Draft Review: Drake Britton

This might end up being the steal of the draft for the Red Sox. Drake Britton was the 714th pick in this year draft, right out of Tombal (TX) High School. This young left-hander built up quite a reputation pitching in the heart of Texas. As a junoir, he posted a record of 9-2 with an ERA of 1.36. He also managed to strike out 84 batters in 60 innings. Extremely mature for his age, he stands 6'2" 200 lbs. Scouts believe he could use to bulk up a little bit, but he is very projectable.

The scouting report is pretty exciting. His fastball consistently sits in the low 90s. What makes him special is the outstanding curveball he has. Scouts have referred to it as "flithy". His change-up is not as far along as the other pitches, but with time could develop. He has great command of all his pitches, especially the fastball and curve. To go along with his pitches, he has an extremely deceptive motion that makes it difficult for hitters to catch up with.

Signing for $700,000, this 23rd rounder seems to be a high risk high reward type of player. What is often left out of baseball talks are the players are human beings. It just so happens that Britton is a very good one, at that. He has spent time with special needs children in his community, along with other charitable efforts. Drake appears to be a good guy, so for that reason alone i'm rooting for him. Being a good guy never hurts in the world of baseball. ETA is 2012 for this kid, and that sounds about right. But don't be surprise if he comes along faster with the lack of lefties in the organization. Outside of Hagadone, Lester, and Johnson there aren't many, which might lead the Sox to rush him along. Best guess, he starts the year in Lowell and will go from there.