2015 MLB draft: Mock draft sees Red Sox picking Carson Fulmer with 7th pick

The Red Sox will be selecting seventh in the 2015 MLB draft in one month's time, so it's no surprise to see FanGraphs and Kiley McDaniel publish a mock draft Friday. Who McDaniel sees the Sox getting with the number seven pick also isn't surprising, as he's already linked Boston to this player once before this draft season: Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt righty, is McDaniel's guess at who the Sox take with their first pick on June 8.

Fulmer is a short right-hander who could very well end up in relief because of his height and high-effort delivery, but there is also potential for a number two starter, and that's something the Sox don't often get their hands on in their standard draft position. Grabbing someone with Fulmer's upside with the seventh pick might seem like a letdown compared to what is often available this early in the draft, but remember: the 2015 draft class has been ravaged by injuries, and it wasn't particularly strong prior to that.

The Sox selected Fulmer in the 15th round in the 2012 draft, Ben Cherington's first as the team's general manager. The money just wasn't there to convince him to skip college and turn pro, however, as it was also the first draft in which a budget was instituted: every dollar over $100,000 for a draft pick's bonus from round 11 onward counts towards that limited budget, and the Sox just didn't have the available cash for Fulmer, three first-round picks, and fourth-round selection Ty Buttrey. If they get Fulmer now, though, then it all would have worked out conveniently enough, as the organization would then have Fulmer, the still-developing and still-promising Buttrey, as well as all three of those first-round picks in Deven Marrero, Brian Johnson, and Pat Light.

McDaniel doesn't necessarily believe Fulmer is Boston's preference at seven -- another player they drafted in 2012, Alex Bregman, seems to be the one, but McDaniel sees him going to the Twins at six. It should be noted, though, that McDaniel has also heard the Twins are in on multiple other players, so it could turn out that Bregman is indeed available to the Sox, which might mean all this talk of Fulmer is for naught. So it goes with trying to guess how the draft will shake out, especially in a season where it's unclear even who the number one overall pick is going to be.