Red Sox MLB Draft preview: Will Craig Breslow take a pitcher or at bat with 12th pick?
BOSTON -- When the MLB Draft gets underway on Sunday, Craig Breslow will be on the clock for the first time as Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox. Will he do something the Red Sox haven't done in seven years?
The Red Sox have the 12th overall pick after going 78-84 last season, giving Breslow a chance to add to Boston's budding farm system. A former pitcher himself, there's a good chance Breslow could look to add a promising young arm to the franchise's prospect pool.
The Red Sox haven't drafted a pitcher in the first round since 2017, when Dave Dombrowski took Tanner Houck out of the University of Missouri. That's worked out pretty well for Boston as Houck has developed into the team's ace this season, but drafting pitchers in the first round is extremely, shall we say, hit or miss.
One year before taking Houck, Boston drafted high school southpaw Jay Groome at 12th overall. He is now a member of the Padres (send to San Diego in the Eric Hosmer trade in 2022) and has yet to throw a pitch in the big leagues.
There's also the fact that the best arms will likely be off the board after 11 teams make a pick, so Breslow may have no choice but to go with a position player. CBS News Boston's Joe Weil recently caught up with ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel for his thoughts on Boston's approach in the upcoming draft, and he believes the Sox will likely have to settle for a position player.
McDaniel highlighted lefty Hagen Smith out of Arkansas and Wake Forest righty Chase Burns as the two best pitchers in the draft. Unfortunately, that means they probably won't be around when it's Breslow's turn to submit a pick.
"There are two pitchers at the top of the draft that are potential front-line pitcher. With pitchers you never know, but they show the signs of being that," he said. "I don't think either one of them gets by pick 7, so they're not really in play."
Right-hander Trey Yesavage is another arm to watch, and McDaniel believes he could be in play for Boston, potentially going anywhere from pick 8-15.
"He's above average at a lot of things but not necessarily a plus at anything," McDaniel said of Yesavage, who went 19-2 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.034 WHIP over his three seasons at East Carolina.
But if you want the Red Sox to draft a pitcher, chances are you'll be disappointed after the team makes its pick.
"Almost every other player they're considering is going to be a position player. Based on the strength of this draft, mostly college position players," said McDaniel. "There is basically a very clear top tier of players, a top 10. So with the Red Sox picking at 12, they're looking to see if one of those 10 drops out of the top 12, either because teams at 9-10 don't see it as a clear group of 10 and one guy slides on merit. Maybe someone has bonus demands at that point that the Red Sox are more interested in than the teams picking 9-10."
Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore has been flying up draft boards after a stellar season for the Volunteers, leading college ball with 111 hits and ranking third with 34 homers in 2023. McDaniel thinks he could be Boston's pick at 12 -- if he's available.
"I think he has risen from the comp round/second round to picks 8-15 based on how strong he finished the season and how well he played," he said of Moore. "He's the hot name there, but there is a group of four to five guys that have the possibility of being that pick."
