BLOOM PUSHES SOX INTO FUTURE
Bold gambles could pay big dividends down the road
Chaim Bloom is it for the long haul. In his first eight months as the Red Sox’ chief baseball officer, the Ivy League prodigy has started to make his mark in Boston after a long career with the bargain hunting Tampa Bay Rays.
Over the winter, Bloom did little but continue the theme of finding inexpensive, low-risk buys via waiver claims, free agency and minor trades.
But over the last four months, Bloom has made some major moves that finally shift the focus of this franchise away from the present and toward the future.
The distant future.
The three names that’ll now be most associated with Bloom’s early tenure with the Red Sox are as follows: Alex Verdugo, Nick Yorke and Blaze Jordan.
Some fantastic baseball names in that trio, no doubt. Some primo talent.
In the group we have one large personality ( Verdugo), one major power bat (Jordan) and one risky bet ( Yorke) who will look to become the first player ever drafted as a high school second baseman to become an MLB All-Star.
We already know a lot about Verdugo, who arrived from Los Angeles in the Mookie Betts trade with questions about his presence in a sexual assault case, his ability to fit in a clubhouse and whether or not he’d ever hit for power. Now that his back injury has gotten extra time to heal, he could get a chance to show his ability at Fenway Park soon.
Jordan is a terribly fun selection as a 17year-old high schooler with comparisons to Bryce Harper for his showmanship in the Home Run Derby and a viral video of a 500-foot home run that ought to have Red Sox fans excited. Some were shocked to see him fall to No. 89 overall, and if the Sox can use the extra money saved by overdrafting Yorke to sign Jordan, they’ll have a fascinating player for fans to watch progress through the minor leagues.
The Yorke selection at No. 17 overall is where Bloom really risked his reputation.
At this point you’ve probably heard that
Yorke wasn’t considered to be a first rounder. Even his advisor told his mom 30 minutes before the draft not to worry, that Yorke wouldn’t be selected on Day 1 on
Wednesday and she could relax until Day 2 on Thursday
He was outside the top100 in some draft boards, ranked No. 139 by MLB.com and No. 96 by Baseball America.
J. J. Cooper of Baseball America called Yorke “the shock of the first round.”
Matt Eddy from Baseball America shared this on Twitter: “If you’re thinking that it’s rare for a high school second baseman to be drafted in the first round, that’s because it is.”
The list is as follows: Rich Puig (14th overall, 1971), Terry Lee (19th, 1974), Blake DeWitt (28th, 2004), LeVon Washington (30th, 2009, did not sign) and Nick Yorke (17 th, 2020).
The best on the list is DeWitt, who played parts of six big league seasons and hit 21 total home runs.
The bar is low for Yorke. But that doesn’t mean it was a bad pick.
Coaches in the West Catholic Athletic League in San Jose, where Yorke was named the league MVP as a sophomore playing for Archbishop Mitty, believe he was clearly the best player in a competitive league, though there was some surprise that he was a first round choice.
But the Red Sox evaluators weren’t the only ones who thought Yorke was worthy of being selected No. 17 overall.
Tim Corbin, the longtime coach of baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt University, made headlines when he said on MLB Network that Yorke was the best high school hitter in the country.
Reached by phone, Corbin told the Herald that Vanderbilt tried extensively to get a commitment from Yorke, but he ultimately chose Arizona.
“I was just convinced that he would be one of the best hitters,” Corbin said. “I really loved his way. Really good hands, he’s just a baller. There’s no pomp and circumstance. Just an old-time baseball player, in my opinion. That’s a guy that has that energy that Dustin Pedroia plays with. He’s bigger and stronger and he’s tough, a tough, tough kid.”
Everything off his bat was into the gap, Corbin said. Yorke uses all fields. He has explosion in his legs and runs well, too.
“He was complete,” Corbin said.
A torn labrum in his throwing shoulder before his junior season caused him to drop on some draft boards, and it’s why he’s not really seen as a true shortstop, though Yorke is now said to be completely healthy and over the injury.
Corbin compared the pick to the Patriots picking Kyle Dugger out of Division 2 Lenoir–Rhyne in the NFL Draft. It was considered a reach by some, but the tools are there for him to be a star.
“I don’t doubt this kid’s ability one bit,” Corbin said of Yorke. “I saw a lot of strength in his hands and felt like his approach at the plate was good, too.”
When Bloom arrived in Boston, the most important players on the Red Sox were arguably Betts (27 years old), Xander Bogaerts (27) and Chris Sale (31).
Eight months later and Bloom has started to reshape the franchise.
He’s taken some big risks and put his reputation on the line. But the franchise is getting younger.
Betts is gone and there are now three new names that could be the key to the Red Sox’ success: Verdugo (24), Yorke (18) and Jordan (17).
Welcome to the future.