The Athletic’s Keith Law didn’t just make a projection for the Boston Red Sox in the 2025 MLB Draft, he made a statement about the organization in general.
In his latest mock draft Tuesday, Law predicted the Red Sox to take Tennessee infielder Gavin Kilen with the No. 15 overall pick. The junior was a First-Team All-American at second base this past season.
That college experience could be key. As Law noted, Boston’s front office has been putting an emphasis on college players, taking just two high schoolers last year.
Law says it’s part of the overall Red Sox trend of trusting analytics over conventional scouting methods.
“Given their de-emphasis on in-person scouting that seems likely to continue,” Law wrote. “Kilen scores particularly well by batted-ball data and swing decisions, two things the Red Sox value now.”
Since taking over as Boston’s top baseball exec, Craig Breslow has been vocal about using data to shape the team.
Breslow has also made drastic changes to the Red Sox front office, including the decision to bring in an outside company to conduct an audit on the scouting department, which resulted in slashing staff.
Law was not a fan of the approach, using the phrase “midnight massacre” in describing the changes.
“The new baseball operations heads decided to pull a midnight massacre on their scouting group, notably the pro side, just as the system has recovered from a low point in the wake of the 2018 World Series win,” Law wrote in January. “Farm systems don’t get and stay good by accident, or magic. It takes people.”
From a distance, it doesn’t seem like Law is a big fan of Breslow’s reliance on analytics to run the department. However, it’s clear that those outside the organization are expecting the Red Sox to stick to their guns when it comes to data.
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