2014 Red Sox Draft Preview: Part 1 of 3

It’s that time of year again, as the MLB First-Year Player Draft gets underway in just three days, on the evening of Thursday, June 5. The first round will kick off at 7:00 pm ET from Studio 42 at the MLB Network studio in Secaucus, N.J., broadcast live on the MLB Network and MLB.com. Day One will include the first, supplemental, second, and competitive balance rounds. Day Two will start at 1:00 pm on June 6, covering rounds three through 10, and Day Three will kick off at 1:00 pm on June 7, covering rounds 11 through 40. Days Two and Three will be exclusively broadcast on MLB.com.

This will be the fifth draft with Director of Amateur Scouting Amiel Sawdaye at the helm of the Red Sox ship. Sawdaye’s 2011 and 2010 daft classes were quite impressive, featuring multiple promising prospects in Jackie Bradley, Matt Barnes, Henry Owens, Blake Swihart, Mookie Betts, Anthony Ranaudo, Brandon Workman, Sean Coyle, Henry Ramos, and Garin Cechhini.  On the other hand, the 2012 and 2013 draft classes – the first drafts capped by a bonus pool – have not looked nearly as good. Admittedly, it's way too early to draw any conclusions, but the early results for those drafts have been mixed at best.

Sawdaye will have options to add some more high-end talent this draft, as the Red Sox have four selections in the first 103 picks, including the 26th, 33rd, and 67th overall picks.  This season’s bonus pool cap is $6,373,300, a shade lower than last year's cap.

Here on SoxProspects.com, we'll bring you pre-draft coverage all week leading up to the draft, this being the first of a three-installment draft preview. You can also follow the Red Sox draft here as the picks come in, as we’ll have live coverage of Boston’s selections on SoxProspects News, the 2014 Draft page, and the @SoxProspects Twitter account. For now, here's some general information to whet your palette.

Day One Draft Order

First Round

1. Houston Astros
2. Miami Marlins
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Minnesota Twins
6. Seattle Mariners
7. Philadelphia Phillies
8. Colorado Rockies
9. Toronto Blue Jays
10. New York Mets
11. Toronto Blue Jays
12. Milwaukee Brewers
13. San Diego Padres
14. San Francisco Giants
15. Los Angeles Angels
16. Arizona Diamondbacks
17. Kansas City Royals
18. Washington Nationals
19. Cincinnati Reds
20. Tampa Bay Rays
21. Cleveland Indians
22. Los Angeles Dodgers
23. Detroit Tigers
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
25. Oakland Athletics
26. Boston Red Sox
27. St. Louis Cardinals

Compensation Round A

28. Kansas City Royals
29. Cincinnati Reds
30. Texas Rangers
31. Cleveland Indians 
32. Atlanta Braves 
33. Boston Red Sox
34. St. Louis Cardinals 

Competitive Balance Round A
35. Colorado Rockies
36. Miami Marlins 
37. Houston Astros
38. Cleveland Indians
39. Pittsburgh Pirates
40. Kansas City Royals
41. Milwaukee Brewers

Second Round

42. Houston Astros
43. Miami Marlins
44. Chicago White Sox
45. Chicago Cubs
46. Minnesota Twins
47. Philadelphia Phillies
48. Colorado Rockies
49. Toronto Blue Jays
50. Milwaukee Brewers
51. San Diego Padres
52. San Francisco Giants
53. Los Angeles Angels
54. Arizona Diamondbacks
55. New York Yankees
56. Kansas City Royals
57. Washington Nationals
58. Cincinnati Reds
59. Texas Rangers
60. Tampa Bay Rays
61. Cleveland Indians
62. Los Angeles Dodgers
63. Detroit Tigers
64. Pittsburgh Pirates
65. Oakland Athletics
66. Atlanta Braves
67. Boston Red Sox
68. St. Louis Cardinals

Competitive Balance Round B

69. Arizona Diamondbacks
70. Arizona Diamondbacks
71. St. Louis Cardinals
72. Tampa Bay Rays
73. Pittsburgh Pirates
74. Seattle Mariners

Red Sox Selections

Day One: 26 (1st round), 33 (Comp A), 67 (2nd round)

Day Two: 106 (3rd), 29th pick in rounds 5-10

Day Three: 29th pick in rounds 11-40

Most Recent Selections at #26 Overall: Eric Jagielo, Stryker Trahan, Blake Swihart, Kyle Parker, Eric Arnett, Daniel Schlereth, James Simmons, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, Richi Robnett

Most Recent Selections at #33 Overall: Ian Clarkin, Zach Elfin, Kevin Matthews, Mike Kvasnicka, Steve Baron, Bradley Holt, Jone Gilmore, Emmanuel Buriss, Johnny Drennen, Justin Orenduff

Most Recent Selections at #67 Overall: Kevin Franlkin, Duane Underwood, Dillon Howard, Marcus Littlewood, Robert Stock, Cody Satterwhite, Jordan Zimmermann, Sergio Perez, John Whittleman, Kurt Suzuki

Informational Links

Red Sox Draft History - SoxProspects.com

Major League Rule 4 Summary - SoxProspects.com Wiki

2014 Draft Preview  – Perfect Game USA

Draft Coverage – Baseball America 

Red Sox Draft Preview Schedule

June 2: Red Sox Draft Preview Introduction

June 3: Possible Red Sox Targets

June 4: Round 1 & Compensation Round Mock Draft

Mike Andrews is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeAndrewsSP.

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