What Scouting Reports Say About Top Two Red Sox Draft Choices

By selecting University of Virginia catcher Kyle Teel at No. 14 overall in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday night, he instantly becomes the top catching prospect for the Boston Red Sox.

The left-handed hitter turned in a stellar junior season with the Cavaliers, batting .407 with 13 home runs and 69 RBIs. That type of production made him the No. 7 prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline.

To get a better idea of what the Red Sox are getting in Teel, who admires Jason Varitek, here’s MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on the highly touted backstop:

He’s been a full-time starter since he arrived in Charlottesville, putting up better numbers as a freshman than he did as a sophomore and is generally considered to be the top college backstop in the class of 2023.

A left-handed-hitting backstop, Teel has the chance to hit for average and power, though he’s gotten caught a bit in between trying to be a hitter with some pop or a power guy. He was more hit over power in high school, but he has been trying to show off the pop more, perhaps a reason why he hit just .276 in 2022, though he’s found the right balance this spring. He does have an advanced approach, walking more than he struck out last year, and while struggles in the Cape Cod League and with Team USA last summer led some to worry about the hit tool, he’s answered them during his junior year.

Extremely athletic, Teel has seen time in the outfield and probably could handle playing second or third, but he has every chance to stick behind the plate. He has an easily plus arm and his athleticism helps his overall receiving. He gets high marks for his baseball IQ and leadership skills, and with his bat showing up more consistently, his name is floating up Draft boards.

While Teel’s bat is widely talked about, he gets the job done defensively even though Teel’s athleticism makes it a possibility that he won’t stick at catcher during his climb to the majors. Teel threw out 15-of-24 base stealers this season, another asset he’ll bring to the Red Sox.

“He is a left-handed hitter with an ideal swing for Fenway Park and good contact skills despite a violent swing, as well as a plus throwing arm,” ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote. “At the minimum, this looks like a pretty safe pick since Teel projects as a high probability major leaguer.”

Teel wasn’t the only player the Red Sox selected Sunday. In the second round at No. 50 overall, the Red Sox went back to their trend of drafting high school infielders — their last three first-round picks before Sunday were high school middle infielders — by picking Nazzan Zanetello from Christian Brothers College High School in Missouri.

Zanetello was ranked as the No. 52 prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline and here’s what their scouting report said about the 18-year-old shortstop:

Scouts love his five-tool potential as well as his makeup. Zanetello has a wiry 6-foot-2 frame with room to add more muscle, and his strong hands and wrists produce plenty of bat speed and 25-homer potential. He doesn’t have the prettiest right-handed swing but makes a lot of hard contact. He also shows good control of the strike zone and produced against quality pitching throughout the summer. 

While Zanetello has clocked run times that earn grades from anywhere from 45 to 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, the consensus is that he’ll probably have solid speed once he’s physically mature. His athleticism and strong arm help him make plays at shortstop, where he projects as an average defender. The Arkansas commit has looked solid in stints in center field and should provide similar glovework if he shifts to third base. 

Shortstop might not be Zanetello’s home of the future, though, with Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer seemingly holding down that spot for years to come.

Red Sox amateur scouting director amateur scouting director Devin Pearson already alluded to that by saying Zanetello will get reps in center field at the beginning of his pro career.