Tag: red sox

Red Sox pitching prospect Thaddeus Ward makes first competitive start since undergoing Tommy John surgery

Red Sox pitching prospect Thaddeus Ward began a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Friday afternoon.

Getting the start for the Sox’ rookie-level affiliate as they went up against the FCL Twins in Fort Myers, Ward went two innings and did not give up a hit or walk while striking out three. The right-hander plunked the very first batter he faced and allowed that batter to reach third base with one out in the first inning.

He then stranded that runner on third before retiring the side in order in his second and final frame. Pitch counts are not made publicly available for these games, but we do know Ward retired six of the eight Twins he faced and was relieved by Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz.

Friday’s outing marked Ward’s first competitive action since he underwent Tommy John surgery last June. He opened the 2021 minor-league season with Double-A Portland but made just two starts for the Sea Dogs before being shut down with a forearm strain that ultimately required him to go under the knife.

Now 25 years old, Ward is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 20 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization. The Red Sox originally selected the Fort Myers native in the fifth round of the 2018 amateur draft out of the University of Central Florida.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Ward — before undergoing Tommy John surgery 13 months ago — was a five-pitch pitcher who worked with a 93-96 mph sinker, an 86-89 mph cutter, an 81-83 mph slider, an 87-89 mph changeup, and a 76-79 mph curveball.

While it remains to be seen how many rehab starts he will need to make before joining a full-season affiliate ( likely Portland) for the rest of the season, it is worth mentioning that Ward can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this year.

That is precisely why Ward could be a candidate to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, as it would give the Red Sox a chance to further evaluate the righty before determining if he is worthy of a 40-man roster spot.

(Picture of Thaddeus Ward: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Latest Baseball America mock draft has Red Sox selecting Arkansas’ Cayden Wallace with second-round pick

In his latest 2022 mock draft for Baseball America, Carlos Collazo has the Red Sox taking University of Arkansas infielder Cayden Wallace with their second-round pick at No. 41 overall.

The Red Sox were awarded with the 41st overall pick in this year’s draft after failing to sign University of Florida outfielder Jud Fabian last summer. It comes with an attached slot value of $1,905,500, which accounts for roughly 24% of Boston’s bonus pool.

As for the player himself, Wallace is currently regarded by Baseball America as the 54th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class. The 20-year-old hits from the right side of the plate and just put the finishing touches on a sophomore season in which be batted .298/.387/.553 with 20 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 60 RBIs, 62 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 38 walks and 56 strikeouts over 67 games (323 plate appearances) for the Razorbacks.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Wallace exclusively played third base this season. The Greenbrier, Ark. native does have past experience elsewhere, however, as he played left and right field as a freshman and for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Wallace “has one of the best infield arms in college baseball. He doesn’t need to set his feet to get something on his throws, which makes him a wiz at charging into bare-hand bunts. When he does set his feet, his throws seem rocket powered. He is comfortable leaving his feet, knowing he has the arm to pop up and make the play. In addition to having a plus-plus arm and above-average defense at third, Wallace is a heady baserunner” with average speed.

“Wallace has above-average bat speed and has shown he can catch up to velocity. He has an average bat with average power,” it continues. ” He likes to drop the bat head to pull the ball, but he also has shown he can drive the ball to right-center. He can be busted up and in on his hands.”

Wallace, who turns 21 in August, participated in last month’s MLB Draft Combine in San Diego If he consented to MLB’s pre-draft MRI program, he would have to receive a signing bonus offer of at least 75% of his slot value.

To put it another way, the Red Sox would have to offer Wallace at least $1,429,125 in signing bonus money if they were to take him in the second round as Baseball America forecasts. If they do not, Wallace would then become a free agent.

That being said, Arkansas is a school the Red Sox have liked drafting out of in recent years. Since 2014, Boston has selected five former Razorbacks in the amateur draft, including 2015 first-rounder Andrew Benintendi.

It remains to be seen if Wallace will make it to the second round of this year’s draft or will instead be taken in the first round like Benintendi. On that note, though, the 2022 MLB Draft will get underway in Los Angeles on July 17.

(Picture of Cayden Wallace: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Red Sox trade Silvino Bracho to Braves for cash considerations

The Red Sox have traded reliever Silvino Bracho to the Braves in exchange for cash considerations, the club announced Thursday night.

Bracho had just been designated for assignment after spending the last two days on Boston’s big-league roster. The right-hander was initially called up on Tuesday in place of Connor Seabold to provide the Sox with an extra reliever for the remainder of their series against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

He did not get into a game, however, and lost his spot on both the 26- and 40-man roster on Thursday when the Red Sox activated fellow righty Tanner Houck — who cannot travel to Canada on account of his unvaccinated status — from the restricted list ahead of their weekend series with the Cubs in Chicago.

The 29-year-old originally signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox back in March and began the 2022 season with Triple-A Worcester. He posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks over 18 appearances (1 start) spanning 31 1/3 innings of work for the WooSox before having his contract selected on Tuesday.

Bracho, who turns 30 in less than three weeks, now joins a new organization after only spending a few hours in DFA limbo. The native Venezuelan first signed with the Diamondbacks as an international free agent in August 2011 and broke in with Arizona four years later.

In his first four seasons with the D-backs, Bracho posted a 4.67 ERA across 91 relief appearances. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2019 and was limited to just one outing during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Since he spent all of 2021 with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, Bracho has just one big-league appearance under his belt in the last three years. Because he is out of minor-league options, Bracho will have to stick with the Braves or will otherwise risk being designated for assignment again.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Chris Sale strikes out 7 in latest rehab start for Double-A Portland

Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale took his rehab assignment to Portland, Maine on Thursday night and pitched well in front of a sold-out crowd at Hadlock Field.

In his third rehab start of the month, Sale allowed just one run on four hits and zero walks to go along with seven strikeouts over four solid innings of work in Double-A Portland’s 15-4 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

After retiring six of the first seven batters he faced, Sale issued a leadoff single in the top of the third that was immediately followed by a run-scoring double off the bat of New Hampshire’s Chris Bec. He managed to strand Bec with the help of an inning-ending double play and then struck out the side in his fourth and final frame.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 52 (36 strikes), Sale induced 17 swings-and-misses while mixing in his fastball (both two- and four-seam), slider, and changeup with Elih Marrero doing the catching.

According to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, who was on-hand in Portland, Sale sat between 91-96 mph with his heater and topped out at 96 mph with it on four separate occasions.

This was the third outing of Sale’s rehab assignment but his first at the upper levels of the minor-leagues. The 33-year-old southpaw previously made two starts in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 20 and June 25, respectively.

It is believed that Sale will need to make one more rehab start as he continues to work his way back from a stress fracture in his right rib cage that he suffered back in February. He began the season on the 60-day injured list because of it and then had his throwing program paused in May due to a non-baseball health concern related to his family’s medical history.

With the Sea Dogs on the road in Binghamton next week, it seems likely that Sale will make his next start for Triple-A Worcester as the WooSox will be hosting the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park.

If he could get stretched out to five innings in his next minor-league outing, Sale could potentially be in line to join the Red Sox and come off the 60-day injured list before the All-Star break.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Rafael Devers named finalist to start at third base in MLB All-Star Game

Rafael Devers has been named a finalist to start at third base for the American League in next month’s All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, Major League Baseball announced earlier Thursday afternoon.

Opposing Devers for the starting spot will be Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez. With Phase 1 fan voting voting on Thursday, it was revealed that Ramirez received 1,971,688 votes while Devers received 1,871,493 votes. When Phase 2 of head-to-head voting begins next Tuesday, each player will start back out with zero votes.

Fans will then have until July 8 to determine who between Devers and Ramirez will start for the American League in the 92nd Midsummer Classic on July 19. Devers got the starting nod in his first career All-Star appearance last year while Ramirez is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-Star starter himself.

As things stand now, Devers is the only member of the Red Sox who has a chance at starting in the All-Star Game since all other eligible players fell short in Phase 1 fan voting at their respective positions.

Xander Bogaerts, for instance, received 1,271,340 votes to finish third among American League shortstops behind Toronto’s Bo Bichette and the White Sox’ Tim Anderson.

J.D. Martinez, on the other hand, received 681,614 votes to finish fourth among American League designated hitters behind Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, and Toronto’s Danny Jansen.

If Bogaerts, Martinez, or any other Red Sox player is hoping to be named to the American League All-Star team, they will have to get in as a reserve through the player vote. Full All-Star rosters for both the American and National League will be unveiled on July 10.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox reinstate Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran from restricted list, designate Silvino Bracho for assignment

The Red Sox have reinstated right-hander Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran from the restricted list, the team announced Thursday afternoon. In order to make room for Houck and Duran on the 26- and 40-man rosters, infielder Yolmer Sanchez was returned to Triple-A Worcester while reliever Silvino Bracho was designated for assignment.

Houck and Duran were unable to travel with the Red Sox to Toronto for their series against the Blue Jays since they are both not vaccinated against COVID-19. They instead spent the last three days working out at Fenway Park before re-joining the team in Chicago for their upcoming bout with the Cubs.

Because of their unvaccinated status, Houck and Duran were placed on the restricted list on Monday and did not receive any pay or service time while they were on it. In their place, Sanchez and righty Connor Seabold were called up from Worcester.

Sanchez got the start at second base on Wednesday and went 0-for-1 with a sacrifice bunt and walk before being pinch-hit for by Bobby Dalbec in the ninth inning of a 6-5 win.

Seabold made his second career start in Monday’s series opener at Rogers Centre, allowing seven runs on nine hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of work. The 26-year-old was optioned back down to the minors that night, but remains with the big-league club as a member of their taxi squad and is likely to start against the Cubs on Sunday.

In Seabold’s place, Bracho — who had been on Boston’s taxi squad — was activated on Tuesday to provide the Sox with an extra bullpen arm for their final two games against the Jays. The 29-year-old did not make an appearance despite spending two days on the major-league roster, however, and has now lost his spot on the 40-man.

Unlike Sanchez, who as a COVID-related substitute for Duran was able to be taken off the 40-man roster and returned to Worcester without being exposed to waivers, Bracho was expectedly designated for assignment since he was not directly filling in for a player on the restricted list.

By designating Bracho, the Red Sox created the opening they needed to add Houck back to both the 26-man and 40-man rosters. Boston will now have the next seven days to either trade, release, or waive Bracho, who has posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks in 18 appearances (1 start) spanning 31 1/3 innings of work for the WooSox this season.

That being said, the native Venezuelan has the ability to reject an outright assignment to Worcester if he goes unclaimed since he has accrued more than three years of big-league service time.

All told, the Red Sox’ big-league and 40-man roster is at full capacity heading into this weekend’s series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Alex Verdugo comes through with 2 clutch hits to help Red Sox avoid getting swept by Blue Jays in 6-5 win

The Red Sox nearly blew another late lead against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, but instead held on for a drama-filled, 6-5 win in 10 innings to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of their division rivals.

Nick Pivetta, making his 16th start of the season for Boston, allowed two runs on five hits, three walks, and one hit batsman to go along with five strikeouts over six-plus innings of work.

The Canadian-born right-hander ran into some early trouble when he issued a leadoff walk to Alejandro Kirk to begin things in the bottom of the second. Kirk moved up to second and later scored from there on an RBI single from former Red Sox prospect Santiago Espinal to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

The Sox quickly responded, however, as Franchy Cordero led off the third with a bunt single off Jays starter Alek Manoah. Cordero proceeded to steal second and advance to third on a throwing error before scoring his side’s first run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rob Refsnyder.

Pivetta, meanwhile, kept Toronto off the board in the latter half of the third despite putting himself in a jam. The righty gave up a one-out single to Bo Bichette and plunked Kirk in the elbow with a 94 mph fastball. It was not intentional but the Blue Jays dugout, particularly Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still took exception.

After Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo left his dugout to chat with home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn, Guerrero Jr. took to the field as he was jawing back and forth with Pivetta. While there was no exchange of fists, both benches and bullpens cleared to momentarily delay the game.

Once the dust had settled from that skirmish, Pivetta walked the very next batter he faced to fill the bases. That prompted a mound visit from pitching coach Dave Bush, and it paid dividends as Pivetta fanned Raimel Tapia on four pitches to retire the side.

On the heels of a 1-2-3 fourth inning, Pivetta encountered more leadoff trouble in the fifth when he served up a go-ahead, 413-foot solo shot to George Springer.

Again, though, Toronto’s newfound lead did not last long. With two outs in the sixth, Xander Bogaerts reached base via an infield single. A red-hot Alex Verdugo followed by getting ahead in the count against Manoah at 2-0 and then crushing 95 mph heater 399 feet to right field to put Boston ahead for the first time.

Verdugo’s sixth home run of the season left his bat at 107 mph and gave the Sox a 3-2 lead. Pivetta took that lead into the seventh before issuing a leadoff walk to Cavan Biggio, who proved to be the final Blue Jay he would face.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 109 (72 strikes), Pivetta got eight of his 15 swings-and-misses with his four-seamer, a pitch he threw 56 times and topped out at 95.8 mph with. The 29-year-old did not factor into Wednesday’s decision, though he did lower his ERA on the season to 3.23.

In relief of Pivetta, John Schreiber got the first call out of the Boston bullpen and immediately negated the runner he inherited by getting Springer to ground into a force out at second base. Schreiber then stranded Springer by retiring Bichette and Guerrero Jr. back-to-back.

Still up 3-2 going into the eighth, the Red Sox next turned to Ryan Brasier, who surrendered back-to-back one-out doubles to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tapia. Tapia drove in the pinch-running Bradley Zimmer with his two-base hit to knot things up at three runs apiece.

After Jordan Romano and Matt Strahm each traded zeroes in the ninth, Jackie Bradley Jr. took second base to begin the 10th inning. Matched up against veteran reliever David Phelps now, Refsnyder and Rafael Devers drew back-to-back walks to fill the bases with no outs for J.D. Martinez.

Martinez, in turn, took a 91 mph cutter off the back, which allowed Bradley Jr. to score from third and keep the bases loaded for Bogaerts, who proceeded to ground into a 3-2-3 double play off newly-inserted reliever Tim Mayza.

Faced with the possibility of only scoring one run in the 10th, Verdugo came through with what would prove to be some much-needed insurance as he ripped a two-run double that split the gap in left field and scored both Devers and Martinez easily.

Verdugo’s second clutch hit of the night gave the Red Sox a rather sizable 6-3 lead going into the bottom half of the 10th. Still without unvaccinated closer Tanner Houck, manager Alex Cora rode with Strahm for a second straight inning.

As was the case with Tyler Danish on Tuesday, that decision nearly proved to be a disastrous one for the Red Sox. After quickly getting the first two outs of the 10th, Strahm yielded three straight hits to Matt Chapman, Espinal, and Biggio.

Espinal and Biggio — who doubled — both drove in a run with their hits to cut the Sox’ lead down to one at 6-5. Biggio represented the possible tying run at second base.

Strahm was now tasked with facing a dangerous hitter in Springer. The lefty was likely gassed given his workload, but he held on by getting Springer to pop out to Trevor Story to end the game.

So, on a season-high 41 pitches (30 strikes), Strahm prevented the Red Sox from getting swept while earning his third winning decision of the year.

With the win, Boston improves to 43-33 on the season and leaves Toronto a half-game ahead of the Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card standings.

Next up: Heading to Wrigley

The Red Sox will enjoy an off day on Thursday as they arrive in Chicago ahead of a three-game weekend series against the Cubs. This will mark the Sox’ first trip to Wrigley Field in 10 years.

In Friday afternoon’s series opener, veteran left-hander Rich Hill will get the start for Boston. Chicago has yet to officially name a starter.

Regardless of that, first pitch from the Friendly Confines on Friday is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Alex Verdugo: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Former Red Sox prospect Marcus Wilson makes MLB debut with Mariners

A former Red Sox prospect made his major-league debut on Wednesday afternoon.

Marcus Wilson, who Boston acquired from the Diamondbacks for Blake Swihart in April 2019, had his contract selected by the Mariners ahead of their series finale against the Orioles in Seattle.

The 25-year-old outfielder pinch-hit for Sam Haggerty in the eighth inning and drew a leadoff walk off a tough reliever in Jorge Lopez. He then recorded his first putout in right field on a 309-foot fly ball off the bat of Trey Mancini for the penultimate out of the ninth inning.

Originally selected by the D-backs in the second round of the 2014 amateur draft, Wilson spent parts of three seasons in the Red Sox organization after coming over in that aforementioned Swihart trade. The California native was added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November 2019 in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

While the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson did spend some time at Boston’s alternate training site in Pawtucket that summer. The following spring, he broke camp with Triple-A Worcester.

In addition to clubbing the first home run in Polar Park history, Wilson batted .242/.370/.452 with 10 total homers and 30 RBIs over 64 games (265 plate appearances) with the WooSox. Despite those solid numbers, the right-handed hitter was designated for assignment ahead of last July’s trade deadline.

Three days after losing his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster, Wilson was claimed off waivers by Seattle. He would spend the rest of the 2021 campaign with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate before being designated for assignment again in October.

This time around, however, Wilson cleared waivers and remained in the Mariners organization. He spent part of his spring at big-league camp in Peoria, Ariz and had spent the entirety of the 2022 season with the Tacoma Rainiers leading up to Wednesday’s lineup.

With the Rainiers this season, Wilson has slashed .209/.336/.469 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs over 59 games (238 plate appearances) while seeing playing time at both corner outfield spots.

Because Wilson, who turns 26 in August, has one minor-league option year remaining, the Mariners can shuttle him between Seattle and Tacoma for the rest of the season if they elect to keep him on their 40-man roster moving forward.

(Picture of Marcus Wilson: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Yolmer Sánchez batting eighth and starting at second base in Red Sox debut on Wednesday

Yolmer Sanchez will bat eighth and start at second base in his Red Sox debut against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Sanchez joined the club in Toronto earlier this week and was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Monday to take the place of Jarren Duran, who was placed on the restricted list due to his vaccination status.

This will mark Sanchez’s first big-league action since 2020, and it just so happens to come on his 30th birthday. After spending the first seven years of his major-league career (2014-2020) with the White Sox and all of 2021 with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the native Venezuelan signed a minor-league deal back in February.

Serving as experienced infield depth with Triple-A Worcester, the switch-hitting Sanchez batted a respectable .253/.381/.424 (120 wRC+) with 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, 32 runs scored, four stolen bases, 44 walks, and 60 strikeouts in his first 68 games (265 plate appearances) with the WooSox.

The versatile 5-foot-11, 200 pounder also saw playing time at third base, shortstop, and second base, where he won an American League Gold Glove award while with the White Sox in 2019.

With Sanchez starting at second base in Wednesday’s series finale against the Jays, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has subsequently given Trevor Story the night off. This was the plan all along so that Story could get off his feet for two days since Boston will be enjoying an off day in Chicago on Thursday.

While Sanchez — who is out of minor-league options — is likely to be taken off Boston’s major-league roster following Wednesday’s contest at Rogers Centre, the Sox will not have to expose the veteran infielder to waivers since he is filling in for Duran as a COVID-related substitute.

In other words, when the Red Sox arrive in Chicago on Thursday ahead of their series against the Cubs, they will presumably activate Duran from the restricted list and return Sanchez to Worcester.

That said, Sanchez — donning the No. 47 — will become the 20th different position player to appear in a game for the Sox this season as they look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays on Wednesday. First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Yolmer Sanchez: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Latest ESPN mock draft has Red Sox taking LSU’s Cade Doughty with second-round pick

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)