Category: Baseball

Red Sox select Auburn left-hander Hayden Mullins with 12th-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 369th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Auburn University left-hander Hayden Mullins.

Mullins, 21, is not regarded by Baseball America as one of the top pitching prospect’s in this year’s draft class, though the Tennessee native was ranked 119th by BA coming out of high school in 2019.

While he was not drafted back then, Mullins recently put the finishing touches on a junior season with Auburn in which he posted a 3.63 ERA and 1.39 WHIP to go along with 43 strikeouts to 25 walks over 11 appearances (eight starts) spanning 34 2/3 innings of work for the Tigers.

One of the primary reasons Mullins was limited to just 34 2/3 innings this spring was because of injury. On March 25, he left his start against Texas A&M after throwing three innings. On April 29, he left his start against Tennessee after throwing 1 2/3 innings and was later shut down for the rest of the season due to an elbow injury.

Listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, Mullins has a high leg kick in his delivery and works with an 86-90 mph fastball that reaches 92 mph as well as a 72-79 mph curveball, per his 2019 scouting report.

Mullins, who turns 22 in September, has eligibility remaining so it is no sure thing he will go pro right now. Regardless of that, though, it is worth mentioning that the lefty played with 2021 ninth-rounder Tyler Miller as both a freshman and sophomore at Auburn.

The recommended slot value attached to the 369th pick in the 2022 draft comes in at $125,000, which is actually the case for all of Boston’s Day 3 selections. The Red Sox will have until the end of the month to sign Mullins.

(Picture of Hayden Mullins: Auburn University Athletics)

Red Sox select Long Beach state right-hander Marques Johnson with 11th-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 339th overall pick in the 2020 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected California State University, Long Beach right-hander Marques Johnson.

Johnson, 22, is regarded by Baseball America as the 328th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. Formerly of Riverside Community College, the Hemet, Calif. native posted a 3.25 ERA and 1.15 WHIP to go along with 51 strikeouts to 21 walks over 14 appearances (six starts) spanning 44 1/3 innings of work for the Dirtbags this season.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Johnson “has a fast arm,” according to his Baseball America scouting report. “His average fastball touches 95 mph and sits 91-93 mph. He generates high spin rates with his fastball, but as of yet, that has not generated exceptional movement or life on his heater. He throws a low-80s above-average slider that has plenty of tilt. He’s steadily improved his now fringe-average changeup.”

The hard-throwing senior began his collegiate career as a reliever before moving into Long Beach State’s starting rotation towards the end of the 2022 season. Because of that, some evaluators wonder if Johnson would be better suited for a relief role moving forward, though he still could develop into a productive starter.

Johnson, who does not turn 23 until next July, becomes just the third player the Red Sox have ever drafted out of Long Beach State, joining the likes of 2019 21st-rounder Dylan Spacke and 2018 seventh-rounder Jarren Duran. The righty also becomes the seventh college pitcher Boston has taken in this year’s draft.

The recommended slot value attached to the 339th selection in the 2022 draft comes in at $125,000. The Red Sox will have until August 1 to sign Johnson, as well as the rest of their draft picks.

(Picture of Marques Johnson: Long Beach State Athletics)

Red Sox select Oral Roberts right-hander Isaac Coffey with 10th-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 309th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Okla.) right-hander Isaac Coffey.

Not related to second-round selection Cutter Coffey, Isaac was not ranked by Baseball America or any other major publication as one of the top pitching prospects in this year’s draft class.

After being named Summit League Pitcher of the Year in 2021, Coffey posted a 3.77 ERA and 0.96 WHIP to go along with 78 strikeouts to 16 walks over 15 starts spanning 88 1/3 innings of work for the Golden Eagles this season.

Coffey, 22, hails from Goleta, Calif and possesses a fastball that sits between 88-91 mph. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder was a two-way player in college, but seems solely focused on pitching now since he only made 33 trips to the plate as a junior this spring.

The Red Sox last drafted a player out of Oral Roberts in 2005, when they took left-hander Matt Hancock in the 27th round. Coffey, meanwhile, becomes the sixth college arm Boston has taken in this year’s draft, joining the likes of Dalton Rogers, Noah Dean, Alex Hoppe, Caleb Bolden, and Jonathan Brand.

The recommended slot value attached to the 309th pick in the 2022 draft comes in at roughly $149,900. The Sox will have until August 1 to sign Coffey and the rest of their draft selections.

That concludes Day 2 of the MLB Draft. The third and final day of the draft will consist of rounds 11-20, meaning the Red Sox have 10 more picks to make. Day 3 begins at 2 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Isaac Coffey: Oral Roberts University Athletics)

Red Sox select Randleman High School catcher Brooks Brannon with ninth-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 279th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Randleman High School (N.C.) catcher Brooks Brannon.

Brannon, 18, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 155 prospect in this year’s draft class. The right-handed hitting backstop is currently committed to play college baseball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As a highly-touted senior at Randleman, Brannon batted a ridiculous .609/.644/1.330 with 17 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 91 RBIs, 44 runs scored, two stolen bases, 16 walks, and 15 strikeouts over 34 games (135 plate appearances) for the Tigers.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Brannon “is close to physically maxed out,” according to his Baseball America scouting report. He “has plus raw power in the tank and swings like someone who knows he does — constantly looking to do damage. He wasn’t on the summer showcase circuit and so scouts don’t have much track record with him facing high-end velocity, and he has also expanded the zone and swung and missed at times with noncompetitive swings against below-average secondaries.”

Defensively, Brannon “shows above-average arm strength and clocked pop times around 1.95 seconds last fall, but he needs to improve his actions behind the plate as both a receiver and pitch blocker. There are tools here for Brannon to be an impactful player, but he needs to iron out some of the details of his game to fully capitalize on them.”

Considering that Brannon — who does not turn 19 until next May — is committed to a well-regarded school like North Carolina, it may take the Red Sox some effort to sway him away from Chapel Hill.

The recommended slot value for the 279th pick in the 2022 draft comes in at $158,100, so Boston could be looking to sign Brannon to an over-slot deal of some sorts.

“We were surprised to see him get that far,” Red Sox director of amateur scouting Paul Toboni said of Brannon on Monday, via MLB.com’s Julia Kreuz. “We think so highly of the baseball player and the person, we were beyond thrilled to see him staring at us at that point of the draft.”

(Picture of Brooks Brannon: Randleman High School head coach Jake Smith)

Red Sox select Miami University right-hander Jonathan Brand with eighth-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 249th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Miami University (Ohio) right-hander Jonathan Brand.

College teammates with current Red Sox relief prospect Jacob Webb, Brand was not regarded by Baseball America as one of the top pitchers in this year’s draft class.

This past season with the RedHawks, the 22-year-old posted a 1.43 ERA and 1.14 WHIP to go along with 86 strikeouts to 29 walks over 13 starts spanning 77 1/3 innings of work en route to being named First Team All-Mid Atlantic Conference. He also made five starts for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League earlier this summer and recorded 21 strikeouts to just two walks across 21 frames.

A native of Columbus, Ga., Brand is currently committed to transfer to Auburn University if he elects not to sign with the Red Sox. The recommended slot value attached to the 249th selection in this year’s draft comes in at approximately $173,100.

Brand, who does not turn 23 until next February, is listed at 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds. He becomes the fifth college pitcher scooped up by Boston in the 2022 draft, joining the likes of Dalton Rogers, Noah Dean, Alex Hoppe, and Caleb Bolden.

(Picture of Jonathan Brand: Miami University Athletics)

Red Sox select TCU right-hander Caleb Bolden with seventh-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

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)

Red Sox select UNC Greensboro right-hander Alex Hoppe with sixth-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 189th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected University of North Carolina at Greensboro right-hander Alex Hoppe.

Hoppe, a five-year senior who is already 23 years old, was not regarded by Baseball America as one of the top pitching prospects available in this year’s draft.

In 26 relief appearances for the Spartans this season, the native Iowan posted a 2.97 ERA and 1.19 WHIP to go along with 84 strikeouts to 30 walks over 66 2/3 innings of work. He was named the Southern Conference’s Pitcher of the Year for his efforts.

While Hoppe may not have recieved much attention from Baseball America this year, he was ranked by BA as the No. 363 draft-eligible prospect in 2020. Per his scouting report from back then, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound righty “throws a fastball in the 92-94 mph range and has shown the makings of a plus breaking ball as well. He has a poor track record of throwing strikes, however, and will be a full reliever profile at the next level because of that.”

After walking more than 13% of the batters he faced through his first four seasons at UNC Greensboro, Hoppe was able to cut his walk rate down to 10.5% this year.

Hoppe, who turns 24 in December, becomes the first Spartan to be drafted by the Red Sox since 2016, when right-hander Hunter Smith was taken in the 24th round.

The recommended slot value attached to the 189th overall pick in this year’s draft comes in at $266,200. The Sox will have until August 1 to sign Hoppe, as well as the rest of their draft selections.

(Picture of Alex Hoppe: University of North Carolina at Greensboro Athletics)

Red Sox select Old Dominion left-hander Noah Dean with fifth-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 159th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Old Dominion University left-hander Noah Dean.

Dean, 21, is regarded by Baseball America as “one of the more exciting pure relievers” in this year’s draft class. The New Jersey native came into the week as BA’s 140th-ranked draft-eligible prospect.

In 19 relief appearances for the Monarchs this season, Dean posted a 4.15 ERA and 1.12 WHIP to go along with 46 strikeouts to 16 walks over 26 innings of work. He also made a total of four outings (three starts) between the Keene Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League earlier this summer.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dean can be erratic at times and his delivery can be considered a bit extreme. Still, according to Baseball America, the lefty’s “stuff is fearsome. He throws a fastball from the left side that gets up to 100 mph and sits comfortably in the mid 90s. The pitch features plus carry and generated whiffs at a 45% rate this spring against mostly Conference USA hitters.

“He’s got a second plus pitch in his mid-to-upper-70s breaking ball that features sweeping action at times and solid two-plane bite with late tilt at others. Dean has thrown a mid-80s changeup extremely infrequently this spring and likely won’t need the pitch at the next level either.”

The Red Sox have not previously drafted a player out of Old Dominion University since 1994, when they took right-hander Denis McLaughin in the seventh round.

Dean, who does not turn 22 until next March, becomes the second college pitcher Boston has taken in this year’s draft, joining fellow southpaw Dalton Rogers from Southern Mississippi.

The recommended slot value attached to the 159th overall pick in this year’s draft comes in at $343,800. The Sox will have until August 1 to sign Dean, as well as the rest of their draft selections.

(Picture of Noah Dean: Old Dominion University Athletics)

Red Sox select San Diego infielder Chase Meidroth with fourth-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 129th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected University of San Diego infielder Chase Meidroth.

Meidroth, who turns 21 in five days, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 258 prospect in this year’s draft class. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native should be somewhat familiar with baseball in the New England-area, as he spent part of his summer playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

As a sophomore at the University of San Diego, the right-handed hitting Meidroth batted .329/.440/.544 with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, 53 runs scored, six stolen bases, 40 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 56 games (275 plate appearances) with the Toreros en route to being selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team.

On the Cape, Meidroth again walked more (15) than he struck out (14) while slashing .286/.434/.381 in 22 games with the Y-D Red Sox.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Meidroth “is a smaller hitter who doesn’t have much in the way of raw power, and instead uses a line drive swing and average bat speed to make plenty of contact and spray the ball into the gaps. Meidroth’s home run power was almost exclusively to the pull side and his exit velocities and lack of physical projection don’t suggest much more power in the future.”

Defensively, Meidroth has at least some experience at every infield position besides first base. The 5-foot-10, 172-pounder saw the majority of his playing time at San Diego this season come at second base, which is likely his best position moving forward since his speed is considered below-average.

The Red Sox last took a player out of the University of San Diego in 2019, when they selected left-hander Chris Murphy in the sixth round. Murphy has since emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system.

Meidroth, on the other hand, becomes the first collegiate position player and third California-born infielder the Sox have taken in the 2022 draft, joining the likes of first-rounder Mikey Romero and second-rounder Cutter Coffey.

The recommended slot value attached to the 129th overall pick in this year’s draft comes in at $461,000. The Sox will have until August 1 to sign Meidroth, as well as the rest of their draft selections.

(Picture of Chase Meidroth: University of San Diego Athletics)

Red Sox select Southern Mississippi left-hander Dalton Rogers with third-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 99th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected University of Southern Mississippi left-hander Dalton Rogers.

Rogers, 21, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 361 prospect in this year’s draft class. The Flowood, Miss. native began his collegiate career at Southeastern Louisiana but spent the 2022 season at Southern Mississippi, posting a 1.95 ERA and 0.63 WHIP with 57 strikeouts to 23 walks over 23 relief appearances (37 innings) for the Golden Eagles. He also made a brief cameo for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League earlier this summer.

Listed at just 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, Rogers “overwhelmingly pitches off his fastball —a 92-93 mph heater that touches 96 at peak and comes with solid carry and around 18 inches of induced vertical break,” per his Baseball America scouting report.

To complement his fastball, Rogers also mixes in a low-80s slider and a low-80s changeup that can generate plenty of swing-and-miss. All of these pitches are thrown from a three-quarters arm slot.

Rogers, who turns 22 in January, becomes the first pitcher taken by Boston in this year’s draft. The Red Sox used their first three selections on high school position players in Mikey Romero, Cutter Coffey, and Roman Anthony on Sunday night.

The recommended slot value attached to the 79th overall pick in the 2022 draft is $617,200. The Sox will have until August 1 to sign Rogers, as well as the rest of their draft selections.

(Picture of Dalton Rogers: Southern Miss. Athletics)