Along with the All-Star festivities in Major League Baseball this week, the league is holding the 2023 MLB Draft this week. It’s the second year the league is holding the Draft concurrently with the All-Star Game, as opposed to the first week of July as they had in the past. The draft is being held in Seattle, across the street from the All-Star Stadium of T-Mobile Park at Lumen Field – home of the Seattle Seahawks.
The MLB Draft is also no longer the 40 round monstrosity that it used to be. Instead, the new iteration included 20 rounds over three days. Sunday night teams made their first and second round selections, with Rounds 3-10 on Monday and Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday. Picks begin at 2 p.m. ET on both days.
In total, the Red Sox own 22 picks over the 20 rounds of this year’s draft. In addition to their assigned 20 picks they also have two compensation picks in the fourth round for losing Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi in free agency after both players were tendered qualifying offers by the team this summer.
Last year, the Red Sox and Chaim Bloom followed some strong draft trends. They used 12 of their 21 picks on college pitchers, and another five of the 21 on high school shortstops.
Jul 27, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom talks with the media before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park. Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
After the draft, the Red Sox will have until early August to sign their picks. Each draft pick is slotted for a certain signing bonus, although teams may over-draft or under-draft players to manipulate those values on a player-by-player basis.
As the Draft goes on, we’ll track the team’s selections one-by-one here with whatever information is available about the players. Let’s get started with the team’s first round pick from Sunday night, Kyle Teel.
Round 1, Pick 14: C Kyle Teel, Virgnia
Jun 22, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Virginia Cavaliers catcher Kyle Teel (3) singles in a run in the first inning against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at TD Ameritrade Park. Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time in the Chaim Bloom era, the Red Sox took a college-level prospect in the first round. Teel is the reigning ACC Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American. In 65 games with the Cavaliers last year he slashed .407/.475/.655 with 13 home runs and 69 runs driven in. Experts note his athleticism is one of his best traits, which could lead to him transitioning to an infield position at the next level.
Slot value: $4,663,100
Round 5, Pick 151: LHP Connelly Early, Virginia
Jun 18, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavaliers pitcher Connelly Early (20) throws against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
The Red Sox used their fifth-round pick to re-unite Teel with one of his batterymates. After spending his first two seasons at Army where he was Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, Early transferred to Virginia last year and earned Third Team All-American honors in his first season on campus. In 18 starts and one relief appearance, the 6-foot-3 lefty went 12-3 with a 3.09 ERA. He recorded 100 strikeouts in 87.1 innings, while walking just 23 hitters.
Slot value: $408,500
Round 7, Pick 208: OF Caden Rose, Alabama
Alabama hitter Caden Rose (7) gestures to the sky after hitting a solo homer during the second game of the series with Vanderbilt at Sewell-Thomas Stadium Friday, May 5, 2023. (Gary Cosby Jr./Tuscaloosa News/USA Today Network)
Playing through injuries as a junior in 2023, Rose hit .261 in 48 games. That’s a year after he tore up SEC pitching with a .326 batting average as a full-time starter in 2022. Between his speed and power, he’s drawn come comparisons to current Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.
Slot value: $250,300
Round 10, Pick 298: LHP Ryan Ammons, Clemson
Jun 2, 2023; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson pitcher Ryan Ammons (21) throws during the NCAA Baseball Regionals against the Lipscomb Bisons at Clemson University. Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Ammons mainly pitched out of the Tigers’ bullpen last year, and recorded 13 saves in 36 relief appearances. He also made two starts this season before a forearm injury shut him down. He finished the season with a 4.05 ERA over 13 appearances, with 26 strikeouts and eight walks in 20 innings.
Slot value: $167,900
Round 16, Pick 478: RHP Isaac Stebens, Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State pitcher Isaac Stebens (34) pitches during the Bedlam baseball game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. (Nathan J. Fish/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network)
Continuing with the college pitchers, the Red Sox took Stebens in the 16th round. The 6-foot, 194 pound righty transferred to Oklahoma State from the JUCO level last year, and was excellent for the Cowboys out of the bullpen. He went 4-1 in 28 relief appearances with a 2.24 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
Slot value: $150,000
Round 18, Pick 538: LHP Zach Fogell, UCONN
Huskies Zach Fogell (12) pitches in relief in the bottom of the fourth inning against Florida in NCAA Regionals, Sunday, June 4, 2023, at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida. Florida beat U Conn 8-2. (Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun/USA Today Network)
This is a local pick for the Red Sox, with Fogell being a Cumberland, R.I. native. After transferring from Brown to Connecticut last year Fogell was First Team All-Big East, going 4-1 in 27 relief appearances with a 1.87 ERA. The lefty struck out 45 hitters in 33.2 innings, while batters hit just .208 against him.
Slot value: $150,000
Round 19, Pick 568: OF Stanley Tucker, Texas A&M
Texas A&M centerfielder Stanley Tucker makes a diving catch for an out against Arkansas Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the Hoover Met in the semifinal round. (Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News/USA Today Network)
After spending two years at two different JUCO programs, Tucker played in 20 games for the Aggies last year, making three starts. He mainly played center field, but saw some time at shortstop as well.
Slot value: $150,000
