The Boston Red Sox selected shortstop Deven Marrero out of Arizona State with their first pick of the 2012 MLB Draft at 24th overall. John Sickels gave Marrero a positive review over at Baseball Nation, calling him the "best defensive shortstop in the draft." Marrero apparently needs some work on his hitting, however.
Marrero was considered one of the top amateur talents last winter, but he didn't live up to expectations with the bat, hitting just .268/.329/.396 in 149 at-bats. That said, his glove at shortstop is highly regarded, and he's one of the few shortstops available this year who can handle the position in the majors. A right-handed hitter, he's listed at 6-1 and 195 pounds. He lacks power and hasn't shown much offensively since college baseball switched to the less-potent bats last year, but even so he was expected to hit more effectively than this.
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