BOSTON -- The Red Sox had a lengthy wait before being able to make their second selection in the Draft, but they were pleased that catcher Austin Rei was still there waiting for them.
The University of Washington product was Boston's third-round selection, and No. 81 overall. Rei likely would have gone sooner if not for a torn left thumb ligament that knocked him out of action in February and limited his season to 25 games.
"If this guy is healthy all year, and he puts up the kind of numbers he put up the last month of the season, he's a first-round Draft pick," said Lindsay Meggs, the head coach for the University of Washington.