Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Predicted To Acquire 6-Foot-6 Power-Hitting Outfielder

Adding to the logjam or another trade chip?
Jackson Roberts|
Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images
Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

As the Major League Baseball Draft approaches next month, the Boston Red Sox have some interesting calls to make.

The Red Sox went with college position players in the first round of each of the last two drafts. Then, they traded both of them (catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery) in December to acquire superstar pitcher Garrett Crochet.

If the Red Sox go college position player again, it would be reasonable to wonder if that prospect's days in the organization are numbered, considering the logjam of young players the team already has in the lineup. A college pitcher, meanwhile, might be on track to join the starting rotation by the middle of 2026.

On Thursday, Keith Law of The Athletic registered a prediction: the Red Sox take a similar approach they did last year when Montgomery fell and draft his former Texas A&M teammate, outfielder Jace LaViolette.

"This is more of a bet on the Red Sox taking a player who was generally considered among the top bats in the class coming into the spring but who had a rough spring than any specific tie between the two," Law wrote.

"The Red Sox went very college-heavy last year, taking just one high school player in the top 10 rounds and only one more after that. I could also see them on Gavin Kilen or Ike Irish."

LaViolette, 21, had a 29-homer season in 2024 and looked like a potential top-five pick, but his numbers took a bit of a dip. Still, there's nothing wrong with 18 homers and a 1.003 OPS in 56 games.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound LaViolette has as much raw power as anyone in the draft, though, and he could be putting up 30-homer seasons in the big leagues by 2027. If he came to Boston, though, it's hard to see where he'd fit into a crowded outfield that just added number-one prospect Roman Anthony (who is five months younger than LaViolette).

Boston holds the 15th overall pick in the draft, which takes place on Jul. 13 in Atlanta.

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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