Red Sox Draft Day Two: Bring Us All The Giant Southern Pitchers!

The first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft are in the books. Day Two wasn’t as exciting for Red Sox fans as Day One was, owing to the fact that that one of the top talents in the entire draft didn’t inexplicably fall into their laps, as was the case with Braden Montgomery on Sunday. But it was exciting in the sense that the Sox had a clear strategy and attacked the middle rounds with that in mind. The Sox spent five of their eight picks yesterday (and six of their first ten overall) on pitchers. Specifically, they went after college pitchers with big, physical frames. Given Breslow’s background and the imbalanced farm system heavy with position players, this makes sense.

But the most exciting pick of the day was one of the players who — potentially — doesn’t fit that that profile: a crazy athletic high schooler who excels both on the mound and at the plate.

Round 3: Brandon Neely

Pos: RHP

School: Florida

What’s his deal? Interestingly, Neely was primarily a reliever in college, which makes this pick something of a reach. It’s quite possible that this pick was made with money in mind, meaning that the Sox expect to sign Neely for less than a typical third-rounder, thus freeing up more money for harder-to-sign draftees later on. Having said that, I’m taking an “in Breslow and Bailey we trust” approach when it comes to pitching acquisitions, especially since some evaluators think Neely has the arsenal to be a back-end starter.

How’s that name? Incredibly boring. I’m pretty sure the Cardinals already have three backup infielders named Brandon Neely on their roster right now.

Round 4: Zach Ehrhard

Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Pos: OF

School: Oklahoma State

What’s his deal? Ehrhard’s a good athlete who runs well and makes contact. The weakest part of his game is his power, which has been inconsistent and doesn’t really match up with what you want from an outfielder. At just 5’11’’, he’s unlikely to improve too much in that area, potentially limiting his ultimate ceiling to that of a fourth outfielder. But hey, his brother is already in the Red Sox system as a catcher/infielder in Salem, so he’s got that going for him.

How’s that name? Difficult to say until we know how hard the ‘D’ at the end of Ehrhard is supposed to be pronounced. Reserving judgment.

Round 5: Brandon Clarke

Pos: LHP

School: State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota

What’s his deal? The most important thing to know about Clarke is that he’s a big, giant lefty. This pick is all about taking a pitcher with a projectable body and good raw stuff, sticking him in the lab, and molding him into a big leaguer. He’s already got an upper-90s fastball that helped him be one of the top strikeout pitchers in junior college. He’ll need to refine/add some secondary pitches and improve his control to reach his potential.

How’s that name? Even less mellifluous than the mostly incredibly Brandon Neely.

Round 6: Blake Aita

Pos: RHP

School: Kennesaw State

What’s his deal? Hey look, another giant pitcher from the South! This one doesn’t have the power fastball that Clarke does, but he puts a ton of spin on the ball and already has a plus curveball. Given that he’s 6’4’’, I’m guessing the Sox think he can add some ticks to his heater to round out the arsenal.

How’s that name? Pretty good! Names that end with a hard K that rolls into an A are generally solid.

Round 7: Will Turner

Pos: OF

School: University of Southern Alabama

What’s his deal? His deal is confusing! Turner was pretty good as a sophomore two seasons ago, when he put up an OPS over 1 and 9 homers in 54 games and entered this season as a potential second or third round pick. But his draft stock absolutely plummeted after he slashed just .218/.409/421 and struck out a ton as a junior this year. He does have good on-base skills and is considered a plus defensive center fielder, though, so if he can get the bat back on track he could move up the ladder quicker than expected.

How’s that name? Even putting aside the pirate pun possibilities, it’s just a strong, solid name. Will Turner is jut one of those names that oozes class and confidence.

Round 8: Conrad Cason

Pos: RHP/SS

School: Greater Atlanta Christian (Georgia HS)

What’s his deal? A two-way player! Cason is an outstanding athlete who starred in four sports in high school and was named the Gatorade Georgia High School Player of the Year. The consensus is that he has a brighter future on the mound, as he already has an upper-90s fastball and a good changeup and was incredibly dominant against high school competition this year, holding hitters to just a .085 batting average against.

Cason may be difficult to sign, as he’s young (he turned 17 just a few months ago), he’s already committed to Mississippi State, and seems to prefer hitting to pitching. Perhaps this is where the money saved on guys like Neely and Ehrhardt will go.

How’s that name? Outstanding. He’s clearly a guy who will be referred to by his full name for his entire life.

Round 9: Hudson White

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Pos: C

School: Arkansas

What’s his deal? White has a good approach at the plate and decent power potential. The issue is that his defense behind the plate needs a lot of work and his bat probably wouldn’t be good enough for him to stick at a non-premium defensive position.

How’s that name? Phenomenal. Hudson White has that “young, hunky secret billionaire in a romance novel” thing going on.

Round 10: Devin Futrell

Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Pos: LHP

School: Vanderbilt

What’s his deal? Naturally, Breslow closed out Day Two by selected a giant southern pitcher. Despite being 6’5’’, Futrell’s fastball sits in the low 90s, but he is a big time strike-thrower who walked just 1.9 batters-per-nine this year. Another one for the lab.

How’s that name? Outstanding. Hudson White and Devin Futrell should solve sexy crimes together on a TNT drama that airs at two in the afternoon.