Draft Preview

By Jim Callis
May 13, 2002

Scouting Director: David Chadd (first year: 2002).

2000 Draft (First three rounds, picking 22nd)
1. Phil Dumatrait, lhp, Bakersfield (Calif.) JC.
2. Manny Delcarmen, rhp, West Roxbury (Mass.) HS.
3. Matt Cooper, 1b, Ripley HS, Stillwater, Okla.

2001 Draft (First three rounds, picking 17th)
1. (Choice to Indians as compensation for free agent Manny Ramirez).
2a. Kelly Shoppach, c, Baylor
2b. *Matt Chico, lhp, Fallbrook (Calif.) HS.
3. Jonathan DeVries, c, Irvine (Calif.) HS.
(*Did not sign.)

2002 Draft
Red Sox pick 16th in rotation (Lost first-round pick for signing Johnny Damon).

Overview
A new era has dawned in Boston. New ownership, new general manager, new manager. There's also a new scouting director, a move that didn't draw nearly as much attention. David Chadd, a longtime Marlins scout, was promoted to scouting director by Florida last year but has yet to run his first draft. He'll get that opportunity for Boston in June.

While Chadd was with the Marlins, the club emphasized high school talent, striking it big with first-round picks such as Josh Beckett (1999) and Adrian Gonzalez (2000). He joins an organization lacking talent at the upper levels of its farm system and particularly weak in hitting throughout. If the Red Sox have a strength, it's their young pitchers, but those players are years away from contributing.

Former GM Dan Duquette and scouting director Wayne Britton also preferred high school players to collegians but had considerably less success with them. It's telling that the last Boston first-round pick of note came from the latter group, Georgia Tech shortstop Nomar Garciaparra in 1994. Top choices since then have been, in order, prep pitchers Andy Yount, Josh Garrett and John Curtice; college shortstop Adam Everett; high school outfielder Rick Asadoorian; juco lefty Phil Dumatrait; and college catcher Kelly Shoppach.

Under Duquette, the Red Sox poured money into the foreign market, particularly in Asia, at the expense of the draft. Boston typically had a take-it-or-leave-it approach with draft picks. In 1998 the club offered ninth-round pick Mark Teixeira $1.5 million but couldn't sign him after alienating the slugger and his family. A year later, they decided Albert Pujols' six-figure bonus demands were too costly. In 2001, Boston's hard line cost it second-rounder Matt Chico, sixth-rounder Justin James and 10th-rounder Ben Crockett.

Chadd, 36, was a standout player at Kansas State and was an assistant coach there from 1992-95, when he joined the Marlins as an area scout. He became Midwest crosschecker in 1999 and was promoted to scouting director last year. He has pledged that the Red Sox will focus on the draft as a primary source of talent. With as many holes as the system has, taking the best available player will fill a need. Boston leaned toward New England products under Duquette and Britton. If the team continues in that direction, Salisbury (Conn.) High lefthander Mark Rosen will be an attractive early-round target.