Friday Links

Rubby De La Rosa could give the Sox’ bullpen the boost it needs in the second half. Photo by Kelly O’Connor, sittingstill.net.

With the Red Sox idle on Thursday, the team turned its attention to the 2014 first year player draft. Boston entered the night with the 26th and 33rd overall picks, the latter of which came as compensation for losing Jacoby Ellsbury in free agency. With their first pick, the Red Sox selected Michael Chavis, a high school infielder out of Georgia. Chavis, 18, is touted for his versatility but down the line he projects to be a third baseman. Standing at 5’10, Chavis is a steady hitter and is mostly known for being a line-drive bat, but does possess the ability to drive the ball out of the park. Following Chavis, the Red Sox selected Michael Kopech with the 33rd overall selection. Tall and wiry, Kopech has less than fluid mechanics but brings a nice 4 pitch arsenal of to the table. Given the fact that Kopech is just 17 years old, he will have a lot of time to add build, and iron out his mechanics in order to reach his full potential.

• For Michael Chavis, Thursday night was the culmination of a lifelong baseball dream. The Red Sox first round pick might not be a name you know now, but if he plays to his scouting reports, the 18 year old infielder has the tools to be an every day contributor in Boston before too long. (Red Sox top pick Michael Chavis: “This is a lifelong dream of mine”)

• Red Sox hitting co-hitting coach Greg Colbrunn was rushed to the hospital on Thursday, after suffering from a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage. As the Red Sox hit the road to Detroit, the 44 year old will remain at the Cleveland Clinic where he is expected to make a full recovery. (Hitting coach Greg Colbrunn admitted to Cleveland hospital)

• Entering the season, it seemed like Edward Mujica was going to be a great addition to the Red Sox pen, but so far this year he’s been the worst reliever on the roster. The underachievement of Mujica directly follows Boston’s recent trend of bad luck with semi-expensive late inning arms. (Mujica another bullpen bust)

• So far this year the Red Sox have been the textbook definition of a streaky team. Whether it’s a 10-game losing streak, or a 7-game winning streak, Boston’s streakiness can be fully attributed to the teams collective inconsistencies on the mound, in the field, and in the batters box. If the team can’t get their act together soon, it’s gonna be a long summer in Boston. (Red Sox searching for stability)

• I think by now it’s fair to say that the Red Sox offseason plan hasn’t gone as the team envisioned it would. Looking back, perhaps the Red Sox relied too heavily on an unlikely bounce back by Grady Sizemore, and were too cautious about giving Jarrod Saltalamacchia a multi-year deal. While the Red Sox couldn’t have envisioned everything that has transpired this year, they certainly could have made a done things differently. (Offseason miscalculations have proved costly for the Red Sox)

• Tweet of the day: Harold Reynolds with some draft #analysis