Astute Red Sox MiLB Rule 5 Pick Mickey Gasper Gets The Call
After hitting .246/.361/.375 between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2023, the Yankees left catcher Mickey Gasper unprotected in the MiLB phase of the Rule 5 draft. That means he was left off the 40-man MLB roster as well as the 38-man Triple-A roster. Less than a year later, he’s a big leaguer. The Red Sox picked Gasper with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2023 MiLB Rule 5 draft. He hit .282/.403/.458 for Double-A Portland, earning a promotion to Triple-A Worcester. He found another gear at Worcester, as he hit .401/.515/.664 with eight home runs and 12 doubles in 40 games. Gasper is currently fourth in the minors in batting average (.341), leads the minors in on-base percentage (.458) and is 12th in the minors in slugging percentage (.559). He’s likely more of a first base/DH in Boston than a regular catcher, but the switch-hitter has emerged as one of the surprise stories of the 2024 season, as a 28-year-old.
