Red Sox Predicted To Acquire 21-Year-Old Pitcher With Electric Stuff

The current Boston Red Sox are living proof of the many ways first-round picks can matter.

Boston's 2021 first-round pick Marcelo Mayer just arrived in the big leagues, hitting two home runs on Wednesday. 2022 first-rounder Mikey Romero is still an exciting prospect. Meanwhile, the Sox traded both their 2023 and 2024 first-rounders, Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery, for new ace Garrett Crochet.

With the Major League Baseball Draft approaching next month, the Red Sox could go several directions with their first selection. They pick 15th overall, which puts them in a position to read the board, but their need for pitching still outweighs their need for hitting.

One top prospect analyst believes that need will lead the Red Sox to take a college hurler who could be rotation-ready within a couple of years

On Thursday, Jim Callis of MLB.com predicted that Boston would nab UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner, a 21-year-old junior with a tantalizing three-pitch mix.

"Bremner would be a nice fit for the pitching-needy Red Sox, who also could pop college position players such as (Ike) Irish, (Marek) Houston and (Brendan) Summerhill," Callis wrote.

"(High schooler Gavin) Fien could be more attractive than all of the college options but he's off the board in this scenario."

MLB.com ranks Bremner as the 14th-best prospect in this draft class. The site rates his fastball and changeup as 65-grade offerings on the 20-80 scale, with his slider checking in at 50.

On average, Bremner's fastball clocks in the 95-96 mile per hour range, occasionally touching 98. He had a 3.49 ERA in 77 1/3 innings this season, punching out 111 batters.

Red Sox fans would surely be excited to see Bremner toe the rubber at Fenway Park by 2027, but the Jul. 13 draft will reveal whether or not he's on their radar.