Red Sox ‘Betting On’ This Untapped Skill Of Second-Round Draftee, Exec Says

Red Sox draftee Henry Godbout primarily played second base during his collegiate career, but Boston plans on the Virginia product taking some grounders away from the keystone position.

The Red Sox anticipate the second-round pick (No. 75 overall) will play shortstop in addition to second, amateur scouting director Devin Pearson told reporters during the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday night.

“Really good instincts, really good action,” Pearson told reporters, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “They shift a lot at Virginia but he’s able to cover a lot of ground and has worked both sides of the bag. We’re betting on the athlete here to be able to do both.”

MLB Pipeline ranked Godbout as its No. 72 prospect in the 2025 class. The outlet, however, questioned where Godbout would stick defensively given his lack of reps at shortstop. He combine to start 97 of 101 games at second base the last two seasons.

MLB Pipeline wrote: “There was some hope Godbout would get time at shortstop (in 2025); not that he’d be able to play there long-term but so scouts could see how athletic he could be, and he did play a few games at the premium position during his brief Cape Cod League stint. But he’s played second base almost exclusively and that added physicality has hampered his range at the keystone, making it unclear where he might profile best defensively long term.”

Pearson said Godbout’s been a prospect on the organization’s radar for quite some time. The Red Sox liked Godbout during his high school tenure at Baylor School and back when the then-18-year-old suited up for Vermont Lake Monsters in the Futures Collegiate League in 2022.

At the plate, he’s viewed as a high-caliber hitter with strong bat-to-ball skills. That was on display during Godbout’s breakout sophomore campaign when he recorded a 1.117 OPS and continued in his 2025 campaign with a .309 average. Pearson also believes the Red Sox will be able to develop Godbout’s power.

“Makes a ton of contact, super athletic and fits our development strengths in terms of being able to tap into some more power,” Pearson said.

Godbout seems to be thrilled about Boston selecting him, especially since he grew up a fan of the organization.