August 4, 2020 at 12:30 PM
2011 Draft Retrospective: The picks
We welcome you to the 2011 edition of the SoxProspects.com Draft Retrospective series. Over the next several weeks, we will revisit each Red Sox draft going back to the start of the SoxProspects.com era. Each retrospective will come in two parts: The first will be a pick-by-pick recap of each selection with very brief comments, including their peak rank on the SoxProspects.com Top 60, as well as some of the notable players the team passed on to make those picks. Players who signed are in bold, those who did not are in italics. Bonus numbers are included where available.
Fans did not know it at the time, but the 2011 draft was the end of an era. In November 2011, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association announced a new collective bargaining agreement that changed the draft landscape for the foreseeable future. Starting in 2012, teams would be subject to a bonus pool that was determined by draft position and number of picks, with severe penalties if a team exceeded their pool by any significant amount. The 2011 draft was Boston's last chance to flex its financial muscle.
2011 saw a record of $234M spent on signing bonuses, a number that would not be passed until 2015. While the Red Sox' exact spending amount is unknown because some of the smaller bonuses weren't reported, the total spending was in the $11M range, a number they have not come close to hitting since. For perspective, the highest the club has spent in a draft since then was $7.2 million in the 2016 draft, half of which went to Jay Groome.
With four picks in the top 40, including the 19th overall section, the Red Sox had a chance to replenish a farm system that had fallen off a bit after Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes were traded for Adrian Gonzalez in the winter of 2010. 2011 was also when the shine was beginning to wear off of Lars Anderson, who had been a top-five prospect in the system since 2007. With the imminent departure of General Manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona, missing on the 2011 draft picks could have set the team back for years. Instead, they had a draft for the ages, highlighted by a diminutive shortstop from Nashville, Tennessee.
For a quick list and links to player pages, check out our 2011 Draft History page.
1 (19). Matt Barnes, RHP, Connecticut
Bonus: $1,500,000
The Red Sox were ecstatic to get Barnes, who looked like a potential frontline starter in the Cape Cod League in 2010 and during his junior season at UConn in 2011. He dominated the lower minors in 2012 before running into some resistance as he hit the upper minors in 2013. His changeup flashed plus in college, but he was never able to consistently throw it against advanced hitters, and he ultimately scrapped it after the 2016 season. Relying on just his fastball and curveball, he became a reliever full-time in 2015, and he has been a staple of Boston's bullpen ever since. He has accumulated 3.5 fWAR over the last three seasons, striking out 289 over 195 2/3 innings. This pick and the 36th pick were compensation for losing Victor Martinez to the Tigers in free agency.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 2
Baseball America Top 100: 40 in 2013
MLB.com Top 100: 36 in 2013; 86 in 2014
Notable players passed on: Kolten Wong (22); Joe Ross (25)
Notable players passed on: Kolten Wong (22); Joe Ross (25)
1 (24). Pick surrendered for signing Carl Crawford
It's incredible to think about, but in what might be the greatest draft this organization has ever had when all is said and done (if you count both the June and old January drafts in a given year as a single class, that honor must go to the Roger Clemens-Ellis Burks class of 1983, for now), the Red Sox not only didn't have the benefit of their own first-round pick, but had surrendered it to sign Carl Crawford, whose tenure in Boston went so poorly the club essentially gave him away a year and a half later.
Bonus: $2,500,000
The biggest bonus the Red Sox handed out in this draft was to Swihart, who was committed to the University of Texas. By the end of the 2014 season, Swihart looked like one of the biggest steals in the first round of the draft. He had hit .300 as a 22-year-old in Portland and earned a late-season promotion to Pawtucket. He was the Opening Day catcher for Boston in 2016, but after only six games (in which he hit .278) he was sent back down to Pawtucket to work on his defense. After becoming Boston's left fielder later that year, he suffered a gruesome ankle injury that derailed his career for multiple seasons. He is currently in the Texas Rangers organization and is in their 60-man player pool for the 2020 season. This pick and 40th pick were compensation for losing Adrian Beltre to the Rangers in free agency.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 1
Baseball America Top 100: 72 in 2012; 73 in 2014; 17 in 2015
MLB.com Top 100: 61 in 2014; 18 in 2015
Notable players passed on: Robert Stephenson (27); Joe Panik (29)
Notable players passed on: Robert Stephenson (27); Joe Panik (29)
1s (36). Henry Owens, LHP, Edison HS (Calif.)
Bonus: $1,550,000
Owens put up video game numbers over his first three professional seasons and by 2015, when he made his major league debut, he was considered one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in the game. Standing 6-foot-7 but weighing around 200 pounds, scouts dreamed on what he could do with 20 more pounds of muscle. They envisioned his fastball that was sitting 88-91 when he was 20 could be 93-95 when he was 23. But despite adding strength, he never gained velocity, and his dominant changeup could not overcome his below-average velocity and inconsistent curveball. By 2019, having even tried dropping down to a sidearm arm slot, he was out of affiliated baseball and playing for the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 2
Baseball America Top 100: 91 in 2013; 40 in 2014; 44 in 2015
MLB.com Top 100: 94 in 2013; 30 in 2014; 19 in 2015
MLB.com Top 100: 94 in 2013; 30 in 2014; 19 in 2015
Notable players passed on: None
Bonus: $1,100,000
After the 2010 college season, nobody thought that Bradley would make it out of the top 10 in the draft. He hit .368 as a sophomore for South Carolina and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the College World Series as the Gamecocks beat UCLA. In 2011, he struggled out of the gate and then a wrist injury all but ended his season. The Red Sox gladly scooped him up with the 40th pick, and after his wrist injury healed, he blazed his way to Boston. Fans will remember his Ruthian performance in 2013 spring training that earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster, but it wasn't until 2016 that he stuck in Boston as the full-time center fielder. One of Boston's streakiest players in recent memory, Bradley got hot at the right time in 2018, winning the 2018 ALCS MVP award as he was a key figure in Boston's World Series title.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 2
Baseball America Top 100: 31 in 2013; 50 in 2014
MLB.com Top 100: 32 in 2013; 33 in 2014
Notable players passed on: Michael Fulmer (44); Trevor Story (45); Blake Snell (52)
Notable players passed on: Michael Fulmer (44); Trevor Story (45); Blake Snell (52)
Bonus: $443,700
While the first four picks in the draft flourished out of the gates, Jerez was the polar opposite. By the end of 2013, he had played parts of three years in short-season ball and was not able to record an OPS north of .600. The Red Sox moved Jerez to the mound during spring training in 2014. While 2014 was spent mostly as a developmental season, by 2015 he looked like a legitimate prospect hitting 95 from the left side. He made quick work of Greenville and Salem and made it all the way up to Portland with decent results. In 2017, his stuff took another step forward and he was topping out at 98. In 2018, the Red Sox traded Jerez along with Ty Buttrey for Ian Kinsler, and Jerez has since bounced around with three different teams, accumulating 25 1/3 big league innings.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 17
Notable players passed on: Austin Hedges (82); Nick Ahmed (85)
Bonus: $500,000
In hindsight, taking two high school catchers in the first three rounds was a risky strategy. Weems never got things going at the plate, and similar to Jerez, eventually converted to pitching. Weems made it all the way to Pawtucket as a reliever, but he elected for free agency after the 2019 season and signed with Oakland. He made his debut this season, meaning that the organization's first eight picks in this draft have all made the major leagues.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 33
Notable players passed on: Tony Cingrani (114); Carter Capps (121)
4. Noe Ramirez, RHP, California State University, FullertonBonus: $625,000
It will probably surprise a lot of readers that Ramirez put up 0.9 fWAR in 67 2/3 innings with the Angels last season, striking out 79. Looking back, he was probably one of the more underrated prospects of the last decade. He was successful at every minor league stint, but he struggled in limited action with Boston between 2015 and 2017. He was designated for assignment in 2017 and claimed off waivers by the Angels, and he has carved out a good role in their bullpen. His changeup is a borderline plus-plus offering, with batters hitting just .197 against it over the last two seasons.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 21
Notable players passed on: Tyler Glasnow (152)
Bonus: $750,000
For the second time in eight years, the Red Sox drafted a player who would go on to win an MVP. Getting a player like Betts in the fifth round was a once-in-a-generation steal, but it took a while for him to find his groove. After going down to the wire and signing just before midnight on the deadline day (along with the four first-round picks), Betts only appeared in one game in 2011. In 2012, he was in Lowell and looked like a fringe prospect, hitting .267/.352/.307. In 2013, he looked like a non-prospect for a month in Greenville, hitting .150/.343/.263 over his first 24 games and, as reported in Alex Speier's excellent book Homegrown, was considering quitting baseball. But then something clicked, and he hit .355/.453/.563 over his next 52 games and never looked back. His ultimate place in Red Sox history is still to be determined, particularly after signing an extension that should keep him in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform for the rest of his career, but he will likely be remembered as one of the most talented players to put on the uniform.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 1
Baseball America Top 100: 75 in 2014
MLB.com Top 100: 62 in 2014
MLB.com Top 100: 62 in 2014
6. Mickey Pena, LHP, San Jacinto (Tex.)
Bonus: $85,000
The Red Sox' luck ran out in the sixth round, with Pena representing the first real miss in the draft. His career started off well, on the mound at least, with a solid full-season debut in Greenville in 2012 that resulted in his being named a South Atlantic League All-Star, but in 2013 he was suspended 50 games for a second positive test for a drug of abuse. The following year he was suspended for 100 games, and the Red Sox released him before the 2015 season.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 27
Bonus: $800,000
Another player with character issues, Kukuk had very high upside, but never came close to reaching it. His 2012 season was derailed by a DUI arrest that was later thrown out, and in 2013 he showed electric stuff but very poor control with Greenville. In 107 innings, he struck out 113 but walked 81, and it was more of the same in Salem in 2014. After the 2014 season, he was arrested for aggravated robbery, and in 2015 he was sentenced to 42 months in prison.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 23
At the signing deadline in 2011 it was Golson, and not Betts, who Red Sox fans were clamoring for the team to sign. Golson was an elite athlete who was committed to play football at Ole Miss, and the Red Sox were not able to pry him away from that commitment despite offering him $1 million on the night of the signing deadline, in person at Fenway Park. Golson made the right choice, as he was an All-American cornerback and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Golson gave up baseball after his freshman season when he hit .204 in 23 games. Despite being such an early NFL pick, though, he never played an NFL game after a series of injuries.
Bonus: $110,000
In the ninth round, the Red Sox struck gold again, selecting a player who has hit 99 home runs before turning 30. After missing on a couple players due to bad makeup, Shaw was at the other end of the spectrum. His father Jeff was in the big leagues for 12 years, and Travis has proved people wrong every year of his career. Selected again after the Red Sox did not sign him in 2008, Shaw was a solid contributor for Boston in 2015 and 2016, and he was shipped to Milwaukee in a trade for Tyler Thornburg that will go down as the worst of the Dave Dombrowski-era. Shaw went on to hit 63 home runs over the next two seasons with the Brewers before inexplicably falling off a cliff in 2019. Now in Toronto, the Red Sox will see plenty of Shaw this season.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 12
Bonus: $85,000
Koback was a toolsy player who was never able to translate his tools to the box score. He was released after the 2013 season, and continuing a disturbing trend with some picks in this part of this draft, he was sentenced to jail time in 2015 over a domestic case that included a felony count of false imprisonment and two misdemeanor charges of bail jumping and disorderly conduct.
Brahney certainly looked the part, listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, but he only threw 61 professional innings before being released. He had a 10.00 ERA in Greenville in 27 innings in his last season.
Similar to Golson, Lake opted for college after going down to the wire at the signing deadline. An Aflac All-American in high school, Lake attended East Carolina, playing two seasons there before transferring to Mount Olive College. He re-entered the 2014 draft but was not drafted. He signed with the Yankees as an undrafted free agent, but he has not played a game since 2016.
Ott's prospect status peaked during his freshman year at LSU, where he was the team's closer and was named First-Team All-SEC. His ERA rose by almost four runs in his sophomore year, and while he was better in his junior season, he could not match the dominance of his freshman campaign. He had some good seasons in the lower minors with the Red Sox, but once he hit Portland, he really struggled, and the Red Sox released him in April 2014.
14. Mike McCarthy, RHP, Cal State-Bakersfield
Bonus: $125,000
By mid-season in 2013 McCarthy was already in Portland, where he would spend most of his time until being released after the 2016 season. One of the best clubhouse guys the system has seen in recent memory, who had literally helped build the baseball program at Bakersfield, McCarthy was twice named the Portland Sea Dogs Citizen of the Year, and he is now a coach in the Twins organization. He was scheduled to be the pitching coach for the Twins Triple-A affiliate this year.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 56
15. Braden Kapteyn, RHP, Kentucky
A high-risk pick with swing-and-miss stuff, Kapteyn pitched to a 9.00 ERA in his final year at Kentucky and then walked 64 batters in 66 innings in the minor leagues before being released.
16. Daniel Gossett, LHP, Byrnes HS (S.C.)
Gossett is another future major leaguer from this draft, but unfortunately, he did not sign out of high school. He was considered a lock to go to Clemson, and once he stepped on campus he became one of the best pitchers in the country. He was First-Team All-ACC before being drafted in the second round by Oakland in 2014. He was in the majors for parts of the 2017 and 2018 season, but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and missed the rest of that season and all of 2019.
17. Blake Forslund, IF, Liberty
A draft-eligible sophomore who did not sign, Forslund was subsequently drafted in 2012 in the 15th round by Arizona. He played in parts of two seasons before being released.
18. Andrew Jones, RHP, Samford
Jones was a dominant closer in college and had an extremely impressive debut in 2011. He pitched in the GCL, Lowell, and Greenville, allowing only five runs over 32 innings. His 2012 season in Salem was solid, but he retired before the 2013 season, going on to receive his MBA and MSA at Samford. He is now a tax accountant.
19. Sikes Orvis, 1B, Freedom HS (Fla.)
Both Orvis and Golson were teammates at Ole Miss, and Orvis played four years there before being drafted by the Cubs in the 17th round in 2015. He had a strong college career, but his professional career was short-lived, as he was released in 2016.
20. Zach Good, CF, Grayson CC (Tex.)
Bonus: $140,000
Good was a projectable left-handed pitcher, but his career only lasted two years. Good tragically passed away in October 2015.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 58
21. Austin Davidson, IF, Oxnard HS (Calif.)
Davidson went to Pepperdine and was drafted again in the 13th round of 2014 by Washington. He is still active in the Nationals organization, though he has never advanced beyond Double-A.
22. Joe Holtmeyer, RHP, Nebraska-Omaha
A bit of an obscure pick from a Division II school in Nebraska, Holtmeyer was released after only throwing 10 innings in 2011.
23. Jarrett Brown, LHP, Salem HS (Ga.)
After going to the University of Georgia, Brown got out of the Peach State when the Mariners drafted him in the 22nd round in 2014. He struggled with his control and was released in 2015.
It looked like Turocy (pictured, left) was making progress in 2013, increasing his OPS by 75 points from the prior season, but in March 2014, he retired.
25. Taylor Ard, 1B, Washington State
In a bit of a statistical anomaly, Ard had almost the exact same season statistically in both his sophomore and junior campaigns at Washington State. The Red Sox drafted him after his sophomore season, when he hit .337/.408/.577 in 54 games, and the Mariners drafted him in the 7th round after his junior year when he hit .332/.412/.577 in 55 games. He was in the minor leagues through the 2017 season.
26. Cody Dill, RHP, Los Olos HS (Calif.)
Dill attended the University of California, Riverside, but it does not look like he ever appeared in a game for the baseball team.
27. Alex Massey, RHP, Catholic HS (La.)
In five seasons at Tulane, Massey threw 253 innings with a 4.16 ERA. The Royals drafted him in the 26th round in 2016, but after appearing in some rookie-league games in 2016, he never pitched professionally again.
28. Brenden Shepard, RHP, Stonehill
A local product, Shepard was a two-way player at Stonehill his first three years before exclusively focusing on pitching his senior season. He had labrum surgery in 2009 while in college and then had Tommy John surgery in 2012, and he never returned to the mound.
29. Matt Spalding, RHP, St. Xavier HS (Ky.)
Bonus: $275,000
Spalding received the largest bonus the Red Sox handed out after the 10th round, but he only pitched 22 innings professionally. He had been committed to Louisville, but interestingly attended the aptly named Spalding University after retiring.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 58
30. Nick Moore, 3B, Brookwood HS (Ga.)
Bouncing around the lower levels on the minors in his four seasons in the system, Moore was not able to find consistent results. He was released in April 2015, and in the fall of that year he became a member of the University of Georgia football team as the long snapper. He signed with the New Orleans Saints after graduating, later joined the XFL, and is now under contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
31. Tyler Wells, OF, Lexington Cath. HS (Ky.)
A four-year starter at Ohio University, where he hit .280/.342/.395 over 210 games, Wells was not drafted again, but his post-college career has still involved several baseball-related projects. It is clear he has not lost his love for the game.
32. Julius Gaines, SS, Luella HS (Ga.)
This is a name that hardcore draft fans will remember, as Gaines was another player who fans were hoping to sign before the deadline. Gaines was ranked as the 220th best prospect in the draft by Perfect Game USA, and he was arguably the best defensive shortstop in the high school ranks that year. Instead of signing, he went to Florida International, where he never hit more than .300 in a season. He is now the CEO of Ground Up Baseball, LLC.
33. David Chester, 1B, Pittsburgh
The 6-foot-5, 270-pound slugger was always fun to watch play, though his game dropped off once he hit the upper levels of the minors. He was a 2013 South Atlantic League All-Star and a 2014 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star, but was ultimately released after the 2015 season.
SoxProspects.com peak rank: 46
34. Ben Dartnell, LHP, Vauxhall HS (Alberta)
The rare Canadian draftee, Dartnell elected to attend Eastern Michigan, where he threw 51 2/3 innings before suffering an injury that ultimately ended his career.
35. Carlos Coste, C, Baustista (P.R.)
An athletic backstop from Puerto Rico, Coste had some positive reviews on his defense, but he struggled mightily to make contact at the plate. In 2017 career at-bats, he struck out 86 times and hit just .174. He retired in April 2016, and was briefly a catching coach for the Red Sox affiliate in the Dominican Summer League.
36. Jace Herrera, RHP, Wekiva HS (Fla.)
An All-State pitcher in Florida in high school, Herrera started his college career at the University of Miami, but after throwing just 6 2/3 innings transferred to the College of Southern Nevada. He pitched 24 innings there and then finished his career at High Point University. He is now a firefighter/EMT in Florida.
37. Robert Youngdahl, OF, Hill-Murray HS (Minn.)
Another player who bounced around among multiple schools, Youngdahl started his career at Kansas State but never appeared in a game. He spent a year at Iowa Western Junior College before transferring to Notre Dame, where he finished up his final two years. He hit .263/.430/.322 in those two years, and after college he joined the team as an assistant coach. He is now an assistant coach at Morehead State.
38. Tyler Poole, RHP, Hickory HS (N.C.)
The 6-foot-6 Poole went to Coastal Carolina, where he was slated to play both baseball and basketball. He never appeared in a game for the basketball team, but in four years on the mound, he went 12-9 with a 3.90 ERA.
39. Corey Vogt, RHP, Keene State
Vogt signed with the Red Sox after his senior year at Keene State, but appeared in just six games before being suspended in Lowell and released during spring training in 2012. He had a brief stint in the Canadian-American Association, but he has been inactive since 2013.
40. Jordan Gross, LHP, Don Bosco Prep HS (N.J.)
Gross played four seasons at Tulane, but he faced just one batter in his senior season before being shut down with an arm injury.
41. Matt Marquis, LF, Maryland
The Red Sox drafted Marquis out of high school in 2008, but he chose to attend Vanderbilt. He only played at Vandy for one year, missing time after breaking his hand during a sliding drill, then transferred to Maryland to be closer to his parents in New Jersey, as both were battling cancer. Just 15 games into his junior season, he withdrew from school to spend more time with his family, but after continuing to work out with a Red Sox scout, he was selected again by the team that had drafted him previously. Marquis was considered a high-upside prep outfielder with plus power, but that power never translated to the professional level. After a very good debut in Lowell, in which he hit .337/.429/.494, he was released after a disappointing 2012 season.
42. Derek O'Dell, 3B, Canyon HS (Tex.)
A four-year starter at TCU, O'Dell was part of a very successful Horned Frogs program. Over four years, he hit .271/.341/.350 and played all over the infield. He appeared in two College World Series, but they could not pull out a victory in either year. In 2014, he was eliminated by Sikes Orvis and Ole Miss, and in 2015, he was eliminated by a stacked Vanderbilt team that included Walker Buehler, Carson Fulmer, Kyle Wright, Dansby Swanson, and Jeren Kendall.
43. Brandon Downes, OF, South Plainfield HS (N.J.)
Another player who went to a successful program, Downes enrolled at Virginia and looked like a high-level prospect in his first two years. He followed up a .321/.419/.453 freshman campaign with a .316/.393/.569 sophomore season that put him firmly on the prospect radar. He struggled to a .241/.335/.388 line as a junior, but was still drafted in the 7th round by the Royals in 2014. He played five seasons in the minors, but his career statistics look more like his junior year numbers. In 2019, he was playing in the Canadian-American Association.
44. Matt Martin, C, Pendleton (Fla.)
Martin suffered a bad injury early on in his freshman season at Wake Forest and he never played another inning for the Demon Deacons. He was still drafted by the Brewers in the 27th round of the 2014 draft, and had a very impressive rookie debut. He had a .873 OPS in 27 games split between catcher and designated hitter, but he didn't play again after that season. It's unclear what the injury was, but his story is definitely a peculiar one.
Son of former Red Sox catcher and current Triple-A Hitting Coach Rich Gedman, Matt (pictured, right) had a great career at UMass before joining the Red Sox organization. He hit .402 as a senior and led the Atlantic-10 in hitting. His professional career was not as successful, and he was released in January 2015. Gedman has since transitioned into coaching himself, working as an assistant coach at Trinity College in Hartford and also as the head coach of the Pittsfield Suns of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.
46. Mac Williamson, OF, Wake Forest
The final major leaguer from this draft is Williamson, who went on to have an incredible career at Wake Forest before being drafted in the third round by San Francisco in 2012. Even after having Tommy John surgery in 2014, he saw his first major league action in 2015, and he has been a part-time player ever since. He ended last season in the KBO in South Korea, and he was in camp with the Nationals this season, but was released in May.
47. Samuel Wolff, SS, Southern Nevada
The Red Sox drafted Wolff out of junior college, but he elected to honor his commitment to New Mexico. The Rangers drafted him in the sixth round in 2013 as a senior sign, giving him a significantly under-slot bonus, but Wolff has hung around since then, advancing all the way to Triple-A. Currently with the Giants, Wolff has thrown 322 innings in his minor league career with a 3.47 ERA despite playing in some notorious hitter-friendly environments.
48. David Sosebee, RHP, White County HS (Ga.)
Sosebee will be one of the only players on this list that Red Sox fans will be rooting against, or at the very least hoping he is traded. He went to Georgia, and after his junior season, he was drafted in the 28th round by the Yankees, where he has been ever since. In 2019, he struck out 59 batters in 48 1/3 innings for their Triple-A affiliate. He is not on the 60-man player pool, so it doesn't look like he will have a chance to make his major league debut this year.
49. Jadd Schmeltzer, RHP, Cornell
A very good athlete, Schmeltzer was a two-way player for the baseball team, and was also on the football team his freshman season. He focused solely on pitching as a professional, but his career lasted only two seasons. He went on to play a few seasons in Canada and Germany, briefly tried to start and apparel line called Athletes Antics (one of SoxProspects.com Executive Editor Chris Hatfield's favorite t-shirts is his "Heaters and Hammers" shirt from that line), and he now works in the E-Sports world.
50. John Gorman, RHP, Catholic Memorial (Mass.)
Another late-round pick who is still active, Gorman went to high school in West Roxbury and then attended Boston College, where he was one of the more successful pitchers in program history. He ended his career tied for fifth in school history in strikeouts, and he was named team captain for his senior season in 2015. He was drafted in the 31st round by Oakland, and after leaving the organization for a few years, he was back with Oakland for spring training in 2020. He was later released, and is currently playing in the American Association for Winnipeg.
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Raw totals:
Players drafted: 53
Players signed: 30
Baseball America Top 100 prospects: 5
Signed players who reached majors: 8
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Raw totals:
Players drafted: 53
Players signed: 30
Baseball America Top 100 prospects: 5
Signed players who reached majors: 8
Photo Credit: Mookie Betts, Blake Swihart, Noe Ramirez, Travis Shaw, Drew Turocy, and Matt Gedman by Kelly O'Connor