MLB Draft Preview: Everything Red Sox fans need to know ahead of draft

The MLB Draft has been kind to the Red Sox over the past five years producing a bounty of young talent that is in the end beginning to pay off at the major league level Marcelo Mayer Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell all early-round picks who subsequently blossomed into top- prospects have made their big league debuts Several other picks have paid off in other tactics greater part notably in facilitating this past winter s Garrett Crochet commerce Related Articles Red Sox starter Hunter Dobbins leaves tournament due to injury in second inning Red Sox ace pulls out of All-Star Meeting to rest up for second half Red Sox lineup Alex Bregman officially activated batting second in return Red Sox make moves to clear room for returning Alex Bregman Hunter Dobbins Ceddanne Rafaela hits go-ahead two-run single as Red Sox rally past Rays This weekend the Red Sox will once again have a chance to replenish their farm system The MLB Draft begins Sunday night and over the next two days the Red Sox will have a chance to bring as multiple as new players into the organization Who could the Red Sox target What players are realistically available When do the Red Sox pick and at what time Here s everything you need to know about this year s draft When is the draft The MLB Draft will be held over two days between July - The first three rounds will take place on Sunday starting at p m and rounds - will take place Monday starting at a m Fans can watch day one coverage on MLB Configuration MLB com and ESPN Day two coverage will be streamed exclusively on MLB com Marcelo Mayer was the Red Sox's highest selected draft pick in modern history going No overall in the MLB Draft Matt Stone Boston Herald What picks do the Red Sox have The Red Sox have four picks inside the top starting with the No overall pick and in total This season marks the fourth time in five years the club will pick inside the top following its previous selections of Marcelo Mayer No Kyle Teel No and Braden Montgomery No Boston also has the No pick a Competitive Balance Round A selection it acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Quinn Priester exchange earlier this year as well as the No pick and No pick The club also has in bonus pool money available to draw from The No pick is a compensatory pick acquired after Nick Pivetta declined a qualifying offer and signed with the Padres and effectively replaces Boston s original second-round pick which the association forfeited after signing Alex Bregman despite his own qualifying offer from the Astros Boston s full list of selections including round and overall pick is as follows - CBA- C - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LSU pitcher Kade Anderson is expected to be among the top picks in this weekend's MLB Draft AP Photo Cory Eads Who is expected to go No Ethan Holliday the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday and younger brother of No overall pick Jackson Holliday is generally regarded as the top prospect available The Stillwater Oklahoma native is a hulking presence at -foot- pounds with a smooth left-handed swing and power to all fields and if he goes first the Hollidays would become the first brothers to ever be drafted No overall Others likely to be drafted within the first scant picks include LSU left-hander Kade Anderson who led his unit to a national championship after striking out batters in innings and winning Largest part Outstanding Participant honors at the College World Series Right-hander Seth Hernandez of Corona H S California has been regarded as one of the nation s best high school pitchers for several years and has already gotten up to mph and shortstop Eli Willits of Fort Cobb-Broxton H S Oklahoma is a polished switch hitter who also ranks as one of the youngest prospects in the draft at just years old Wake Forest infielder Marek Houston is among the draft prospects expected to be available when the Red Sox select at No overall AP Photo Wade Payne Who are realistic possibilities for Sox The No ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and therefore the chalk pick to go to Boston is Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston The -foot- college junior helped lead the Demon Deacons to a third place finish at the College World Series and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive infielders in the draft He was also a Cape Cod League All-Star last summer Baseball America has a similar but slightly different projection with prep shortstop Steele Hall of Hewitt-Trussville H S Alabama as its No prospect Hall is only years old but boasts elite speed and improved bat speed and power possible Hall would also continue Boston s latest emphasis on taking high school infielders with its first pick following Nick Yorke in Mayer in and Mikey Romero in Since Craig Breslow took over as Boston s chief baseball officer the Red Sox have placed a greater emphasis on pitching If the Red Sox decided to take an arm with its first pick a couple of prospects who could realistically be available in the mid-teens include Oklahoma righty Kyson Witherspoon UC Santa Barbara righty Tyler Bremner Arkansas righty Gage Wood and prep left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft of Portland Oregon Schoolcraft in particular is a fascinating prospect Standing at -foot- Schoolcraft is absolutely massive and has a level of extension that makes his already blazing mph fastball play even faster He also has two-way prospective something the Red Sox haven t shied away from progressing after taking prep star Conrad Cason in the eighth round last year While the Red Sox aren t likely to draft for need given the nature of the MLB Draft the club is notably thin at catcher right now If the crew were inclined to bolster that position Auburn s Ike Irish and North Carolina s Luke Stevenson would each be attractive options Former Austin Prep pitcher Evan Blanco who has played the last three years at the University of Virginia is among a handful of locals with a chance to be drafted this week Paul Connors Boston Herald Any locals to watch MLB com lists Lawrence Academy right-hander John Paone as its top draft prospect from Massachusetts Paone listed at No overall on MLB s rankings is a -foot- right-hander with a low-to-mid s fastball and particular intriguing secondary pitches He will be a name to watch in the round - range Virginia left-hander Evan Blanco a former Austin Prep great from Woburn had a disappointing junior season but is still likely to be a mid-round selection Michigan right-hander Dylan Vigue from Leominster and The Groton School should go in a similar range Two more with local ties likely to be drafted are Northeastern University s Cam Maldonado and Aiven Cabral Maldonado a Connecticut native just put together a fantastic season in which he batted with home runs RBI and a OPS while leading the Huskies to a - record and an NCAA Tournament appearance Cabral a former St Mary s of Lynn star enjoyed a career year this spring in which he posted a ERA with strikeouts and only walks in innings Payton Tolle drafted in the second round by the Red Sox last summer has already reached Double-A and is regarded as a top- prospect in MLB Maddie Malhotra Boston Red Sox How is last year s class doing Three of Boston s top five picks in last year s draft are at this time ranked inside Baseball America s top prospects though one of those first-round pick Braden Montgomery is now with the Chicago White Sox after being included in the Crochet agreement The two who remain Payton Tolle and Brandon Clarke already look like they could be among the the majority intriguing arms Boston has had in a while Tolle Boston s second-round pick is at present ranked No on Baseball America s Top A massive left-hander who stands at -foot- pounds Tolle has already struck out batters over his first innings as a pro while posting a ERA in outings split between High-A and Double-A Clarke selected in the fifth-round ranks No and has also piled up strikeouts at an impressive rate with through his first innings The -year-old lefty started the season at Low-A but was promoted to High-A after only three starts In addition to Tolle fourth-round outfielder Zach Ehrhard has also already reached Double-A and pitchers Blake Aita and Shea Sprague have joined Clarke in being promoted to High-A