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6 things to know about Red Sox 2023 first-round draft pick Kyle Teel
Teel batted .407 with 13 homers, 69 RBIs and a 1.130 OPS last season with the Virginia Cavaliers.
After targeting high-school infielders in the first round during Chaim Bloom’s first three years on the job, the Red Sox opted for a highly-touted collegiate catcher with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Boston selected catcher Kyle Teel out of the University of Virginia with its first-round selection, with the Sox adding the consensus top-rated backstop in this draft class into their farm system.
Here are six things to know about the latest addition to Boston’s prospect pipeline.
Teel was viewed as a top-10 pick in the 2023 Draft
Given both his lofty collegiate resume and the value found at his position, it wasn’t much of a surprise that Teel was tabbed by many draft experts as a top-10 pick in this draft.
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Ranked the No. 7 overall prospect by MLB.com, Teel was named ACC Player of the Year in 2023 with the Cavaliers. In 65 games with Virginia in 2023, the 21-year-old catcher batted .407 with 13 homers, 69 RBIs, and a 1.130 OPS.
Over his three seasons as Virginia’s starting catcher, Teel batted .343 with 28 homers, 155 RBIs, and a .979 OPS in 177 games. A pure athlete with a strong arm, sound defensive instincts, and high marks for baseball IQ, Teel was expected to be off the board by the time Boston landed on the clock.
The Athletic’s Keith Law believes that Red Sox fans should “be ecstatic” that a poised catching prospect like Teel fell to Boston.
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“He has some areas to work on, needing especially to improve his production against left-handed pitching, but he’s a great athlete for a catcher and it shows up in his running, his movement behind the plate, and even in the bat speed from his quick wrists,” Law wrote. “He might not have the upside of some of the bats who went before him but I think he could still end up an All-Star at some point, and has a high floor because he can catch.”
Hit tool raises some questions about his ceiling
Despite Teel’s impressive stat lines during his junior season at Charlottesville, his slight slide in the first round might be due to questions regarding his hit potential, especially at the next level.
MLB.com’s scouting report on Teel noted:
“A left-handed-hitting backstop, Teel has the chance to hit for average and power, though he’s gotten caught a bit in between trying to be a hitter with some pop or a power guy.”
With a Hit Grade of 55 and a Power Grade of 45, Teel is regarded as an advanced hitter at this stage of his development. His swing produces plenty of line-drive contact, and he struck out only 36 times (with 32 walks) in 258 at-bats in 2023.
Teel’s battle trying to carve out a role as a power-hitting backstop might have led to his dip in production midway through his tenure at Virginia.
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After batting .335 and earning freshman All-America honors in 2021, Teel’s batting average dipped to .276 as a sophomore before he orchestrated a bounce-back campaign.
Currently measured at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Teel will likely tack on some additional muscle as he continues to develop, especially if he remains a catcher at the pro level. As he fills out his frame, Teel could develop more consistent pop at the plate.
But even if Teel eventually develops into more of a contact-based, disciplined hitter at the MLB level, that skillset — coupled with stout defensive play — holds plenty of value at the next level.
“I’ve compared his ceiling before to a left-handed-hitting Jason Kendall, a guy who puts the ball in play a ton, runs very well for a catcher, and is an asset on defense,” Law wrote in his latest report on Teel.
Teel’s athleticism offers a high ceiling on defense
Teel’s slim, athletic frame may not exactly paint the picture of a standard catcher at the pro level. But that same athleticism has played a major role in his strong defensive grades.
Despite spending most of his reps behind the plate as a sophomore and junior with the Cavaliers, Teel also saw plenty of time as an outfielder as a freshman. His arm strength (65 Grade) translates at both positions, with Teel catching 15 runners stealing on 24 attempts this past season.
Teel’s athleticism and versatility could offer a path to the big leagues if his trajectory as a catcher does stall at some point in the next few years.
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Still, there’s plenty to like with Teel’s defensive upside behind the plate. Despite missing just 23 total innings all season long, Teel only committed three errors in 2023 as Virginia’s catcher. His framing ability and knack for getting strikes called also drew rave reviews, especially when projected against other D1 catchers.
Teel’s arrival fills an organizational need
The Red Sox have a tantalizing pool of talent in the infield with Double-A prospects like Marcelo Mayer (shortstop) and Nick Yorke (second base) making strides in Portland.
Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela could be fighting for reps in Boston later this summer, while teenage outfielders like Miguel Bleis and Roman Anthony offer plenty of hope for the future.
But before Teel’s arrival, Boston’s pipeline of catching talent was largely barren.
Even though the Red Sox have seen 27-year-old Connor Wong develop into a solid pro this season, Boston had little further down on the line for years ahead.
According to SoxProspects.com, Boston’s top catching prospect entering Sunday evening was 18-year-old Johanfran Garcia with the 16th-ranked spot within the system. Sea Dogs backstop Nathan Hickey is next in line at No. 21.
With Teel now in place, the Red Sox have an established catching prospect who — barring severe setbacks to his development path — could join other lineup stalwarts like Mayer and Rafaela up at the MLB level in due time.
So long as he makes the expected strides in his game, Teel should have a clear path up to the big leagues within the next few years.
Teel had a cup of coffee in the Cape League last summer
Teel has spent most of his last few seasons down in Virginia, but he does have some familiarity with Massachusetts already.
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After Virginia’s 2022 campaign wrapped, Teel had a short stint with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He only appeared in eight games, batting .125 (3-for-24) with a double, one RBI, and four walks.
Teel followed in the footsteps of his father, Garett, who played for the Cotuit Kettleers in the summer of 1988. Garett Teel, also a catcher, was drafted in the 12th round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Dodgers.
Teel grew up a Yankees fan
Growing up in Mahwah, New Jersey, Teel acknowledged that he was raised as a huge Yankees fan.
However, he doesn’t view his childhood allegiances as being a major hurdle moving forward.
“I bleed Red now,” Teel said, per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.
Nobody’s perfect.
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