The Boston Red Sox might have killed two birds with one stone Wednesday night.
Not only did they select a player whom they seemingly love at No. 17 overall in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft., they also positioned themselves to make a significant splash Thursday on Day 2 of the draft.
Boston used its first-round pick on Nick Yorke, an 18-year-old middle infielder who wasn’t on many experts’ radars at No. 17. The selection was shocking, as the Red Sox passed on several notable names in favor of the Archbishop Mitty High School (California) product, whom MLB Pipeline ranked No. 139 among its top 200 prospects.
There was a method to the Red Sox’s madness, though, and it starts with how highly they regard Yorke, an offensive standout with a dirt-dog mentality who committed to the University of Arizona but now figures to sign with Boston and turn pro. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom explained Yorke “has a chance to be a special bat” and that the public perception of him might have been different had the coronavirus pandemic not thrown a wrench into high-school and college seasons across the country.
Did the Red Sox reach for York, who didn’t appear on most mock drafts? Probably. But the Red Sox don’t own a second-round pick thanks to MLB’s punishment stemming from its investigation into Boston’s 2018 sign-stealing scandal, and there’s no guarantee he would’ve been available when the club’s next pick rolls around in the third round at No. 89. In essence, if the Red Sox really wanted Yorke, they needed to pull the trigger.
Will it pay off? Only time will tell. But the Red Sox should enjoy one of the ancillary benefits of reaching for Yorke on Thursday night, when they own three more picks and now presumably will have more money to offer whichever players they choose.
Presumably, the Red Sox really liked Yorke and saw an opportunity to take a player who would take less than slot in order to have more money available on day 2 for the 3rd through 5th round picks. https://t.co/Ip2s9pmGgh
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) June 11, 2020
Red Sox Draft Picks: Live Tracker For Boston’s Selections In 2020 MLB Draft
An industry source confirmed to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier on Wednesday night that Yorke is expected to sign with the Red Sox for less than the recommended No. 17 slot value of $3.61 million.
The money saved now can be reallocated throughout the third, fourth and fifth rounds, giving the Red Sox flexibility to draft (and potentially sign) high-upside prospects who they otherwise might have shied away from out of doubt they’d be able to offer enough financial incentive for those players to turn pro this year rather than wait until next year’s draft.
An industry source confirms what Nick Yorke alluded to in his conference call: He is expected to sign with the Sox for less than the recommended No 17 slot of $3.61M.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) June 11, 2020
“You always have that in your mind and you’re looking at the entire draft as a way to maximize the amount of talent that you bring in,” Bloom told reporters Thursday of the financial implications of drafting an under-the-radar prospect like Yorke. “With that said, the conviction we have in Nick’s bat, we had him in that group at the top of our board, regardless. While you’re always mindful of that, I don’t want that to take away from how we feel about the potential of Nick Yorke.”
Basically, the Red Sox had eyes for Yorke and they’re confident in his ability to develop into an impact player down the road. That conviction alone should be enough to justify choosing him at No. 17 overall. It’s not like Boston’s scouts haven’t done tons and tons of homework on the kid.
But the decision to go off the board also appears to be part of a bigger strategy, in which the Red Sox distribute their bonus pool money more evenly instead of committing top dollar to their first-round pick. And who knows. That could lead to the Red Sox landing a future star on Day 2.
Say what you want about the method, but these are the types of decisions Bloom was hired to make, and he’ll ultimately come out smelling like a rose if the condensed 2020 draft class — in its totality — plays an integral part in replenishing the Red Sox’s organizational talent pool.
