Red Sox draft shortstop Nazzan Zanetello in the 2nd round of the MLB Draft
The Red Sox added another athletic shortstop, drafting Nazzan Zanetello out of Christian Brothers College High School with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The pick is the Red Sox final selection on day one of the draft. Earlier in the night, the Sox selected catcher Kyle Teel out of the University of Virginia with the No. 14 pick overall.
The 19-year-old is a right-handed hitter and his committed to play at Arkansas next year. It is expected that Zanetello will sign quickly with the Red Sox and begin his professional baseball career.
Zanetello was ranked as the No. 52 overall prospect in the draft class and has five tool potential.
“Zanetello has a wiry 6-foot-2 frame with room to add more muscle, and his strong hands and wrists produce plenty of bat speed and 25-homer potential,” wrote Baseball America on the new Sox prospect. “He doesn’t have the prettiest right-handed swing but makes a lot of hard contact. He also shows good control of the strike zone and produced against quality pitching throughout the summer.”
The Red Sox plan on developing him at shortstop and in the outfield.
“While Zanetello has clocked run times that earn grades from anywhere from 45 to 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, the consensus is that he’ll probably have solid speed once he’s physically mature. His athleticism and strong arm help him make plays at shortstop, where he projects as an average defender. The Arkansas commit has looked solid in stints in center field and should provide similar glovework if he shifts to third base,” wrote Baseball America.
He had a .421 batting average to go with nine home runs, 33 RBI, 21 stolen bases and an .813 slugging percentage to make himself one of the most sought-after prospects in the draft.
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