ST. PETERSBURG — As the Red Sox rolled up 119 wins and a World Series championship, much credit was given to the contributions from their 2011 draft class, a haul that included AL MVP Mookie Betts, ALCS star Jackie Bradley Jr., reliever Matt Barnes and reserve Blake Swihart, plus since-traded Travis Shaw and several others who reached the majors in lesser roles.
That's the same draft the Rays are often criticized, especially on these pages, for messing up mightily.
Positioned for a franchise-altering haul with 10 of the first 60 picks (and 12 of 89) in taking advantage of since-changed free-agent compensation rules, the Rays ended up missing in just about all ways.