David Ortiz's son, lots of pitchers make up 2024 Red Sox draft class
BOSTON -- Over the three days of the 2024 MLB Draft, it looked like the Boston Red Sox had placed a premium on college pitchers. By the time the draft came to an end Tuesday evening, Craig Breslow and crew had used 13 of their 20 selections on pitchers, plus another two-way player.
The 13 full-time pitchers drafted by the Red Sox came from the college level, which should help boost the pitching depth in the Boston farm system. That approach, however, was not some grand plan by the Boston front office, according to Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson.
"It was kind of where the board fell," Pearson said Tuesday at the conclusion of the draft. "It wasn't a clear, 'We need to draft college pitchers.' It just kind of felt that way."
After using their second-round pick on TCU lefty Payton Tolle on Sunday night, the Red Sox drafted six pitchers on Monday and seven more on Tuesday. Tolle and third-round pick Neely -- a righty out of Florida -- have some real potential, as do a few of Boston's later picks.
It wasn't all pitchers for the Red Sox; just mostly pitchers. The team drafted nine righties and four lefties to add to its collection of young arms, along with four outfielders, one catcher, one third baseman (who happens to be the son of one of the most important players in Red Sox history), and a two-way player. Of the 20 players drafted by Boston, only two came from the high school level.
Here's a look at the 2024 Boston Red Sox draft class:
Round 1: Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M
The 21-year-old is seen by many as the steal of the draft, falling to Boston at No. 12 because of a broken ankle he suffered during the College World Series. But Montgomery doesn't expect the injury to be a long-term issue, and he could be crushing baseballs in the majors in the very near future.
A switch-hitting corner outfielder, Montgomery slashed .322/.454/.733 with 27 homers and 85 RBI for the Aggies last season.
Round 2: Payton Tolle, LHP, Texas Christian University
The 6-foot-6 southpaw was 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA for TCU last season. He was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after he fanned 125 batters over 81.1 innings and issued just 37 walks. The 21-year-old is projected as a reliever when he makes it to the majors.
Round 3: Brandon Neely, RHP, University of Florida
Though he mostly closed games for the Gators, Neely is seen as a potential starter as a pro. He had a strong 2023 season, as he notched 13 saves with a 3.58 ERA and 72 strikeouts over 55.1 innings, but struggled to a 5.13 ERA in 2024.
The 21-year-old has a fastball that averages 96-97 mph, and averaged 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings at Florida.
Round 4: Zach Ehrhard, OF, Oklahoma State University
A 21-year-old righty who primarily played centerfield for the Cowboys, Ehrhard slashed .331/.458/.627 with 14 homers and 25 doubles over 61 games as a junior in 2024. He possess a great eye at the plate, as he drew 54 walks to just 36 strikeouts last season. He also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer, where he hit .297 over 35 games for Hyannis.
The Red Sox initially drafted Ehrhard in the 13th round of the 2021 draft, but he opted to play for Oklahoma State.
Round 5: Brandon Clarke, LHP, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota
One of the top arms in the junior college level, Clarke went 6-2 with a 4.73 ERA and 1.41 WHIP for the Manatees in 2024. His fastball can hit 97 mph and he struck out 113 batters over 78 innings last season.
Round 6: Blake Aita, RHP, Kennesaw State University
A reliever as a freshman in 2023, Aita made his way to the rotation last season and was 7-4 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.219 WHIP over 16 starts. He fanned 84 batters over 85.1 innings last season, and had 122 punchouts over his two years in college ball.
The 21-year-old righty also pitched for Yarmouth-Dennis of the Cape Cod League in 2023, sporting a 3.32 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 19 innings.
Round 7: Will Turner, OF, University of South Alabama
Turner's average dropped to just .218 in his junior year at South Alabama, but he was on fire at the plate in 2023 when he slashed .349/.460/.591 as a sophomore with nine homers, 17 doubles, and four triples.
Round 8: Conrad Cason, 2-way, Greater Atlanta Christian High School
Cason was the first player drafted by Boston from the high school level this year, and is set to hit and pitch for Mississippi State. He is one of the youngest players in the draft, having just turned 17 a few months ago.
A righty, Cason was the Georgia Gatorade high school player of the year after going 7-1 on the mound with a 0.48 ERA and 99 strikeouts over 43.2 innings as a senior. He's also a strong-armed shortstop and hit .364 with three homers, 28 RBI, and 16 stolen bases.
Round 9: Hudson White, C, University of Arkansas
White slashed .297/.397/.550 with 11 homers and 49 RBI for the Razorbacks last season, after the backstop spent his first two college seasons at Texas Tech. The backstop hit .282 for his college career, and clubbed 25 homers and 33 doubles between the two schools.
White also got a taste of the Cape League last summer, when he hit .161 over 25 games for Chatham.
Round 10: Devin Futrell, LHP, Vanderbilt University
Futrell was solid through his three seasons at Vanderbilt, with a 3.92 career ERA over 38 starts and 42 appearances. He struck out 180 in his 195.1 innings of work and has incredible control, as he walked just 43 batters in college. Futrell issued just 10 free passes in his 48.1 innings in 2024.
Round 11: Steven Brooks, RHP, California Polytechnic State University
The Sox got a tall righty in the 6-foot-6 Brooks, who had some solid control at the college level with just 54 walks over 178.2 innings. But he struggled to keep opponents from scoring and finished his college career with a 5.79 ERA.
Round 12: Brady Tygart, RHP, University of Arkansas
Tygart was primarily a starter at Arkansas over the last two seasons and was projected to be a Day 2 pick before a shoulder injury dropped his draft stock. He went 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA with 69 strikeouts over 59.1 innings last season, and had a 3.75 ERA and 1.259 WHIP over his three years with the Razorbacks.
Round 13: Shea Sprague, LHP, University of North Carolina
A Hanover native and alum of BC High, Sprague is coming home after going 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA for UNC last season. The lefty started his college career with two seasons at Elon, where he went 13-6 with a 2.37 ERA over 25 starts and 34 total appearances.
Round 14: Alex Bouchard, RHP, Lehigh University
The 20-year-old Bouchard is coming off Tommy John surgery, after he went 8-3 with a 4.52 ERA over 14 starts (26 appearances overall) in his three seasons split between Dickinson and Lehigh.
Round 15: Joey Gartrell, RHP, University of Portland
Gartrell was a starter the last two seasons for Portland, and fanned 130 hitters over 141.2 innings. He leaves college with a 4.96 ERA, and was limited to just four starts in 2024 after he suffered a UCL injury in the spring.
Round 16: Griffin Kilander, RHP, Wayne State University
The righty worked his way into the Wayne State rotation over the last three years and went 6-3 with a 4.00 ERA and 81 strikeouts over his 12 starts as a junior in 2024. The 6-foot-5 Kilander threw five complete games for Wayne State last season, including a shutout where he fanned 14 against Purdue Northwest last March.
Round 17: Yan Cruz, OF, Academia Presbiteriana High School (Puerto Rico)
The second high schooler drafted by the Red Sox, Cruz is committed to Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida.
Round 18: Cole Tolbert, RHP, University of Mississippi
The 6-foot-4 righty spent the last two years at Ole Miss after a year at Pearl River Community College. He made 16 appearances out of the bullpen for the Rebels, but allowed 11 earned runs over 18 innings for a 7.50 ERA.
Round 19: D'Angelo Ortiz, 3B, Miami Dade College-Kendall
Welcome to Boston, Little Papi. The Red Sox used their 19th-round pick on D'Angelo Ortiz, the son of Hall of Famer David Ortiz. The younger Ortiz was born in July of 2004, a few months before his father would help the Red Sox win the franchise's first World Series title in 86 years.
This Ortiz is a righty, and slashed .328/.431/.374 as a freshman last year. He's spent a few of his previous summers playing for the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate League, where he's hit .325 with five doubles and 42 RBI over 54 games.
Round 20: Ben Hansen, RHP, Brigham Young University
With their final pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Red Sox added another pitcher in Hansen. The righty started 24 of his 30 games at BYU but struggled to keep opponents off the board (sporting a 6.66 ERA) and in the ballpark (surrendering 20 home runs).