Bill Koch

Monday

Jun 3, 2019 at 11:06 PM


The Red Sox dipped into the college ranks with their first Major League Baseball Draft selection in 2019.


Boston picked Arizona infielder Cameron Cannon at No. 43 overall late Monday night. The junior played mostly shortstop this season for the Wildcats and was the No. 79 overall prospect according to MLB.com.


Cannon’s slash line in his third college campaign was an impressive .397/.478/.651. The 5-foot-10, 196-pounder totaled 29 doubles and 92 hits through 56 games. [...]

The Red Sox dipped into the college ranks with their first Major League Baseball Draft selection in 2019.

Boston picked Arizona infielder Cameron Cannon at No. 43 overall late Monday night. The junior played mostly shortstop this season for the Wildcats and was the No. 79 overall prospect according to MLB.com.

Cannon’s slash line in his third college campaign was an impressive .397/.478/.651. The 5-foot-10, 196-pounder totaled 29 doubles and 92 hits through 56 games. Cannon’s 22 errors in the field suggest a potential move in the future to second base or third base.

Cannon was a Cape Cod Baseball League all-star in 2018. He hit .263 in 42 games with Falmouth and led the club in runs batted in. Cannon was a 21st-round pick by his hometown Diamondbacks in 2016, but the Glendale native opted to honor his college commitment instead.

Cannon is one of three Arizona players selected by the Red Sox since 2016, joining left-handed pitcher Rio Gomez and third baseman Bobby Dalbec. He’s the fifth straight college player to come off the board at No. 43 and the 11th in the last 13 years. His scouting report at MLB.com described Cannon as “a classic grinder who gets the most out of his tools.”

Boston didn’t make its first selection until more than four hours after Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman went No. 1 overall to the Orioles. The Braves, Diamondbacks and Dodgers were each awarded a second first-round pick after failing to agree to terms with their 2018 selections. The Red Sox were also docked 10 spots from what would have been the No. 33 pick for exceeding $237 million in payroll in 2018, the third and final threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax.

Boston is working with a bonus pool of $4,788,100, the smallest among the league’s 30 clubs. Signing its top two picks to full slot value would eat up more than half of the cash available to the Red Sox -- $1,729,800 for the No. 43 pick and $929,800 for the No. 69 pick. Boston would have a shade over $2.1 million on hand to sign the rest of its selections through the 40th round.

Craig Kimbrel’s continuing free agency also cost the Red Sox a chance to add some cash to their bonus pool. Boston would have been awarded a compensatory selection after the fourth round and the corresponding slot value had Kimbrel signed with any team prior to June 3. That additional pick would have been valued at roughly $400,000, and that money could have been used as the Red Sox saw fit.

Four of Boston’s last five top picks have signed for full slot value. Michael Chavis (2014), Andrew Benintendi (2015), right-handed pitcher Tanner Houck (2017) and infielder Triston Casas (2018) each agreed to the suggested dollar figures assigned by Major League Baseball. Left-handed pitcher Jay Groome signed for $3.65 million out of a New Jersey high school in 2016, more than $450,000 over his suggested slot value as the No. 12 overall pick.

Scott Hatteberg is among the notable recent names selected with the No. 43 pick. Hatteberg came to Boston from Washington State in 1991 and made his Red Sox debut four years later. The catcher played parts of seven seasons with Boston, famously transitioned to first base with the Money Ball edition of the Athletics and spent a total of 14 years in the big leagues.

Pitchers Taijuan Walker (2010), Brad Boxberger (2009), Wade Miley (2008), Jo-Jo Reyes (2003) and Mark Prior (1998) have also been selected at No. 43. Prior was a senior at San Diego University High and opted to pass up an offer from the Yankees, honoring a college commitment to Vanderbilt instead. He transferred to USC and was the No. 2 overall pick by the Cubs in 2001, making his debut the following season.

Boston has signed all of its picks prior to the 11th round since the 2011 draft. Senquez Golson was selected in the eighth round out of Pascagoula High School (Miss.) and honored a college football commitment to Ole Miss. The defensive back was a first-team all-SEC selection in 2014 and played parts of four seasons in the NFL with the Steelers, Buccaneers and Raiders.

 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25