Sox scout Ray Fagnant, NEB founder Scott Patterson highlight podcast

Red Sox regional scouting director Ray Fagnant is a guest on the NEBJ podcast. (Courtesy photo)

Red Sox regional scouting director Ray Fagnant is in charge of scouring the New England region for talent. Due to a shortened five-round draft in 2020, no player in the New England scouting territory was selected.

"I was not surprised," Fagnant said. "It's cyclical. Next year, we all know there could a dozen players selected in the top five rounds."

Fagnant recently broke down the 2020 and 2021 MLB Draft on the New England Baseball Journal podcast. He also broke down this year's draft from the Red Sox perspective, including the criticism that stemmed from spending the 17th overall selection on Nick Yorke, a second baseman out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif.

"I don't know the exact finances, but we got Nick," Fagnant said. "The one thing everyone needs to know and understand -- knowing we didn't have a second-round pick -- is how valuable the first-rounder is. With that in mind, we saw fit to take Nick. He's a bat, and a lot of people consider him the best high school bat in the country."