Red Sox manager John Farrell got to play the role of proud father for a third time Friday, as his youngest son, Luke, was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the MLB draft.
The younger Farrell, a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher, is coming off a second-team All-Big 10 senior season at Northwestern. Working out of the rotation, he tied for the conference lead in strikeouts (78) and ranked second in opponent’s batting average (.205) while compiling a club-leading 2.13 ERA.
Boston made their sixth-round pick one spot before Farrell was selected, but the Red Sox skipper said he preferred his son play for another organization, according to The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham.
Luke, 22, is the third of Farrell’s sons to be drafted. Infielder Jeremy, the eldest, was selected by the Pirates in 2008 and is currently in the White Sox farm system, while Shane, another right-hander, was chosen by the Blue Jays in 2011 and now works in the Cubs’ baseball operations department.