Red Sox
Tennessee’s Christian Moore is a popular pick for the Red Sox in mock drafts.
The countdown to the 2024 MLB Draft has moved from days to hours.
Round 1 of the three-day event takes place on Sunday night. The Red Sox sit in an interesting spot, holding the 12th overall pick. As they have a pick in the top half in the first round, the Red Sox can seemingly add one of the top prospects in the draft to their ever-improving farm system.
While Boston’s prospect pool lacks a highly-touted pitching prospect, many draft analysts have the Red Sox selecting one of the best hitters in college baseball in the 2024 season.
Here is who experts have the Red Sox picking with the 12th pick on the eve of the 2024 MLB Draft.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel: Tennessee 2B Chstian Moore
McDaniel still has the Red Sox selecting Moore in his penultimate mock draft, though he reported that there are still a handful of possible scenarios on the table.
“Moore’s leading spots to land are here, eighth to the Angels, and 16th to the Marlins,” McDaniel wrote. “[Wake Forest first baseman Nick] Kurtz and [Jackson (Miss.) Prep SS/OF Konnor] Griffin could also be the pick if they happen to be on the board. Trey Yesavage is also in the mix for most of the teams picking at Nos. 11-15.”
Moore suddenly became one of the top hitting prospects in the 2024 MLB Draft after a strong junior season in Knoxville. The right-handed hitter put up numbers that would impress at any level of baseball, slashing .375/.451/.797 with 34 homers and 74 RBIs in 72 games this past season. He also showed some speed along the basepaths, hitting 19 doubles and a pair of triples to go with five stolen bases.
The Athletic‘s Keith Law: Jackson (Miss.) Prep SS/OF Konnor Griffin
Law’s mock draft is one of just a couple among the notable draft experts that don’t have the Red Sox selecting Moore. Instead, he has Boston drafting one of the more intriguing prospects in this year’s class, acknowledging that Griffin might go anywhere in the draft.
“Griffin is a real wild card in the draft, with the tools to go 1-1 but real questions about how well he can hit pro pitching right now, especially since there’s no short-season league to send guys to after the draft (another genius move by MLB),” Law wrote. “If he’s gone, I think the Red Sox go college — Christian Moore, [Kentucky left fielder Ryan] Waldschmidt or Yesavage.”
Some draft analysts have listed Griffin as the top high school prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 18-year-old certainly has the stats and traits to back that claim up, hit .559 with nine home runs and 39 RBI to go with 85 stolen bases as a senior.
Similar to Law, MLB.com’s scouting report of Griffin described him as a player with an incredibly high upside.
“Griffin has a big league frame at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds and he possesses five-tool potential,” MLB.com’s scouting report of Griffin read. “His size does add some length to his right-handed stroke and he has some timing issues he’s ironing out at the plate, but he controls the strike zone well and makes regular contact. His combination of electric bat speed, strength and leverage could translate into 30-homer power as he learns to drive the ball in the air more consistently.”
Most other mock drafts have Griffin being a fringe top-10 pick, with McDaniel having the high school star going as high as No. 5 to the White Sox. So, it might be unlikely that the Red Sox are able to select him.
Boston doesn’t necessarily need another standout shortstop or outfield prospect with Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony continuing to climb the prospect rankings. But Griffin’s talent might be too good to pass up.
MLB.com’s Jim Callis: Tennessee 2B Christian Moore
Callis also has the Red Sox selecting Moore, but recognized that he’s probably just one of a handful of hitters who are in play to be drafted by them with the 12th pick.
“If an unexpected surprise doesn’t slip to 12, the Red Sox figure to grab someone from a pool of a dozen or so guys in the second tier of college bats,” Callis wrote. “Leading contenders include Moore, [Florida State third baseman Cam] Smith, [Oklahoma State right fielder Carson] Benge and Waldschmidt. This is probably the ceiling for Wake Forest third baseman/outfielder Seaver King, Louisiana State third baseman Tommy White and North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt. If Boston wants pitching, East Carolina right-hander Trey Yesavage would be the obvious choice.”
Callis had the Red Sox selecting Moore in his previous mock draft as well, continuing the idea there is a strong link there.
Moore has hit for average for his entire college career, posting at least a .300 batting average in each season he was at Tennessee. He took a big leap as a power hitter this past year, doubling the number of homers he hit in 2023 (17) to 2024.
While Moore doesn’t have the most intimidating frame for a power hitter at 6-1, 210 pounds, MLB.com’s scouting report of him believes this past season wasn’t a fluke.
“Moore looks to do damage with an aggressive approach. His mindset, bat speed and strength give him power that plays to all fields and 25-30 homer potential, and he works deep counts in search of pitches to drive and draws a healthy amount of walks,” MLB.com’s scouting report of Moore read. “His right-handed swing can get overly long and he still chases too many pitches out of the zone, but he’s making more consistent contact in 2024.”
With the way Moore’s swing is described, he could be a natural fit at Fenway Park.
Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo: Eastern Carolina RHP Trey Yesavage
Yesavage is one of the top pitching prospects in the 2024 class, but his draft range seems to be anywhere within the top 15 picks. Collazo thinks the Red Sox will be able to get him and might pounce on the opportunity if he’s still on the board.
“Yesavage is another name I think the Red Sox would like,” Collazo wrote. “This might be a perfect pairing of talent and organizational need. He’s the best available player on the draft board and the gap between him and whoever the next college arm is feels significant.”
As the Red Sox’ farm system has continued to climb up the overall rankings, they’ve done so without a notable top pitching prospect. They haven’t selected a pitcher in the first round since 2017 and Chaim Bloom didn’t add a starting pitcher in the first two rounds of the draft in his four years at the helm.
If Breslow has a different point of view, Yesavage might be the right pitcher to build the rest of the farm system around. The righty went 11-1 with a 2.03 ERA, 145 strikeouts, 0.868 WHIP, and four home runs allowed in 93 1/3 innings pitched over 15 starts last season.
Yesavage has a four-pitch repertoire that includes a fastball, curveball, slider, and splitter. His fastball typically travels between 93-95 mph while his mid-80s slider that has “more depth than lateral movement” is his top pitch, according to MLB.com’s scouting report of Yesavage.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter: Tennessee 2B Christian Moore
Reuter also has the Red Sox selecting Moore, but believes that they could still draft a pitcher if a certain name is on the board.
“It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox turn their focus more toward pitching now that longtime MLB reliever Craig Breslow is calling the shots in the front office, but as it stands they have not taken a pitcher in the first round since Tanner Houck in 2017,” Reuter wrote. “If Trey Yesavage is still on the board it will put that trend to the test, but in this scenario it’s a safe bet they will go with one of the second-tier college bats.”
Reuter added that Moore’s “offensive game should translate well to the next level.” In its scouting report of Moore, MLB.com added that the second baseman “can show solid speed once he gets going and looks to steal and take extra bases.”
So, while Moore might not be a five-tool prospect, he certainly would be an intriguing addition. He’d also fit the team’s profile of adding athletic hitters.
CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa: Tennessee 2B Christian Moore
Finally, Axisa also has the Red Sox taking Moore though he thinks they have a couple of other prospects on their radar.
“I think the Red Sox are hoping one of the top two high school position players — Griffin or Rainer — slips through the cracks and falls to them at No. 12,” Axisa wrote. “That is not the case in our mock draft though, leaving Boston to pick from second tier college bats and a few pitchers.”
“Moore had a monster postseason and has gotten a ton of buzz in the 11-15 pick range recently,” Axisa added.
Moore had a pair of standout moments during the College World Series. He hit for the cycle in the opener and a leadoff homer in Tennessee’s clinching win.
The Red Sox might not necessarily need a second baseman if one of Nick York or Vaughn Grissom pan out. But Moore has played more than just second base, spending time at shortstop and center field during his college career. When he was with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Summer League in 2022, Moore actually spent most of his time in the outfield, playing left and right field.
MLB.com’s scouting report noted that Moore could wind up playing center field at some point, which might further entice Boston.
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