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June 7, 2010 at 6:30 AM

Red Sox Draft Preview: Potential day one picks


It’s draft day, and in the seventh and final installment of our Red Sox Draft Preview, we bring you a list of potential day one draft picks for the Red Sox. Boston has three picks on day one, which gets underway tonight at 7:00 pm ET. The Sox will pick at #20 (first round), #36 (supplemental round), and #39 (supplemental round). If you’ve enjoyed our draft preview, follow along with our live, up-to-the-minute draft coverage starting tonight, which will include a mini-podcast immediately following the supplemental round, as well as a preview of day two later tonight. For now, here are some ideas on players that may spark Amiel Sawdaye’s interest on day one.

1st # refers to overall PG Crosschecker Top 250 draft ranking, May 15, 2010.
2nd # refers to overall Baseball America Top 200 draft ranking, May 25, 2010.

First Round (20)
Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, LSU (#12/#26). Ranaudo entered the year as the top college pitcher in the draft. However, his stock has fallen due to injury issues, mechanical problems, and inconsistency. At his best, Ranaudo profiles as a power pitcher with #1 or 2 stuff. Boston will have to be betting on performance from prior seasons in order to select him and pay him his large asking price.
Austin Wilson, OF, Harvard Westlake HS (Calif.) (#28/#27). Elite athlete with true five-tool potential. Excellent student with a strong commitment to Stanford. Could demand one of the highest bonuses in the entire draft class. High-risk, high-reward pick.
Nick Castellanos, 3B, Archbishop McCarthy HS (Fla.) (#18/#17). Excellent athlete with plus power potential. Projects to stay at third base.
Kaleb Cowart, 3B/RHP, Cook County HS (Ga.) (#20/#12). Best two-way player available, fitting Boston’s mold. Scouts are split whether they prefer him as a pitcher or as a third baseman, but he prefers to play the field. The closer to the draft we come, the more unsignable he appears to be.
Kolbrin Vitek, 2B/3B, Ball State (#30/#25). Well-rounded infielder with a great bat, likely will play third base long-term. Recently slated by many as a supplemental-round pick, Vitek has some helium and could now go as high as #7.

Supplemental Round (36, 39)
James Paxton, LHP, Grand Prairie (#31/#38). Left-hander with mid-90s fastball reportedly passed up $1-million bonus from Toronto last year and went on to play for independent Grand Prairie. He could go as early as the late-first round and could slip well into later rounds depending on workouts and bonus demands.
Sammy Solis, LHP, San Diego (#34/#48). College arm with low mileage, a favorite player profile of the Boston front office in the supplemental round.
Chad Bettis, RHP, Texas Tech (#53/#33). Ditto.
Alex Wimmers, RHP, Ohio State (#33/#21). Another one.
Barret Loux, RHP, Texas A&M (#36/#35). One more.
Jarrett Parker, OF, Virginia (#39/#41). Center fielder with nice combination of power and speed. Has struggled with inconsistency.
Justin Grimm, RHP, Georgia (#40/#109). Nice three-pitch arsenal includes a mid-90s fastball. Previously selected by the Sox in the 13th round of the 2007 draft. Has some helium.
Justin O’Conner, 3B/C/RHP, Cowan HS (Ind.) (#32/#24). Another two-way player who could play any of three positions as a pro. Great bat.
Robert Aviles, RHP, Suffern HS (N.Y.) (#69/#58). Projectable prep righty with a 94 mph fastball and an advanced curveball. Son of a pitching coach. Could still be around at Boston's second-round pick at #57.
Mel Rojas Jr., OF, Wabash Valley CC (#/152#135). The son of Mel Rojas, Rojas Jr. is a position player who teams are split on. Those that believe in him see him as a five-tool outfielder. Those that don’t see him as a light-hitting utility man down the road.
Tyrell Jenkins, RHP, Henderson HS (Texas) (#37/#43). Jenkins offers the promise of a pitcher with decent polish and a lot of upside down the road. Extremely athletic, Jenkins sits in the low-90’s with his fastball. Though his secondary offerings need to be honed, he is an intriguing pick with significant upside.