Red Sox first-round pick Kyle Teel bats .571 to launch his pro career
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The 21-year-old has already caused a stir in six minor league games.
Fans could get used to seeing Kyle Teel in Red Sox gear. Brian Fluharty/Getty Images Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
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The 2023 Red Sox first-round draft pick is already having success in the minor leagues, beating .571 with two teams.
Catcher Kyle Teel has only played three games at Boston’s High-A affiliate Greenville Drive in South Carolina but has already netted nine times from 14 at-bats.
In the threesome of the 21-year-old Appearances in Greenville, he has logged as many three-hit games. Teel struggled 3-4 against the Grasshoppers on Saturday night while also scoring a walk and scoring two goals. In his first drive game, he fought 3-on-5 with two runs batted. Teel then accumulated three RBIs, three hits, a walk and touched twice on target in his second start in Greenville.
The No. 14 overall pick was first picked on Aug. 3 by the Florida Complex League Red Sox. Teel only recorded seven at-bats in Florida but hit .429 with one home run and three total hits. His promotion to High-A came five days later.
Combining Teel’s FCL Red Sox and Drive numbers, he’s finishing .571/.640/.762 in six games with a 1,402 OPS. He hit a home run in Florida, but not one in Greenville. Teel struck just twice in 21 at-bats compared to four walks total.
Not only was his batting power impressive, Teel’s work behind the plate was also impressive. After kicking out two of two base-stealers in the High-A league, he’s caught 43 percent of runners in the minor leagues.
Being educated at the University of Virginia, Teel’s early excellence should come as no surprise. The former Cavalier had a .343 batting average over three career seasons along with a .433 on-base percentage and .547 batting average. In 177 college games played, Teel hit 236, including 28 home runs, and drove 155 runs. With 80 extra-base hits in Virginia, the team’s starting catcher had 109 strikeouts and 97 walks.
Teel had just nine penalties from behind the plate in college and also threw out 37 percent of base stealers (25 to 67).
Teel’s pro career, currently ranked 88th among baseball’s top young players by MLB Pipeline and 95th by Baseball America, got off to a flying start. While his numbers may not be sustainable, he certainly made a positive first impression and is on the right track.
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