With a very unusual draft this year, as it was only five rounds, being able to analyze the draft picks will be much easier. Rick Hahn, Mike Shipley, and the rest of the Baseball Operations crew were tasked in making the best out of the draft, so they had to be careful whom they had to select. With that being said, let's take a look at their selections.
Round One: Garrett Crochet-LHP
This selection was a bit of a shock when it was made and some people questioned it. However, when reading up on him, there was a lot to like about him and could make an impact sooner rather than later. When watching tape, his delivery almost looks just like Chris Sale's. Not a bad comparison. Crochet has a lively arm as he can throw the high heat, 96-100 MPH, and has a high spin rate meaning he is likely to strike out batters, a lot. While he was in the bullpen at University of Tennessee, he has the ability to be a starter and will likely do that (just like Sale). He also has a slider that ranges from 82-85 MPH and incredible spin rate. His arm angle makes it difficult for batters to pick up his breaking ball and has a changeup that can reach 90 MPH with deceptive arm speed. He was ranked 18th in the MLB.com's Top 200 Draft Prospects list, but he's well liked by a lot of people in the industry and some feel like it was a steal. Heck, he could even pitch out of the bullpen during this shortened season.
Round Two: Jared Kelley-RHP
How Kelley fell to 47th in the draft is unknown as he was ranked as the 12th best in MLB.com's Top 200 Draft Prospects list, but he fell right into the laps of the Sox and at that point they selected the best available. There is concern about Kelley as it's always risky to pick high school arms as some take longer to develop, because he doesn't have a lethal breaking ball (though that might have more to do with how there really wasn't a baseball season where he could work on it and that he is only 18), and he played at a low tier in Texas high school baseball. However, scouts and others in the industry love his make up. His fastball is high octane and a fantastic changeup. Some feel like he has an MLB-ready arm that just needs some developing. Despite all the risks, the upside is incredible. Many have described him as the steal of the draft and it was an easy decision to draft him by the Sox.
Round Three: Adisyn Coffey-RHP
The Sox saw that stockpiling arms would be crucial in this draft, but what they got out of Coffey is a little interesting. In fact, this was a big shock to many as Coffey wasn't even seen as a Top 500 prospects according to Baseball America, so many are scratching their head. Coffey was a University of Louisville commit from a junior college, but there must have been something that the team liked. He's a very athletic player and has the potential to be a two-way athlete as he can play multiple positions. That's something the Sox envision him doing. As for him as a pitcher, he has a live arm as his fastball can reach 94-97 MPH and also adds a slider. So it's likely that he will pitch out of the bullpen. This pick was likely made for saving money reasons, but whether he signs or not remains to be seen.
Round Four: Kade Mechals-RHP
Yet again, the Sox select another pitcher who wasn't rated by Baseball America, but this might be the biggest risk of the whole draft for them. Mechals is 22 and has already had Tommy John surgery, but the upside is there. Last year for Grand Canyon, he pitched 91 2/3 innings with a 2.16 ERA and had a 100 strikeouts. His fastball gets up around 90-93 MPH and has a good breaking ball, so he has the potential to be a big strikeout guy. Just like Coffey, he was signed for saving money.
Round Five: Bailey Horn-LHP
So, another pitcher selected by the Sox with their final pick. Notice any pattern here? Like Mechals, he is also 22 and also had Tommy John surgery. While his season was cut short, he had a 2.08 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 17 innings suggesting he has some good stuff. While he needs to work on a breaking ball, his fastball reaches 90-94 MPH and has a slider that might be his best pitch. He also features a curveball and a changeup. FutureSox projects him to be a reliever. Just like Coffey and Mechals, another draft pick made for saving money.
The Sox really hit out of the park with their first two selections and it was an A+ job done by Rick Hahn and Mike Shipley. Simply just because of the rankings, the best selection was Kelley, but Crochet was an excellent one as well. The Baseball Operations team did a really nice job of bringing them in. However, those guys are going to cost a lot of money to sign, so the team had to draft depth with high upside after their selections and decided it was best to select arms. Despite that, this was a great draft overall for the Sox.
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