'Most Surprising Pick': What MLB Experts Are Saying About Red Sox Drafting Nick Yorke
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Chaim Bloom era is underway in Boston. The Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer turned some heads Wednesday night, drafting high school second baseman Nick Yorke with the 17th overall selection.
High school second basemen don't usually get drafted in the first round, with Yorke the first to be selected in the first 30 picks since 2009. Overall, he's just the fifth high school second baseman to be selected in the first round -- ever.
Given the state of Boston's farm system, the Yorke pick was met with some rather colorful criticism on Twitter. Most of the reactions aren't suitable for this website, so you'll have to go dig those up on your own.
The so-called experts were just as stunned with the pick, though they were a bit more professional in their analysis. Here is what the folks around MLB think of Boston's selection of Yorke:
So the Red Sox … did something. Nick Yorke wasn't on my top 100 prospects for the draft, and he wasn't close to it. He wasn't on MLB Pipeline's either, if you want a second opinion. Yorke is a high school second baseman, and the only reason I didn't write in "The Inside Game" that spending high picks on high school second basemen is a bad idea is that nobody spends high picks on high school second basemen because it's a bad idea. Yorke has a good swing, geared more for average than power, and he doesn't have the range or arm for shortstop.
The Red Sox don't have a second-round pick due to their sign-stealing shenanigans, so this looks like an underslot selection so the Red Sox can pour more money into some later picks and perhaps get a steal in the third or fourth round. The Red Sox announced Yorke as a second baseman, which hints to his lack of range at shortstop and why he wasn't higher on the pre-draft rankings. Red Sox fans probably have some consternation about this pick, but one scout texted ESPN's Jeff Passan that Yorke was the best prep hitter on the West Coast. In today's game, teams covet an offense-minded second baseman and Yorke might fit that bill in the future.
This might be the most surprising first-round pick since the Cubs took Hayden Simpson 16th overall 10 years ago. It's even more of a shock considering that the Red Sox don't have a second-rounder after losing it as punishment for illegal sign-stealing. Yorke has a sweet right-handed swing and is one of the best pure prep hitters on the West Coast, but MLB Pipeline ranked him No. 139 on its Top 200 Draft Prospects list. He has had shoulder surgery in the past, so he may wind up at second base.
This is simply a case of a team liking a player more than the public rankings. "This was an unusual spring ... We love this kid's bat. We think he has a chance to be a special bat. We feel if the spring had gotten a chance to play out the public perception of him would be a lot different," chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said on a conference call following the pick.
While the pick felt like it came out of nowhere, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom thought he brought in a first-round talent, per Boston.com's Jenna Ciccotelli: "We feel that if the spring had gotten to play out the way that it would in a normal year, the public perception of him would have been a lot different."
Lack of playing time was a larger concern for high school prospects since their senior seasons could have been important for their development and draft stock. College players also lost a season, but teams had bigger scouting databases to work off when evaluating those prospects.
Instead of playing it safe with UCLA outfielder Garrett Mitchell or college pitchers Bryce Jarvis and Cade Cavalli, the Red Sox took a risk on a player not expected to be chosen until Thursday.
Joel Rueter of Bleacher Report gave the Red Sox a D- for the selection. Ouch.
Boston was well aware that the pick would draw plenty of surprised reactions. But without a second round pick, they were not confident that Yorke would still be available when they picked again at pick 89 in the third round and they were extremely confident in his bat, no matter what the public perception may be.
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There are plenty of scouts who view Yorke as a plus hitter and he has some power potential, but there are questions about where he fits defensively. Red Sox scouting director Paul Toboni said that he most likely will end up as an offensive second baseman.
WBZ-TV's Dan Roche appears to be a fan of the selection:
#RedSox Amateur Scouting Director Paul Toboni compared 1st rd pick @nickyorke2 to Kevin Youkilis. He talks with some Dustin Pedroia in him.
— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) June 11, 2020
I can't wait to watch this kid silence his critics.????⚾️@wbz https://t.co/wHEzECyj08
Really, it's going to take a few years to see how this one pans out, but the experts aren't really a fan of the pick. Boston likes Yorke's bat and love his approach and attitude, but many question if any of that will translate to the big leagues. Bloom made a career of finding diamonds in the rough as he built up the Tampa Bay Rays farm system over the previous nine years, and it is pretty clear he's taking the same approach now that he's running the Red Sox.