The Red Sox continue to find steals in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft. After snagging the consensus top pick, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, with the fourth overall pick in the first round, Boston selected Florida Gators outfielder Jud Fabian with the 40th overall pick.
The 20-year-old Fabian is listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, and bats right-handed but throws with his left. Fabian was tabbed as the No. 23 prospect by MLB.com, but slipped into the second round.
This year’s rookie signing deadline is Aug. 1, so the Red Sox and Fabian will have until then to finalize a contract. The slot value for his pick is $1,856,700.
With the 40th pick, the @RedSox select @GatorsBB outfielder Jud Fabian, No. 23 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) July 12, 2021
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“The left-handed-throwing, right-handed-hitting Fabian has solid tools across the board,” reads the MLB.com scouting report. “There’s been some swing-and-miss in his game in the past, but he started having better at-bats more consistently last year and over the summer with bat speed that reminded some of Mookie Betts, his strikeout rate spiked early in 2021. The power was still showing up, but he struggled with adjusting to breaking stuff.”
Fabian played in 59 games this past season, hitting .249 with 20 home runs and 46 RBIs. The major worry with him is his strikeouts. Fabian went from 45 his freshman season, to 18 in an abbreviated sophomore campaign, to a collegiate career high 79 this past year.
“Fabian still has the chance to be an up-the-middle impact bat, but a team taking him in the top couple of rounds will have to believe he’ll make enough contact at the next level to get to that power.”
In the field, Fabian rarely misses. The Ocala, Fla. native registered only four errors last season and posted an impressive .971 fielding percentage.
“While Fabian isn’t a burner, he does have above-average speed. That, combined with his ability to get good reads off the bat and run good routes, should allow him to stay in center field long-term.”
The MLB Draft continues on Monday with Rounds 2-10. Boston still holds the 75th, 105th, 136th, 166th, 196th, 226th, 256th and 286th selections.
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