Remembering the Red Sox’ best draft picks of all time
COMMENTARY
Major League Baseball’s annual first-year player draft is the time when teams restock their farm systems and keep their fingers crossed that they find some magic. Unlike football and basketball, most players selected in each June draft, also known as the Rule 4 draft, are never going to see a major league roster. Even among successful selections, it is a rare few whose impact is felt on a major league roster for at least the first couple of years after they have been drafted.
The very first pick by the Red Sox in MLB’s very first amateur draft in June 1965 was the pride of Swampscott High, Billy Conigliaro, who was the fifth overall pick in the first round (it might win you a trivia contest someday to know that Rick Monday, was the first pick in the first round that year, chosen by the Athletics). That first Sox draft class did produce one All-Star, Amos Otis, who unfortunately never played in a Boston uniform, instead achieving his success with the Royals.
In the subsequent drafts, the Sox have made hundreds of selections. Choosing the best players is no easy feat. In fact, I’m sure you will disagree on some and will feel that I treated your favorite shabbily by leaving him off the list.
PLEASE NOTE: This list only includes players chosen in the June draft. The Sox made three great selections in the January drafts of 1967 (Carlton Fisk), 1983 (Ellis Burks), and in 1986, the last January draft, (Curt Schilling).
Here are Boston’s nine best picks ever in the June draft, listed chronologically by the year they were selected:
1. Dwight Evans was Boston’s fifth-round selection and the 109th player chosen overall in 1969. There are many, including the esteemed Bill James, who believe that Dewey belongs in the Hall of Fame. He had a 66.9 carer WAR and was a great right fielder. He is in the Sox Hall of Fame.
2. The first great first-round pick for the Sox was Jim Rice, the 15th overall pick in 1971. Jim Ed is indeed enshrined in Cooperstown. Jim finished his career with 398 homers and a .298 batting average. He won the home run title three times, the RBI title twice, and was the 1978 AL MVP.
3. Rice was one of Boston’s “Gold Dust Twins” in 1975. In 1973, in the second round of the draft, with the 41st pick, the Sox chose the other “Twin,” the great Fred Lynn. In 1975, Lynn was an All-Star, Rookie of the Year, and MVP. He was a nine-time All-Star and won one batting crown.
4. In 1976, in the first round, the Sox chose Bruce Hurst, who had a pretty good pitching career. But the gem who makes this list was chosen in seventh round. With the 166th pick, Boston took Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. He won five batting titles and finished his career with a lifetime .328 batting average.
5. You may not love him, but you can’t deny that Roger Clemens was a great pitcher. He was Boston’s first-round pick in 1983, the 19th pick overall. Clemens finished his career with 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and a lot of controversy.
6. In 1994, with the 12th overall pick, the Sox chose Nomar Garciaparra. Bringing his unusual mannerisms to Boston, “No-Mah” won back-to-back batting titles in 1999-2000, hitting a combined .365 with 48 homers and 200 RBI. He finished his Boston career in controversy, but also with a .323 Sox lifetime average. He ended his overall MLB career with a .313 batting average.
7. The Sox didn’t have a first-round pick in 2002, but with their first selection in Round 2, the 57th pick overall, they chose Jon Lester. After two World Series titles and more than eight seasons in Boston, Lester is pitching for Theo Epstein in Chicago, following a brief stopover in Oakland. It certainly doesn’t make Sox fans feel any better that he is off to one of his best starts ever in 2016 with an ERA for the Cubs hovering around 2.00.
8. Just like in 2002, the Sox did not have a first-round selection in 2004, but they certainly made up for it in Round 2 when, with the 57th overall pick, they chose Dustin Pedroia. If you have a child who wants to learn how to play this game correctly, have him or her watch Pedey.
9. I’m going to break my rule in this final slot to choose a few players who are not yet in the group above, but are knocking on the door. They are all from the draft class of 2011. Chosen in the first round with the 19th pick, a compensation pick from the Tigers who signed Sox free-agent Victor Martinez: pitcher Matt Barnes. Still in the first round, with the 26th pick, which was from the Rangers as compensation for free-agent Adrian Beltre: Blake Swihart. With the 36th pick, in the supplemental round, also for compensation for VMart: Henry Owens. With the 40th pick, still in the first supplemental round, also compensation for Beltre: Jackie Bradley, Jr. In the fourth round, with pick No. 142, the Sox chose Noe Ramirez, who this season has done better with Pawtucket than with Boston. In the fifth round and with 172nd pick in the draft, the Sox chose Mookie Betts. Finally, in 2008, in the 32nd round, the Sox chose Travis Shaw, but he did not sign. When chosen in the ninth round in 2011, this time Shaw signed with Boston.
That nine leaves out Cecil Cooper, Brady Anderson, Mike Greenwell, Mo Vaughn, Trot Nixon, Kevin Youkilis, and Jonathan Papelbon. It also leaves out all five first-round selections the Sox had in 2005. In order, they were: Jacoby Ellsbury, Craig Hansen, Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, and Michael Bowden. In 2007, Boston had two memorable picks: the 174th selection in the draft was Will Middlebrooks, and “the one who got away” Anthony Rizzo was the 204th pick. Rizzo was part of the 2010 deal for Adrian Gonzalez.
Lastly, I feel that I should mention Larry Andersen. The Sox did not draft Andersen, but did draft Jeff Bagwell in 1989 in the fourth round. In August 1999, the Sox, embroiled in a pennant race, traded Bagwell to Houston for Andersen. Bags ended up with a Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP, 449 homers, and a .297 career batting average.
Red Sox all-time statistical leaders
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