For the third time in 4 years, it seems the draft board fell in favor of the Crimson Sox within the first spherical.
Boston couldn’t move up the chance to pick out power-hitting freak athlete Braden Montgomery with the No. 12 choose within the first spherical of Sunday night time’s MLB draft. The Texas A&M stud was a projected top-10 choose, with some specialists questioning whether or not he’d go as excessive as No. 2 to Cincinnati.
As a substitute, Montgomery needed to wait till the Sox referred to as his identify with the twelfth choose, and longtime MLB prospect analyst Keith Regulation believes Boston might be the large winner ultimately.
“The Crimson Sox might need simply gotten the steal of the draft to this point, getting the fourth-ranked participant on my board at choose 12,” Regulation wrote for The Athletic on Sunday night time. “Montgomery was a first-round expertise out of highschool, went to Stanford as a two-way participant, then transferred to Texas A&M and performed proper discipline solely earlier than a damaged ankle ended his season in June.”
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Braden Montgomery Scouting Report: Get To Know Crimson Sox’s 2024 First-Spherical Choose
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As Regulation famous, Montgomery’s energy is tantalizing, however he’ll need to work on his swing to make a little bit extra contact. Regulation, although, additionally slapped a 70-grade on Montgomery’s throwing arm (on the 20-to-80 scouting scale), and he believes the outfielder ought to “be a minimum of a 55 defender” in proper discipline, “assuming the ankle heals absolutely.”
One other draft professional, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, had Montgomery at No. 9 in his draft rankings, however he’s nonetheless clearly very excessive on the 21-year-old, too.
“It is a switch-hitter who was additionally a two-way participant in 2023, and Montgomery’s efficiency is much more thrilling in that context,” he wrote. “Above-average plate self-discipline and a swing geared to get his energy will assist Montgomery overcome what are more likely to be elevated strikeout totals.
“He has the ceiling of a power-hitting right-field cleanup hitter.”
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If Montgomery does understand that ceiling, it is going to be one other main draft win for the Crimson Sox. One among Boston’s high prospects, Marcelo Mayer, fell into the membership’s lap at No. 4 in 2021 regardless of being projected as the highest choose in a whole lot of mock drafts. Kyle Teel, who many see because the group’s catcher of the longer term, additionally dropped within the 2023 draft the place the Crimson Sox grabbed him with the No. 14 choose.
