The Boston Red Sox, like virtually all professional sports teams, have a checkered history with their first-round draft pics. Plus, baseball is a notoriously difficult sport to draft for, with even the highest of picks typically facing a multi-year journey to the big leagues.
That said, the Red Sox have enjoyed their fair share of “hits” in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft.
The 2020 first-year player draft will begin Wednesday night, despite the looming uncertainty of whether there will be a baseball season this year. As such, we decided to look back on some of the best first-round picks in Red Sox history.
(Note: We omitted recent draft picks such as Jay Groome, Tanner Houck and Triston Casas as they have yet to make their major league debuts.)
Roger Clemens, RHP — 19th pick (1983)
Say what you want about Clemens, but the fact remains he’s one of the greatest pitchers ever to play the game. “The Rocket” won an American League MVP, seven Cy Youngs, two World Series and was named to 11 All-Star teams over his 24-year career. He went 192-11 with a 3.06 ERA in 13 seasons with the Red Sox before signing with the Toronto Blue Jays after the 1996 campaign. The rest is history — for better or for worse.
Jim Rice, OF — 15th pick (1971)
Finally elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009, Rice is one of the finest outfielders ever to wear a Red Sox uniform. Rice hit a hefty .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs in 16 seasons in Boston. He also won an MVP, two Silver Sluggers and was named to eight All-Star teams.
Nomar Garciaparra, SS — 12th pick (1994)
Garciaparra’s career — in Boston or elsewhere — didn’t pan out the way many envisioned while watching him during the late 1990s. However, at his peak, the quirky, maddeningly routine-oriented shortstop was the best at his position. He hit .323 with 178 homers in eight-plus seasons with the Red Sox. His two-year stretch from 1999 to 2000 was otherworldly: .365 average, 48 homers and 200 RBIs from a shortstop. Who knows what would have been had injuries not derailed Garciaparra’s still-impressive career.
Mo Vaughn, 1B — 23rd pick (1989)
Vaughn really doesn’t get enough credit for being one of the best sluggers in Red Sox history. The imposing first baseman amassed a .304 batting average with 230 homers and 752 RBIs in eight seasons with the Red Sox. He won the AL MVP in 1995 after hitting .300 with 39 homers and 126 RBIs. Vaughn signed with the then-Anaheim Angels before the 1999 season and finished his career with the New York Mets.
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Trot Nixon, OF — 7th pick (1993)
“The Original Dirt Dog” was more than just some scrappy, hard-working fan favorite. Nixon hit .278 with 133 homers and 523 RBIs while playing excellent defense in 10 seasons in Boston. Of course, he always will be remembered for his role on the 2004 World Series championship team.
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF — 23rd pick (2005)
Ellsbury’s big league career unfortunately has been derailed by injuries since he joined the New York Yankees before the 2014 season. However, had he maintained the level of success he enjoyed in Boston, the speedy center fielder probably would be near the top of this list. Ellsbury compiled a .297 average with 65 homers, 314 RBIs and 241 steals while winning two World Series over his seven years in Boston. His breakout 2011 campaign — .321 average, 32 homers, 105 RBIs, 39 steals, second in AL MVP voting — remains the best single-season performance of his career. The 36-year-old hasn’t played since 2017 due to various injuries and was released by the Yankees in November.
Bruce Hurst, LHP — 22nd pick (1976)
Ever-underrated, Hurst spent the bulk of his solid big league career with the Red Sox. The lanky lefty went 88-73 with a 4.23 ERA in nine seasons in Boston, highlighted by a three-year stretch from 1986 to 1988 that saw him compile a 3.76 ERA over 90 starts. He made the AL All-Star team in 1987 and finished fifth in Cy Young voting the next year.
Andrew Benintendi, OF — 7th pick (2015)
Still just 25 years old, Benintendi has plenty of time to prove himself as one of the best first-round picks in Red Sox history. However, after an excellent start to his career, Benintendi regressed over the last two seasons into slightly an above-average outfielder. He still has all the tools to be one of the best all-around hitters in the league.
Honorable mentions: Daniel Bard, Michael Chavis, David Murphy, Ken Brett, Matt Barnes
