Red Sox 2025 Draft - Pick Analysis and Discussion
Boston added a plethora of college pitchers to their pipeline in the 2025 draft.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “This isn’t a hockey post!” And you’re correct! I’m a baseball fan as well and I figured that if I’m going to have this Substack, I’m going to write about a variety of things. And besides, I’m a sucker for prospect and draft content. The MLB Draft is a wild and crazy thing, with picks spread over 20 rounds and teams getting a specific amount of signing bonus money to spend on their prospects. For those of you that aren’t familiar with how the MLB draft works, there’s a set “slot” amount tied to each pick. The value of each pick decreases as you go through the draft, and then after the tenth round, the pick value is set at $150,000 for rounds 11-20. The slot values aren’t strict values, as teams can sign players for more or less than the slot value depending on how they’re able to negotiate. Some teams take players with lower upside in the middle rounds so that they can maximize their bonus money on another draft pick later on. It’s as much of a game as the actual game of baseball is, and the goal is to be able to sign all of their picks. In 2024, Boston signed all of their draft picks, and Director of Professional Scouting Devin Pearson has mentioned that their hope is to sign all of their 2025 picks as well. Let’s dive into the selections.
All info on slot value found on Soxprospects.com
15th Overall - Kyson Witherspoon, RHP
Slot value: $5,114,200
Signed for: $5,000,000
For the third year in a row, the Red Sox draft a player that fell further than he was projected in the draft. In 2023, it was Kyle Teel. In 2024, it was Braden Montgomery. This year, Kyson Witherspoon fell from a top ten projection to 15th overall, which allowed for Boston to pick the best player left on the board. The team hasn’t used a first round pick on a pitcher since 2017, when they selected Tanner Houck. Witherspoon is a pitcher that projects as a solid starting pitcher with upside of a solid number two. While he’s not going to be an ace, this is still great value for the Red Sox, getting a legitimate starter with a good fastball and at least one or two breaking balls that’ll play at the major league level. Witherspoon’s selection shows a commitment from the team to developing major league starting pitching. Under Craig Breslow, the Red Sox have prioritized pitching in a big way, spending more on it in recent years and acquiring a ton of arms in the 2024 draft, via trade, and free agency.
Witherspoon immediately becomes one of the top arms in Boston’s system behind Payton Tolle, a player who will likely become Boston’s top prospect when Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer “graduate.” The team committing to a pitcher this early in the draft shows a mix of a change in the team’s philosophy regarding pitching and a commitment to drafting the best player available. Prior to this past season, the Red Sox hadn’t committed a ton of money to pitching prospects, both in the draft and in international free agency. And that showed in the system. They had a handful of players develop into MLB pitchers, such as Hunter Dobbins, but the vast majority of their prior picks projected as relievers rather than long-term starting options. The team has prioritized starting pitching, and Witherspoon’s selection reflects that.
Boston was able to get a little bit of bonus pool savings here, which comes as a bit of a surprise. Granted, it’s not a ton of savings, but it’s helpful. Given that Witherspoon was projected to go higher in the draft, I was expecting him to demand a little bit more than slot.
33rd Overall - Marcus Phillips, RHP
Slot value: $2,898,300
Signed for: $2,500,000
Pick was acquired from Milwaukee along with OF Yophery Rodriguez and P John Holobetz in exchange for P Quinn Priester
Phillips is another right handed arm for the Red Sox and has some similarities to Witherspoon in terms of his arsenal. Phillips throws hard, topping out at just under 101 mph this past season, which has to be attractive for the Red Sox. He’s not as consistent as Witherspoon is, and strike throwing can be an issue, giving some scouts concerns that he may be more of a reliever at the next level than a true starter. However, the projection here is that if he can develop his arsenal and continue throwing hard, that his ceiling could be just as high as Witherspoon’s, if not higher.
Why take this type of player so early? Well, there’s the possibility that the Red Sox can sign Phillips for slightly under slot, saving some of their bonus pool money for a player drafted a little later. There’s also the upside play here. The Red Sox have targeted pitchers with elite fastballs and have been able to improve the breaking balls in each player’s arsenal once they get into their pitching programs. So, with Phillips, the team likely sees a ball of clay that they can mold into something great. They’ve had success in doing so with the aforementioned Tolle, and Phillips has a similar build. It’s a worthwhile swing to take, especially when you’ve had success in improving these types of pitchers.
The Red Sox end up getting Phillips for under slot, which helps the team find the bonus money to sign 11th round pick Barrett Morgan for over slot.
75th Overall - Henry Godbout, 2B
Slot value: $1,093,800
Compensatory pick for Nick Pivetta signing in San Diego
Godbout is the first position player drafted by Boston in this draft, coming out of the University of Virginia. He possesses a profile that Boston has prioritized in hitters in the past: great contact skills, not a lot of chasing out of the zone, and room to fill out physically. The Sox see a player that they can likely add some power to, which will help Godbout tremendously. Right now, his power stands at about a 40 (scale of 80) whereas his contact is about a 55. If he can even get to average power, he’ll be a solid second baseman that can hit at a decent rate at the MLB level.
Boston lacks high end position players in their pool after recent graduations, but it’s clear that they project an MLB player here. Godbout has some good traits at the plate and is at least an average defender in the infield, so that alone can lead to MLB success. The big question here will be whether or not Godbout can tap into more power. Right now, there’s not a lot of hard contact and he’s going to struggle at the MLB level if he can’t hit the ball harder.
87th Overall - Anthony Eyanson, RHP
Slot value: $907,200
Signed for: $1,750,000
If there’s a player that could get more bonus money out of Boston’s first 11 picks, it’s Eyanson. He’s another pitcher with great secondary pitches, which could lead to him starting as well. Despite an average fastball, Eyanson’s secondaries are enough to give some scouts the idea that he can start at the MLB level. Eyanson was ranked anywhere from the early to mid 30’s to 40 in this draft, and yet the Red Sox are able to get him at 87th overall. They’re clearly high on his arsenal as a whole and believe that they can unlock more with his fastball.
Eyanson will likely demand more bonus money due to how high he was ranked prior to the draft. He may get a shade over $1,000,000 when all is said and done, which is another reason why you take Phillips as high as you do. You hope that you can save some money there and use it on signing players like Eyanson that have high upside.
Eyanson got more than a shade over $1,000,000, earning a signing bonus of $1,750,000 when it’s all said and done. That’s a steep bonus for him, but given where he was ranked in the draft, it makes sense. The Red Sox took a few players later in the draft that they can save bonus pool money on, so that’s likely where they find the space here.
118th Overall - Mason White, SS
Slot value: $642,200
White is another infield prospect for the Red Sox, one that has played all over the infield both in college and in summer ball. He’s more of a power profile with more strikeouts, so work will need to be done to improve his contact. White does have some projectable traits in terms of power, running and fielding ability, so there’s obviously enough in his game to warrant a draft pick. If the Sox can cut down on his swing and miss, there’s something there.
148th Overall - Christian Foutch, RHP
Slot value: $479,800
This selection feels like another one where the Sox can save a bit of money. Foutch was a pure reliever in college and has an unreal fastball and a highly rated splitter to go along with it. The issue is that MLB pipeline rates his control at 45, which is below average. He can’t locate his pitches and really struggles with strike throwing as well as finding his spots. Translation: when he throws strikes, it’s a meatball. Still, there’s enough there with his fastball, which averages 98 mph and can get up to 100. The splitter appears to be a solid pitch when he can locate it, so it’s possible that the Red Sox work him out as a starter and see if he can get the command and control issues figured out.
178th Overall - Leighton Finley, RHP
Slot value: $364,800
There’s a trend in this draft. The Sox picked a ton of SEC pitchers, which makes sense given that the SEC is the best collegiate conference. They’re seeing the best hitters in college baseball, so they’re more ready for the pros. Finley has decent velocity with room to add a little more and throws a lot of pitches, so there’s potential for a back of the rotation starter here. If he can’t develop the secondaries, there’s a relief profile here.
208th Overall - Myles Patton, LHP
Slot value: $285,200
Patton is the first lefty that the Sox drafted, coming out of Texas A&M. He’s a bit of a departure from the other picks, lacking velocity but throwing a ton of strikes. He got hit around a bit this year, so the hope is that he can get into the pitching programs and at least get into the low 90s with his fastball. If he can, there’s some MLB upside.
238th Overall - Dylan Brown, LHP
Slot value: $229,000
Like Patton, Brown doesn’t have the best velocity but is another strike thrower. He’s taller and has shown slightly better velocity and bat missing ability than Patton has, but he also played in a worse conference. Another player that can benefit from some time with Boston’s dev staff.
268th Overall - Jacob Mayers, RHP
Slot value: $203,500
Going back to their trend of taking high velocity, the Red Sox selected Mayers, who averaged 96 mph with his fastball this year. Mayers appears to project as a relief pitcher at the MLB level.
298th Overall - Maximus Martin, SS
Slot value: $191,300
Aside from having an elite first name, Martin possesses plus power to the pull side, which the Red Sox like in their hitting prospects. Once again, Martin is another draftee that doesn’t have the greatest contact skills. The rest of his profile is pretty average, so they’re hoping that he can get one or two of his skills to above average.
Martin has signed with the Red Sox, per his college’s social media, but the bonus amount is unknown.
328th Overall - Barrett Morgan, RHP
Slot value : $150,000 (all slot values from here on out will be $150,000)
Signed for $500,000 ($350,000 counts against cap)
Morgan was unreal as a JUCO pitcher this year and he’s another player that the Sox will likely have to offer a bit of money to in order to get him to sign. Morgan is currently committed to Texas A&M and could want to bet on himself after another year or two there and see if he can get drafted higher. Normally, you’re not too excited about a pick this late in the draft, but Morgan has some interesting traits. He was an unreal reliever this past year and has a good fastball and a curveball that’s at least fringe average right now.
When I wrote this, I mentioned that the Red Sox would have to sign Morgan over slot. He had a commitment to a good SEC school and could have bet on himself to go higher in the draft a year or two from now. Instead, the Sox are able to get him into their system earlier.
358th Overall - Ethan Walker, LHP
Walker’s best pitch is his fastball but started in college and had decent results, so the Red Sox likely hope that he has some upside there.
388th Overall - Jack Winnay, 1B
The Sox take a Wake Forest infielder in the 13th round. Winnay has some strong power and fringe average contact skills, but he doesn’t play a premium position and lacks the elite bat that you’d hope a first baseman would have. Still, with the lack of position players in the draft (and in the Red Sox system in general) he might actually get through the system quickly if he can hit.
418th Overall - Carter Rasmussen, RHP
As someone that went to a rival SOCON school, I’m legally obligated to hate this pick. Jokes aside, Rasmussen pitched well as a starter for Wofford this past season.
448th Overall - Skylar King, OF
King has solid contact skills and great speed, but doesn’t hit very hard. Ideal outcome here is a Jarren Duran type that can get on base and use his elite speed to add some value to his hits. Duran was able to find some power in the minors, so King will have to do the same.
478th Overall - Jason Gilman, LHP
Gilman was the pitcher of the year in division three baseball, so this feels like a decent pick in the 16th round. Division three baseball isn’t great, but at this point in the draft, you take chances on this type of player.
508th Overall - Patrick Galle, RHP
Galle is another pitcher that projects as a reliever. He didn’t pitch a ton this year, so he’s a bit of an unknown to me.
538th Overall - Cade Fisher, LHP
Fisher lacks velocity with his fastball and wasn’t always a starter this year. He’ll have to throw harder when he turns pro, otherwise he’ll get hit around a ton.
568th Overall - Fabian Bonilla, OF
Bonilla is a high school bat that wasn’t really on anyone’s radar, so I don’t know anything about this pick. If there’s one that the Red Sox could let go unsigned, it’s Bonilla. They could use the “draft and follow” rules, where a team can elect to sign a player that they draft one year after the draft. I believe that’s only for high school players. With Bonilla, the Sox could see what he develops in a year and see if he’s worth committing to further.
598th Overall - Garrison Sumner, RHP
A BYU pitcher with a BYU-ass name. He got hit around a ton this year but has some velocity, so it’s a worthwhile bet when nearly 600 other players have gone ahead of him.
Summary
After the draft, it was reported that the Red Sox were signing outfielder Andrews Opata as an undrafted free agent, adding to their position player pool. In total, the Red Sox drafted 15 pitchers and six position players, then signed one position player after the draft. Overall, it’s clear that the team is prioritizing pitching in their system. They’ll need to figure out how to add bats to the pipeline, because none of the bats they have currently project as above average MLB players other than potentially Godbout, and even he is very far away. The Red Sox will soon have a logjam of pitchers in their system, so it’ll be fascinating to see how they operate at the trade deadline knowing that they’ll have 15 new arms to find spots for throughout the minors.
Opata is an interesting prospect. He didn’t play for a great school but hit .372 and had 41 stolen bases in 58 games. He also had a .988 fielding percentage as a senior, which is solid.
Note: The Red Sox also signed SS Ty Hodge from UT San Antonio as an undrafted free agent. Hodge walked 30 times and only struck out 24 times, so the Red Sox clearly like his contact profile.
Boston’s prospect pool certainly improved in this draft, and they likely added four top 30 prospects with their first round picks. After that, there’s a whole lot of question marks and hopes that pitchers turn into something more than what they’re currently projected as. There’s even some uncertainty surrounding their second selection, Marcus Phillips. Still, their draft strategy mirrors that of the Carolina Hurricanes, where they get the best players available and bank on some projectable traits. Drafting pitchers is a lot like drafting goalies in the NHL. You can draft ten of them and only one or two might turn into something. So with that in mind, I don’t hate the strategy of drafting a ton of pitchers. I just wonder about the overall strength of the position players in the pipeline. With the Red Sox trading their two most recent first round picks in Teel and Montgomery, the position player depth is slim. Not counting Anthony or Mayer, SoxProspects.com ranks just three other position players in their top ten. Getting James Tibbs in the Rafael Devers trade definitely helps increase the ceiling of the position players in the system, but the folks over there project that Godbout will rank somewhere in the 25 to 30 range in their rankings. They’ll need to focus on position players in the international market and find other ways to add some to the system.
I’m not as knowledgeable on the MLB draft, so I can’t give a grade to the Red Sox for their draft. To a fan that’s a bit more than a casual, it seems good. They drafted the best players available and took some upside swings. That’s what you’d want with your draft.