Red Sox Predicted To Acquire Speedy Shortstop With 'Trea Turner Vibes'

When the Boston Red Sox have been at their best over the past couple of seasons, speed has been at the forefront of their identity.

Jarren Duran. David Hamilton. Trevor Story. Ceddanne Rafaela. The Red Sox are a team full of good athletes who can steal bases, make rangy plays on defense, and crucially, speed the game up on their opponents.

With the Major League Baseball Draft upcoming on Jul. 13, one top prospect evaluator thinks the Red Sox may be positioned to add to this growing piece of their identity.

On Thursday, MLB.com's Jim Callis predicted that the Red Sox would select Steele Hall, a shortstop from Hewitt-Trussvile H.S. (Ala.), with the draft's 15th overall pick.

"The Red Sox could go in several directions here. Hall gives off some Trea Turner vibes and could really take off with the organization's bat speed and strength program," Callis wrote.

"They drafted Kilen in high school, while Houston and Summerhill are two more college position players who could interest them. So might Witherspoon, Bremner or Arkansas right-hander Gage Wood from the college pitching ranks. Boston is linked repeatedly to Fien and may be able to float him to No. 33 with its $12.4 million bonus pool."

Hall's speed is rated as a 70 on the 20-to-80 scale by MLB.com/MLB Pipeline. It's his best tool, but his skill set is still well-rounded. Here's what the experts at the site had to say in the 17-year-old's pre-draft bio:

"A twitchy athlete, Hall has at least plus-plus speed and earns top-of-the-scale 80 grades from some evaluators. He's a lock to stay at shortstop with good actions, range to both sides and the ability to make throws from a variety of angles. He's at least a solid defender with arm strength to match, with some scouts projecting him as plus in both categories.

"Hall's quick right-handed swing looks better in batting practice -- where he focuses on driving the ball from gap to gap -- than it does in games, where it gets longer as he looks to lift and pull pitches for power. The Tennessee recruit is a bit of a free swinger who struggles to recognize secondary pitches. He still has room to add more strength and should become at least an average hitter with 15-homer pop, and perhaps more, if he can moderate his approach."

It would be a few years before the Red Sox graduated Hall to the big leagues if they drafted him, but they have to love the youngster's tools. There are lots of options, as Callis hints, but don't be surprised if Hall hears his name called when Boston picks at 15.