Who experts have Red Sox selecting on eve of draft

Because the Purple Sox’ high three prospects getting into the season have both graduated or are set to graduate as prospects within the coming weeks, their farm system is ready to get replenished within the coming days.

The 2025 MLB Draft will happen on Sunday and Monday. The primary three rounds and compensation rounds will happen on Sunday, with the Purple Sox holding 4 picks within the first 105 picks. The primary of these picks would be the fifteenth general decide, which is the most recent the Purple Sox have picked within the first spherical in three years.

Whereas the monitor report of gamers chosen with the fifteenth general decide hasn’t been nice in recent times, the final three picks the Purple Sox have made within the high 20 have been fairly notable. Marcelo Mayer is lastly up within the majors after getting chosen with the fourth general decide in 2021, whereas Boston’s final two first-round picks (Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery) had been used to amass Garrett Crochet this offseason.

Will the Purple Sox’ subsequent first-round decide show to be an vital prospect or a pivotal piece to a serious commerce? We gained’t know that reply for a bit, however listed below are the gamers draft specialists are projecting the Purple Sox to pick out with their first-round decide.

The Purple Sox have usually shied away from drafting highschool gamers with their high picks as of late, however McDaniel has them choosing the right-handed hitting Fien at No. 15.

“Fien has an excellent likelihood to land right here, as lengthy rumored,” McDaniel wrote. “I feel he’s underrated as a result of an uneven spring after he was one of many higher hitters on the summer season circuit. Xavier Neyens and Gavin Kilen (whom the Purple Sox nearly signed out of highschool) have additionally been linked right here.”

Fien, who hit .358 with 5 homers and eight stolen bases in 30 video games this previous season, has been considered one of many high gamers within the 2025 recruiting class and has made a verbal dedication to Texas. Standing at 6-foot-3, Fien’s measurement offers him a robust likelihood to remain at third base when he performs on the subsequent degree, according to MLB.com’s scouting report of him.

McDaniel ranked Fien as the 12th-best prospect in the 2025 draft, though he famous that some scouts imagine he had an “uneven spring.”

“Fien had arguably the perfect pure hit/energy combo on the summer season circuit final yr and has grown into plus projections for his uncooked energy together with sufficient defensive potential to stay at third base,” McDaniel wrote. “I principally had him ranked right here getting into the spring primarily based on that and have chosen to depart him right here regardless of a tough spring that has confused scouts.”

Mayo has the Purple Sox including some extra center infield depth to their farm system with their first-round decide, however he may additionally see them nabbing one of many high faculty arms if he’s nonetheless obtainable at No. 15.

“That is one other staff considering whether or not to go within the arm or bat route, and so they may tilt towards the mound if [Oklahoma RHP Kyson] Witherspoon is round,” Mayo wrote. “If not, Houston would possibly paved the way among the many faculty hitters like [Arizona OF Brendan] Summerhill or [Arkansas SS Wehia] Aloy, with [UC Santa Barbara SP Tyler] Bremner in play ought to the need for a pitcher win the day.”

Houston, a right-handed hitter, was among the many finest hitters within the ACC this previous season, hitting .354 with a 1.055 OPS and 15 residence runs in 15 residence runs in 61 video games. He additionally had 19 stolen bases in 21 makes an attempt.

Previous to a robust 2025 marketing campaign at Wake Forest, Houston earned Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star honors in 2024. He hit .306 with a .794 OPS in 27 video games.

In its scouting report of Houston, MLB.com famous that his strongest trait is his fielding potential.

“Houston earns solid-to-plus grades for his quickness and arm power, and a few evaluators will go even larger than that on his potential to play shortstop,” MLB.com’s scouting report of Houston learn. “He has clean actions and loads of vary to each side and ought to be a high-quality defender on the huge league degree. Ought to he not hit sufficient to advantage an on a regular basis position, he has the instruments to play nearly anyplace on the diamond as a utilityman.”

Baseball America‘s Carlos Collazo: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee

The Purple Sox truly drafted Kilen in 2022, choosing him within the thirteenth spherical. However he fell deep within the draft that yr as a result of a robust perception that he would honor his dedication to Louisville, which he wound up doing on the time.

Three years later, Kilen is among the many high center infield prospects within the 2025 MLB Draft. He transferred to Tennessee forward of the 2024 season, turning into one of many high hitters within the SEC as Collazo thinks he matches the Purple Sox’ most well-liked mould of hitters.

“The Purple Sox are beginning a run of model-heavy groups which might be largely related to hitters and most of the identical faculty hitters are linked to all of them, together with Kilen, Brendan Summerhill, Marek Houston, Wehiwa Aloy and Caden Bodine. It seems like this could possibly be one of many highest potential touchdown spots for Gavin Fien.”

Kilen’s stats on the plate had been eerily much like Houston’s this previous season. He, a lefty, hit .357 with a 1.112 OPS and 15 residence runs, including six stolen bases in 53 video games.

Although the Purple Sox have had a change in entrance workplace management since they first drafted Kilen in 2022, his MLB.com scouting report reads like a participant who’d match their Driveline hitting method.

“With excellent hand-eye coordination, a fast left-handed swing and really feel for the barrel, Kilen continues to excel as a contact hitter,” MLB.com wrote in its scouting report of Kilen.

CBS Sports‘ Mike Axisa: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest

Axisa additionally has the Purple Sox choosing Houston at No. 15, believing that his profile matches what the staff desires out of their hitters as prospects.

“Boston’s hitter growth (particularly bat velocity growth) is among the many finest within the sport and has turned Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and others into high prospects,” Axisa wrote. “Houston is an analytical darling due to his swing selections and make contact with charges. That is extra of a ‘match’ decide than something. Houston may actually explode with added power and energy. For him, the Purple Sox could be a fantastic touchdown spot developmentally.”

In a different scouting report of Houston, The Athletic‘s Keith Regulation famous that the facility he displayed this previous season is a little bit of an “phantasm” as he hit 11 of his 15 homers in Wake Forest’s “shoebox” of a house ballpark. Nonetheless, Regulation additionally famous that Houston’s contact charge may assist his probabilities at turning into a robust participant on the skilled degree.

“He does have very sturdy hand-eye coordination and nearly by no means whiffs on pitches within the zone, with a brief swing that had him over a 50 p.c groundball charge as a sophomore however right down to 44 p.c this yr,” Regulation wrote. “He’s a high-floor, lower-ceiling prospect, except somebody foresees extra energy in his future than I do. He’s a particular shortstop who hits the ball onerous sufficient to maintain his common up in opposition to good pitching.”

As talked about by Collazo, Aloy can also be among the many group of center infielders who match the mould of what the Purple Sox need to do with their hitting prospects. Regulation appears to agree with that sentiment.

“I don’t assume the Purple Sox are anti-pitching — like some groups — however with their first decide they seem extra prone to go hitter than pitcher, and extra prone to go faculty than highschool,” Regulation wrote. “I ponder in the event that they’d take into account excessive schooler Gavin Fien, nevertheless, since his batted-ball knowledge was among the many finest from the showcases final yr. (I imply, I’d take him right here, but it surely’s not my decide.)”

Aloy, a right-handed hitter, has had a comparatively unconventional rise. He went from Sacramento State to Arkansas after a robust freshman season, starring with the Yarmouth-Dennis Purple Sox within the Cape Cod Baseball League final summer season (.309 batting common, eight residence runs in 21 video games). This previous season, Aloy was the most effective energy hitters within the SEC (21 residence runs, tied for second) to go together with a robust batting common (.350) and OPS (1.107).

Regulation questioned if Aloy is a long-term match at shortstop, pondering he may transfer over to 3rd base sooner or later, and has some issues about his potential to hit breaking balls. Nonetheless, Regulation believes {that a} tweak in his stance could possibly be a game-changer for Aloy.

“He does hit the ball onerous when he makes contact, although, with a hard-hit charge of 54 p.c and ninetieth percentile [exit velocity] of 107.2 mph, so there’s loads of bat right here if he can carry the contact charge up even half a grade,” Regulation wrote. “Simply that one modest enchancment would take him from a possible common at shortstop to a possible star.”