Hard-Throwing Red Sox Two-Way Prospect Viewed As ‘Elite Athlete’

The Red Sox had an eventful 2024 MLB Draft.

Boston started things off with a bang, selecting Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery with the No. 12 overall pick. It was expected Montgomery would be selected earlier, but he became just the latest first-round prospect to slip into the Red Sox’s lap. D’Angelo Ortiz, who many of you might already know, was then selected in the 19th round, making for a tremendous story.

Conrad Cason, however, might be the name to remember from Boston’s class.

Cason was taken with pick No. 237 in the eighth round, but while his draft slot might not raise any eyebrows, his general makeup certainly will.

“Our group was actually a little bit split on it. We had some guys that liked him better as a pitcher and other guys that liked him better as a hitter,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said following the draft, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “On both sides, you have an elite athlete who can throw 100 mph and hit balls very far. We will take that bet and see where he best fits but we’re going to develop him as a two-way player.”

Did we not mention he was a two-way player?

Cason is actually just the latest in a long line of recent two-way athletes to come out of Georgia, including Josh Lowe, Taj Bradley and Michael Harris. It’s expected Cason will have a real chance to make it to the big leagues both pitching and hitting, touching 98 mph during his senior prep season. Cason also notched a .364 batting average with three home runs, 28 RBIs, 32 runs, 25 walks, 16 stole bases and a .519 on-base percentage. He was also named Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.

That’ll work.

The Red Sox will likely have to pay a steep price for Cason to forego his commitment to Mississippi State, but he has the tools that will make a large signing bonus more than worth it.