Red Sox No. 50 Overall Draft Pick ‘Simply Can’t Hit,’ MLB Insider Says

Did Boston do a poor job of evaluating talent, or is it still too early to judge?

Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

The Boston Red Sox may have whiffed with their 2023 second-round draft pick.

Boston selected talented teenage shortstop Nazzan Zanatello with the No. 50 overall selection in the 2023 draft, but Zanatello’s struggles with Single-A Salem Red Sox this season have left some doubting his potential.

The Athletic’s Keith Law released prospect notes on the Red Sox on Tuesday, and Law didn’t mince words when it came to evaluating Zanatello’s disappointing performance this season.

“Nazzan Zanetello was batting second for Salem on Wednesday, and Boston’s second-round pick from 2023 was … not good, not that that’s a huge surprise for a guy hitting .159/.279/.285 in 72 games this year,” Law said.

“He’s still just 19, and he’s yet another example of a player who belongs in short-season and had to move to Low A instead because MLB eliminated that level of the minors, but right now, he simply can’t hit and he’s a long way from fixing that.”

Last season, Zanatello batted .158 in 14 total games, 13 of which he played with the Florida Complex League Red Sox.

The question circulating within Boston’s front office concerning Zanatello is whether he can turn things around as he matures. Certainly, stranger things have happened in the history of player development.

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