The Boston Red Sox’s most intriguing draft selection in 2024 may not have been their first-round pick. In fact, it might not have been their second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh.
With the 237th pick in the draft, the Red Sox selected Georgia high school standout Conrad Cason, who likely would have gone much higher if not for his commitment to Mississippi State. They then inked him to a $1.25 million signing bonus, almost six times the average for an eighth-rounder, to convince him to sign.
Cason isn’t your typical high school draft prospect. He throws 100 miles per hour on the mound and hits them well over 100 as a strong-armed shortstop. And as a result, the Red Sox are allowing him to explore rare air as a professional baseball player.
Heading into his first professional season, the Red Sox are allowing Cason to develop as both a pitcher and a hitter – something only Los Angeles Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani has been able to master at the big-league level.
“Our plan of attack is to develop him as a two-way player,” senior director of player development Brian Abraham said Saturday on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. “Obviously unique, there are not a lot of them – the ones that are usually around are the best ones.”
“No comparisons to Shohei Ohtani at this point, but I think it’s a really balanced plan of attack between our hitting group, our pitching group, our defensive group to make sure he’s able to get the work in on the mound, in the cage and on the field.”
Cason is only 18 and will have to prove himself at four or five levels of the minor leagues before he can stake his claim to Ohtani status. But he has immense potential; MLB Pipeline already lists him as the Red Sox’s 15th-best prospect before he’s played a single game in the minors.
Abraham and the Red Sox aren’t yet sure if Cason will open the season in Low-A Salem or the rookie-level Florida Complex League. Though he won’t impact the big leagues for at least two or three years, it will be fascinating for fans to follow the development of this potential “unicorn.”
It would open up a world of possibilities for Boston if Cason could play both ways at the big-league level.
