MLB Insider Reveals ‘Best Fits’ For Red Sox In 2023 Draft

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel last week predicted the Boston Red Sox would select Maryland second baseman Matt Shaw with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft.

The MLB insider explained the Red Sox could follow their “basic blueprint” of the past few drafts, opening the door for them to potentially select a college bat in the first round before transitioning to overslot prep position players with later picks.

Well, on Monday, McDaniel shed more light on Boston’s possibilities as part of his 2023 MLB Draft guide. And that included a look at the “best fits” for each team, including the Red Sox, with the draft set to take place July 9-11.

“College hitters like (Matt) Shaw, (Tommy) Troy, (Jacob) Wilson and (Enrique) Bradfield Jr. all fit for their first pick, as does prep shortstop Colin Houck,” McDaniel wrote on ESPN.com. “At their second pick, I’d expect a slot-or-below college player (like Luke Keaschall) to then set up an overslot high school player later.”

The Red Sox own the No. 50 pick in the second round. Their total draft bonus pool for 2023, according to McDaniel, is $10,295,100.

Boston’s farm system has improved under chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, with McDaniel placing it 10th among the 30 MLB organizations. But the Red Sox must continue to infuse high-upside talent into their pipeline while trying to close the gap in the stacked American League East. And the draft obviously represents an avenue to accomplishing such.

One could argue the Red Sox should focus on pitching, as they’ve long struggled to develop starters and don’t have many noteworthy arms scattered across the minors, but they instead might choose to play to their strengths.