The Red Sox selected a defensively-capable shortstop with their first pick in the 2012 MLB player draft. Deven Marrero, brother of Chris, was a potential top five pick heading into the year, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis, but his bat didn't come around in the way many teams hoped. It's very Red Sox to pick up a player with previously-higher draft stock once their turn comes around -- Anthony Ranaudo and Jackie Bradley Jr. come to mind from the last two years -- and Marrero might be the next of those.
The Arizona State product was rated #12 in Kevin Goldstein's Top 30 draft prospects:
A plus defender at shortstop, which in this draft is more than enough to make him an elite pick. He's a quick-twitch athlete with great instincts, range, hands and plenty of arm for the position. He has enough bat to easily project as an everyday player who hits at the end of a lineup, and he has a shot at hitting second if his line drive bat fully develops. One scout compared him to Royals prospect Christian Colon, but with superior defense.
It's not surprising to hear that a player with the glove to handle short would need to work on his bat -- this is an organization with Jose Iglesias, after all. He's expected to develop some gap power to go along with that glove, so, on that note, he isn't like Iglesias, either.
There are questions about his energy levels in college, but he was a Cape Cod League all-star, and the Red Sox clearly aren't that concerned about it being a long-term problem.
Should Marrero sign, the Red Sox will have three players with major-league ceilings expected to stick at shortstop, with Jose Vinicio being the other.
This is the second time Marrero has been drafted, as the Reds picked him out of high school in 2009 in the 17th round. MLB.com has the full scouting report on Marrero, embedded below for your convenience.