Welcome to the Boston Herald’s live tracker for Red Sox selections in the 2024 MLB Draft. Here is everyone the Red Sox have taken so far.
Round 1: OF Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M (No. 12)
Braden Montgomery was ranked No. 7 and No. 8 by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, respectively, so the Red Sox were surprised and “fired up” when the switch-hitting Texas A&M outfielder was still around when they were on the clock to make the 12th-overall selection.
Before breaking his ankle in the Super Regionals this spring, the 21-year-old hit .322 with 27 home runs, 85 RBI, and a 1.187 OPS in 61 games.
Red Sox director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson said Montgomery is someone the organization has “been a fan of for a long time, dating back to high school.” They believe he can play all three outfield positions.
Montgomery already has a bit of experience with New England; he played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2022.
More: Red Sox select Texas A&M OF Braden Montgomery with No. 12 pick
Round 2: LHP Payton Tolle, TCU (No. 50)
Left-hander Payton Tolle is the highest pitching selection the Red Sox have made since they took Tanner Houck No. 24 overall in the 2017 draft.
A towering presence on the mound at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Tolle played for Wichita State before transferring to TCU for his junior year this spring. Over 81.1 innings, he posted a 3.21 ERA and struck out 125 batters, and bringing home Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors as a result.
Formerly a two-way player, the Red Sox plan to develop the 21-year-old solely as a pitcher.
More: Red Sox select TCU left-hander Payton Tolle at No. 50 overall
Round 3: RHP Brandon Neely, Florida (No. 86)
All-American swingman Brandon Neely struck out 108 batters and issued 28 walks over 79 innings this year, and struck out 15 batters over three College World Series games (eight total innings). Over his three-year Florida Gators career, the right-hander posted a 4.24 ERA and struck out 254 batters across 83 appearances.
Scouting reports praise his fastball, which tops out around 96-97 mph and induces a high Whiff %. The slider is his secondary pitch; his arsenal also includes a breaking ball, changeup, and a curveball, which he doesn’t use.
He projects as a reliever, his primary role in college, or back-end starter. MLB Pipeline describes him having “bulldog mentality and toughness on the mound.”
Round 4: OF Zach Ehrhard, Oklahoma State (No. 115)
If Zach Ehrhard’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because the Red Sox drafted the Tampa native out of high school in the 13th round of the 2021 draft.
His brother Drew is already in the organization, too. They’re the sons of former Yankees minor leaguer Rodney Ehrhard.
Round 5: LHP Brandon Clarke, State College of Florida (No. 148)
The Red Sox start the draft 5-for-5 in college selections with 21-year-old southpaw Brandon Clarke. The last time Boston opened a draft with as many as three consecutive college picks was 2015, when they took Andrew Benintendi seventh overall.
MLB Pipeline describes Clarke, who underwent Tommy John surgery in high school, as a “raw and projectable southpaw” with “intermittent” control. Their scouting report grades his fastball above average, and describes his pitch mix as follows:
“The 6-foot-4 lefty has plenty of fastball, and he relies heavily on the pitch. He can be up to 96-97 mph at times, sitting around 94, though it isn’t thrown with a ton of life right now. His upper-70s curve has the chance to be a real out pitch with power, though he doesn’t always commit to it, and he has a firm, upper-80s changeup that needs work.”
Round 6: RHP Blake Aita, Kennesaw State (No. 177)
Blake Aita projects as a back-end starter (upside) or reliever (floor). ProspectsLive.com describes the right-hander as having a low-90s fastball with “above average carry” and slider with “consistent above average sweep.” Last year, he added a “difference making pitch,” to his repertoire, a cutter with “plus bite.”
After working entirely out of the bullpen in his freshman year at Kennesaw, Aita excelled in the rotation in his sophomore season, posting a 3.90 ERA over 16 starts (85.1 innings), with 84 strikeouts and 28 walks. He spent last summer with the Y-D Sox in the Cape League, and pitched his way to No. 41 on Perfect Game USA’s CCBL Top 100 Prospects rankings.
Round 7: OF Will Turner, University of South Alabama (No. 207)
Over three years and 164 games for South Alabama, 21-year-old Will Turner slashed .284/.420/.480 with 178 hits (38 doubles, eight triples, 23 homers), 144 runs, and 112 RBI. The plate discipline is impressive: in two of three seasons, he drew more walks than he struck out.
Round 8: RHP/SS Conrad Cason, Greater Atlanta Christian HS (No. 237)
The Red Sox streak of college selections ends at seven with two-way player Conrad Cason. The 6-foot-1 17-year-old has more upside as a pitcher, but also offers a strong arm at shortstop.
Gatorade’s Georgia High School Player of the Year, Cason is committed to Mississippi State, where he could continue to develop his bat and his arm, whereas the Red Sox would likely convert him into a full-time pitcher. He boasts mid-high 90s velocity on his fastball, as well as a split-grip changeup and slider.
Round 9: C Hudson White, Arkansas (No. 267)
Razorbacks catcher Hudson White is Boston’s first backstop selection of the draft. White transferred from Texas Tech to Arkansas for his junior year, in which he was selected to the NCAA Fayetteville Regional All-Tournament Team (as well as the first-year SEC Academic Honor Roll). In 46 games this year, he slashed .297/.396/.526 with 47 hits, including 12 doubles and eight home runs, 33 RBI, and 30 runs. Behind the dish, he committed three errors in 469 total chances, and was 4-for-29 in throwing out base-stealers.
Round 10: LHP Devin Futrell, Vanderbilt (No. 297)
The Red Sox concluded Day 2 of the draft with the selection of southpaw Devin Futrell.
The 6-foot-5 Pembroke Pines, Fla. native has almost exclusively as a starter over his three years at Vandy. Though he was limited by injuries this year, the Commodores were 9-3 in his games, including a Mar. 10 complete-game shutout against Illinois State. Though he doesn’t offer a high-velocity fastball, he’s known for strong changeup location, pounding the zone, and limiting free passes.
Here’s Vandy head coach Tim Corbin:
“Devin has been one of our most consistent performers in the last two years. He led our team in starts, innings, as well as wins for the second consecutive year. His consistency resonates in all areas of our program. You know what you are going to get from him when he walks into the building. He likes the art of pitching and demonstrates a high acumen for the game. Devin is a very good competitor…he doesn’t give in…you are going to have to beat him, he won’t beat himself.”
Round 11: RHP Steven Brooks, Cal Poly (No. 327)
The Red Sox started Day 3 of the draft by selecting yet another pitcher. Cal Poly right-hander Steven Brooks stands at 6-foot-6, 205 pounds and posted a 5.14 ERA over 82.1 innings in 15 starts this past season. He struck out 72, walked 23 and held opposing batters to a .248 average.
Round 12: RHP Brady Tygart, Arkansas (No. 357)
Boston’s second pick out of Arkansas, right-hander Brady Tygart was regarded as a consensus top 200 prospect entering the draft, making him an exceptional value in the 12th round. According to Baseball America, which ranked Tygart No. 175, Tygart “has some of the best feel for spin in the 2024 class” and owns a fastball that typically sits low 90s but has reached as high as 97 mph in the past, along with some “vicious” breaking pitches. This past spring he posted a 3.94 ERA over 59.1 innings with a 26% strikeout rate and 13.6% walk rate in his first full season as a starter, though his command issues suggest he profiles best as a reliever in the pros.
Round 13: LHP Shea Sprague, UNC (No. 387)
Boston’s fourth consecutive pitcher taken since the 10th round, left-hander Shea Sprague is a local kid from Hanover who attended BC High before going on to star at UNC. This past spring Sprague posted a 4.25 ERA with 70 strikeouts over 78.1 innings, and he earned Second Team All-ACC honors. His 18 walks were also the second fewest in the ACC and his 3.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio was fourth best in the league. Played first two college seasons at Elon and is renowned for throwing an excellent changeup.
Round 14: RHP Alex Bouchard, Lehigh (No. 417)
Make that five straight arms. Alex Bouchard won’t debut until 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February, but before that he was hitting 98 mph on the radar gun. Made two appearances for Lehigh this spring and owns a 3.73 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 35 walks over 79.2 college innings, including a stop at Division 3 Dickinson College as a freshman.
Round 15: RHP Joey Gartrell, University of Portland (No. 447)
Six straight pitchers, and the second straight arm who is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery. Joey Gartrell made only four starts this spring, posting a 5.23 ERA with 23 strikeouts and eight walks over 20.2 innings. The 21-year-old right-hander stands at 6-foot-4 and is regarded as a good strike thrower.
Round 16: RHP Griffin Kilander, Wayne State (No. 477)
Sensing a trend? Griffin Kilander marks Boston’s 11th college pitcher selected through the draft’s first 16 rounds. Standing at 6-foot-5, Kilander posted a 3.61 ERA over three college seasons with 136 strikeouts over 154.2 innings at Division 2 Wayne State.
Round 17: OF Yan Cruz, Academia Presbiteriana HS (No. 507)
Just Boston’s second high school draftee, Yan Cruz is a left-handed hitting outfielder from Puerto Rico who stands at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. He is young for his class at 17 years old and won’t turn 18 until Halloween.
Round 18: RHP Cole Tolbert, Ole Miss (No. 537)
Boston goes back to the well for another college pitcher. Standing at 6-foot-4, Cole Tolbert only appeared in six games out of the bullpen for Ole Miss this spring but has pitched well for the Kenosha Kingfish in the Northwoods League this summer, posting a 3.28 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 35.2 innings.
Round 19: 3B D’Angelo Ortiz, Miami Dade Community College (No. 567)
The son of Red Sox legend David Ortiz, D’Angelo Ortiz is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound third baseman who hit .328 with a home run and 38 RBI in 48 games for Miami Dade CC this past spring. The younger Ortiz has also played two seasons locally in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, batting .325 in 54 games with the Brockton Rox.
Round 20: RHP Ben Hansen, BYU (No. 597)
Boston finishes the draft with 13 college pitchers, the last one being BYU’s Ben Hansen. A 6-foot-6 righty, Hansen posted a 6.63 ERA over 72 innings this spring, striking out 51 while walking 30.
