Red Sox' June Draft complete with 31 of 41 players signed;
Club signs every pick in the Top 20 rounds; club ranks 4th of 30 in Draft Investments Over the past 13 years
BOSTON, MA - The Boston Red Sox signed 31 of 41 players selected in the 2014 June Draft, including all 21 players drafted in the first 20 rounds. Friday marked the conclusion of the annual signing period for drafted players.
It was the first time in at least 25 years that the club signed each of its selections within the first 20 rounds of the June Draft. The club had two first-round picks, including one as compensation for Jacoby Ellsbury signing with the New York Yankees.
The Red Sox spent $7,814,800 on signing bonuses this year, bringing the 13-year total since 2002 to $93,999,083, the fourth-highest in Major League Baseball. Only the Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals have spent more in signing their draft picks in that period.
Boston's two first-round picks have already started their pro careers with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox. Shortstop Michael Chavis, from Marietta, GA, was the 26th player selected in the country, and compensation pick Michael Kopech, a right-hander from Mt. Pleasant, TX, was the 33rd.
The club's second-round pick, first baseman Sam Travis from Indiana University, is batting .292 in 29 games with the short-season Class-A Lowell Spinners.
The Red Sox' third-round pick, right-handed pitcher Jake Cosart of Seminole State College in Florida, is the brother of Houston Astros right-hander Jarred Cosart.
Fourth-round pick Kevin McAvoy, of Rhode Island's Bryant University, was the club's lone local choice. The right-hander already debuted at Fenway Park July 13, pitching two scoreless innings in a start for Lowell at the annual Futures at Fenway game.
Of the 31 signed players, 14 are pitchers (12 right-handers and two left-handers). The other 17 include five catchers, five outfielders, three shortstops, three first basemen, and one third baseman.
Boston signed eight draftees out of high school and 23 from college, including three in junior college.
The 31 players hail from 17 different states, with California (5), Florida (4), and Texas (3) leading the way. Two players each came from Arkansas, Kentucky, and New York. The Red Sox also signed a native of Puerto Rico, 17th-rounder Jeremy Rivera-Valera, a shortstop from El Paso Community College. Additionally, they signed Canadian catcher Jordan Procyshen from Northern Kentucky University, their 14th round selection.
The club's youngest signee from the June Draft is 17-year-old Kevin Steen, a ninth-round right-handed pitcher from Oak Ridge, TN.
This year marked the first time since the Red Sox started keeping records of signed draft choices in 1989 that the club had signed every player in the first 20 rounds.
Attached is a complete list of the Red Sox 2014 draft picks. Names in bold indicate the player signed.