Fifty draft picks ... and not a single Scott Boras client among them.
As ever, there are some fascinating dynamics at work as the Red Sox work to determine how many of their 50 draft picks will agree to terms, put their names on the dotted lines and enter the talent pipeline that has become so central to Boston's success in recent years. But while the team went after its usual array of players who were "signability questions" -- in most instances, extremely talented high-school players who will make significant bonus demands if they are to pass on the opportunity to go to college -- not a single client of super-agent Boras was among them.
In all likelihood, the development was mere coincidence. The Sox have never been shy about taking Boras clients in the past, and even after an offseason of sometimes contentious negotiations with the agent (most notably in their failed pursuit of Mark Teixeira), the team has been able to work with Boras since then.
Nonetheless, nary a tear will be shed in the Red Sox front office as the club spends the next 50 days (the signing deadline this year is Aug. 17) without being consumed by negotiations about a draft pick with Boras.
Also noteworthy was the fact that the Sox took 27 high schoolers and 23 college players. Six of the team's top 10 choices were prep players, in part reflecting the team's recent focus on acquiring potential impact players who can develop into superstars. By the time they first selected towards the end of the first round, the top college talent -- that with the most obvious superstar potential -- has usually been picked over. As such, in recent years, the Sox have worked to find those players who may not have present superstar talent, but who can eventually develop into that classification.
"Some of these (high school) guys, three years out, they’re going to end up being the same players as a college player who you’re evaluating now," said Red Sox amateur scouting director Jason McLeod. "But you’re going to give a little more benefit of the doubt if you’re evaluating a rangy-framed high school kid who you think has some projection and ceiling in him.
"For us, anyway, if you’re looking for impact, we hope he can exceed the college player who’s three years older than him," he continued. "But in saying that, you don’t want to go overboard and have an all-projection draft. But the last few years, we’ve obviously shown that we’re trying to hit with ceiling on players. It’s worth it for us. With some of these kids, you know there’s risk. But most of these guys who you’re taking in the top 10 rounds or so, the reward if we hit on him outweighs the risk."
In light of Wednesday's signing of first-round pick Reymond Fuentes to a bonus of approximately $1.13 million (the slot figure), here's an update on how things stand with all 50 of the team's draft picks, along with scouting reports on the players:
Round 1: Reymond Fuentes, outfielder, Fernando Callejo HS (PR), 18 years old
Signed: $1.13 million bonus -- signed, playing with Fort Myers in the Gulf Coast League
Fuentes, the first player taken in the first round out of Puerto Rico since 2000, was one of the fastest players in the draft. The 18-year-old confirmed the relevance of speed to his game.
“My strength is my legs,” Fuentes said shortly after the Sox selected him with the 28th pick of the first round of the 2009 draft. “My game is slap the ball and start running.… On defense, I have good range, and cover a lot of space and ground in the outfield.”
Amateur scouting director Jason McLeod said that he has plus-plus speed, and was a sprinting champion in Puerto Rico. Fuentes received comparisons to a pair of Sox (current and past) centerfielders: Jacoby Ellsbury and Johnny Damon.
Former Red Sox infielder Alex Cora -- now teammates with Carlos Beltran, Fuentes’ cousin -- offered the following assessment via text message:
“Beltran’s cousin, Jacoby’s clone,” wrote Cora. “Saw him. He flies. Good level swing. Hard worker.”
Over the two years during which the Sox had followed Fuentes, he showed notable improvement in his performance at the plate. The Sox see at least a chance for him to develop power, as his wrists and quick-twitch muscles have also drawn some comparisons to Alfonso Soriano.
Round 2: Alex Wilson, right-handed pitcher, Texas A&M, 22 years old
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