Coming into Day 3 of the draft it looked like the Phillies had some money to spend on some overslot players. They jumped right into that with Mississippi HS outfielder Emaarion Boyd in the 11th round. Boyd is committed to Northwest Mississippi JC, but looks like he might have been angling for going to the pros (though he probably expected to go 5-6 rounds higher), so this will likely be more than $125,000 but I don’t know if it will be all of their money.
Boyd might be the fast player the Phillies have drafted this year, and that is saying something after taking Crawford in the first round. Speed and defense are going to be at the core here, and then it will come down to how well he hits. It sounds like there are some hints at feel for contact and some amount of pop, but he is probably going to be a project.
332. Philadelphia: Emaarion Boyd, OF, South Panola HS
Upside play here on Boyd, who is a plus-plus runner and athlete with above average RH bat speed. Good ingredients, will need good player dev but intriguing toolset. #PGDraft
— Brian Sakowski (@Sakowski_GoDuke) July 19, 2022
Phillies get a guy who might be another Roman Quinn. Emaarion Boyd has speed for days it is his best trait. Fast hands, and not bad exit velocity might be a guy who is a little under valued due to where he played.
— Jeffmlbdraft (@jeffMLBdraft) July 19, 2022
OF Emaarion Boyd is one of the fastest players in the class. A 70 runner who turns in some 80-grade run times and excellent defensive instincts to go with that speed. The bat needs refinement and he needs to add some strength but he has a carrying tool.#MLBDraft #Phillies
— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) July 19, 2022