In his latest 2022 mock draft for ESPN.com, Kiley McDaniel has the Red Sox taking Louisiana State University infielder Cade Doughty with their second-round pick at No. 41 overall.
The Red Sox received the 41st overall pick in this year’s draft after failing to sign 2021 second-round pick Jud Fabian out of the University of Florida.
Another SEC product, Doughty is currently regarded by Baseball America as the 56th-ranked prospect in this summer’s draft class. The 21-year-old Denham Springs native was originally selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 39th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of high school, but he opted to honor his commitment to LSU as opposed to going pro then.
In 59 games with the Bayou Bengals this season, the right-handed hitting Doughty batted .298/.393/.567 with 19 doubles, 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, 56 runs scored, four stolen bases, 29 walks, and 49 strikeouts over 282 plate appearances. He missed nearly two weeks of action from late May until early June due to a dislocated left shoulder.
Per his Baseball America scouting report, Doughty “doesn’t possess the lightning-quick bat speed seen in other high-round prospects, but more times than not, his timing is right, and his barrel stays in the zone with slight lift and proper extension. He has expanded the zone a bit more in 2022, as the punchouts increased from a year ago, with 49 in 238 at-bats. Seeing a heavy dose of plus sliders with high-velocity fastballs that the SEC has to offer, Doughty has proven in his time at Baton Rouge he can perform against the country’s top arms. When his plate discipline is on point, he is in the discussion of the upper-tier bats in this year’s class.”
Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder saw the majority of his playing time this year come at second base while making a handful of appearances at third base and shortstop as well. Baseball America notes that “his range isn’t quite there for shortstop, but his solid-average arm is more than capable to handle third. There is room for improvement on the dirt but his athleticism and baseball IQ are enough to be hopeful that Doughty will be able to stay on the infield moving forward.”
On the basepaths, Doughty has amassed just nine stolen bases in his three seasons at LSU. In regards to his speed, the redshirt sophomore is best described as an average runner who “will capitalize on defensive mishaps as he has throughout his career” in Baton Rouge.
Doughty, who does not turn 22 until next March, was one of 255 prospects who participated in the MLB Draft Combine in San Diego earlier this month. It is unclear if he consented to the pre-draft MRI program, which would require whichever team that drafts him to offer no less than 75% of the recommended slot value in the form of a signing bonus.
The 41st pick in this summer’s draft, for instance, has a recommended slot value of $1,905,500. So, if the Red Sox were to select Doughty in the second round, they would have to offer him at least $1,429,125 in signing bonus money or would otherwise risk losing him to free agency.
Boston has not drafted and successfully signed a player out of LSU since 2011, when it took right-handed reliever Matty Ott in the 13th round.
(Picture of Cade Doughty: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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