Red Sox sign 4th-round pick Wu-Yelland

BOSTON -- The Red Sox on Wednesday signed left-handed pitcher Jeremy Wu-Yelland, the club’s fourth-round selection (118th overall) in this year's Draft.

Though it was a shortened season due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wu-Yelland made his presence felt, particularly in a March 1 outing against perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt when he struck out six over four scoreless innings.

What sticks out most to Hawaii head coach Mike Trapasso is the drastic improvement Wu-Yelland made from when he first arrived on campus.

“It’s a real impressive example of what high school kids go through from the outlook of how the maturation process takes place,” Trapasso said. “He was an 88 to 90 mph lefty. The old saying of you can’t hit the broadside of the barn. He couldn’t hit the barn in high school.”

But that all changed and improved strength and velocity made Wu-Yelland an elite reliever by the end of his college career. Toboni credited area scout J.J. Altobelli for his work in spotting Wu-Yelland.

For the season, the Seattle native gave up just one run in 13 innings, pumping in a fastball that was sometimes clocked as high as 96 mph. Seven of his 17 appearances in 2019 were starts, but he was used exclusively out of the bullpen in ‘20, and that’s likely where the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder projects as a pro.