2018 Draft Retrospective: Casas highlights solid haul

Thank you for checking in on the newest entry in our draft retrospective series. We recently featured a pick-by-pick rundown of 2018, while today we will dig a little deeper into a few of the more interesting and prominent draftees. For a quick list and links to player pages, check out our Draft History page.

2018 Draft

Background

By the time the 2018 draft rolled around, the major league club was riding high, sporting a winning percentage near .700 on its way to a 108-win season and World Series trophy. Unfortunately, the success at the major league level was not mirrored in the minors. Trades and graduations that built a juggernaut in the big leagues had depleted much of the system’s depth, leaving a farm system that was universally ranked at or near the worst in the game. Among those who remained, the underperformance of recent top picks and the suspension of top prospect Michael Chavis had created a vacuum, with little daily success to celebrate. With a homegrown core that would soon get expensive and force difficult decisions down the road, 2018 seemed like a particularly important year for Mike Rikard and the amateur scouting department.

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Minor Notes: Red Sox to pick fourth in 2021 draft

Here are Tuesday's minor league notes: 

• Check out the 193rd edition of the SoxProspects.com podcast where Chris and Ian take a look back at the many MLB debuts for Red Sox players in the shortened 2020 season. They also discussed the draft, what they learned from the Alternate Site, as well as a look forward to instructs. 
• Speaking of instructs, Chris wrote about some of the details as well as a look at the players Boston will be sending. A total of 62 players will be going, with those on the 40-man roster ineligible. There will be 32 pitchers, eight catchers, 12 infielders, and 10 outfielders. 
• The SoxProspects.com Draft Retrospective series continued with Ian recapping the 2018 draft. Obviously, the jury is still out on this draft, but Triston Casas (pictured) is the current number one prospect in the system. 
• Ian posted updated scouting reports on three players, including the second pick of that 2018 draft, Nick Decker. Cameron Cannon and Antoni Flores were also updated. 

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Podcast #193 - Speaking is hard

The sprint that was the 2020 season has drawn to a close, and while it may not seem like it, Chris and Ian had plenty to look back on. There were plenty of debuts to digest, so the guys looked back on the first taste of MLB for Bobby Dalbec, Tanner Houck, and others, plus examine what the team's (probable) positioning at number 4 in next year's draft really means. Meanwhile, what did we learn from the action at Sim City in Pawtucket? Is there anything to be gleaned from this experiment in player development? Who stood out? And baseball is not done yet - it's time for the Fall Instructional League, and we're breaking down the roster. Plus, as always, your superlative emails!

For the full Fall Instructional League roster, see our post

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Red Sox 2020 Fall Instructional Camp roster and details

The Red Sox 2020 Fall Instructional League will run from October 5 through November 12 this year, the five-and-a-half weeks representing a period roughly twice as long as that of a typical season. The minor leaguers in camp will not play games against other teams, and instead will be limited to intrasquad scrimmages beginning in mid-to-late-October.

The 62-player roster for camp contains most of the SoxProspects Top 60, excepting players who were ineligible, such as those on the 40-man roster, and other players who were likely deemed to have gotten sufficient work in at the Alternate Training Site like Jeter Downs, Jarren Duran, and Connor Seabold, although other players who were at the ATS will be present in Fort Myers. 

The camp will represent the lone chance for in-person instruction for most of the players present, although all have been working out on their own or playing independent or semi-pro ball. Unlike past years, the camp will not be open to the public, although scouts will be allowed to attend and watch from designated areas. As with the ATS, health and safety protocols will be in place for the facilities and those attending throughout the camp. 

Players are listed with how acquired and 2019 level(s), if applicable.

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2018 Draft Retrospective: The picks

We welcome you to the 2018 edition of the SoxProspects.com Draft Retrospective series, in which we 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.

At the time of the 2018 Draft, the Red Sox farm system was decimated after numerous win-now trades in the previous year. Once again, the Red Sox had no extra picks and were selecting near the end of the first round, but after the farm system seemingly bottomed out in the month or so prior, with seemingly all of the prospects remaining after the many trades either injured or underperforming, this draft marked the beginning of what seems to be a turn-around. Three of the top ten prospects in the system right now, including its top prospect, came from this draft. While all three were selected in the top seven rounds, two received marginal bonuses. While the second full season for all of these players was disrupted, several were included in the Club Player Pool and made their mark at the Alternate Training Site. 

For a quick list and links to player pages, check out our Draft History page.

1 (26). Triston Casas, 1B/3B, American Heritage HS (Fla.) 

Bonus: $2,552,800, Slot: $2,552,800

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