Red Sox select Steve Nogosek with their sixth-round pick

With their sixth-round pick (178th overall) in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Steve Nogosek, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Oregon. Going into the draft, the Ducks' closer was ranked 164th by Baseball America and 175th by MLB.com.

The college junior continues a trend for the Red Sox in this draft, as their first selection, Jason Groome, remains the only high school player they have selected to this point. Nogosek also continues a trend of Oregon closers being selected in the top ten rounds of the draft, a streak which stands at four years running. A two-sport athlete coming out of high school, Nogosek starred as a quarterback his senior year before committing to play baseball at Oregon. He did make some starts for the Ducks earlier in his career, but took over and thrived in the closer's role in 2016.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Nogosek is regarded as a strong athlete. His fastball has topped out at 96 mph and sits around 92-94 mph. His breaking pitch, reported as a curveball by some and a slider by others, is regarded as a potential plus-pitch, while his changeup is less remarkable. His delivery can be violent, but his athleticism allows him to repeat it well, resulting in good command. Some outlets believe he has the chance to be a starter, while others see him as having the ceiling of a setup man.


Scouting information was compiled from industry publications including Baseball America, Perfect Game USA, and MLB.com

Photo Credit: Steve Nogosek from GoDucks.com

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