Much gets made about the Boston Red Sox’s ability — or lack thereof — to develop starting pitching.
That notion probably is somewhat overblown, but there certainly is merit behind the idea. And in some ways, the inability to develop starting pitching has overshadowed the Red Sox’s inability to develop power hitters.
Outside of Mookie Betts, most of Boston’s power over the last 10 to 15 years was acquired either through trades or free agency. Other than Betts, you’d have to go all the way back to Mo Vaughn to find a slugger the Red Sox drafted and developed and got to the big league level in Boston.
(We’ll also have to wait and see on a player like Rafael Devers, and Andrew Benintendi certainly could become a 30-home run guy.)
Boston, however, took a couple of big steps Monday night in attempting to repower during the first and second rounds of the 2018 MLB Draft.
The Red Sox went young, drafting a pair of high schoolers, nabbing corner infielder Triston Casas in the first round and outfielder Nick Decker in the second round.
The one thing both of them have in common? They both hit for power — and lots of it.
From the MLB.com scouting profile on Casas: “Casas is all about his bat and the power he can produce with it. In terms of raw pop, he’s up there with just about anyone in the class, registering high exit velocities at times.”
Just look at this.
Named tournament MVP, his performance helped lead @USABaseball18U to its fourth consecutive @WBSC #U18WorldCup 🏅
Our Richard W. "Dick" Case Player of the Year: Triston Casas. Congrats, @mvptc37! #USABAwards pic.twitter.com/xrIi6Vwm8U
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) December 12, 2017
And from the MLB.com video profile of Decker: “He does have one carrying tool: his raw power. It’s legitimate and it shows up presently. … He’s more power over hit with some length to his swing, but he does have good rhythm at the plate giving him a better shot of tapping into that strength.”
Of course, there’s no guarantee drafting for power pays off, either. Normally, power is one of the final tools developed by prospects, and just because a player hits for power in the minors, that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to take the final step. For every Mo Vaughn, there’s are a handful of players like Lars Anderson, Andy Marte and Tony Blanco.
The Red Sox insist their draft strategy centers on taking the best player available. It’s possible both Casas and Decker were the best players on the board when Boston got on the clock, but the similarities are impossible to ignore. The draft is a crapshoot, but the Red Sox have to hope Casas and/or Decker are able to buck the power development trend.
