Despite some down years and the loss of several superstars, the past decade has been successful for the Red Sox. Boston has made the playoffs four times and won yet another World Series in 2018. And, much of Boston’s existing core and successes from the past can be attributed to their drafts. Here’s a look at the Red Sox’s best MLB Draft picks over the last 10 years.

Best Red Sox Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons

Name	Position	Year Drafted	Round	Career bWAR
Michael Kopech	P	2014	1	4.7
Jalen Beeks	P	2014	12	1.3
Andrew Benintendi	OF	2015	1	14.2
Travis Lakins Sr.	P	2015	6	0.6
Santiago Espinal	2B/SS	2016	10	5.2
Tanner Houck	P	2017	1	8.9
Kutter Crawford	P	2017	16	4.1
Triston Casas	1B	2018	1	2.5
Jarren Duran	OF	2018	7	5.1
Ryan Fernandez	P	2018	23	0.4

The big name that stands out on this list is Andrew Benintendi, the 2015 Golden Spikes winner who went on to help Boston win their ninth World Series title in 2018 alongside a deep Red Sox lineup. No player selected by Boston over the last decade has a higher bWAR than Benintendi, whose production has slipped since he was traded by the Red Sox after the 2020 campaign.

Aside from Benintendi, the Sox managed to snare several pieces of their current core over the years. The 2018 MLB Draft saw Boston select Triston Casas and Jarren Duran but arguably Boston’s best work since 2015 came in 2017.

That year, the Red Sox selected Tanner Houck in the first round of the University of Missouri and Kutter Crawford in the 16th round. Houck, a talented college pitcher, albeit one with questions as to whether he would have enough pitches to make it as a starter, broke out in 2024. Crawford, on the other hand, has ridden his dominant fastball and good secondary stuff to become a valuable piece in the Red Sox rotation.

Crawford and Houck, though, were the only two Boston draft picks from 2017 to make it to the Majors.

Now, a look at the Red Sox’s worst MLB Draft picks over the last decade.

Worst Red Sox Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons

Name	Position	Year Drafted	Round	Career bWAR
Sam Travis	1B	2014	2	-1.1
Austin Rei	C	2015	3	Never played in MLB
Jay Groome	P	2016	1	Never played in MLB
C.J. Chatham	SS	2016	2	Never played in MLB
Cole Brannen	OF	2017	2	Never played in MLB
Alex Scherff	P	2017	5	Never played in MLB
Nick Decker	OF	2018	2	Never played in MLB
Cam Cannon	SS	2019	2	Never played in MLB

We won’t put Michael Chavis, the 26th selection overall in the 2014 MLB Draft, in this section. Even though Chavis never developed to become an everyday player, the former first-round pick proved to be a valuable utilityman at times in his MLB career and has a higher bWAR (0.2) than some of the others listed here.

The 2016 MLB Draft proved to be a tough one for the Red Sox. Just five first-round picks from that year never made it to the Majors, one of those being Jay Groome. Groome was thought to be a potential #1 pick in 2016 as a New Jersey prep star and per one MLB GM, possibly the best high-school pitching prospect since Clayton Kershaw.

A GM on jason groome: "might be the best high school pitching prospect since clayton kershaw."

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 24, 2016

He fell to #12 but injuries and command troubles proved to be Groome’s doing. In June 2024, Groome was one of several players suspended by Major League Baseball for gambling-related violations.

Boston also went deep into the well to sign high school stars Cole Brannen ($1.3M) and Alex Scherff ($700K) in 2017. However, neither made it to the Majors.

These lists do not include players selected but did not sign. bWAR figures as of June 2024.