Four No. 14 Draft Picks Of Past Prove Red Sox Could Snag Gem

The Boston Red Sox aren’t perfectly positioned for the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, selecting at No. 14, however, they aren’t totally disadvantaged either.

In fact, considering how past drafts have unfolded, the Red Sox could snag a valuable asset to pay dividends years down the line. There have been plenty of noteworthy names that at first went under-appreciated on draft night, but in the end, proved to be more than worthy of being selected at No. 14.

Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice was selected at No. 15 in 1971 — a pick that speaks for itself through Rice’s illustrious 16-year career in Boston. “Rocket” Roger Clemens, who won three Cy Young Awards (seven total) in Boston, was drafted No. 19 overall in 1983 before also assembling a Hall of Fame career.

Now, Boston isn’t in need of finding a franchise-altering talent — as nice as that would be. But the organization could still land a viable member of the lineup or pitching staff, evidently making the selection a great one.

With that being said, here are the top four players that have proven that in the past:

4.) Derrek Lee (San Diego Padres, 1993)
The argument could be made that Lee was one of the most underappreciated first basemen of his time.

Lee finished a 15-year career in the big leagues as a .281 hitter with 331 home runs, crushing 46 alongside 50 doubles, 107 RBIs and a .335 batting average in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs — finishing third in National League MVP voting behind Albert Pujols and Andruw Jones. He didn’t come up completely empty during that phenomenal campaign, named an NL Silver Slugger and batting champion that year.

The right-hander also did it on both sides of the field, winning three Gold Glove Awards (2003, ’05, ’07) with a 34.5 career WAR.

In 2003, as a member of the then-Florida Marlins, Lee’s nifty defense at first base secured a World Series victory in Game 5 over the New York Yankees, ultimately helping the organization capture its second title.

3.) Tino Martinez (Seattle Mariners, 1998)
Stepping in as the Don Mattingly replacement in 1996, Martinez already had big shoes to fill in New York, which he handled well.

Martinez crushed a career-high 44 home runs while hitting .296 with 141 RBIs, finishing second in American League MVP voting, second to non-other than Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. that year. Martinez was named an All-Star that season as well, winning his first and only Silver Slugger Award too. Not too shabby, right?

During his first five years in the Big Apple, Martinez racked up four World Series rings, batting .278 with 141 homers, 156 doubles and 801 base hits through that dynasty stretch with the Yankees.

Drowned in a powerhouse roster behind Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams, Martinez earned every ring on his finger, blasting a grand slam in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series versus the San Diego Padres and even a game-tying two-run bomb in 2001 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4 — which New York lost.

2.) José Fernández (Miami Marlins, 2011)
Before tragically passing away at the age of 24, Fernández was on pace to become one of the greatest Marlins players of all time.

Fernández notched two All-Star appearances and won NL Rookie of the Year in Miami at just 20 years old. During his final and most successful campaign with the Marlins in 2016, Fernández went 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA, striking out 253 hitters over the course of 182 1/3 innings pitched, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting.

There aren’t too many pitchers of Fernández’s caliber offered in the draft any given year at all, much less sitting on the board at No. 14.

1.) Jason Varitek (Seattle Mariners, 1994)
The list goes on when examining the dozens of intangibles that Varitek delivered on a night-to-night basis behind the plate.

Not only a draft steal back in 1994 but highway robbery when the Red Sox acquired Varitek — a minor leaguer at the time — with righty pitcher Derek Lowe in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb, who Boston dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1997.

Vartiek grew into a vital member in one of the most crucial chapters of Red Sox history: Boston’s heartbreaking 2003 AL Championship Series loss against the Yankees, and then present for its 3-0 comeback en route to shattering an 86-year World Series drought a year later in 2004. Varitek was the quintessential leader, with a captain’s C — the last Red Sox captain — that wasn’t large enough to represent his strongest quality.

Boston’s all-time fan-favorite catcher won two World Series titles in Boston, giving the Red Sox three 20-plus home runs seasons and as many All-Star campaigns along with one Gold Glove Award in 2005.