After finishing with a 78-84 record for the second season in a row and making no gains in the lottery, the Red Sox have ended up with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. In 2023, the Red Sox brass drafted Kyle Teel with the 14th overall pick and he’s now viewed as a top 3 prospect in the system. There’s a different CBO leading the front office now with Craig Breslow at the helm, but a majority of the same cooks are still in the kitchen with Devin Pearson, Director of Amateur Scouting, looking to lead his second draft.

If Breslow is set to change the Red Sox drafting philosophy to invest more on pitching, it’s going to be a drastic shakeup. Ian Cundall of SoxProspects.com recently did a fantastic breakdown showing that the Red Sox have committed the lowest total bonus amount to pitchers of any organization since 2018. We know from Breslow’s time with the Cubs that they didn’t hesitate to draft pitching early with guys like Cade Horton and Jordan Wicks.

The last time the Red Sox drafted a pitcher in the first round was Tanner Houck back in 2017 out of the University of Missouri. It marked the second time in as many years that they selected an arm, with Jay Groome coming the year before from Barnegat High School. In the years since, neither have reached the starter ceiling many evaluators pegged on them.

There’s a long way to go with the 2024 Draft not taking place until July 14th, but I decided to dive into some names Red Sox fans should keep an eye on in the coming months when it comes to the 12th pick. Sadly, I won’t be including Chase Burns or Hagen Smith on this list. I love their stuff on the mound as much as anybody, but it’d be a shocker at this point to see them make it past the first 7 picks.

• 1. Jonathan Santucci – LHP – Duke University

  Tyler Milliken ⚾️ on Twitter: ".@CarlosACollazo of @BaseballAmerica has released his first mock draft of 2024 and he has the Red Sox taking Duke LHP Jonathan Santucci with the 12th pick.Local kid from Leominster. He's made 4 starts this spring with a 2.29 ERA, 16.0 K/9, and 4.6 BB/9.pic.twitter.com/wH50htzftt / Twitter"

  @CarlosACollazo of @BaseballAmerica has released his first mock draft of 2024 and he has the Red Sox taking Duke LHP Jonathan Santucci with the 12th pick.Local kid from Leominster. He's made 4 starts this spring with a 2.29 ERA, 16.0 K/9, and 4.6 BB/9.pic.twitter.com/wH50htzftt

  If anyone on this list understands what it means to play for the Red Sox, it’s Santucci, who grew up in Leominster, Massachusetts and attended Phillips Academy in Andover under head coach Kevin Graber. He’s now in the midst of his junior season at Duke and has been climbing the rankings with a 2.83 ERA in 7 starts, including a 14.7 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9. Harnessing his arsenal is still a work in progress, but he offers a lot of upside from the left side with a lethal fastball and slider combination.

  Santucci has a 6 ‘2 and 205 lbs foundation that looks built to carry a starter workload. His fastball sits between 92-96, so he has the type of velocity the Cubs farm system became known for under Breslow, where they ranked #2 out of all 30 organizations. The lefty’s slider is characterized as a wipeout pitch, but it’s led to him not using his changeup as much, which will be key if he wants to stick in the rotation.

  Just because the Red Sox are desperate to inject some pitching into their farm system, it doesn’t mean drafting a pitcher is essential. There’s plenty of ways to manipulate the bonus pool and get a major talent in another early round like they did with Roman Anthony a few years back. But Santucci carries an intriguing ceiling and floor for a college arm that shouldn’t take too long to climb through the minors.

  Baseball America mocked Santucci to the Red Sox in their latest draft write-up.

• 2. Brody Brecht – RHP – University of Iowa

  Burke Granger on Twitter: "An up-close look at Brody Brecht (rhp, @UIBaseball) from Friday at Purdue. 108 pitches | 53% strikes | 27 faced; 14 FPS.5IP, 7H, 6R, 3ER, 3BB, 3K. (L, 0-1)FB: 94-97 (94.9) | 2138 | 3 s/mSL: 84-88 (86.1) | 2396 | 5 s/mSPL: 88-91 (89.3) | 1308 | 3 s/m pic.twitter.com/JrEJAUbokb / Twitter"

  An up-close look at Brody Brecht (rhp, @UIBaseball) from Friday at Purdue. 108 pitches | 53% strikes | 27 faced; 14 FPS.5IP, 7H, 6R, 3ER, 3BB, 3K.

  From one pitching prospect to another, we have Iowa’s Brody Brecht who is a right-hander that sits in the high-90s with his fastball and has topped out at 101. That’s not even his best weapon though, thanks to a slider that ranges from 87-90 and leaves hitters flailing from both sides. Where things can get a little scary is with his inconsistent control and command, which can lead to him putting a lot of guys on base.

  Brecht is up to 7 starts this spring and the results have been mixed with a 4.02 ERA and a ridiculous 17.6 K/9. As the strikeouts have piled up, so have the walks at an unsustainable 7.5 BB/9. It’s not far off from his sophomore year mark of 7.1, which shows he has some real reliever risk, but if he learns to throw strikes consistently his ceiling is through the roof.

  Prospect Live notes that Brecht features a curveball in the Mid-80s that could become a plush pitch, so he should have 2 nasty breaking balls at his disposal. It’ll be important for him to make strides with his splitter moving forward as well, so he has an offspeed pitch he can lean on in his arsenal. Drafting Brecht would be a bold decision by the Red Sox front office, but he’d be the most electric arm we’ve seen in the system this century.

• 3. Cam Caminiti – LHP – Saguaro HS

  Joe Doyle on Twitter: "Another unbelievable showing from LHP Cam Caminiti (Saguaro HS) tonight. A 7-inning complete game shutout. A 2-hitter. 93 pitches. He struck out the last hitter with 96, 97 and 97. No. 11 on the @FSS_PLUS Top 300.He won't last long. pic.twitter.com/IJWryyl4J1 / Twitter"

  Another unbelievable showing from LHP Cam Caminiti (Saguaro HS) tonight. A 7-inning complete game shutout. A 2-hitter. 93 pitches. He struck out the last hitter with 96, 97 and 97. No. 11 on the @FSS_PLUS Top 300.He won't last long. pic.twitter.com/IJWryyl4J1

  Caminiti is the last pitcher I’ll include on this list, but he is different from Santucci and Brecht because he’s a high school arm. Now, that might make some fans immediately panic as they look back at Trey Ball and Groome, but this new pitching infrastructure could be looking for a premier talent they can mold. If that’s the case, Caminiti has shown the makings of a 4-pitch arsenal from the left side, which is why he already has a commitment to LSU on the table.

  Initially, Caminiti was expected to graduate in 2025 but he’ll now be one of the youngest players in the 2024 draft class after reclassifying. He’s had a strong senior season at Saguaro High School with a 0.49 ERA in 28.2 IP. That includes 68 strikeouts to just 11 walks, while also getting work in center field, where his athleticism is really put on display.

  Like any prospect, Caminiti has his warts, with his breaking stuff still being on the raw side. Some evaluators prefer his curveball over his slider and vice versa, but his fastball sitting in the mid-90s and topping out at 98 at 17 continues to open eyes. In terms of offspeed stuff, he has a changeup that he’s shown good feel for according to MLB Pipeline, but it’s not a big part of his arsenal at the moment.

  Pitching is always risky, especially at the high school level, but that didn’t stop the Cubs from taking Jackson Ferris out of IMG Academy in 2022. Ferris was a second round pick, but the Cubs front office loved him so much they were thrilled to go overslot for him. It seems to have paid off with Ferris showing a lot of promise in his first taste of pro ball last year, which led to him being tabbed right outside of Top 100 prospect lists.

  That’s where Breslow’s influence is going to come into play.

• 4. P.J. Morlando – 1B/LF – Summerville HS

  MLBDevelops on Twitter: "PJ Morlando (@MorlandoPj) smacks 24 upper deck TANKS to advance to the final round of the High School Home Run Derby🔥 pic.twitter.com/y1aUGHx7HF / Twitter"

  PJ Morlando (@MorlandoPj) smacks 24 upper deck TANKS to advance to the final round of the High School Home Run Derby🔥 pic.twitter.com/y1aUGHx7HF

  If there’s been one consistency with the Red Sox and their draft strategy in recent years, it’s that they love a strong hit tool. Morlando checks off that box immediately since he’s been compared to Triston Casas more than once due to his approach and power as a left-handed hitter. At 6 ‘3 and 198 lbs, Morlando is expected to call either left field or first base home, but with many evaluators viewing him as the safest prep bat in the class, that shouldn’t hurt his stock much.

  Despite Morlando only being 6 games into his senior season, he’s already batting .529 with a homer and 2 doubles for Summerville High in South Carolina. He carries a strong hit tool, but his power is the game-changer, which was put on full display during the 2023 High School Home Run Derby. At the moment, he’s committed to the University of South Carolina.

  Morlando doesn’t carry himself like a typical high schooler, which is apparent in the different interviews he’s done. That sticks out to me a bit with how much the Red Sox have highlighted Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel’s leadership skills in recent years. Morlando doesn’t have the ridiculous athleticism that will allow him to play almost anywhere, but he has a special bat that should allow him to help anchor a lineup for a long time.

• 5. Vance Honeycutt – CF – University of North Carolina

  UNC Barstool on Twitter: "VANCE HONEYCUTT pic.twitter.com/WydzBFQV9f / Twitter"

  VANCE HONEYCUTT pic.twitter.com/WydzBFQV9f

  Lastly, I’ll throw Honeycutt on this list after Joe Doyle of FutureStarSeries.com mocked him to the Red Sox a few days back. He’s a fascinating prospect because of his toolsy profile that could offer Gold Glove defense in center field with 20+ home run power from the right side. The hit tool is currently the biggest question though, where he tends to struggle against breaking balls and offspeed stuff.

  In 26 games this spring, Honeycutt has slashed .301/.430/.612/1.041 with 8 homers, 6 doubles, and 1 triple. That also includes 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. Where things get a little concerning is that his K% has jumped back up to 25.2% as a junior, which is not great considering it was at 20.4% as a sophomore.

  If there’s an organization that should be able to get the most out of Honeycutt’s hit tool, it’s the Red Sox, who have recently helped Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony make some big strides at the plate. Not too many college picks offer this type of upside. He currently comes in at 6 ‘3 and 205 lbs, which gives me some Carlos Gomez vibes when watching him chase down baseballs in center field.

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