The Boston Red Sox came up big on Day 1 of the 2010 MLB draft.
With their first pick of the 2010 draft, the Red Sox selected infielder Kolbrin Vitek out of Ball State University. The 21-year-old junior was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, leading the league with 73 runs, tied for second with 17 homers and ranked third with 68 RBIs and 161 total bases.
Vitek also earned Louisville Slugger First-Team All-American honors with a .361 (84-for-233) batting average, .691 slugging percentage, 20 doubles and three triples in 58 games. As a pitcher, Vitek made 17 appearances for the Cardinals, including 13 starts. He finished second in the MAC with a 3.28 ERA.
Last summer, Vitek won the Triple Crown in the Great Lakes League, batting .400 (54-for-135) with six home runs and 38 RBIs. He was rated as the top second baseman in this year’s draft by Baseball America, as well as the third-best pure hitter among college players.
In the supplemental first round, the Red Sox picked outfielder Bryce Brentz, 21, of Middle Tennessee State University. The junior hit .348 (64-for-184) for the Blue Raiders, with 51 runs, eight doubles, 15 homers and 49 RBIs in 46 games this season.
In 2009, the right-handed hitter was the NCAA leader in batting average (.465), home runs (28), slugging percentage (.930) and total bases (214) and was named Sun Belt Player of the Year. The Knoxville, Tenn., native was rated by Baseball America as the third-best power hitter among college players in this year’s draft, posting a .636 slugging percentage with 29 walks and a .440 on-base percentage. He was selected out of high school by Cleveland in the 30th round of the 2007 draft but did not sign.
Also in the supplemental first round, the Red Sox selected Louisiana State University’s Anthony Ranaudo. The 20-year-old junior went 5-2 with a 7.49 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 14 appearances for the Tigers this year.
Ranaudo earned the victory in the clinching game of the 2009 College World Series and had a 12-3 record and 3.04 ERA in 19 starts in his sophomore year. Leading the Southeastern Conference, he finished third in the nation with 159 strikeouts in 2009. Ranaudo ranked second among SEC leaders in opponent batting average (.209) and third in ERA.
Taken by Texas in the 11th round of the 2007 draft, Ranaudo opted instead to attend LSU.
