period. Of Boston’s 22 selections, 16 are out of college, one is out of junior college, and five are out of high school.

The Red Sox have $10,295,100 in bonus pool money to work with this year. As highlighted by SoxProspects.com’s Mike Andrews, they can spend past that amount but would incur different penalties in doing so.

For instance, if the Red Sox exceed their pool by 0-5%, they will be charged a 75% tax on the excess. If they exceed their pool 5-10%, they will pay the same tax and will also lose its first-round pick next season. If they exceed their pool by 10-15%, they will be charged a 100% tax on the excess and lose their first- and second-round picks next season. And if they exceed their pool by more than 15%, they will be charged a 100% tax on the excess and lose their next two first-round picks.

The signing deadline is 5 p.m. eastern time on July 25.

(Picture of Robert Orloski: Darin Oswald/The Idaho Statesman)

Red Sox select Texas A&M outfielder Stanley Tucker with 19th-round pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Texas A&M outfielder Stanley Tucker with their 19th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 568 overall.

Tucker, 21, appeared in just 20 games and made three starts for the Aggies this past season, going 6-for-22 (.273) at the plate with two doubles, two RBIs, eight runs scored, four stolen bases, five walks, and six strikeouts. The right-handed hitter also played for the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League earlier this summer, slashing .211/.357/.333 with one home run and seven RBIs in 18 games.

A Texas native himself, Tucker originally begin his collegiate career at Wharton County Junior College in 2021 and then transferred to New Mexico Junior College, where he hit .407/.487/.785 with 20 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs, 90 RBIs, 82 runs scored, 37 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 36 strikeouts over 58 games (262 plate appearances) en route to being named a 2022 NJCAA First Team All-American.

On the heels of that productive sophomore campaign, Tucker took part in a pre-draft workout that was hosted by the Red Sox in San Diego last June, so there should already be some familiarity between the two sides.

Though he is listed as an outfielder, Tucker does have experience at shortstop as well. With Williamsport, for instance, the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder logged 94 2/3 innings at short while making three starts in center field. He also possesses plus speed and is well-regarded for his athleticism.

Tucker had entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2023 college baseball season. As such, he has another year of eligibility remaining and is therefore not a sure bet to go pro by signing with Boston. The Red Sox can offer Tucker up to $150,000 without it counting toward their bonus pool.

(Picture of Stanley Tucker: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox select UConn reliever Zach Fogell with 18th-round pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Connecticut left-hander Zach Fogell with their 18th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 538 overall.

Fogell, who turns 23 later this month, is a Rhode Island native who originally began his collegiate career at Brown. He logged 21 relief innings as a freshman in 2019 but did not pitch again until 2022 after an injury sidelined him in 2020 and Ivy League schools cancelled the spring sports season in 2021 due to COVID-19 issues.

Fogell returned to game action last year and appeared in 12 games for Brown. He then transferred to UConn as a graduate student and put forth a strong 2023 campaign, posting a 1.89 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 60 strikeouts to 23 walks in 36 relief outings (47 2/3 innings) for the Huskies. The 22-year-old southpaw held opposing hitters to a .208 batting average against and earned First Team All-Big East honors.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Fogell throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a low-90s fastball, a low-80s slider, and a mid-80s changeup.

Fogell becomes the 11th pitcher taken by Boston within the club’s first 20 picks of this draft. The Red Sox can offer the lefty up to $150,000 without it counting toward their bonus pool. Considering that he has no eligibility remaining, though, it seems likely that Fogell will sign for significantly less.

(Picture of Zach Fogell: AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

Red Sox select high school outfielder Dylan Schlaegel with 17th-round pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Legacy High School (Mansfield, Texas) outfielder Dylan Schlaegel with their 17th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 508 overall.

Schlaegel, 18, is currently committed to play college baseball at Dallas Baptist. The right-handed hitter batted .391/.641/.739 with four doubles, two triples, six RBIs, 14 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 14 walks, and four strikeouts in 10 games (39 plate appearances) this spring, earning District 11-6A Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, Schlaegel is athletic outfielder who runs well and possesses quick bat speed, per SoxProspects.com’s Ian Cundall. He also pitched a little bit in high school, so there could be some intriguing arm strength there.

Schlaegel, who turns 19 in September, is the fourth high school prospect to be taken by Boston within the club’s first 19 picks in this year’s draft. The Red Sox can only offer the Lone Star State native up to $150,000 without dipping into their bonus pool, so it may be difficult to sign him away from his commitment to the Patriots.

(Top picture: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Red Sox select Oklahoma State reliever Isaac Stebens with 16th-round pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Oklahoma State right-hander Isaac Stebens with their 16th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 478 overall.

Stebens, 21, began his collegiate career and spent two seasons at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kan., where he was a JUCO All-American and two-time all-conference selection. The Stillwater native then walked on at Oklahoma State for his junior season, allowing him to fulfill a dream and be closer to home.

In 28 relief appearances for the Cowboys this spring, Stebens posted a 2.24 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 85 strikeouts to 24 walks over 64 1/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .212 batting average against. He also recorded six saves and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors.

Listed at 6-feet and 194 pounds, Stebens has a funky delivery and operates with a fastball that reaches 95 mph, a high-70s slider, and a changeup. He has shown the ability to induce swings-and-misses at impressive rates.

Stebens, who turns 22 in December, is the 10th pitcher Boston has taken with its first 18 picks in the draft. With at least one more year of eligibility remaining, Stebens has the option to return to Oklahoma State for his senior season. If he is intent on going pro now, the Red Sox can offer him up to $150,00 without dipping into their bonus pool.

(Picture of Isaac Stebens: Oklahoma State University Athletics)

Red Sox select high school SS/OF Phoenix Call with 15th-round pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Calabasas (Calif.) High School shortstop/outfielder Phoenix Call with their 15th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 448 overall.

After going pitcher-heavy to kick off Day 3, Boston dips back into the prep shortstop pool and takes one of the best high school infielders in the state of California in Call, who is committed to play college baseball at UCLA.

Call was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 253 prospect in this year’s draft class. The publication described the right-handed hitting 18-year-old as “athletic and toolsy with 70-grade run times from home-to-first from the right side, as well as plus arm strength and sneaky power from his 6-foot, 170-pound frame.”

Elsewhere, Call “has a chance to play both center field and shortstop, though scouts seem split on which position is most likely at the next level. Questions about his pure hitting ability could ultimately determine his draft status, and because he didn’t dominate his high school competition this spring and wasn’t on the circuit much, many teams might prefer he prove his offensive chops at UCLA.”

When speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Tuesday, Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson acknowledged that it may be difficult for the club to sway Call away from his commitment to the Bruins.

“Yeah, we’ll kind of see how that one falls,” Pearson said. “I think, as you guys know, a lot of things can happen post-draft, and having as many options as you can with good athletes to try to sign is what our goal is. Phoenix has a UCLA commitment, so it’s not going to be an easy sign by many means, but we’ll just kind of see how things play out.

“He’s one of the rare types where he has the ability to be a plus center fielder and a plus shortstop,” added Pearson. “He’s one of the best high school defenders I’ve ever seen.”

As a 15th-round selection, the Red Sox can offer Call up to $150,000 without it counting toward their bonus pool. Based on what Pearson said, however, it would likely take significantly more than that to get Call to go pro now as opposed to three years down the road.

Regardless, Call — who turns 19 next month — is the third high school shortstop selected by Boston in this draft, joining the likes of second-rounder Nazzan Zanetello and third-rounder Antonio Anderson.

(Top picture: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Red Sox select Cal State Fullerton closer Jojo Ingrassia with 14th-round pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Cal State Fullerton left-hander Jojo Ingrassia with their 14th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 418 overall.

Ingrassia, who turns 21 later this month, spent the first two years of his collegiate career at San Diego State before transferring to Fullerton for his junior season.

Serving as the Titans’ closer this spring, Ingrassia posted a 2.42 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 51 strikeouts to 14 walks over 26 relief appearances (44 2/3 innings) in which he converted seven saves and earned 2023 All-Big West Second Team honors.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Ingrassia operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 89-92 mph fastball, a 79-81 mph slider, and an 82-85 mph changeup, per Perfect Game California.

A native of California himself, Ingrassia is the ninth pitcher to be drafted by Boston within the club’s first 16 picks. The 20-year-old hurler has the ability to return to Fullerton for his senior season, but the Red Sox can offer him up to $150,000 without it counting toward their bonus pool.

(Picture of Jojo Ingrassia: Katie Albertson/Cal State Fullerton Athletics)