Red Sox draft picks: SS Mikey Romero among top three selections

Marcelo Mayer could have some company in the Boston Red Sox' farm system.

The Red Sox used their first-round MLB Draft pick on a shortstop for the second consecutive year, selecting California native Mikey Romero with the No. 24 overall pick Sunday in the 2022 draft.

Lets go Mikey!!!! Lets get to work brother!! https://t.co/IuMaeFbQxq

— Marcelo Mayer (@Marcelo_Mayer10) July 18, 2022

Romero was one of three draft picks in the first two rounds for Boston, which owned the No. 24, No. 41 and No. 79 (compensatory) selections.

Here's a quick rundown of each pick:

No. 24 overall: Mikey Romero, SS, Orange Lutheran (Calif.) HS

Age: 18

College commitment: LSU

Do we have the makings of a future shortstop competition between Romero and Mayer? MLB.com ranked Romero as its No. 65 prospect, but the Red Sox turned a few heads by selecting the left-handed-hitting shortstop in Round 1.

Romero, who hails from the same high school as New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, has "impressive bat-to-ball skills" and good command of the plate, with room to grow in the power department. He's also a "smooth defender with more than enough arm to go along with the range," per MLB.com.

No. 41 overall: Cutter Coffey, SS, Liberty (Calif.) HS

Age: 18

College commitment: Texas

Yup, another high school shortstop prospect from California. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Coffey, ranked 105th on MLB.com's prospect big board, was a stud pitcher in high school as well with a 94-mph fastball.

He boasts "excellent raw power" at the plate, per MLB.com, and has a cannon at shortstop, where he's expected to play going forward. Baseball America's Kyle Glaser expects Coffey to sign for much more than the $1.9 million "slot" amount for second-round picks.

Cutter Coffey has been tied to the Red Sox for awhile. Them, the Blue Jays and Guardians were the three teams hottest on him. It was just a matter of who could make the money work. Red Sox were the ones who did. https://t.co/6bEBsRBw0p

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) July 18, 2022

No. 79 overall: Roman Anthony, OF, Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS

Age: 18

College commitment: Ole Miss

At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Anthony boasts significant left-handed power that he showcased with a 450-foot home run at Major League Baseball's High School All-Star Game last year.

A 450-foot blast by a 17-year-old!

An absolute no-doubter from @OleMissBSB commit Roman Anthony in tonight's @MLB/@USABaseball High School All-American Game. pic.twitter.com/ZoRlCKxQKz

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 10, 2021

While there are some concerns about Anthony's swing-and-miss rate, the Ole Miss commit ranked 56th on MLB.com's prospect list with plenty of upside as a power-hitting corner outfielder.

The MLB Draft will continue Monday with the third round, where Boston will pick 99th.