Best draft picks in Boston Red Sox history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Boston Red Sox history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Trot Nixon
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,092
- Career stats: 137 home runs, .274 batting average, .828 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.2

#24. Bill Lee
- Draft: 507th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 416
- Career stats: 119 wins, 3.62 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.0

#23. Jonathan Papelbon
- Draft: 114th overall pick in 2003
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 689
- Career stats: 41 wins, 2.44 earned run average, 1.04 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.3

#22. Josh Reddick
- Draft: 523rd overall pick in 2006
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,305
- Career stats: 146 home runs, .263 batting average, .747 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.7

#21. Mike Greenwell
- Draft: 72nd overall pick in 1982
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,269
- Career stats: 130 home runs, .303 batting average, .831 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.8

#20. Ben Oglivie
- Draft: 248th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Infielder
- Games played: 1,754
- Career stats: 235 home runs, .273 batting average, .786 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.3

#19. Mo Vaughn
- Draft: 23rd overall pick in 1989
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,512
- Career stats: 328 home runs, .293 batting average, .906 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 27.1

#18. Jacoby Ellsbury
- Draft: 23rd overall pick in 2005
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,235
- Career stats: 104 home runs, .284 batting average, .760 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 31.2

#17. Kevin Youkilis
- Draft: 243rd overall pick in 2001
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,061
- Career stats: 150 home runs, .281 batting average, .861 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 32.4

#16. John Valentin
- Draft: 121st overall pick in 1988
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,105
- Career stats: 124 home runs, .279 batting average, .814 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 32.5

#15. Bruce Hurst
- Draft: 22nd overall pick in 1976
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 379
- Career stats: 145 wins, 3.92 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 34.1

#14. Brady Anderson
- Draft: 257th overall pick in 1985
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,834
- Career stats: 210 home runs, .256 batting average, .787 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 35.0

#13. Cecil Cooper
- Draft: 128th overall pick in 1968
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,896
- Career stats: 241 home runs, .298 batting average, .803 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 36.0

#12. Anthony Rizzo
- Draft: 204th overall pick in 2007
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,695
- Career stats: 302 home runs, .262 batting average, .831 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 39.4

#11. Amos Otis
- Draft: 95th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,998
- Career stats: 193 home runs, .277 batting average, .768 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 42.8

#10. Jon Lester
- Draft: 57th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 452
- Career stats: 200 wins, 3.66 earned run average, 1.28 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 43.5

#9. Nomar Garciaparra
- Draft: 12th overall pick in 1994
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,434
- Career stats: 229 home runs, .313 batting average, .882 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.3

#8. Jim Rice
- Draft: 15th overall pick in 1971
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,089
- Career stats: 382 home runs, .298 batting average, .854 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 47.7

#7. Fred Lynn
- Draft: 41st overall pick in 1973
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,969
- Career stats: 306 home runs, .283 batting average, .845 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 50.2

#6. Dustin Pedroia
- Draft: 65th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,512
- Career stats: 140 home runs, .299 batting average, .805 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 51.9

#5. Dwight Evans
- Draft: 109th overall pick in 1969
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,606
- Career stats: 385 home runs, .272 batting average, .840 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 67.2

#4. Mookie Betts
- Draft: 172nd overall pick in 2011
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,326
- Career stats: 261 home runs, .295 batting average, .901 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 68.3

#3. Jeff Bagwell
- Draft: 110th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,150
- Career stats: 449 home runs, .297 batting average, .948 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 79.9

#2. Wade Boggs
- Draft: 166th overall pick in 1976
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,439
- Career stats: 118 home runs, .328 batting average, .858 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 91.4

#1. Roger Clemens
- Draft: 19th overall pick in 1983
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 709
- Career stats: 354 wins, 3.12 earned run average, 1.17 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 139.2

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.