Red Sox make 8 picks on Day 2 of 2024 MLB Draft

The Red Sox began the on-field portion of their All-Star break on Monday, but the front office was still busy. They made eight picks in the middle rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft, after drafting outfielder Braden Montgomery and pitcher Payton Tolle in the first two rounds on Sunday night.

Of the Red Sox eight picks on Day 2, they took five pitchers, two outfielders, and a catcher. Seven of their eight picks came from the college level, bringing the total to nine of 10 in this draft.

Day 2 started off with the Red Sox drafting Brandon Neely, a right-handed pitcher from Florida 86th overall. As a junior last year Neely appeared in28 games, making six starts. He went 3-4 with a 5.13 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 79 innings. MLB.com had Neely ranked as the 193rd prospect in the draft.

In the fourth round the Red Sox added another outfielder, taking Zach Ehrhard 115th overall. Ehrhard also just wrapped up his junior season, and hit .331 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs in 61 games. He was a three-year starter for the Cowboys, and also played for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer.

The Red Sox continued taking college prospects over their next few picks. They took JUCO-level lefty Brandon Clarke (a South Carolina commit) in the fifth round, Kennesaw St. righty Blake Aita in the sixth round, and then South Alabama outfielder Will Turner in the seventh.

It wasn't until the eighth round that the Red Sox drafted their first high school prospect, taking right handed pitcher and shortstop Conrad Cason out of Greater Atlanta Christian High School. Cason was ranked as the 102nd player in the draft by MLB.com, and is committed to play at Mississippi State next year.

With their final two picks of the day the Red Sox went back to the college ranks. They took Arkansas catcher Hudson White in the ninth round, and then lefty pitcher Devin Futrell from Vanderbilt in the 10th.

The Red Sox will be back on the clock tomorrow, with 10 more picks on the third and final day of the 2024 MLB Draft. Their first pick is in the 11th round, 327th overall.

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The Boston Red Sox started off their 2024 draft class on Sunday night with the 12th overall pick. They used it to make Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery their top selection.

Montgomery, 21, was an All-SEC player for the Aggies last year. In 61 games he slashed .322/.454/.733 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs. He also displayed a powerful arm in right field.

This marks the first time the Red Sox have taken an outfielder with their top pick since 2015, when they drafted Andrew Benintendi seventh overall out of Arkansas. It's also the second year in a row they've taken a college player in the first round (they took catcher Kyle Teel out of Virginia last year) after having not done so since Tanner Houck (Missouri) in 2017.

Going into the draft many experts had Montgomery ranked as a top 10 prospect. So why did he fall to the Red Sox, and what kind of player are they getting? Here's what the MLB Draft experts were saying about Montgomery leading up to and shortly after the draft.

"Teams were split on whether Montgomery had a brighter future as a hitter or pitcher when he was a Mississippi high schooler in 2021, but that decision was put on hold when he went undrafted because of his Stanford commitment. After he hit 35 homers and battled the strike zone in two years with the Cardinal, it's now obvious that he'll be an outfielder when he turns pro. He launched 27 homers this spring after transferring to Texas A&M for his junior season and will become the highest-drafted position player in Aggies history, surpassing Tyler Naquin (No. 15 overall in 2012), despite breaking his right ankle in the Super Regionals.

Montgomery had more of a hit-over-power profile in high school but that has reversed in college. A switch-hitter with strength and a quick, aggressive stroke from both sides of the plate, he does more damage as a lefty hitter and his plus power plays to all parts of the ballpark. He has improved his plate discipline and his ability to handle breaking balls during the last two seasons, but he still swings and misses at pitches in the zone a bit too often and will chase non-fastballs.

With average speed and plus-plus arm strength, Montgomery fits best in right field. As a pitcher, he can reach 96 mph with his fastball and miss some bats with his low-80s slider and mid-80s changeup. His lack of control and command limit his effectiveness, however, and he has a much higher ceiling and floor as an outfielder."

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"Montgomery was a highly-rated two-way player coming out of Madison Central High School in Madison, Miss. His prospect status moved forward significantly at the plate at Stanford University, where he spent his first two college seasons. He transferred to Texas A&M for his junior season where his bat found another level. He hit .322/.454/.733 with 27 home runs in 61 games with the Aggies. His season ended with a gruesome broken ankle suffered during the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament, but it was a clean break that doctors do not believe will have any lingering effects.

Standing 6-foot-2, 220 pounds and featuring the outstanding arm one would expect from a former two-way player, Montgomery profiles as a prototypical right fielder. A switch-hitter in college who has been much more effective from the left-handed batter's box, Montgomery confirmed in media availability following his selection that he intends to keep switch-hitting for now. He has also shown wooden bat success, hitting .292/.379/.487 during two summers with Yarmouth-Dennis of the Cape Cod League. Both Baseball America and MLB.com noted that he has improved his contact numbers throughout college and will need to continue to improve against secondaries as he climbs the ladder."

Source

"Who is Montgomery? After starring for two years at Stanford, Montgomery landed at A&M for his draft season and hit .322/.454/.733 with 27 home runs. The Aggies reached the College World Series, losing in the championship to Tennessee, although Montgomery injured his leg in the super regional win over Oregon and missed the CWS. He's a switch-hitter with a big arm (he pitched a little in college) and plus-plus raw power, although he's probably limited to right field. He's improved his approach and swing, although he profiles as power over hit.

"Why the Red Sox took him here: As a consensus top-10 player on most draft boards, the Red Sox simply couldn't pass up on Montgomery's 70-grade power and 80-grade arm. He'll have to make enough contact as a pro and he's recovering from that broken ankle, but with a nice group of young players in the majors -- plus some highly-rated prospects in their farm system -- the Red Sox could be developing an impressive lineup of position players to build into a consistent winner."

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"Montgomery transferred from Stanford to College Station this year and is off to a big start for the Aggies, showing off his bat speed and plus raw power along with one of the best outfield arms in the class. He’s been a two-way player before but he’s nowhere near the same kind of prospect on the mound, where he has arm strength but neither command nor feel. He hit very well in the Cape Cod League but has shown some propensity to swing and miss, with a real vulnerability to changeups. He’s riskier than the hitters above him but has more upside."

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"A broken ankle could cloud the outlook for Montgomery heading into the MLB draft. He dropped pitching when he transferred from Stanford to Texas A&M and the results stood out as he went from 17 homers in 2023 to 27 in 2024 with a 1.187 OPS. The switch-hitting Montgomery has power from both sides and has improved his discipline. He has decent range for a corner outfielder and a cannon for an arm that carries over from his pitching days of throwing in the mid-90s on the mound. The medicals could wind up determining whether he sticks as a top-10 player or falls just outside."

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Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.