Red Sox select Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz with their fourth round pick

The Red Sox are always good to take at least one player from Puerto Rico within their first handful of picks, and they have taken one in the fourth round this year. That would be right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, taken from Leadership Christian Academy. He is committed to the University of Oregon.

There is not a whole lot of info out there on Rodriguez-Cruz. He is ranked at number 284 by Perfect Game, but was not included on any other class-wide lists that I have seen. He was, however, ranked as the fourth best prospect from Puerto Rico in this year’s draft class by Baseball America. He is a small kid right now, but should grow as he matures. And we should note he is still quite young, not turning 18 until August. The draft coverage on MLB.com noted he throws a fastball that currently gets up to 94 to go with a curveball and a changeup, though the latter is still a new pitch. There is a lot of physical maturation that needs to be undergone here — he’s listed at 6’4 and just 160 pounds — but the upside is intriguing for the young righty.