The Major League Baseball Draft Process is unlike most sports.
In other professional leagues, players can’t return to college after being selected in the draft. In baseball, players can turn down a contract and enroll in college or return to college to improve their draft stock.
Because of this, the draft process is unpredictable. Teams need to consider the signability of their prospects, which can result in unexpected selections.
The Boston Red Sox seemingly nailed it this year, at least in terms of converting selections into assets. According to Jim Sallis, both Henry Godbout and Mason White signed contracts on Tuesday.
That leaves 20th-round pick Garrison Sumner as the lone unsigned draft pick. The Red Sox didn’t take many risks in terms of signability, given that 17 of the 20 selections were college players.
Story continues below advertisement
Anthony Eyanson, a pitcher out of LSU, was the lone signing to receive a signing bonus significantly higher than the slot value. Eyanson slipped in the draft and could have returned to college to solidify himself as a first-round pick, but Boston offered him a bonus in line with late first-round value.
Eyanson, and presumably other draft picks, will make the trip to Fenway Park on Thursday to attend the weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They likely won’t get any game action in 2025 and will be assigned to minor league teams at the beginning of 2026.
