Should Red Sox consider taking Oregon State outfielder Jacob Melton with top pick in this year’s draft?

With the 2022 MLB Draft fast approaching, the Red Sox continue to be linked to college outfielders in recently-published mock drafts from industry experts.

MLB.com’s Jim Callis, for instance, has the Red Sox taking University of Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert with their top pick in his latest mock that was released on Wednesday night.

Last week, Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo had Boston selecting University of California, Berkeley outfielder Dylan Beavers with the 24th overall pick.

Needless to say, there seems to be some speculation within the industry that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. could be leaning towards taking a college bat when the Red Sox are first on the clock on July 17.

Taking that into consideration, Oregon State outfielder Jacob Melton should probably be viewed as a potential Red Sox target as well. In fact, Collazo wrote that the Oregon native “is being scouted throughout the back of the first round.”

Melton, 21, is currently regarded by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the 25th- and 54th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class, respectively.

In 60 games with the Beavers (who are currently in the super regionals of the College World Series) this season, the left-handed hitting junior batted a stout .360/.422/.668 with 21 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 81 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 24 walks, and 47 strikeouts over 282 plate appearances en route to being named the Pac-12 Conference’s Player of the Year.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Melton’s “production is prettier than his swing, which is described as ‘unorthodox’ and features plenty of moving parts. He starts with an open stance and features a leg kick in his load, with a long load that includes a barrel dump on the back half and an arm bar. Despite those mechanics, Melton has plenty of bat speed and the athleticism to make it work. While his bat path might not be ideal, his barrel stays in the zone for a long time and he has the strength to drive the ball with authority, with a frame that suggests more could be coming.”

MLB Pipeline, on the other hand, notes that the 6-foot-3, 208 pounder “has the chance to do some damage from the left side of the plate. He has an advanced approach at the plate and makes a ton of contact. He also has a good amount of juice to his pull side, and he’s tapped into that power even more in 2022, leading some scouts to think he might have better than average pop in the future.”

Defensively, Melton has moved from first base to the outfield over the course of his collegiate career and has now established himself as Oregon State’s everyday center fielder. Baseball America labels his arm strength as average while MLB Pipeline indicates that he is capable of playing all three outfield positions given his plus speed, which also helps him on the basepaths.

Melton, who turns 22 in September, is projected to go to the Giants at No. 30 by Collazo and to the Astros at No. 28 by Callis. The recommended slot value for both of this picks ($2.485 million and 2.62 million, respectively) is a bit lower than the $2,974,900 attached to the Red Sox’ first-round selection.

Because of this difference, the Sox could look to cut an underslot deal with Melton if they were to take him at No. 24, though that remains to be seen for a number of reasons.

Boston last used a first-rounder on an Oregon State player in 2005, when speedy outfielder Jacoby Jacoby Ellsbury was selected with the 23rd overall pick. Unlike Ellsbury at that time, though, Melton has never been drafted before.

(Picture of Jacob Melton: Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Nathan Eovaldi grinds through 5 scoreless innings Wednesday night while dealing with tightness in right hip

Nathan Eovaldi made his 12th start of the season for the Red Sox against the Angels on Wednesday night.

Coming into play on Wednesday, the right-hander was averaging 96.7 mph on his four-seam fastball — his most-frequently used pitch.

In his latest outing at Angel Stadium, 32 of the 84 pitches Eovaldi threw were four-seamers, but he only averaged 94 mph and topped out at 97.1 mph with it, per Baseball Savant. It was Eovaldi’s lowest average fastball velocity in a start since 2012.

Nevertheless, the 32-year-old grinded through five scoreless innings, yielding just six hits and no walks to go along with five strikeouts en route to picking up his fourth win and lowering his ERA on the season to 3.16.

Following Boston’s 1-0 victory over Los Angeles, manager Alex Cora revealed that Eovaldi has been dealing with right hip tightness, which likely attributed to the dip in fastball velocity.

“Yeah, probably that’s it,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). “He pitched well. He got us five scoreless innings. The stuff wasn’t great but he did a good job changing speeds, using his off-speed pitches.”

While his fastball velocity was down, Eovaldi still proved effective elsewhere. He induced seven swings-and-misses with the 24 splitters he threw, three swings-and-misses with the 13 curveballs he threw, and three more whiffs with the 10 sliders he threw.

Cora indicated that Eovaldi should not need to miss his next start since the Red Sox will enjoy an off day back in Boston on Monday, which will give the veteran righty an extra day of rest.

“It’s part of it sometimes,” said Cora. “The traveling and the beds, whatever. He should be OK.”

For his part, Eovaldi was ready to come back out for the sixth inning even after receiving a visit on the mound from Cora and a member of the training staff in the bottom of the fifth.

That ultimately did not happen, and Eovaldi revealed afterwards that he first began experiencing tightness in his hip when he woke up on Tuesday. It is not believed to be a serious injury.

“Yesterday, I woke up and it was a little tight, but I did some treatment and it felt better,” Eovaldi said, via MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I came in and played catch, went about my normal business and today, during the game, it just got a little tighter as the game went on. But we were able to make big pitches when we needed to and the defense was great tonight, and we were able to come out on top.”

Assuming Eovaldi makes his next start as scheduled, that should come against the Athletics at Fenway Park next Tuesday.

(Picture of Nathan Eovaldi: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Bobby Dalbec’s RBI double lifts Red Sox to another 1-0 win over Angels

For the second time in three games, the Red Sox squeaked out a 1-0 win over the Angels in Anaheim on Wednesday night.

They did not get a complete game from their starting pitcher this time around, but they still held on to win their seventh straight game and improve to 30-27 on the season.

The game’s lone run came in the sixth inning. Up until that point in the contest, the Rafael Devers-less Red Sox lineup had been held in check by Angels pitching despite squandering a number of scoring opportunities.

With two outs in the sixth, though, Alex Verdugo drew an eight-pitch walk off Halos reliever Jimmy Herget. Three pitches later, Verdugo scored all the way from first when Bobby Dalbec laced a 93 mph double down the left field line.

Dalbec then attempted to score from second on a Kevin Plawecki single, but was thrown out at home plate. Still, the damage had already been done.

In the middle of the sixth, Red Sox manager Alex Cora elected to turn to his bullpen after getting five scoreless innings from Nathan Eovaldi. While Eovaldi scattered six hits without walking a batter and struck out five in his 12th start of the season, the right-hander’s velocity was noticeably down.

Of the 84 pitches (56 strikes) Eovaldi threw, 32 were fastballs. He averaged 94 mph with the pitch, down from the 96.7 mph he averaged with it coming into play on Wednesday. The 32-year-old also induced seven swings-and-misses with his splitter, a pitch he threw 24 times in the process of lowering his ERA on the season to 3.16.

In relief of Eovaldi, Tyler Danish received the first call from Cora out of the Boston bullpen. With a brand new 1-0 lead to work with, Danish tossed a scoreless frame in the bottom of the sixth before plunking the first batter he faced in the seventh.

That prompted Cora to call upon Jake Diekman, who got the pinch-hitting Max Stassi to ground into a 6-4-3 double play that was capped with a nice scoop at first base by Christian Vazquez, who was making his first start of the year at the position.

Diekman then fanned the dangerous Shohei Ohtani to retire the side in the seventh and make way for John Schreiber in the eighth. Schreiber, in turn, got the next four outs before Cora pulled him in favor of Matt Strahm.

Tasked with recording the final two outs of the ballgame, Strahm did just that on five pitches to earn the save and seal the win.

According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, this is the first time the Red Sox have won two games in the same series by a final score of 1-0 since July 18 and 19 of 2006 against the Royals.

Browne also notes that Eovaldi was dealing with a tight right hip on Wednesday, which likely led to the dip in velocity.

Next up: Pivetta vs. Ohtani in series finale

The Red Sox will look to keep their perfect west coast road trip going by completing a four-game sweep over the Angels on Thursday night. Boston will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta while Los Angeles will roll with fellow righty Shohei Ohtani.

First pitch from Angel Stadium is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Christian Vazquez and Bobby Dalbec: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Kiké Hernández on 10-day injured list due to right hip flexor strain, recall Jonathan Araúz from Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox placed centerfielder Enrique Hernandez on the 10-day injured list because of a right hip flexor strain, Alex Cora announced before Wednesday’s game against the Angels.

In Hernandez’s place, infielder Jonathan Arauz has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester. Arauz, who was with the WooSox in Buffalo, was able to join the Red Sox ahead of first pitch at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night and will be available off the bench.

Cora indicated to reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) that Hernandez had been playing through his injury in recent weeks, but the team believes some down time would be more beneficial.

With the Red Sox this season, Hernandez has batted just .209/.273/.340 with 16 doubles, four home runs, 24 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 18 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 51 games spanning 238 plate appearances. The versatile 30-year-old has seen the majority of his playing time come in center field, though he has also made three appearances at shortstop.

Arauz, meanwhile, will join Boston for the second time this year after making the club’s Opening Day roster out of spring training. Occupying a bench role, the switch-hitting 23-year-old went 0-for-7 at the plate with one RBI and one run across five games before being placed on the COVID-19 related injured list on April 19.

Less than two weeks later, Arauz was sent out on a rehab assignment with Worcester and was officially optioned there on May 12. The native Panamanian has slashed .185/.242/.239 with five doubles, three RBIs, 11 runs scored, one stolen base, seven walks, and 13 strikeouts in 24 games (99 plate appearances) with the WooSox.

As noted by McCaffrey, the Red Sox went with Arauz in this scenario because they want an extra infielder on their roster for now as Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and Trevor Story will all be getting days off this week . Boston could, however, swap Arauz for outfielder Jarren Duran ahead of this weekend’s series against the Mariners in Seattle or when it opens a three-game series against the Athletics back at Fenway Park next Tuesday.

(Picture of Enrique Hernandez: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts doing ‘OK’ after leaving Tuesday’s win early due to left shoulder tightness

Xander Bogaerts was removed in the ninth inning of the Red Sox’ 6-5 win over the Angels on Tuesday night due to what the team described as left shoulder tightness.

As Red Sox Stats pointed out on Twitter, Bogaerts appeared to reach for his left shoulder after he whiffed on a 94 mph slider and struck out against Angels reliever Ryan Tepera in the seventh inning.

Bogaerts was able to remain in the game defensively, but he was pinch-hit for by Franchy Cordero when his spot in the lineup came up again in the ninth. He was then replaced at shortstop a half-inning later by Enrique Hernandez, who slid over from center field and wound up making a great play to end the game in the 10th.

When speaking with reporters following his team’s sixth consecutive victory, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Bogaerts is doing well and revealed that this issue with Bogaerts’ left shoulder actually stems from when he collided with Alex Verdugo at Fenway Park last month.

“He’s doing OK,” said Cora. “He ran into Dugie in Boston. It’s been kind of on-and-off bothering him. So, we’ll see tomorrow. He’s begging to play. We’ll see how it goes.”

Prior to leaving Tuesday’s contest, Bogaerts had gone 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. The 29-year-old is now batting .320/.388/.481 on the season with six home runs and 26 RBIs over 55 games and 232 trips to the plate.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Christian Vázquez comes through in 10th inning to lift Red Sox to 6-5 win over Angels

It took 10 innings and nearly four hours to accomplish, but the Red Sox won their sixth straight game on Tuesday with a hard-fought, come-from-behind win over the Angels at Angel Stadium.

Boston defeated Los Angeles by a final score of 6-5 in 10 innings to improve to 29-27 on the season and a perfect 5-0 on its current west coast road trip.

Garrett Whitlock, making his ninth start of the season for the Sox, allowed four earned runs on six hits, zero walks, and five strikeouts over just four innings of work. The right-hander served up a two-run home run to Mike Trout in the bottom of the first before giving up another run on a fielder’s choice in the second and a Max Stassi RBI double in the third.

Whitlock ended his night by striking out the side in the bottom half of the fourth. The 25-year-old finished with a final pitch count of 71 (47 strikes). He did not factor into Tuesday’s decision, though he did raise his ERA on the season to 3.51.

While Whitlock may have struggled, the Red Sox lineup certainly backed him up out of the gate. With left-hander Jose Suarez on the mound for the Angels, Trevor Story jump-started a three-run second inning with a leadoff double. Alex Verdugo and Christian Vazquez then both reached to fill the bases for Christian Arroyo, who drove in Story on a force out. Back-to-back RBI singles from Bobby Dalbec and Enrique Hernandez allowed Verdugo and Arroyo to score and give the Sox their first lead of the night at 3-2.

Picking things up in the middle of the fifth inning, Jake Diekman received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Taking over for Whitlock with his team trailing by a run, Diekman issued a leadoff walk to Luis Rengifo, who advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored from there on a run-scoring double off the bat of Jo Adell.

The veteran lefty managed to limit the damage to just one run, though, and the Sox immediately got that one run back when Dalbec plated Verdugo on an RBI single a half-inning later.

After Hirokazu Sawamura retired the side in order in the sixth, Boston struck once again in the seventh with Rafael Devers ripping a leadoff double and scoring on a 31-foot RBI single from Story that deflected off the leg of Angels reliever Ryan Tepera.

Sawamura also got the first out in the latter half of the seventh before making way for Austin Davis, who worked his way around a two-out walk to keep things tied at five runs apiece.

Tanner Houck was next up, and he ensured this one would head to extra innings by working a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth and stranding a runner at second base in a scoreless ninth.

With Story in scoring position representing the potential go-ahead run, Vazquez came through by lacing a 96 mph RBI single to right field off Jaime Barria. The speedy Story easily scored from second to give the Sox a 6-5 lead.

Matt Strahm was tasked with keeping the score that way in the bottom of the 10th. He fanned both Jared Walsh and Stassi before getting the pinch-hitting Kurt Suzuki to ground out to Hernandez to seal the win and earn the save.

Hernandez, who started in center field on Tuesday, had moved to shortstop in the ninth inning after Xander Bogaerts was removed from the game due to left shoulder tightness.

So, despite leaving 10 runners on base as a team, the Red Sox came away with another one-run win on Tuesday. That five different relievers combined to surrender just one run in six innings was undoubtedly key.

Next up: Eovaldi vs. Detmers

The Red Sox will look to extend their winning streak to seven consecutive games when they send right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound on Wednesday night. The Angels will counter with left-hander Reid Detmers.

First pitch from Angel Stadium is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Christian Vazquez: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Shane Drohan records season-high 14 strikeouts in latest start for High-A Greenville

Red Sox pitching prospect Shane Drohan struck out a career-high 14 batters in his 10th start (11th overall appearance) of the season for High-A Greenville on Tuesday night.

Matched up against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field, the left-hander allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and just one walk to go along with those 14 punchouts over 5 2/3 innings of work.

Drohan took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning before serving up a two-out solo shot to Astros prospect Cristian Gonzalez. In the sixth, he allowed one runner to reach base on a fielding error and another to reach base on a one-out single. He then served up a three-run home run to Colin Barber that made it a 4-0 game in favor of Asheville. His night came to an end after he fanned his 14th and final batter and was replaced by Casey Cobb out of the Greenville bullpen.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 86 (60 strikes), Drohan wound up inducing 32 swings-and-misses on Tuesday, according to Red Sox Stats on Twitter. Since the Drive ultimately fell to the Tourists by a final score of 6-3, Drohan was the tough-luck loser and is now 3-4 on the year.

In his 11 outings with the Drive this season, Drohan has posted a 4.53 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 71 strikeouts to 19 walks over 53 2/3 total innings pitched. The 23-year-old is also holding opposing hitters to a .228/.303/.383 slash line against.

Among qualified South Atlantic League pitchers, Drohan ranks sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.91), 11th in walks per nine innings (3.19), sixth in strikeout rate (31.3%), second in swinging strike rate (17.9%), ninth in walk rate (8.3%), 10th in batting average against, ninth in WHIP, ninth in FIP (4.02), and ninth in xFIP (3.90), per FanGraphs.

The Red Sox originally selected Drohan in the fifth round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft out of Florida State University. The Fort Lauderdale native signed with the club for $600,000 and is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 47th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot-3, 195 pound southpaw throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 88-92 mph fastball, a 75-78 mph curveball, and a 78-81 mph changeup.

Drohan, who does not turn 24 until January, seems like a prime candidate to get to Double-A Portland by season’s end. There are several things that go into a decision like that, but it would not be surprising to see the lefty pitching for the Sea Dogs before long.

(Picture of Shane Drohan: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Latest mock draft has Red Sox selecting Vanderbilt commit Ryan Clifford with second-round pick

When the Red Sox failed to sign University of Florida outfielder Jud Fabian in the wake of last summer’s amateur draft, they were rewarded with the 41st overall pick in this year’s draft.

The 41st pick will be made shortly after the Dodgers kick off the second round and Day 2 of the 2022 MLB Draft in Los Angeles on July 18. The selection has a recommended slot value of $1,905,500, which accounts for approximately 23.6% of Boston’s $8,078,300 bonus pool.

With that, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. could go a number of different directions when it comes to the Sox’ second-round pick. They could target a college outfielder as they did last year or perhaps even a high schooler.

In his latest mock draft for Prospects Live, Joe Doyle has the Red Sox taking Pro5 Baseball Academy outfielder Ryan Clifford with their second-round selection at No. 41 overall.

Clifford, who turns 19 next month, is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 68 prospect in this year’s draft class. Baseball America lists the North Carolina native as its 77th-ranked draft-eligible prospect.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, Clifford is committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University. The left-handed hitting, left-handed throwing outfielder has long been in the spotlight while playing for USA Baseball at several different levels.

Per his MLB Pipeline scouting report, Clifford “is equipped to hit for average and power” on account of his “picturesque” left-handed swing. “He has an advanced approach at the plate, focusing on driving balls from gap to gap while rarely chasing pitches out of the strike zone. With his bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-3 frame, he could provide 25-30 homers per year once he starts driving the ball in the air more regularly. ”

Baseball America, on the other hand, notes that Clifford “developed a strong reputation as a hitter by playing up throughout his travel ball career and developing a solid track record with power potential in a strong, 6-foot-3, 206-pound frame. He’ll need to hit, as he has an offensive-forward corner profile and limited supplemental tools.”

On the other side of the ball, Clifford can best be described as a below-average runner with fringy speed who is “committed to working on his quickness and defense.” In addition to the outfield, the 18-year-old has experience at first base and could either settle there or in a corner outfield position in the long-run.

Because of these traits, Clifford has drawn comparisons to Diamondbacks first baseman Seth Beer, who was originally selected by the Astros in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft. The Red Sox had a chance to draft Beer, but instead took another first baseman in Triston Casas two picks prior.

(Picture of Ryan Clifford via his Instagram)

Red Sox activate top prospect Nick Yorke from High-A Greenville’s injured list

The Red Sox have activated top prospect Nick Yorke from High-A Greenville’s 7-day injured list. In a corresponding move, fellow infielder Ricardo Cubillan was transferred to Greenville’s development list, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Yorke had been sidelined because of turf toe and last appeared in a game for the Drive on May 26. He was officially placed on the injured list last Thursday, though the move must have been made retroactively since he was reinstated just five days later.

In 34 games with Greenville this season, the right-handed hitting second baseman is batting .245/.319/.361 (88 wRC+) with five doubles, four home runs, 18 RBIs, 25 runs scored, five stolen bases, 16 walks, and 32 strikeouts over 163 plate appearances.

Boston originally selected Yorke with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif. In his first full professional season, he took home Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors last September.

Now, the talented 20-year-old is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Sox’ farm system and the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox demote struggling prospect Brandon Howlett to High-A Greenville

In order to make room for the recently-promoted Ceddanne Rafaela on Double-A Portland’s roster, the Red Sox have demoted infield prospect Brandon Howlett to High-A Greenville, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Howlett, 22, has struggled with the Sea Dogs this season. Coming into play on Tuesday, the right-handed hitter was batting just .167/.278/.205 (44 wRC+) with one double, one triple, no home runs, four RBIs, five runs scored, 11 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 27 games (90 plate appearances) for Portland.

Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 205 pounder has unsurprisingly seen the majority of his playing time this year come at third base, though he has also made 10 appearances and logged 70 2/3 innings in right field for the first time in his professional career.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the 21st round of the 2018 amateur draft out of George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, Fla., Howlett forwent his commitment to Florida State University to sign with Boston for $185,000.

Once regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 (2019) and No. 20 (2020) prospect in the Sox’ farm system, Howlett will now return to Greenville, where he enjoyed a moderate amount of success last season — particularly in the second half.

In September, for instance, Howlett slashed a stout .289/.373/.533 (140 wRC+) with two home runs and six RBIs over his final 12 games of the year with the Drive.

There is no doubt that Howlett, who turns 23 this September, will look to regain that kind of form and work his way back up to Portland at some point this summer.

(Picture of Brandon Howlett: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)