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The Red Sox drafted plenty of high school players who were committed to college, in the hopes of either luring them to the pros or simply as insurance if other players didn't sign. Two of those players -- 20th-round pick Derek Burkamper and 22nd-rounder Ryan Boldt -- have answered the question about their future early: both will stick with their commitments to Nebraska, rather than negotiate with the Red Sox, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
MLB Draft 2013: Where does Trey Ball rank in the Red Sox system?
Boston's first-round selection has some impressive company in a talented farm system.
The news isn't entirely unexpected. Burkamper already has three pitches despite his youth, and fell in the draft precisely because he was expected to have signability issues. This is why the Red Sox picked him as late as they did, rather than in the top-10, as later than that meant failure to sign him wouldn't count against their draft budget. As for Boldt, Baseball America ranked him the #58 prospect on their pre-draft list, but he underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and his stock, at least temporarily, fell. Combine that with his own Nebraska commitment, and it's easy to see why someone so talented fell so far.
All is not lost for the Red Sox, as they were never going to be able to sign all of these players from rounds 11-40 who were drafted for the same reasons: just in case Boston could get them. Burkamper and Boldt keeping their commitments to Nebraska simply means the Sox can move on to someone else, like Jordan Sheffield or Jalen Williams or Nick Longhi. Boston might not end up with any of them, but again, that's why you pick them where the Red Sox did, and not earlier.
Read more Red Sox:
- MLB Draft 2013: Red Sox draft highlights, rounds 11-40
- Will Middlebrooks won’t lose 3B job to Jose Iglesias
- MLB Draft 2013 results: Red Sox select pitcher Trey Ball #7 overall
- MLB Draft 2013: The best #7 picks in history
- Xander Bogaerts might be baseball’s best prospect
