It is still ridiculously early in the process, but early returns are encouraging for the Red Sox when it comes to their 2022 draft class.
Baseball America's Geoff Pontes last week wrote a story looking at 16 "up-arrow" prospects who were drafted after the first round last year. The Red Sox had three players on the list, the only team to land that many. The Padres were the only other team with more than one.
The three Red Sox prospects to make the list were:
OF Roman Anthony (second-round compensatory)
LHP Dalton Rogers (third round)
2B/3B Chase Meidroth (fourth round)
The Anthony buzz, especially from Baseball America, is nothing new. Earlier this month, BA mentioned Anthony as a prospect whose stock had been improving, even noting some scouts believed Anthony has the tools to become a "potentially special player." The stats don't jump off the page, at least not yet, but Anthony gets a lot of credit for his plate discipline and how hard he hits the ball (exit velocity is "above-average by major league standards").
"Adjustments to his bat path and swing plane could yield excellent results," Pontes wrote, also saying "Anthony is one name to not get too caught up in scouting the stat line."
Rogers, the only Sox pitcher of the three, is labeled as a "funky left-hander with good stuff and unique release traits." Rogers, who averaged 14 strikeouts per nine innings at Southern Miss before being drafted, has 38 punchouts in just 21 2/3 innings pitched for the Salem Red Sox this year. The walk numbers are alarming (5.7 per nine as a pro), but Pontes believes Rogers "was showing the type of unique stuff that leads to good results."
Last but not least is Meidroth, a 21-year-old infielder with an accelerated hit tool coming out of San Diego. He's already playing in Double-A with Portland, where he's 10-for-35 in 10 games with a double and a home run. He might not have the highest ceiling, but Pontes credits him for being "an advanced hitter with excellent plate skills." In 10 games with the SeaDogs, he has drawn seven walks to just five strikeouts against competition that is, on average, three years older than he is.
Boston's first-round pick last year, Mikey Romero, got off to a really nice start in 2022. He got his first taste of the pro game at rookie ball before graduating to Salem where he hit .364 in nine games with seven extra-base hits. He has yet to make his 2023 debut, however, as he's dealing with a back injury. The Boston Globe reported last week that Romero was ramping up his hitting program as he continues his recovery.
There aren't really many sure things in scouting and development, so the Red Sox probably shouldn't throw any parades despite the positive buzz. However, one of Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's main objectives was to increase the talent pool in a previously depleted farm system. Continued positive reports like these seem to indicate Bloom and the front office have things going in the right direction in that regard.
