The 21-year-old hails from Arizona State, where he was a two-time First-Team Pac-12 All-Conference selection. The year before, the infielder was recognized as the conference’s defensive player of the year.
Before Marrero, the last shortstop the Red Sox took out of Arizona State was Dustin Pedroia back in 2004. Eight years later, Pedroia has a Most Valuable Player award to his name and has emerged as a perennial All-Star.
Marrero posted solid numbers at the plate for Arizona State, batting .284 with 11 doubles, five triples and four home runs as a junior. He was also second on the team with 11 stolen bases and 171 assists.
Back in 2009, the Reds drafted Marrero in the 17th round, but the shortstop elected to play at the collegiate level. The Davie, Fla. native was also high school teammates with Eric Hosmer, who was drafted with the third pick in 2008 by the Royals.
Marrero developed a strong reputation –– that likely got him on Boston’s radar –– with his performance for Team USA, where he batted .322 with a .385 on-base percentage in 14 games.
Check out some highlights of Marrero in the video below.
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Photo via Facebook/Deven Marrero
