Red Sox Select Mikey Romero, SS, Orange Lutheran HS (CA)

Orange Lutheran High School in Southern California has generated some serious Draft talent over the years, from 2018 first-rounder and current Rangers prospect Cole Winn to future first-rounders like Garrett Mitchell and, most notably, Gerrit Cole. Romero doesn’t quite profile as high as those players went (though it should be noted Mitchell and Cole went on to UCLA before becoming first-round talents), but he does have the chance to be the highest position player drafted from the high school powerhouse since Josh Morgan was a third-rounder in 2014. With impressive bat-to-ball skills, Romero has the chance to perhaps be a plus hitter in time. He rarely strikes out and can use all fields. He does need to continue to add strength, but though he struggled a bit against velocity early in the summer, he was one of the best hitters at Perfect Game’s World Wood Bat Association World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., in the fall, showing off bat speed, quick hands and good timing from the left side of the plate, though he wasn’t particularly productive at the National High School Invitational or Boras Classic this spring. He may never be a huge power guy, but there’s enough for him to impact the ball. Romero is a smooth defender with more than enough arm to go along with the range, instincts and footwork to stay at shortstop for a long time. He’s not quite Marcelo Mayer, the lefty-swinging prep shortstop from SoCal who was the No. 4 pick in the 2021 Draft, but the LSU recruit is in the conversation of best high school shortstops in this year’s class.