After three consecutive years of drafting highschool shortstops with their first choose, the Red Sox shifted gears on Sunday and landed the consensus finest catcher within the draft.
The Red Sox chosen University of Virginia catcher Kyle Teel, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, with the No. 14 total choose within the 2023 MLB Draft.
“It’s a dream come true,” Teel stated on a Zoom name following his choice. “It’s something I’ve always wanted, to be a pro baseball player, and I’m so excited and ready to get to work.”
Teel was extensively considered a prime 10 draft prospect and was ranked No. 7 on MLB Pipeline’s pre-draft rankings and No. 10 by Baseball America. He was anticipated to be taken properly earlier than the Red Sox picked, however Boston fortunately scooped him up after he slid into the center of the primary spherical.
“Kyle is a guy that we had very high on our board for obvious reasons,” stated Red Sox Director of Amateur Scouting Devin Pearson. “He had an unbelievable 2023 season offensively and is arguably one of the best college athletes in the draft. We think he’s going to be really valuable for us. We’re excited to add an athletic catcher to the system, and we were thrilled to get him with the 14th pick.”
A local of Mahwah, New Jersey, the 21-year-old Teel is coming off a unbelievable junior season wherein he batted .407 with an 1.130 OPS, 13 house runs and 25 doubles for the Cavaliers. He served as Team USA’s catcher in the summertime of 2022 and was thought of a prime 100 prospect out of highschool earlier than he withdrew from draft consideration. He additionally briefly performed for the Harwich Mariners within the Cape Cod Baseball League final yr.
Scouts have praised his athleticism, arm power and total offensive acumen.
“A 6-foot-1, 190-pound left-handed hitter, Teel has plenty of bat speed and takes extremely aggressive, violent hacks with plenty of moving parts in his setup,” writes Baseball America. “He has a large leg kick with a significant hand hitch in his load, but has also developed a solid track record of both contact and on-base skills.”
Teel stated he’s been in touch with Red Sox scouts since his highschool days and that he has a robust relationship with the membership, particularly Ray Fagnant, Boston’s Northeast Regional Scouting Supervisor. He additionally stated he’s pals with Noah Dean, one other New Jersey native who the Red Sox chosen within the fifth spherical out of Old Dominion final summer time.
Though he solely spent a few week enjoying on the Cape, Teel stated he beloved his time in New England. He additionally had the pleasure of enjoying a showcase recreation at Fenway Park whereas in highschool, including that Fenway stays his favourite ballpark he’s performed in and believes his left-handed swing would translate properly there.
Teel is the primary faculty catcher drafted by the Red Sox within the first spherical since Blake Swihart in 2011. He can be the primary faculty participant taken within the first spherical underneath Chaim Bloom, and previous to that the final faculty participant taken first was Tanner Houck in 2017.
Coincidentally, Teel was picked on the identical spot as longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, who went No. 14 to Seattle in 1994 and presently serves as Boston’s catching coach and recreation planning coordinator.
“I’ve always looked up to him,” Teel stated. “He’s awesome and it’s really cool that I’m going to be able to play with him now.”
Teel now has an opportunity to hold on a household custom, as his father Garrett Teel was himself a minor leaguer after which a coach within the Los Angeles Dodgers group. He stated the most important lesson his father instilled in him rising up was the work ethic wanted to succeed at a excessive stage, and he’s excited for the prospect to get began and chase his baseball dream.
That being stated, the northern New Jersey native is greater than OK with tossing apart a distinct facet of his upbringing.
“Growing up it’s kind of funny because I was a Yankees fan,” Teel stated. “But now I bleed red.”
Red Sox choose SS Zanetello at No. 50
Though the Red Sox snapped their streak of choosing highschool shortstops within the first spherical, they didn’t wait lengthy so as to add one other, drafting shortstop Nazzan Zanetello out of Christian Brothers College High School (Missouri) with their second-round choose (No. 50 total).
“He described himself as a five-tool player and a five-tool person and I think we would all agree with that,” Pearson stated. “He’s a great human, a hard worker and not only are we excited to bring the talent in, but we’re excited to bring in the person as well.”
Standing at 6-foot-2, 190 kilos, the right-handed hitting Zanetello is considered a high-upside expertise who boasts among the finest pure athleticism within the draft. The St. Louis native additionally has a projectable body, strong bat pace and the power to make an influence defensively at a number of positions.
“He’s one of the best athletes in the draft in my opinion,” Pearson stated. “He’s explosive, he’s got speed, he’s got the ability to play a really good shortstop and athletic enough to play really good center field. He’s just a box of tools and a great kid that we’re excited to add to the organization.”
Zanetello is without doubt one of the youthful gamers within the class at age 18, and Pearson stated the Red Sox plan to play him primarily at shortstop, although they count on he’ll play some outfield as properly.
Source: www.bostonherald.com