The Red Sox have selected high school outfielder Williams Jerez out of New York with the 81st overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.
Jerez has only been in America for about two years now, but in that time has shown impressive raw talent, often drawing comparisons to Carlos Beltran. He'll most likely stay in center field, though his arm is good enough to play in right. As with many such players, Jerez is far from a polished prospect, but with that comes a very high ceiling.
One of the bigger questions for Jerez is whether or not he is the 19-year-old he says he is, with speculation arising thanks to his size and mature looks. The New York Daily News, however, notes the following:
To squelch such rumors, Jerez Sr. has provided his son's birth certificate, along with his passport and a permanent residency card to a number of major league scouts even though prospects aren't required to do so until after they are drafted. Jerez Sr. refused to show those documents to The News, but several scouts confirmed that based on the papers, Williams was born on May 16, 1992
Williams might never make it past A-ball, or he might be Carlos Beltran 2.0. A prototypical upside pick for the Red Sox, if with an age-related asterisk.