Red Sox Take High-Upside Corner Infielder In Latest Mock Draft

The Boston Red Sox are just under a month away from being on the clock in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, but there’s no doubt they’re already playing out all the possible first-round scenarios.

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo did so as well as he recently released his latest mock draft and had the Red Sox taking a high-upside corner infielder with the No. 14 overall pick.

Mayo has the Red Sox dipping into the high school pool of talent and selecting third baseman Aidan Miller out of Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Fla., but admitted they could go in a number of different directions in the middle of the first round.

“Miller could have very well been a Top 10 pick if he hadn’t missed much of his senior year with a hamate injury (though he still could float up to the back end of that 10),” Mayo wrote. “The Red Sox have no problem taking high school hitters, so this checks off that box. (Enrique) Bradfield could land in this spot, as could (Matt) Shaw should they go the college hitter route and while I didn’t work Arizona’s Chase Davis into this mock, his name has come up in the middle of the first round some.”

Mayo had Shaw, a shortstop out of Maryland, going a pick after the Red Sox’s selection to the Chicago White Sox and Bradfield, a Vanderbilt outfielder, being chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers at No. 18 overall.

Since Chaim Bloom took over as the chief baseball officer of the Red Sox, he has taken nothing but high schoolers in the first round, most notably Marcelo Mayer with the fourth overall selection in 2021. Another mock draft had the Red Sox going the high school route, too.

At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Miller’s biggest tool is the powerful bat he wields as scouts look for that to transfer over to professional baseball.

“Miller is a corner infielder with the kind of offensive profile pro teams want at that spot,” MLB Pipeline wrote for Miller’s scouting report. “The right-handed hitter has easily plus raw power and has shown he can get to it in games against good competition, showing no difficulty in turning around elite velocity. He already has a lot of strength.”

Who the Red Sox actually pick will be revealed when the first round commences on July 9.