Tag: mlb draft

Red Sox infield prospect Chase Meidroth gets pro career off to strong start with Low-A Salem

Chase Meidroth, who the Red Sox selected in the fourth round of this summer’s draft out of the University of San Diego, ended his first professional season on a strong note with Low-A Salem.

After being scouted by J.J. Altobelli and signing with Boston for $272,500, Meidroth appeared in just three Florida Complex League games before earning a promotion to Salem on August 9. In 19 games with the Red Sox, the right-handed hitting infielder batted .309/.424/.559 to go along with five doubles, four home runs, 12 RBIs, 15 runs scored, four stolen bases, 12 walks, and nine strikeouts over 85 plate appearances.

It’s a small sample size, but among the 229 hitters who made at least 80 trips to the plate this season, Meidroth ranked third in strikeout rate (10.6%), 16th in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage, seventh in OPS (.982), seventh in isolated power (.250), 11th in line-drive rate (30.5%), and eighth in wRC+ (167), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Meidroth saw all his playing time on the field this year come at second base. With Salem, the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder logged 114 1/3 innings at the keystone and did not commit an error.

Meidroth, who turned 21 in July, was regarded by Baseball America as the 258th-ranked prospect in the 2022 draft class after spending three years at San Diego, where he was selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team as a sophomore.

The Torrance, Calif. native also spent part of his summer on Cape Cod, where he got a chance to swing a wood bat while slashing .286/.434/.381 with one home run and seven RBIs in 22 games (84 plate appearances) with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Per his Baseball America scouting report from before the draft, Meidroth “is a small hitter who uses a line drive swing with average bat speed to make lots of contact and spray the ball into the gaps. His home run power is almost exclusively to his pull side. … He is a below-average runner who is best at second base.”

While he is not yet on Baseball America’s Top 30 list, Meidroth is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 52 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is projected by the site to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2023 season.

(Picture of Chase Meidroth: Robert Simmons/RTS Photography)

Red Sox first-round pick Mikey Romero hits first professional home run in seventh Florida Complex League game

Red Sox infield prospect Mikey Romero hit the first home run of his professional career in the Florida Complex League on Friday afternoon.

Batting leadoff and starting at shortstop for the FCL Red Sox in their contest against the FCL Twins at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Romero’s milestone homer came with one out in the bottom half of the ninth inning.

Trailing 4-0 at that point, Freddy Valdez drew a one-out walk off Twins reliever Cole Bellair while Luis Ravelo followed with a groundball single to put runners at the corners for Romero.

Romero, in turn, promptly cranked a three-run home run to right field to trim the deficit to 4-3. That would go on to be Friday’s final score as the FCL Red Sox dropped to 33-19 on the season.

Following Friday’s 1-for-5 performance, the left-handed hitter is now batting .200 (5-for-25)/.310/.400 with two doubles, one homer, four RBIs, three runs scored, four walks, and two strikeouts over seven games (29 plate appearances) to begin his professional career.

The Red Sox selected Romero with the 24th overall pick in last month’s amateur draft out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif. Originally committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State University, the 18-year-old signed with Boston on July 25 for an under-slot $2.3 million. He made his pro debut on August 9 and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the organization.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox officially sign top draft picks Mikey Romero and Cutter Coffey

The Red Sox have officially signed 2022 first-round and second-round draft picks Mikey Romero and Cutter Coffey, the team announced earlier Monday afternoon.

According to The Athletic’s Chad Jennings, Romero — who was taken with the 24th overall selection — has received a $2.3 million bonus while Coffey — who was taken with the 41st overall selection — has received a $1.8475 million bonus. Boston was rewarded with the 41st pick in this year’s draft after failing to sign Jud Fabian last summer.

Romero, 18, was regarded by Baseball America as the 54th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. The left-handed hitting shortstop batted .372/.419/.659 with four home runs, 26 RBIs, 24 runs scored, and one stolen base in 30 games (105 plate appearances) as a senior at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School.

Coffey, also 18, was regarded by Baseball America as the 65th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. A right-handed hitting shortstop from Bakersfield, Calif., Coffey slashed .442/.581/1.021 with 12 home runs, 32 RBIs, 48 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases over 31 games (129 plate appearances) at Liberty High School.

Romero, who has two older sisters — Sierra and Sydney — who were college softball stars at Michigan and Oklahoma, was previously committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State University. He will instead forego his commitment by signing with Boston for $2.3 million, which is approximately $676,400 under-slot.

Coffey, on the other hand, was once a two-way player who was projected by evaluators to be better as a pitcher. Like Romero, Coffey was also committed to play his college baseball at a big school in the University of Texas at Austin. He, too, will forego his commitment by signing an under-slot deal with the Red Sox.

Both Romero and Coffey spent the weekend in Boston and are expected to be introduced to the media at Fenway Park prior to Monday’s game against the Guardians.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Red Sox appear to have signed North Carolina State commit Bryant Zayas

UPDATE: The Red Sox have officially signed Zayas, per the club’s transactions log.

The Red Sox appear to have signed undrafted free-agent shortstop Bryant Zayas to a minor-league contract. That is based on Zayas’ recent Instagram activity and this post from one of his coaches, Ricardo Sosa of Team Sosa Baseball in Hialeah, Fla.

Zayas, 18, went undrafted out of Miami Christian School earlier this week despite being ranked nationally by Perfect Game USA as the No. 214 prospect in this year’s high school class. The Miami-area native was committed to play college baseball at North Carolina State University.

As a senior at Miami Christian, the right-handed hitting Zayas batted .323/.405/.548 with five doubles, three triples, four home runs, 19 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 13 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 31 games (111 plate appearances) for the Victors, per MaxPreps.

Listed at 6-foot and 178 pounds, Zayas possesses quality bat speed and hits solid line drives when he is on time. On the other side of the ball, the quick infielder has “excellent actions at shortstop with a good combination of high level footwork and soft hands.” According to Perfect Game USA, the defense is what stands out.

Zayas, who turns 19 in October, would become the second undrafted free-agent to sign with the Red Sox this week, joining University of Connecticut catcher Matt Donlan. Clubs can sign undrafted players for up to $125,000 without dipping into their bonus pool.

(Picture of Bryant Zayas: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox sign University of Connecticut catcher Matt Donlan

The Red Sox have agreed to terms with undrafted University of Connecticut catcher Matt Donlan, the school announced following the conclusion of Tuesday’s draft.

Donlan, 22, was not regarded as one of the top catching prospects in this year’s draft class. As a non-drafted free-agent, the Connecticut native can sign with Boston for up to $125,000.

After beginning his collegiate career at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., Donlan transferred to UCONN, but was not eligible to play in 2021. So, in his one season with the Huskies, the right-handed hitter batted .260/.375/.489 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs, 60 RBIs, 47 runs scored, three stolen bases, 27 walks, and 55 strikeouts over 61 games spanning 265 plate appearances.

From behind the plate, Donlan — equipped with a strong arm — threw out 22 of the 42 base runners who attempted to steal off him this spring. In terms of accolades, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound backstop earned First Team All-Big East and College Park Regional Most Outstanding Player honors for his performance in both the regular and postseason.

Donlan, who turns 23 in November, will likely begin his pro career in the rookie-level Florida Complex League upon officially putting pen to paper. Other Red Sox catching prospects who are currently down in Fort Myers include Enderso Lira, Daniel McElveny, and Diego Viloria, among others.

(Picture of Matt Donlan: University of Connecticut Athletics)

Red Sox select Biola University left-hander Connor Butler with final pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 609th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Division II Biola University left-hander Connor Butler.

Butler, 22, is not ranked by Baseball America as one of the top pitching prospects in this year’s draft class. The Idaho native began his collegiate career at the University of Hawaii — where he was briefly teammates with Jeremy Wu-Yelland — before transferring to Spokane Falls Community College and then again to Biola ahead of the 2021 campaign.

This past season with the Eagles, Butler posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.68 WHIP to go along with 47 strikeouts to 32 walks over 15 appearances (one start) spanning 22 innings of work.

Listed at 6-feet and 180 pounds, Butler does not turn 23 until next April. He has eligibility remaining, so it is no guarantee that he will sign. If he does, the allotted slot value for the 609th pick in this year’s draft sits at $125,000.

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That concludes the 2022 MLB Draft. In all, the Red Sox selected 21 players. Of those 21 players, seven were taken out of high school and 14 were taken out of college.

(Picture of Connor Butler: Biola University Athletics)

Red Sox select Santa Rosa Junior College right-hander Austin Ehrlicher with 18th-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 549th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Santa Rosa Junior College (Calif.) right-hander Austin Ehrlicher.

Ehrlicher, 19, is not ranked by Baseball America as one of the top pitching prospects in this year’s draft class. This past season, the California native posted a 4.26 ERA with 43 strikeouts to 14 walks over 10 appearances (eight starts) spanning 38 innings of work for the Bear Cubs.

He also made five appearances (three starts) for the Healdsburg Packers of the California Collegiate League earlier this summer, pitching to a 4.15 ERA with 12 punchouts to seven walks across 13 innings.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, Ehrlicher is a two-sport athlete who also plays basketball and averaged 6.4 points per game as a freshman. Since he attends a junior college, Ehrlicher does not need to sign with the Red Sox before the traditional August 1 deadline.

Instead, the Sox can wait up until one week before next year’s draft to sign Ehrlicher for up to $225,000. As Boston’s director of amateur scouting, Paul Toboni, explained to reporters on Tuesday, Ehrlicher is now considered a “draft and follow” player.

(Picture of Austin Ehrlicher: Darryl Bush /For The Press Democrat)

Red Sox select Lutheran South Academy outfielder Deundre Jones with 17th-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 519th overall pick in the 2022 first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected Lutheran South Academy (Texas) first baseman/outfielder Deundre Jones.

Jones, 18, is not regarded by any industry publications as one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class. The Houston-area native is currently committed to play college baseball at Kansas State University.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Jones hits from the left side of the plate and throws with his left hand. According to Perfect Game USA, he “hits from a slightly open stance” and has a “high contact line drive swing with some strength behind it.”

On the other side of the ball, Jones is a solid defender at first base and also possesses the athleticism to play the outfield since he makes accurate throws and “moves well side to side.”

It may be tough for the Red Sox to sway Jones — who turns 19 in December — away from his commitment to Kansas State. The allotted slot value for the 519th pick in this year’s draft is $125,00. Boston will have until the end of the month to sign Jones.

(Picture of Deundre Jones: VYPE Houston)

Red Sox select Southern Mississippi right-hander Garrett Ramsey with 16th-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 489th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected University of Southern Mississippi right-hander Garrett Ramsey.

College teammates with third-round selection Dalton Rogers, Ramsey is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top pitching prospects in this year’s draft class.

The 22-year-old made 21 relief appearances for the Golden Eagles this spring, posting a 2.61 ERA and 1.39 WHIP to go along with 45 strikeouts to 11 walks over 31 innings of work.

A native of Brandon, Miss., Ramsey began his collegiate career at Hinds Community College before transferring to Southern Miss. ahead of the 2021 campaign. The 6-foot-3, 194-pounder operates with a low-90s fastball as well as a slider, according to Perfect Game.

Ramsey, who turns 23 in late October, has at least one year of eligibility remaining. If he winds up signing with Boston it is worth mentioning that the allotted slot value for the 489th pick in this year’s draft come in at $125,000.

(Picture of Garrett Ramsey: University of Southern Mississippi Athletics)

Red Sox select Missouri left-hander Nathan Landry with 15th-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 459th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox have selected University of Missouri left-hander Nathan Landry.

Landry, 23, is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top pitching prospects in this year’s draft class. The Quebec native spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Mineral Area College before transferring to Mizzou for his junior season.

In 15 appearances (four starts) for the Tigers this spring, Landry posted a 3.67 ERA and 0.91 WHIP to go along with 54 strikeouts to just seven walks over 41 2/3 innings of work.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Landry becomes the first player the Red Sox have taken out of the University of Missouri since 2017, when they used their first-round pick on right-hander Tanner Houck.

Landry, who does not turn 24 until next May, is not a guarantee to sign with Boston since he has one year of eligibility remaining at Mizzou. If the lefty elects to go pro, the allotted slot value for the 459th pick in the 2022 draft is $125,000. The Red Sox will have until August 1 to sign him.

(Picture of Nathan Landry: University of Missouri Athletics)