Red Sox select Kyle Teel with the 14th overall pick
With the 14th overall pick in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Kyle Teel, a catcher out of the University of Virginia. Teel is ranked 10th in the draft class by Baseball America and seventh by MLB Pipeline.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Teel is coming off a 2023 season in which he earned ACC Player of the Year honors. In 65 games with the Cavaliers, the left-handed hitting junior batted a stout .407/.475/.655 with 25 doubles, 13 home runs, 69 RBIs, 67 runs scored, five stolen bases, 32 walks, and 36 strikeouts across 297 plate appearances. From behind the plate, he threw out 15 of 24 would-be base stealers.
In addition to being named the ACC Player of the Year this spring, Teel was also recognized as a consensus First-Team All-American, the recipient of the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, and a First-Team All-ACC selection at catcher.
A native of New Jersey who went undrafted out of high school in 2020, Teel is considered to be the top college catcher in this year's class. Baseball America notes that the 21-year-old has plenty of bat speed and operates with an aggressive approach at the plate. He is well-regarded for his contact and on-base skills, though he also has the ability to hit for power and to all fields.
Defensively, Teel saw the majority of his playing time at Virginia come at catcher. He also has past experience in the outfield, but his standout athleticism should allow him to stick behind the plate moving forward. Per MLB Pipeline, Teel has plus arm strength and gets high marks for his baseball IQ and leadership skills.
Teel, who does not turn 22 until next February, becomes the first catcher the Red Sox have taken in the first round of a draft since Blake Swihart (26th overall, 2011). The slot value for the 14th overall pick is $4,663,100.
Photo Credit and 2023 Statistics from virginiasports.com