First 5 rounds: Tanner Houck (1-24), Cole Brannen (2-63), Brett Netzer (3-101), Jake Thompson (4-131), Alex Scherff (5-161).
Also notable: Zach Schellenger (6-191), Beau Hanna (12-371), Garrett Benge (13-401)
The Red Sox reeled in a good mix of everything in this draft, grabbing one of each demographic (college/high school hitter/pitcher) by the fifth round. Their first and second round picks weren't overly shocking, though they did get a second round talent, Alex Scherff, in the fifth round. If they can sign him, that's a big win.
1-24: RHP Tanner Houck (my rank: 26)
As you can probably guess by my ranking, I don't love this pick, but if I were a Red Sox fan, I wouldn't be disappointed. Houck is a legitimate talent, one who has a 75 grade fastball when he's going right. The Missouri ace can run it into the upper 90's with plenty of movement, making it nearly impossible to square up. Surprisingly, especially considering his long arm action, he commands it pretty well. His slider and changeup, however, aren't all that impressive, and could lead to a career in the bullpen. He has top of the rotation potential if Boston's minor league system can mold those secondary pitches into plus ones, but he has a better chance than most high-level college starters to end up in the bullpen. Additionally, his fastball didn't look as sharp this year, sitting in the low 90's most of the time rather than the mid 90's that he's used to.
2-63: OF Cole Brannen (my rank: 67)
Again, based on my ranking of Brannen, you can tell that I neither hate nor love this pick. Brannen is an athletic high school outfielder from the Atlanta area who has the tools to develop into an above average fielder and a hold-your-own type of bat. Aside from his plus running speed, he has pretty much average tools across the board, but that means he has few weaknesses. With his quick swing, Brannen could find himself competing for a seat in the Red Sox' outfield down the road, possibly trying to replace Jackie Bradley Jr. in the Bradley-Betts-Benintendi outfield of the future. That's a lot of B's.
3-101: 2B Brett Netzer (unranked)
UNC-Charlotte's second baseman, like his teammate T.J. Nichting, had a successful three year career for the 49ers, slashing .351/.428/.497 with ten home runs and 14 stolen bases over 152 games. Netzer is a very competent hitter who profiles best as a utility man going forward, though an improvement in any one aspect of his game could push him into consideration for becoming Dustin Pedroia's replacement down the road (no, Red Sox fans, Pedroia won't play forever).
4-131: RHP Jake Thompson (my rank: 71)
Oregon State has easily been the best team in the country this year, and their best pitcher without a criminal record is Jake Thompson, a redshirt junior who went 14-0 with a 1.52 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP while striking out 113 batters in 118.1 innings. Thompson is a steal here in the fourth round, as he shouldn't be too expensive considering his lack of leverage (he turns 23 in September). Though he could end up in the bullpen with his fastball slider combo, he has every chance to make it as a starter, given his ability to hold low to mid 90's velocity deep into starts and his feel for a full arsenal. One drawback with Thompson is that he doesn't have much of a track record before this year; from 2014-2016, he went 6-6 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP over 31 games (22 starts).
5-161: RHP Alex Scherff (my rank: 46)
Scherff is a second round talent who has the best chance of any of the Sox' top picks to not sign. Committed to Texas A&M, he'll be draft eligible as a sophomore, so it may take a large amount of money to pry him away from the Aggies. That said, the Red Sox will get a great arm if they can. Scherff runs his plus fastball into the mid 90's, and his changeup is arguably the best among all high schoolers. His slider will need to improve as it lacks bite right now, and he has a ceiling of a mid-rotation starter. Scherff is a year old for his class, having turned 19 in February, but if the Red Sox can sign him, he'll join a diverse draft class of high level pitchers with Houck and Thompson.
12-371: C Beau Hanna (unranked)
I'm probably the only person who will write about Hanna at any length, but I really like this kid. A high school catcher out of Georgia, he has plus raw power from a swing that really doesn't seem geared towards power. Once his swing gets reworked and he adds loft, he could hit 20-30 home runs per year in the majors. However, he has his doubters over whether he can stay behind the plate, as he lacks the athleticism to go with his strong arm. This is a real sleeper deep in the Sox' draft class. He's committed to Kennesaw State so there's always the signability risk.
Others: 6th rounder Zach Schellenger out of Seton Hall has a very strong track record in the Cape Cod League (2.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 62/13 K/BB over 34 relief appearances). That's important because he was never very overpowering for the Pirates, and he missed time with biceps trouble this spring. The Red Sox will probably try to fast track the righty reliever to the majors once they feel his arm is 100%. 13th rounder Garrett Benge is easy to pick out of the draft class as he was a top performer for the Oklahoma State Cowboys this year, slashing .304/.437/.533 with ten home runs while drawing 49 walks to 37 strikeouts. He's a great pick in the 13th round, one who has a decent chance of making it to the major leagues.14th rounder Aaron Perry will be a tough sign, as he is committed to Kentucky and missed time with injuries this year, but the righty out of Hurricane, West Virginia (pronounced "hurrikin") has the ceiling of a set-up man or even a closer, if those positions still exist when he reaches the majors. His power fastball/curveball combo will look great out of the bullpen, even if he's under six feet tall and has battled durability issues. I know nothing about 16th rounder Kutter Crawford, except that he dominated for Florida Gulf Coast University this year (7-1, 1.71 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 99/31 K/BB) and that he has a really cool name.
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