Red Sox first-round pick compares himself to MVP catcher

Boston Red Sox draft pick Kyle Teel said Sunday night after his selection that he compares himself to a recently retired MVP catcher.

"I would say athleticism-wise, I compare myself to Buster Posey," Teel said, per MLB.com's Ian Browne. "He was just a great athlete back there. He was amazing. So I would compare myself to him."

The Red Sox took Teel with the 14th overall pick out of the University of Virginia during Sunday's event as they seek their "first true stud catcher" since Jason Varitek, according to Browne.

"Tek" was, ironically, selected 14th overall in the 1994 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Seattle Mariners, before being traded to Boston in 1997 before his big-league debut. Varitek spent his entire career with the Red Sox, making three All-Star teams, winning two World Series titles and earning both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award.

Teel is MLB Pipeline's seventh-ranked amateur prospect and having grown up in New Jersey, has always been a fan of Boston's biggest rival, the New York Yankees.

"Growing up, it’s kind of funny, because I was a Yankees fan, but now I bleed red," he said, per Browne.

Teel said he's "always looked up to" Varitek, who currently serves as the Red Sox game planning coordinator.

Whether Teel aspires to be the next Boston captain someday (Varitek was the last to hold the role), or he hopes to craft a resumé similar to a likely future Hall-of-Famer in Posey, either one will be a tough task.

The San Francisco Giants chose Posey fifth overall in the 2008 draft and the backstop made his MLB debut late in the 2009 campaign. The Florida State product played his entire 12-plus year career with the Giants, capturing both the NL MVP and batting crown in 2012, while also adding a Rookie of the Year honor, seven All-Star nods, five Silver Slugger awards and a Gold Glove.

Along with Barry Bonds, Madison Bumgarner and others, Posey is one of the best Giants players from the 21st century. Bumgarner and Posey helped lead San Francisco to three World Series titles in five years, earning the crown in 2010, 2012 and 2014.