Red Sox select Trennor O'Donnell with eighth-round pick

With the 238th overall pick in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Boston has selected Trennor O'Donnell, a right-handed pitcher from Ball State University. O'Donnell is a senior sign who was unranked in the draft by all major publications.

After a decent sophomore year where he pitched to a 3.74 ERA and struck out 34 in 33 2/3 innings, O'Donnell took a step back as a junior as his ERA ballooned to 5.48 over 65 2/3 innings. He did not let that rattle him, as his senior season was impressive and led to him seeing his name get called in the draft. His ERA went down to 2.93 over 92 innings while walking 32 and striking out 97. His last start came against a strong Kentucky team that advanced to the Super Regionals, and he held them to two runs over 7 1/3 innings. 

O'Donnell is an intimidating presence on the mound, listed at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds. Jim Callis reported on the MLB.com live stream that O'Donnell's fastball sits between 90-91, and he throws strikes with that and his slider. 

The slot value for the 238th overall pick is $201,000, and O'Donnell figures to come in far below that number. With reports surfacing that the Red Sox agreed to a below-slot deal with first-rounder Kyle Teel, they could have some room to make a splash with one of their upcoming picks.