The Boston Red Sox are making the most of their draft picks, selecting Florida outfielder Jud Fabian with their second pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.
The Red Sox took Fabian to open the second round with the No. 40 overall pick. Baseball America ranks the defensive stalwart as its 27th-ranked prospect in the entire draft.
The 20-year-old was a third-team All-American this year at Florida, where he started 59 games in center field for the Gators. He hit .249 with 20 home runs and 46 RBI. That included a 23-game streak of reaching base safely.
He’s a tremendous defensive outfielder — Baseball America gave him a 70-grade (out of 80) for his defense — but there are some holes in his offensive game. Most notably is the swing and miss. He struck out 79 times in 59 games for Florida, but if the Red Sox can get that out of his game at some point, it has the potential to be a steal. Some publications had Fabian going in the top half of the first round before the college baseball season began.
It’s still far too early to know anything, but it’s possible the Red Sox landed a pair of relative steals in their first two picks. Fabian, as mentioned, was mocked at No. 7 in the first Baseball America mock draft of the season. Boston’s first-round pick, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, “fell” to the Sox at No. 4 after being considered the favorite to go first overall leading up to Sunday night’s first round.
