Four Pitchers Red Sox Could Pick In First Round Of 2023 MLB Draft

The Boston Red Sox haven’t used a first-round selection on a pitcher since 2017 when they drafted Tanner Houck, instead adding shortstops in three consecutive years.

With the No. 14 pick in Sunday night’s Major League Baseball draft, the Red Sox have options, with plenty of position players to consider, however, the same goes for pitching depth. They’ve leaned heavily on 24-year-old Brayan Bello in Boston this season, so perhaps the time has come to go that route this time around.

Here are four pitchers the Red Sox could add on draft night:

1.) Thomas White, LHP, Phillips Academy, (Massachusetts)
Committed to Vanderbilt, White could become the first Massachusetts native to be selected in the first round since Tyler Beede was drafted out of Lawrence by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011.

White, 18, who stands at 6-foot-5, has been noted to display some command issues at times, but still has the ability to clock in his fastball around the 95-97 mph range. Striking out 165 batters over the course of 75 innings pitched the last two seasons, White earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors back-to-back seasons for Massachusetts. Boston also hasn’t developed a notable left-handed starter since two-time World Series champion Jon Lester.

With a chance at being taken before Boston is on the board, there could be an incentive to lure White away from Vanderbilt, depending on where he gets selected. Mikey Romero, who the Red Sox selected at No. 24 overall in 2022, took home a signing bonus worth $2.3 million.

But aside from that, the thought of getting drafted by his childhood-favorite team should be enough to get the goosebumps rising for White.

“Hometown, you know?” White said in June, according to Matt Porter of The Boston Globe. “I’ve been watching the Red Sox for as long as I can remember. I’ve been going to games forever. it would be a dream come true, to be honest.”

2.) Hurston Waldrep, RHP, University of Florida
MLB Pipeline ranked Waldrep as the No. 19 draft-eligible prospect following his latest season at Florida, in which the 21-year-old went 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA in 19 starts, allowing 47 earned runs through 101 2/3 innings pitched for the Gators. He also walked 57 hitters and racked up 156 strikeouts during that junior campaign, which was Waldrep’s second full year as a starter — he began his collegiate career as a reliever at Southern Mississippi.

The 6-foor-2 right-hander averages his fastball anywhere from around 95-99 mph, making velocity his greatest strong suit. Waldrep executes his starts utilizing a three-pitch mix, but again, is heavily reliant on his fastball. He’s also already been projected to fall to Boston in the first round.

“Waldrep’s upper-90s fastball and mid-80s slider and splitter/changeup all can earn plus or better grades at their best, though he’s still working to harness them,” MLB.com’s Jim Callis wrote in predicting Waldrep to be selected by the Red Sox.

3.) Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit High School (Oregon)
Meyer slides in as perhaps the most intriguing pitcher of the draft, certainly earmarked to generate plenty of interest and consideration across the league when the time officially comes.

At 18 years of age, Meyer is another high school prospect with an eye-popping rise in velocity, having already reached over 100 mph, according to MLB.com. The right-hander is already committed to Oregon after striking out 149 hitters through 69 innings tossed during his senior season, most notably notching an ERA below 1.00. That also skyrocketed Meyer to being the highest-ranked high school pitcher, ranked No. 8 overall.

Meyer’s slider also hovers around the mid-80 mph mark consistently, standing out in a relatively thin class of high schoolers entering the draft.

With plenty of pros working to Meyer’s advantage, it’s likely he’ll be envisioned to become a front-end starting pitcher, regardless of where he’s drafted — pending Meyer doesn’t attend Oregon and instead signs.

4.) Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP, James Madison High School (Virginia)
The next Shohei Ohtani?

Eldridge enters this list (and draft) as the inarguable most interesting player, and for one simple reason: he’s the only two-way player of all prospects draft-eligible that’s actually excelled in both positions.

Also having the added plus of being able to play first base, Eldridge might not be the next Ohtani, but again, there’s more than enough upside in place to consider taking the 18-year-old, even aside from his 6-foot-7 frame — which makes him three inches taller than Ohtani. Eldrige touched over 95 mph with his fastball along with an effective slider, notching a 1.06 ERA during his perfect 9-0 run on the mound as a senior.

“I guess I’m kind of a scary-looking dude,” Eldridge said, according to MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince. “I’m very tall, and I’m 18 years old with a beard. But you can come to me. I’m a nice kid, and I’ll be very respectful.”

On the other side, Eldridge bats left-handed, amassing a .422 batting average and earning Virginia Player of the Year honors after his final high school campaign.