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. 
• It was officially announced that the 2021 draft will be based on the results of the 2020 season, meaning Boston will be selecting fourth. It is the first time the Red Sox will have a pick that high since picking third in 1967. 
• John Tomase of NBC Sports Boston wrote about the Red Sox rebuild and a blurb on each of his top 10 Red Sox prospects. 
• Peter Gobis of The Sun Chronicle wrote about PawSox manager Billy McMillon's thoughts on the state of the system after a season without minor league baseball. He talked about how in the past, with Dave Dombrowski calling the shots, the Sox did not hesitate to trade minor league talent to help the big league team. He also talked about the positives of having daily instruction at the Alternate Site, and how that could bode well for the future as far as keeping players in the system instead of trading them away for MLB talent. He also liked how the players reacted to the pandemic and bought into the protocols. Overall, he likes the players the Sox received in trades this past deadline and believes the system is in much better shape now than it was before 2020. 
• Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic also wrote about the strange season and how the Sox provided some structure for players during the summer with no games. 
• Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com also wrote about how the summer went at the Alternate Site, specifically highlighting how well Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, and Bryan Mata looked. He also mentioned some quotes from McMillon and PawSox pitching coach Paul Abbott on other players, such as Jeter Downs, Tanner Houck, Bobby Dalbec, Jay Groome, and the three newcomers, Connor Seabold, Jeisson Rosario, and Hudson Potts.

Photo Credit: Triston Casas by Kelly O'Connor

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