June 4, 2012 at 9:37 PM
Red Sox select Deven Marrero with 24th pick
With the 24th pick in the draft, the Red Sox have selected Deven Marrero, a junior shortstop from Arizona State.
Marrero, a 6'1", 194 lb. shortstop, was considered the top college position player in the draft after last season’s Cape Cod League. The two-time All-Pac-12 selection hit .284/.340/.346 with four home runs and 33 RBI for the Sun Devils this season, a year after hitting .313/.340/.434 as a sophomore.
After last season, he starred for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League, hitting .326 in 12 games before leaving the Cape to join Team USA. Marrero led Team USA with 19 hits and 14 RBI in 14 games.
As a freshman at Arizona State—when the old, hitter-friendly aluminum bats were still used—Marrero hit .392/.442/.628 in 37 games. He hit .306 in 29 games for the Kettleers following his freshman campaign in Tempe.
Defensively, Marrero is projected to stay at shortstop. According to Baseball America, Marrero, who was selected in the 17th round in 2009 by Cincinnati, has performed inconsistently since the NCAA switched to composite bats. He has above-average arm strength and above-average speed, and profiles to have be a gap hitter professionally.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the 24th pick has been allotted $1.75 million towards Boston’s bonus pool. Boston has $6,884,800 allotted for the first ten rounds.
Jon Meoli is a Senior Columnist for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @JonMeoli.