Red Sox draft grade: Boston defies the odds with latest pick

The Boston Red Sox used their first-round pick in the MLB Draft on a shortstop for the second year in a row.

The Boston Red Sox under Chaim Bloom sure do love to draft infielders out of California in the first round. They did so last year when they selected Eastlake High’s Marcelo Mayer with the fourth-overall pick. The year prior, Boston picked Archbishop Mitty High second baseman Nick Yorke 17th-overall. It should come as no shock that the Red Sox used their first-round pick on another California infielder.

With the No. 24 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the Red Sox selected Orange Lutheran’s Mikey Romero.

Red Sox take shortstop Mikey Romero with No. 24 pick in 2022 MLB Draft

It is interesting to see the Red Sox use their first-round selection on a shortstop for the second consecutive year. But then, you remember that the team is at risk of losing Xander Bogaerts to free agency next offseason, as he has the ability to opt out of his contract at the end of the campaign. Bogaerts and the Red Sox could not agree on a contract extension ahead of the 2022 season.

So, what is Boston getting in Romero?

MLB Pipeline has Romero ranked as the 65th overall prospect in the 2022 class, and here is what they said about him ahead of the draft. Specifically, how he compares to Mayer as a defender.

"“Romero is a smooth defender with more than enough arm to go along with the range, instincts and footwork to stay at shortstop for a long time. He’s not quite Marcelo Mayer, the lefty-swinging prep shortstop from SoCal who was the No. 4 pick in the 2021 Draft, but the LSU recruit is in the conversation of best high school shortstops in this year’s class.”"

Here is what The Athletic’s Keith Law had to say about Boston’s selection of Romero:

"“Romero is a bat-first high school position player who probably gets hurt a bit by the presence of similar guys with standout hit tools like Termarr Johnson in this draft. He recognizes pitch types and balls/strikes well, with a tiny stride and compact swing that produces contact without power. He’s a solid defender at short with enough arm to stay there.“For a team that believes they can unlock power in a player who already has feel to hit, he’s an ideal candidate, but I do wonder about his ability to adjust to better offspeed stuff given the lack of any stride and the way his front foot rolls over through contact.”"

It will be interesting to see how the Red Sox utilize Romero in the minor leagues, especially since Mayer was the top-ranked prospect in the entire 2021 class and the No. 1 overall prospect in their Boston’s farm system by MLB Pipeline. Given Boston’s success with prospects, they’ll figure something out.

Grade: C