With the 86th overall pick in the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected
Brandon Neely, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Florida. Neely is the 212th-ranked draft prospect in Baseball America's Top 500 and the 193rd-ranked prospect in MLB Pipeline's Top 250.
The 6-foot-3 junior spent all three years with the Gators, primarily working out of the bullpen. His most starts came as a freshman in 2021, when he started in 10 out of 21 appearances. He finished with a 3.76 ERA and was named to the 2022 Freshman All-SEC Team. In 2023 all 34 of his appearances came out of the bullpen. He struck out 72 over 55 1/3 innings while recording 13 saves and notching a 3.58 ERA. He was a 2023 First Team All-SEC selection and entered 2024 as a Preseason All-American First Team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
His ERA took a step back in 2024, but it did not come at the expense of any of his peripheral stats. He posted an ERA of 5.13 over 28 appearances, five of which were starts, but he also set career highs in innings pitched and his strikeout rate. He struck out 108 over 79 innings while walking 28. Arguably his best performance came in the Regional against the number 11 overall seed Oklahoma State. He struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball to earn the win while being named to the Stillwater Regional All-Tournament Team. He pitched in three games for the College World Series this year, combining to strike out 15 over eight innings while allowing two runs and one walk.
MLB Pipeline's scouting report notes that his fastball has been up to 96-97 while showing a decent slider. Scouts are split on whether he can handle the rotation or is better suited for the bullpen. Based on the draft rankings the Red Sox are likely to get some cap savings on this pick, which has a slot value of $878,800.
Photo Credit: Brandon Neely from floridagators.com
