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 
Signed: $476,000 - playing with Single-A Lowell

Perhaps it is a commentary on the anticipated success of pitchers coming off of Tommy John surgery that the Red Sox thought about selecting Alex Wilson in the 2008 draft. At that time, the right-hander was less than a year after he had undergone the procedure, and roughly a year removed from the last pitch he had thrown.

Wilson was instead taken in the 10th round by the Cubs, from whom he turned down a reported $600,000 signing bonus (second-round money in last year’s draft) to pitch in the Cape Cod League and to return to Texas A&M. Wilson, who moved from the rotation to the bullpen during the season, finished 6-6 with a 4.22 ERA. More impressively, he fanned 120 and walked 25 in 90 innings.

“At times, his fastball (a mid-90s offering) and curveball can be really overpowering,” said McLeod. “He’s a real bulldog competitor on the mound. We really like the repertoire that he brings.”

Though Wilson finished the year as a reliever for the Aggies, the Sox will have him begin his pro career as a starter, as they have done with other top picks such as Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price in recent years. There, he will work on refining a changeup that will likely determine whether he can stay in the rotation or whether he will ultimately head to the bullpen.

"We don’t target relievers by any means at the college level," explained McLeod. "Everyone wants to draft starting pitching. There’s a point where the line for us, there’s a clear difference in the starter in college whose stuff we think isn’t going to tick up versus the guy who’s showing you premium stuff, and maybe he will be a bullpen guy, but why not see what he can do in a starting role and go from there. Three years ago, I would have told you that (Justin) Masterson would have started one year in the minors and then just pound them in the bullpen. He’s surprised me that he’s been able to have success as a starter in the major leagues.

"It’s not something that we’re looking to do. But when we see guys who are showing us that they have premium weapons in the arsenal, that they get swings and misses, we want to take those guys and see if they can hold it in a starting capacity."

Round 3: David Renfroe, shortstop, South Panola High School (MS), 18 years old
Signed: $1.4 million (two-sport athlete bonus, spread over five years)

The storyline might sound familiar: talented, multi-sport player who is a) a gifted pitcher and shortstop with b) pro baseball bloodlines and c) a scholarship offer to an SEC school gets selected by the Red Sox.

In 2008, it was first-rounder Casey Kelly, a pitcher/shortstop/quarterback whom the Sox gave $3 million to convince him to begin his professional career rather than go to college at Tennessee.

In 2009, it is Red Sox third-round pick David Renfroe, a quarterback, pitcher and shortstop at South Panola High School in Mississippi (just south of Memphis) with a scholarship offer to Ole Miss.

Like Kelly, the Sox will probably have to pay a hefty premium to convince Renfroe to forego college. Unlike Kelly, the Sox would like to see Renfroe develop as a shortstop and third baseman, rather than a pitcher.

McLeod and assistant scouting director Amiel Sawdaye encountered Renfroe at last summer’s Under Armour/Baseball Factory All-American Game at Wrigley Field. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder struck out five hitters in two innings in the showcase game, but he also put on a show in batting practice and hit a homer in the game.

The Sox had plenty of contact with and looks at Renfroe -- an 18-year-old whose father, Laddie, played four games for the Cubs -- including a workout at Fenway Park in the week before the draft. Renfroe fell in the draft due to signability concerns. There have been suggestions (such as this one in the New York Post) that he will seek a $3 million bonus along the lines of what Kelly received. The Sox are unlikely to go that high, but the Sox considered him a first-round talent, and are likely to offer him first-round money.

Round 4: Jeremy Hazelbaker, outfielder, Ball State University, 21 years old
Signed: $191,700 -- playing with Single-A Greenville

The Sox took the awesomely-named Jeremy Hazelbaker with their fourth-round pick, an outfielder from Ball State University who enjoyed a breakout campaign as a college junior after being shifted from the infield (where he struggled defensively) to center. The leadoff hitter hit .429 with a .550 OBP, .724 slugging mark and 29 steals. Here is Hazelbaker’s profile from Ball State University.

Hazelbaker represents something of a departure from recent draft strategy for the Sox. In recent years, the Sox had concentrated most of their position player picks on high-school players with big upside. Hazelbaker was the first college position player drafted in the first five rounds since 2006, when the Sox grabbed Aaron Bates (3rd round) and Jon Still (4th round) in the early going.

Hazelbaker had gone 1-for-8 with Lowell before moving to Single-A Greenville for Tuesday's game.

Round 5: Seth Schwindenhammer, outfielder, Limestone (IL) Community HS, 17 years old
Signed: $140,000 -- playing with GCL Red Sox

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Schwindenhammer had a commitment to play at Illinois following a senior season when he tagged 15 homers, but decided to pass on that opportunity to sign quickly with the Sox. He comes from the same high school as Jim Thome, and like Thome, features impressive power from the left side of the plate.

Round 6: Branden Kline, right-handed pitcher, Gov. Thomas Johnson (MD) HS, 17 years old
Did not sign

Kline has a commitment to pitch at the University of Virginia, but the Red Sox have consistently convinced players to forego offers to go to Charlottesville in recent years. Kline showed a 90-92 mph fastball with a decent breaking ball that requires greater consistency. He is extremely athletic (one of the top high-jumpers in the state of Maryland), extremely bright (he received an academic scholarship to UVA) and has a great pitcher's frame (6-foot-3, 185 pounds).

"He’s that classic athletic high school pitcher who has projection all over him," said McLeod. "He's a kid we're excited about following (this summer)." 

Round 7: Madison Younginer, right-handed pitcher, Mauldin (SC) HS, 18 years old
Signed: $975,000

Signed to play at Clemson, the Sox view him as a pitcher with a very high ceiling should they prove able to come to terms on a deal that would keep him out of college. He touched 97 with a big breaking ball when McLeod saw him before the draft.

Round 8: Shannon Wilkerson, outfielder, Augusta State Univ., 20 years old
Signed: $100,000 -- playing with Single-A Lowell

Wilkerson dominated his competition en route to being named National Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He hit .441 with a .502 OBP, 24 homers and 82 RBIs as a junior.

"I get to display the Division 2 level out here -- show the guys that there are some athletes out there," said Wilkerson. "It lights a little fire in me. A lot of these guys are Division 1, SEC guys, ACC guys, playing in the College World Series. I come from a D2 school. We never even made the playoffs. It lights a fire in me, gives me more of a drive on the field."

Wilkerson, now playing for Single-A Lowell, hoped to go somewhere in rounds 4-8, and had started to become discouraged by the time the eighth round rolled around. But a call from Sox area scout Tim Hyers informing the outfielder that Boston was ready to take him suddenly changed Wilkerson's demeanor.

"This is the chance of a lifetime," said Wilkerson. "It was a great feeling."

Wilkerson said that scouts told him that his game was reminiscent of Shane Victorino and J.D. Drew thanks to a combination of speed and power.

Round 9: Kendal Volz, right-handed pitcher, Baylor Univ., 21 years old (college profile here)
Signed: $550,000

Volz entered the year considered one of the elite college pitching prospects in the draft after serving as closer for Team USA last summer, a capacity in which he threw 14 shutout innings. Then, his fastball was a powerful, low-90s sinker. But after being shifted to the rotation this year, he struggled, and his stuff (both the velocity and life) diminished. If he can recapture what he was before his junior year, he could have significant upside, and considering where they drafted him, the Sox could have a bargain.

"I saw him real early this year and he threw very well that night. It kind of tapered off very quickly for him," said McLeod. "If he can get back on track where he thinks he should be or the way he was throwing for Team USA last summer, that could get real interesting for us if we can sign him a little later this summer."

Volz is one of the team's summer follows.

Round 10: Brandon Jacobs, outfielder, Parkview (GA) HS, 18 years old
Signed: $750,000 (two-sport athlete bonus, spread over five years)

A running back, but not that running back. The 18-year-old Jacobs is a two-sport star who was recruited by Auburn, where his two-sport talent formidable frame (5-foot-11, 240 pounds) could offer echoes of Bo Jackson. One talent evaluator described Jacobs as "a tank," someone whose strength suggests signficant power potential. Though Jacobs had told a local paper the day after he was drafted that he and the Sox had agreed to a deal that would pay him second-round money, the statement was based on a misunderstanding. Instead, Jacobs has been invited to work out -- along with other unsigned members of this year's draft class -- in front of Sox officials at Fenway Park. The team will follow him this summer in a wood-bat league to determine what kind of offer to make. However, because Jacobs is scheduled to start football practice in mid-July, the Sox face a compressed timetable to come to terms with the outfielder. 

Round 11: Jason Thompson, shortstop, Germantown (TN) HS, 18 years old
Signed: $300,000

The slender (180 pounds) switch-hitting shortstop was an Aflac All-American last summer, and is described as a five-tool talent with across-the-board skills that project well. He has a commitment to the University of Louisville, and told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that he’s undecided about whether to go to college or turn pro.

Round 12: Michael Thomas, catcher, Southern University A&M, 20 years old
Signed

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Thomas is an absolutely colossal target behind the plate. He suffered a broken hand earlier this year. Reports suggest that he is a very good defensive catcher with a rocket arm. Expected to sign soon and play for Lowell.

Round 13: Christopher McGuinness, 1st baseman, The Citadel, 21 years old
Signed: $100,000 -- playing with Single-A Lowell

McGuinness exhibited power and patience at The Citadel, hitting 15 homers as a junior while leading the country with 65 walks and forging a .520 OBP (12th in Division 1 ball). The maturity of his plate approach make him an interesting player for the Red Sox to follow, starting this summer in Lowell.

Round 14: William Holmes, outfielder, Chaffey College, 21 years old
Signed -- playing with Single-A Lowell

If you can read the tiny print detailing the statistics from the Foothill Athletic Conference, you can see that Holmes was a power-hitter with a good average (.379), OBP (.453) and slugging mark (.662) to go along with his nine homers. Insofar as the Chaffey College website describes him as an outfielder and DH, and he had but one steal in two attempts this year, one presumes that he is not the most athletic player selected by the Sox this year.

Round 15: Michael Bugary, left-handed pitcher, UC-Berkeley, 21 years old (6-foot-4)
Signed -- playing with Single-A Lowell

Thus begins the run on mound giants. Injured for most of the past two years, Bugary returned to the mound for Berkeley and struck out a whopping 82 batters in 66 innings, perhaps because no one knew where the ball was going: Bugary also walked 51. (For his college profile, click here.)

Round 16: Luke Bard, right-handed pitcher, Charlotte Christian School (NC), 18 years old (6-foot-3)
Did not sign

You might have heard of Luke’s brother, Daniel, currently a reliever for the Sox who delivered his first big-league pitches of 100 mph on Tuesday. Here’s Daniel’s scouting report on his brother, who would likely require a considerable bonus to skip college and turn pro:

“(The Sox) really liked him. I talked to (McLeod) about him a couple times this spring. They said they saw him three or four times and that they really liked him,” said Daniel Bard. “He’s pretty similar (to where Dan Bard was when graduating high school). Velocity-wise, he’s pretty similar. He’s a little bit shorter, like an inch shorter. He’s really athletic. He’s a football player, a quarterback, so he’s a little beefier than me at the same age.”

Luke Bard -- who was playing golf when he learned that he’d been drafted -- has a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech, and as of now, the younger Bard anticipates fulfilling it.

“He’s not going to sign for 16th round money,” said Daniel Bard. “It depends on how much they like him and how much they think he’s worth. Then he’d have to decide. (Signing) probably wouldn’t happen until later in the summer.”

Round 17: Kraig Sitton, left-handed pitcher, Oregon State University, 21 years old (6-foot-3)
Did not sign

In two years at Jacoby Ellsbury’s alma mater, the draft-eligible sophomore (Sitton was red-shirted as a freshman) has struck out more than a batter an inning while forging a 3.97 ERA, mostly in relief. According to The Oregonian, after dropping due to signability issues, Sitton is leaning towards returning to OSU.

Round 18: Reynolds “Renny” Parthemore, right-handed pitcher, Cedar Cliff High School (PA), 18 years old (6-foot-5)
Signed: $150,000

He’s tall, athletic (he’s lettered in hoops, soccer, football as well as baseball) and throws pretty hard, with a low-90s fastball. He has signed a letter of intent to pitch at Penn State. Somehow, Parthemore seemed to strike a complimentary note when he suggested that the Sox handle high school pitchers like “fresh meat” in an interview with the Patriot-News.

Round 19: Thomas Ebert, right-handed pitcher, Florida International University, 21 years old (6-foot-6)
Signed

Ebert had an 84-18 strikeout to walk ratio while pitching for Mike Lowell’s alma mater this year. He is expected to sign and pitch with Single-A Lowell this summer.

Round 20: Alexander Hassan, right-handed pitcher, Duke University, 21 years old (6-foot-3)
Signed (as an outfielder): $90,000 - playing with Single-A Lowell

Hassan, a native of Milton, Mass., is tied for the Blue Devils’ career saves record. He played both outfield and pitched in college, but the Sox drafted him as a pitcher. The junior struck out 34 in 26.1 innings while holding opponents to a .228 average in 2009.

Round 21: Randall Fant, left-handed pitcher, Texas HS (TX), 18 years old
Did not sign

Another tall pitcher -- the seventh straight pick by the Sox of a pitcher who is at least 6-foot-3. Fant has a commitment to go to school in Arkansas.

Round 22: Jordan Flasher, right-handed pitcher, George Mason University, 21 years old
Signed -- playing with GCL Red Sox

Flasher is a year removed from Tommy John surgery. According to insidenova.com, he showed diminished velocity in his return to the hill this year. Even so, the Sox were aggressive in their pursuit of him, and Flasher -- the all-time saves leader for George Mason -- is now on the roster of the GCL Red Sox.

Round 23: Christopher Court, right-handed pitcher, Stephen F. Austin State University, 22 years old
Signed -- playing with GCL Red Sox

Court is relatively new to pitching, having only been converted from catching after leaving high school. He pitched in relief for the Lumberjacks, holding left-handed hitters to a miniscule .133 average in his 28 appearances. (Profile here.)

Round 24: Daniel Kemp, shortstop, Daniel Kemp, Tantasqua Regional HS (MA), 17 years old
Did not sign

Kemp hit .472 with six homers and 14 steals. According to the Worcester Telegram, he had a particularly impressive workout in front of Sox G.M. Theo Epstein and the rest of the Sox brass at Fenway Park in the days leading up to the draft.

Round 25: Austin House, right-handed pitcher, La Cueva HS (NM), 18 years old
Did not sign

House’s La Cueva High School team was eliminated from their state tournament by the Carlsbad Cavemen. According to the American Chronicle (N.M.), House plans on honoring his commitment to the University of New Mexico.

Round 26: Miles Head, third baseman, Whitewater HS (GA), 18 years old
Signed: $335,000

Head was a power-hitting prep player, slamming 14 homers this year in his Georgia high school league. Head also played some catcher in high school. He was a finalist in the Home Run Derby of the Perfect Game Showcase. He has signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Georgia, but is expected to sign with the Sox and play in the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League this summer. (Soxprospects.com is reporting it as a done deal.)

Round 27: Reed Gragnani, shortstop, Mills E. Godwin HS (VA), 18 years old
Did not sign

Gragnani has a commitment to play at the University of Virginia. He fell due to signabililty concerns, and told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that it would take a “pretty significant” bonus to convince him not to go to college. Gragnani will likely be a summer-follow, but he told the Times-Dispatch after getting selected that he believed the Red Sox might be willing to meet his asking price.

“The Yankees and the Red Sox were the only ones who could match the figure I wanted,” Bragnani told the paper. “They know what it’s going to take to sign me. There’s a chance I could get what I want. [Boston] is such a big-market team. We’ll see.”

Round 28: Eric Curtis, right-handed pitcher, Miami Dade CC South, 19 years old
Signed

Curtis, who also caught in college, was a transfer to Miami Dade from Virginia Commonwealth University. Apparently, it came as a surprise to those in attendance at the college's scout day when he threw 94 mph.

Round 29: Cody Stubbs, first baseman, Tuscola HS (NC), 18 years old
Did not sign

The power-hitting Stubbs has a commitment to play college ball at Tennessee, and told the Asheville Citizen-Times that he was up in the air about whether he might start his pro career. According to the paper, Stubbs has given the Sox a deadline of July 6 to sign him before he starts summer school.

Round 30: Jeremiah Bayer, right-handed pitcher, Trinity College, 23 years old
Signed -- playing for Single-A Lowell

The Massachusetts native and former walk-on at the University of Vermont counts "Rudy" as his favorite film and professes a great enthusiasm for eating chicken parm. (Profile here.) He was also named the Division III pitcher of the year after going 12-1 with a 0.85 ERA.

Round 31: Shaughn Webb, left handed pitcher, Palm Beach CC (FL), 20 years old
Signed

Webb is an athletic lefty with some arm strength and a swing-and-miss slider.

Round 32: Michael Clark, left handed pitcher, American Heritage HS (FL), 18 years old
Did not sign

Clark had a very impressive senior season at American Heritage HS in Florida. He finished the year with a 2.36 ERA and opposing hitters hit just .198 against him. In 56 innings, he only allowed 19 earned runs.

Round 33: William Tart, right handed pitcher, Pendleton HS (NC), 18 years old
Did not sign

Nicknamed “Blaze” for a fastball that reached the low-90s, Tart made Baseball America’s list of best players left for Day 3. Tart has a scholarship offer to UNC-Wilmington, and maintained throughout the months leading up to the draft that he planned on going to school, according to this story.

Round 34: James Patterson, left handed pitcher, Central Arizona College, 20 years old
Did not sign

In 94 innings this year at Central Arizona College, Patterson went 12-2 with a 1.53 ERA and struck out 117 batters.

Round 35: Matthew Milroy, right handed pitcher, Marmion Academy HS (IL), 18 years old
Did not sign

The Midwest baseball season starts late, and typically in cold weather, and so the stuff that a pitcher exhibits in his high school season does not always reflect his potential. As such, in recent years, the Sox have taken high-school pitchers from the Midwest and then followed them for the summer to get a better gauge of their abilities. One example is Kyle Stroup, “Mr. Irrelevant” from the 2008 draft: the Sox took Stroup, an Illinois high schooler, with the last pick of the draft, in the 50th round (1,504th overall). They had him work out at Fenway after the draft, and watched him compete in summer ball where he touched the low-90s. The Sox paid him $150,000 -- remember: 50th round, 1,504th pick in the draft -- to sign.

Milroy, who struck out 178 in 104 innings over the last two seasons, represents a similar summer follow candidate. He has a committment to play in college for Illinois, but the pitcher told the Suburban Chicago News that the Sox will monitor him this summer to figure out what kind of offer they might make to convince him to turn pro.

Round 36: Michael Yastrzemski, right fielder, St. John’s Prep HS (MA), 18 years old
Did not sign

Yes, Mike is Yaz’s grandson. He was considered one of the top -- if not the top -- high-school bats from New England but fell in the draft because he was considered to have an all-but ironclad commitment to Vanderbilt. Still, a year ago, the Sox appealed to Ryan Westmoreland’s local sensibilities (and about $2 million) to get the Rhode Island native to walk away from a scholarship offer to Vandy.

However, it appears that the Sox will be unlikely to convince Yastrzemski to back away from Vanderbilt. The young outfielder told the Eagle Tribune that he has compelling reasons to go to college:

"Before his dad died he told his only son to promise him one thing. 'He wanted me to go to college and get an education,' said Yastrzemski. 'He knew I wanted to play baseball, but you never know. It’s always nice to have the education to fall back on.'"

Round 37: Matthew Koch, right handed pitcher, Washington HS (IA), 18 years old
Did not sign

Koch is a 6′3” shortstop and pitcher who was ranked as the top player in Iowa by Baseball America. He has a scholarship commitment to Louisville.

Round 38: Ezekiel Devoss, center fielder, Astronaut HS (FL), 18 years old
Did not sign

Zeke Devoss from Astronaut High School: great name for player and high school alike, though it does come as some disappointment that the school decided to lame up the space shuttle as a mascot (they are “The War Eagles”).

Devoss has a commitment to play college ball at Miami. His father informed Florida Today that the Red Sox will make him a summer follow, and that Devoss will consider an offer from the Sox.

Round 39: Gavin McCourt, outfielder, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA), 18 years old
Did not sign

Gavin is the son of Frank McCourt, the current owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. McCourt is slated to attend Stanford in the fall, where he hopes to join the baseball team as a walk-on, according to the Los Angeles Times. As for the possibility of signing with the Red Sox, the younger McCourt offered an interesting take on how negotiations might proceed:

“I don’t think Scott Boras would fit well into the family dynamics,” Gavin McCourt told the Times. “I think I’ll let my dad represent me.”

Round 40: James Dykstra, right handed pitcher, Rancho Bernardo HS (CA), 18 years old
Did not sign

Although he isn’t related to Lenny, he does have a pretty neat web site where you can learn a lot more about him. He is committed to play at Yavapai College (Curt Schilling’s alma mater), and is the brother of 2008 first-rounder Allan Dykstra -- whom the Sox took in the 34th round of the 2005 draft but failed to sign.

Round 41: Kyle Rutter, right handed pitcher, NC State University, 22 years old
Signed -- pitching with Single-A Lowell

A sidearmer without big stuff but whose arm angle makes his slider and sinking fastball tough on right-handers. 

Round 42: Gera Sanchez, right handed pitcher, New Mexico JC, 20 years old
Did not sign

Originally hailing from New Mexico, Sanchez had good success at the junior college level. There’s a good writeup about him in this blog entry. Sanchez told the Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire, Wisc. (where he is pitching in a summer wood-bat league) that he would likely return to New Mexico Junior College.

Round 43: Luke Maile, catcher, Covington Catholic HS (KY), 18 years old
Did not sign

This is what Baseball America had to say about Maile in August of last year: “Maile has the type of arm strength from behind the plate that causes heads to whip around. His POP times, which currently sit in the 2.00 range, can be decreased with better footwork and a quicker release. Maile needs to improve with the bat, but he does flash a decent swing.”

Maile fell due to signability concerns. He has a commitment to play for Kentucky, but according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Sox will follow him this summer, and the young catcher is willing to sign regardless of the round he was drafted in so long as he receives the right bonus. He has tremendous athleticism, and even played shortstop at times in high school.

Round 44: Derrick Thomas, right fielder, Roswell HS (GA), 17 years old
Did not sign

Thomas, a tough, gritty player with speed, power and size, is committed to play for Memphis University next fall. Here’s the press release from Memphis.

Round 45: Kyle Arnsberg, catcher, Arlington Lamar HS (TX), 18 years old
Did not sign

Kyle is the son of Brad Arnsberg, pitching coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. In an article in the Globe and Mail, his father states that he believes his kid will wind up as a pitcher but he suffered a shoulder injury playing football earlier in year so he has played primarily at first base this year. Arnsberg has commited to Arizona State, Dustin Pedroia's alma mater.

Round 46: John Pivach, right handed pitcher, University of New Orleans, 21 years old
Did not sign

Pivach, a sophomore, was 0-1 with a 7.16 ERA for UNO this year, but his fastball is a 90+ mph offering. He is currently pitching for the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers. He's the type of poor-performance, high-upside flyer who typifies this stage of the draft.

Round 47: Jordan Sallis, second base, University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith, 20 years old
Signed -- Playing with GCL Red Sox

Sallis, a speedy 5-foot-8 infielder, played in 46 of the Lions’ 58 games this past spring and batted .280 with 10 doubles, a homer and 38 steals.

Round 48: Brian Heere, right field, University of Kansas, 21 years old
Did not sign

After only one season with Kansas, Heere seems to be making a big impact. He was the No. 3 hitter in the lineup this season and helped lead the team to the NCAA tournament. An article about what he brings to the team from the Kansas City Star can be found here.

Round 49: Chris Constantino, third base, Bishop Hendricken School (RI), 17 years old
Did not sign

Another player from the New England area (more specifically, Rocco Baldelli’s high school), Constantino has a sweet swing. Check it out in this video. Constantino told the Providence Journal that the Sox planned to treat him as a summer follow.

Round 50: Andrew Hedman, first base, Pomona-Pitzer College (CA), 22 years old
Signed $1,000 -- Playing for Single-A Lowell

Hedman hit 24 homers as a senior for Pomona-Pitzer on his way to being named Division III Player of the Year (and getting a plug in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd). He endured an anxious wait through the draft before finally being taken with the third-to-last pick.

"I knew I would have some free-agent opportunities if I wasn't drafted," Hedman said in Lowell earlier this month. "But I definitely expected to be drafted. From everything I had heard from some different teams, I thought it would be the second day (in rounds 4-30). When it wasn't the second day, it was a little discouraging. Then waiting all the third day, it was a little nerve-wracking waiting until the 50th round. But once I heard my name, I wasn't worried about where I went anymore. I was just happy that I got the opportunity."

Pomona-Pitzer is best-known for its academics. Hedman's major was Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Yet none of those three elements came into play in the negotiating process, which was handled by Hedman and Sox area scout Jim Woodward.

"He said, 'I've got a thousand bucks for you and a plane ticket. Do you want it?' I said, 'Without a doubt,'" said Hedman. "I'm anxious to show that I'm not a 50th round player. I'm still happy to have the opportunity to go out and show I can play."

Jared Shafran contributed to this report.