2021 MLB draft

[mvp 78]

Not Red Sox related, but the NE area is killing it this year.

 

@alexspeier

Boston College gets its third draftee: 6th rounder Emmet Sheehan, a righty who was the team's best pitcher this year.

[mvp 78]

@BillKoch25

The numbers beyond his 5.23 ERA in 2021 suggest Wyatt Olds has some serious raw stuff -- 101 K in just 75 2/3 innings.

 

Command appears to be an issue -- 37 BB, 12 WP, 13 HBP. Also allowed 12 HR. #RedSox

 

7th rounder...

[harmony]

@SoxProspects

With the 166th pick of the 2021 draft, the Boston Red Sox have selected utility player Daniel McElveny out of Bonita Vista High School.

Daniel McElveny is the second high school shortstop the Red Sox drafted this year out of Chula Vista, California.

 

Bonita Vista High school is located less than three miles from Eastlake High School, which produced Marcelo Mayer, the fourth pick overall.

[Thunder]

Somebody I played with and against in HS just got drafted by the Padres.

[a700hitter]

I was hoping for Rocker. Maybe Mayer will be great, but I doubt that we will see him in a Red Sox lineup before 2025.

[Hugh2]

Just saw some scouting video on Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. I can’t tell why this kid wasn’t regarded much higher, he has the frame and delivery that really makes you dream.

 

He’s a young pitcher though, so it’s a high risk.

[moonslav59]

All 10 Rounds

 

1. M Mayer SS

2. Jud Fabian OF

3. Tyler McDonough OF

4. Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz P

5. Nathan Hickey C

6. Daniel McElveny Utility

7. Wyatt Olds P

8. Hunter Dobbins P

9. Tyler Miller 3B

10. Matt Litwicki P

 

Bleacher Reports gives the Sox an A- grade

 

 

[moonslav59]

Boston.com

 

Round 2 (40): Jud Fabian, OF, Florida

 

An immensely gifted player with loud tools whose stock fell in 2021 based on his performance.

 

Fabian entered the year in the conversation as a potential candidate to land in the upper half of the first round. He has immense power, speed, and big league-caliber defense in center – a rare combination. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he hit .294/.407/.603 with five homers in 17 games.

 

But he struggled in 2021, especially early. Fabian hit .249/.364/.560 with 20 homers and a lot of walks, but his 29 percent strikeout rate raised significant concerns about his future offensive profile. That said, he seemed to settle in as the season progressed, including a 23-game on-base streak from April to mid-May in which Fabian hit .304/.441/.759 while slashing his strikeout rate.

 

Fabian thus comes to the Sox as a college performer with upside but swing-and-miss issues that raise questions about his floor – not unlike 2016 fourth-rounder Bobby Dalbec.

 

Round 3 (75): Tyler McDonough, 2B, NC State

 

McDonough played mostly center in college but was announced as a second baseman.

 

A 2018 graduate of Moehller (Ohio) High School — the same program that produced Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin — McDonough was a consistently solid college performer. In 2021, he hit .339/.423/.631 with 15 homers and 37 extra-base hits in 55 games.

 

He showed an uptick in power this year though his strikeout rate elevated to 18 percent, up from 13 percent in his first two college seasons. Even so, the 5-foot-10 switch-hitter has been a solid performer and key contributor at a good college program, suggesting a strong likelihood of reaching the big leagues in at least some capacity.

 

Round 4 (105): Elmer Rodriguez, RHP, Leadership Christian Academy (PR)

 

At a Perfect Game event, he was up to 94 mph. His size (6-foot-4 but just 165 pounds) suggests projectable stuff as he adds size/strength.

 

Round 5 (136): Nathan Hickey, C, Florida

 

The Red Sox turned back to Florida for this selection. The lefthanded hitter posted a .317/.435/.522 line with nine homers and more walks (42) than strikeouts (40) this season. He finished the year with a tremendous performance in the SEC Tournament, hitting .429 and slugging .643. In addition to catching, he also played first and third at Florida.

 

Round 6 (166): Daniel McElveny, utility fielder, Bonita Vista HS

 

The Red Sox scouts who made dozens of hours-long drives to Chula Vista, Calif., to see first rounder Marcelo Mayer clearly made the most of their time. In the sixth round, the team selected another high school player from Chula Vista, Daniel McElveny from Bonita High School (down the road from where Mayer played for Eastlake High School). As a senior, McElveny hit .435/.580/.764 with five homers in 29 games. He has a commitment to play at San Diego State.

 

The Sox viewed him as a strong hitter with some power potential. He played both infield and outfield well enough in high school to suggest a range of positional possibilities moving forward.

 

Round 7 (196): Wyatt Olds, RHP, Oklahoma

 

Olds moved from the Sooners rotation into their bullpen. Olds has power stuff — a fastball that reaches the mid-90s and a slider in the mid-80s — that generated a ton of swings and misses in college, though he was hit hard at times. The 6-foot-tall righty, went 4-6 with a 5.23 ERA while striking out 101 batters (12.0 per nine innings) and walking 37 (4.4 per nine innings) in 75 2/3 innings in 2021.

 

Round 8 (226): Hunter Dobbins, RHP, Texas Tech

 

Dobbins missed the 2021 season after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament and requiring Tommy John surgery in his spring buildup.

 

Dobbins threw well in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, allowing three runs in 20 innings (1.35 ERA) while striking out 25 and walking five. According to this profile, the Indianapolis native was topping out at 98 mph this spring before suffering his season-ending injury.

 

Round 9 (256): Tyler Miller, 3B, Auburn

 

The Red Sox added to their day-two haul of SEC position players. In 2021, Miller hit .313/.354/.601 with 16 homers, which led the team. His low walk rate suggests questions about his approach, but there’s real power in his lefthanded swing. He played and started 51 games as a junior, including 48 at first base for the Tigers this season. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 23rd round in 2018.

 

Round 10 (286) Matt Litwicki, RHP, Indiana

 

Litwicki has spent four years at Indiana, but has barely pitched in that time. He missed the 2018 season with Tommy John surgery, returned for 9 1/3 innings as a medical redshirt freshman in 2019, recorded 10 innings before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, and was on the mound for 12 innings in 2021. Yet those 10 innings were fascinating, as Litwicki showed career-best, high-90s velocity with 17 strikeouts and two walks.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Fabien was a great pick--it can be so difficult to find quality centerfielders and it sounds like his defense is really good. He will need to improve the hit tool somewhat, but if he accomplishes that he could have a long and successful major league career.

 

Hypothetical: let's say the Tigers take Mayer, who do the Red Sox take at 4? I wonder what the answer is. We can only speculate, but there are people in the Red Sox front office who know. I wish they would tell us, but organizations rarely speak on such things.

 

Was the Jack Leiter story total ********? The story that said Jack, Al, and the agent were trying to get Leiter to fall to the Red Sox? I'm starting to think the entire story was made-up media ********. Leiter looked pretty happy after being selected by the Rangers and he celebrated at home with friends and family if you check out his twitter page.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

I thought the Pirates did a nice job in this draft, not only did they fill their biggest farm system need by taking Davis, but they drafted some stud prospects beyond the first round.

https://triblive.com/sports/pirates-take-left-handed-prep-pitcher-anthony-solometo-with-first-pick-of-2nd-round/

 

It'll be interesting to see if the Pirates do something similar in next year's draft or not. At this point, the Pirates are slated to have the third pick in next year's draft.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Fan_since_Boggs

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Round 8 (226): Hunter Dobbins, RHP, Texas Tech

 

Dobbins missed the 2021 season after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament and requiring Tommy John surgery in his spring buildup.

 

Dobbins threw well in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, allowing three runs in 20 innings (1.35 ERA) while striking out 25 and walking five. According to this profile, the Indianapolis native was topping out at 98 mph this spring before suffering his season-ending injury.

 

Round 10 (286) Matt Litwicki, RHP, Indiana

 

Litwicki has spent four years at Indiana, but has barely pitched in that time. He missed the 2018 season with Tommy John surgery, returned for 9 1/3 innings as a medical redshirt freshman in 2019, recorded 10 innings before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, and was on the mound for 12 innings in 2021. Yet those 10 innings were fascinating, as Litwicki showed career-best, high-90s velocity with 17 strikeouts and two walks.

 

Two intriguing selections.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

I love the fact that Mayer hits lefthanded and has arguably the best hit tool of anyone in the draft. The Red Sox can groom him early on to hit the ball the other way and when Mayer eventually gets to Boston, he will pepper the Green Monster with doubles, kind of like how my man Wade Boggs used to.

 

Lefthanded batters and the Green Monster--it doesn't get any better than that.

[Hugh2]

It will be interesting to see what the Sox do today. Every slot moving forward is $125,000 which means the biggest bonus the Sox can pay anyone here is that number, anything over goes towards their draft cap. So if they take a high school kid and have to throw him 425k to convince him not to go to college $400,000 of that will go towards their bonus pool.

 

With drafts reduced down to 20 picks I think teams are less likely to draft guys who are NOT going to sign, so who they take today could be very telling to what type of bonus demands Mayer and Fabian are going to command. I'm sure they're saving some money with their day two picks, and they will spend their 5% overage but if they aren't taking all guys who look like they will sign for slot then I'll take that as a sign that Mayer and Fabian are getting paid.

 

I think Mayer gets somewhere in the 6.9-8 million range and Fabian gets somewhere around 2.5 million.

[jacksonianmarch]

Surprised they only gave the Sox an A-. The Mayer pick wins the draft for them. Snagging a boom or bust player like Fabian in the second kills it, even if he doesn’t make enough contact going forward. McDonough sounds like a solid add with a really high floor. Two HSers thereafter who’ve got promise. The catcher from Florida isn’t gonna be a catcher long term but he can take. The other pitchers are wings and prayers with stuff over production. Bloom crushed this draft. He got some high floors, some high ceilings and a good mix to add to the Sox system desperately in need of depth

[moonslav59]

Fabian reduced his K rate a lot after starting the season K’ing all the time.

 

Apparently, the high K rate dropped way down.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I was hoping for Rocker. Maybe Mayer will be great, but I doubt that we will see him in a Red Sox lineup before 2025.

 

All-around talents projected #1 often move up quickly once they go pro. Recent first round shortstops like Swanson, Correa and Seager (Mayer's comp, according to one scout) only played two full years in the minors apiece...

[mvp 78]

Surprised they only gave the Sox an A-. The Mayer pick wins the draft for them. Snagging a boom or bust player like Fabian in the second kills it, even if he doesn’t make enough contact going forward. McDonough sounds like a solid add with a really high floor. Two HSers thereafter who’ve got promise. The catcher from Florida isn’t gonna be a catcher long term but he can take. The other pitchers are wings and prayers with stuff over production. Bloom crushed this draft. He got some high floors, some high ceilings and a good mix to add to the Sox system desperately in need of depth

 

This feels like the best draft the Sox have had in a while. I remember people liking the 2018 draft with Casas/Decker/Feltman going 1-2-3. Looks like Ward at 5 and Duran at 7 were good picks too. Nick Northcutt hasn't worked out so far.

[mvp 78]

Fabian reduced his K rate a lot after starting the season K’ing all the time.

 

Apparently, the high K rate dropped way down.

 

It was in the 40's for the first month and a half. It went down to like 25% in April. Then it went back up to the 30's in May/June.

[moonslav59]

It was in the 40's for the first month and a half. It went down to like 25% in April. Then it went back up to the 30's in May/June.

 

If the 29% final number is correct this math does not add up.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I read one Fabian comp sure to polarize posters: JBJ. I didn't follow Bradley in college, but don't think he was a home run hitter like Fabian.

 

This past Spring I did watch some video of Jud making spectacular plays in centerfield (which kept him on my wish-list); those skills alone already separate Fabian from all-or-nothing swingers like Dalbec and Chavis, who are missing above-average glove tools.

[mvp 78]

If the 29% final number is correct this math does not add up.

 

His gamelog had AB's not PA's. I redid the math and came out with 36% Feb/March, 21% April, 28% May/June. It totaled 29.47% for the year.

[mvp 78]

I read one Fabian comp sure to polarize posters: JBJ. I didn't follow Bradley in college, but don't think he was a home run hitter like Fabian.

 

This past Spring I did watch some video of Jud making spectacular plays in centerfield (which kept him on my wish-list); those skills alone already separate Fabian from all-or-nothing swingers like Dalbec and Chavis, who are missing above-average glove tools.

 

I'm fine with that.

[moonslav59]

His gamelog had AB's not PA's. I redid the math and came out with 36% Feb/March, 21% April, 28% May/June. It totaled 29.47% for the year.

 

Still, worrisome, but with all his other skills, the K rate may not matter much.

[mvp 78]

Still, worrisome, but with all his other skills, the K rate may not matter much.

 

He's a guy that will k 5 times one game and then hit 2 bombs the next. He's just a CF Dalbec. Maybe he can figure it out? It's worth the risk IMO.

[Hugh2]

He's a guy that will k 5 times one game and then hit 2 bombs the next. He's just a CF Dalbec. Maybe he can figure it out? It's worth the risk IMO.

 

A good projection for him is Dalbec at the plate, but the plus defense in CF and speed on the bases give him a much higher floor. If he figures it out at the plate, he has a chance at being more.

 

Worth the risk for a 2nd round pick.

[mvp 78]

A good projection for him is Dalbec at the plate, but the plus defense in CF and speed on the bases give him a much higher floor. If he figures it out at the plate, he has a chance at being more.

 

Worth the risk for a 2nd round pick.

 

If Dalbec played JBJ defense in CF, I don't think we'd be running him out of town.

[moonslav59]

He's a guy that will k 5 times one game and then hit 2 bombs the next. He's just a CF Dalbec. Maybe he can figure it out? It's worth the risk IMO.

 

One thing he is known for that Dalbec is not is tremendous defensive skills and history.

 

That makes him more like JBJ than Dalbec, although JBJ was not really a 30%+ K guy. (I think he was 25%.)

[mvp 78]

One thing he is known for that Dalbec is not is tremendous defensive skills and history.

 

That makes him more like JBJ than Dalbec, although JBJ was not really a 30%+ K guy. (I think he was 25%.)

 

Yes, I've mentioned elsewhere that his defense is fine. He's Dalbec in CF with a decent glove.

[mvp 78]

JBJ currently has a 30% k rate for the year.

[moonslav59]

JBJ currently has a 30% k rate for the year.

 

Where did all the "bring back JBJ" fans go?