Archives for July 10, 2023

BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox selected catcher Kyle Teel out of the University of Virginia with their first-round pick (14^th overall) in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The club also selected shortstop Nazzan Zanetello out of Christian Brothers College High School (MO) in the second round (50^th overall). Red Sox Director of Amateur Scouting Devin Pearson made the announcement.

Teel, 21, was ranked among the top 10 prospects available in this year’s draft by MLB.com (No. 7) and Baseball America (No. 10). Named the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American, the left-handed hitter batted .407 (105-for-258) with a 1.130 OPS, 25 doubles, 13 home runs, and 69 RBI while starting as the catcher in all 65 of the Cavaliers’ games as a junior this season. He threw out 15 of 24 runners attempting to steal while managing Virginia’s pitching staff to the fourth-lowest ERA in Division 1 (3.81), earning honors as the Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Year and Top NCAA Male Baseball Catcher as part of the Johnny Bench Awards.

The New Jersey native is a graduate of Mahwah High School (NJ), where he was named the 2020 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year and the No. 1 overall player in the state according to Perfect Game. He played eight games for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2022 and was selected to play on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in both 2021 and 2022. His brother, Aidan, played alongside him on the University of Virginia baseball team. Their father, Garett, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 12^thround of the 1989 MLB Draft (316^th overall) and spent five years with the organization as a player and catching coach.

Zanetello, 18, was a 2023 First Team All-State selection in Missouri, batting .421 (45-for-107) with nine doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 33 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 38 games during his senior season. In 2022, the right-handed hitter was a Perfect Game All-American and participated in their National Showcase, while also being named MVP of the Breakthrough Series and playing for Team USA in an 18-and-under World Cup qualifying tournament, during which he led the team in hitting (.429). The Missouri native had committed to play for the University of Arkansas.

Less than two weeks after helping LSU win the College World Series, right-hander Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews were not done making history. Skenes was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the No. 1 overall pick and the Washington Nationals followed by taking Crews at No. 2 at the 2023 MLB Draft in Seattle on Sunday night. It marked the first time in MLB draft history that a pair of teammates were taken with the top two picks.

Skenes is the sixth No. 1 draft selection in Pirates franchise history, joining third baseman Jeff King (1986), catcher Henry Davis (2021) and right-handers Kris Benson (1996), Bryan Bullington (2002) and Gerrit Cole (2011).

“It’s cool,” Skenes told ESPN, referring to his feelings about being the top pick. “But I think the biggest part is that my college career is over now (and) I get to keep playing baseball and hopefully do it for a long time.

“So I’m just super grateful for that.”

After spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Air Force, Skenes shined during his time with the Tigers, going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 19 starts in 2023. He was named National Player of the Year and National Pitcher of the Year before helping LSU prevail at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., where he earned CWS Most Outstanding Player honors.

In addition to his time with the Tigers and Falcons, Skenes also played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2021.

Crews hit .380 with 58 homers and 184 RBIs across three seasons with the Tigers. He put up video-game numbers in 2023, recording the third-best batting average in the nation (.426) while ripping 18 home runs and racking up 70 RBIs.

In addition to being named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year this past season, Crews won the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the country.