Red Sox First-Round Draft Pick Sheds Yankees Fandom With Great Quote

Seemingly the second Kyle Teel heard his name called Sunday night, the Virginia product put his childhood baseball fandom well behind him.

Teel, arguably the best catcher in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft class, grew up rooting for the New York Yankees as a New Jersey native. But as fate would have it, Teel broke into professional baseball with the Bronx Bombers’ fiercest rival. The Boston Red Sox made a “no-brainer” decision with their top pick this year, grabbing Teel at No. 14 overall.

Speaking with the media over Zoom after receiving a life-changing phone call, Teel wasted no time endearing himself to Red Sox Nation.

“Growing up, it’s kind of funny, because I was a Yankees fan, but now I bleed red,” Teel told reporters, per MLB.com. “I’m excited to get going.”

Stiff-arming the Yankees wasn’t the only way Teel fired up Red Sox fans Sunday night. The 21-year-old also revealed he’s “always looked up to” Jason Varitek, a former Boston lineup stalwart who now is in a position to help Teel achieve his goal of being an MLB catcher for “a long time.”

The Red Sox, who also selected high school shortstop Nazzan Zanetello on Sunday, are set to make 20 more 2023 draft picks between Monday and Tuesday.