Another losing record last year means another high draft pick for the Boston Red Sox when the three-day Major League Baseball draft begins Thursday.

Boston picks 12th overall. The year before, Boston had the seventh pick and chose college outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Considered one of the top prospects in the game, Benintendi has already reached Double-A Portland.

Might Boston pick someone who is even more major league ready?

Or perhaps a high school kid with upside that could become an All-Star?

The temptation is to grab the player that might zip to the major leagues. Baseball America got Red Sox fans excited by suggesting Boston will draft University of Louisville closer Zack Burdi, and slot his 100 mph fastball into its bullpen.

But the Red Sox say the cliche “best player available” still applies. But Boston’s amateur scouting director, Mike Rikard, admits that major league-readiness is a component to look at.

“That will certainly be something we at least discuss, as far as how close certain players are to the major leagues and how quickly they can help us,” Rikard said during a conference call with the media last week.

“Again, I know we’ve talked about this before, we try to get the best talent regardless of the state of our farm system or our major league club.

“We just try to assess the talent and try to simplify it from that perspective and take the best player.”

Some of the best players don’t figure to be around at No. 12. They include University of Florida left-hander A.J. Puk, high school pitcher Jason Groome (New Jersey), and high school outfielder Mickey Moniak (California).

But Rikard and staff have had to prepare for several scenarios. There are no clear-cut picks.

“This draft class is a little bit non-typical in that there’s still some relative uncertainty at the top of the draft,” Rikard said. “In most years, you kind of have a little bit better of a gauge of what some of the teams in front of us are likely going to do.

“At this point, there’s still some gray area … the draft can kind of turn in several different ways.”

With that said, here is a sample of eight players I think Boston might like. I lean toward college players who are less of a risk.

• Burdi. With a 100 mph fastball and a good slider, Burdi might help a major league team soon.

• Boston College right-hander Justin Dunn. Just as BC is a surprising contender in the NCAA playoffs, Dunn’s stock is rising with a mid-90s fastball and polished secondary pitches.

• University of Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel. A good fielder and solid hitter who did well in the Cape Cod League last summer.

• Sanford right-hander Cal Quantrill. He has not pitched since early last season because of Tommy John surgery, but has thrown bullpen sessions for teams.

• University of Miami catcher Zack Collins. A solid hitter with power. His defense is a question mark and a move to first base is a possibility.

• High school outfielder Blake Rutherford of California. A projected five-tool player who bats left-handed, Rutherford has committed to UCLA.

• High school left-hander Braxton Garrett of Alabama. Garrett has a good curveball with a fastball that has touched 94 mph. He has committed to Vanderbilt.

• High school right-hander Forrest Whitley of Texas. At 6-foot-7, with a mid to high 90s fastball and good breaking balls, Whitley may be hard to resist. He has committed to Florida State.

While attention is focused on the first round, Rikard said Boston is poised to get more than one good player.

“It does seem to be a fairly deep draft,” he said. “We’re pretty excited about some of the possibilities a little bit deeper in the draft as well.”

Since I guessed with first-round picks, I’ll throw one name out for the second round – University of Florida right-hander Dane Dunning. Overshadowed in a touted Gators rotation, Dunning may be a steal.

And now a look at the prospects already in the Red Sox system:

• IN TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET, the Red Sox have found another contender for the fifth spot in their rotation. Roenis Elias, who started 49 major league games for the Mariners the past two seasons, is on a nice run with the PawSox. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three of his last four starts and, on Sunday he pitched a complete game (six hits, one earned run, two walks and eight strikeouts).

A longshot candidate for the rotation might be William Cuevas. Since his major league debut in a relief role in April, he has come back and made seven starts, with a 2.11 ERA.

• IN DOUBLE-A PORTLAND, outfielder Henry Ramos (.281/.740 OPS) got the call to Triple-A. Ramos may only be filling in while Rusney Castillo is subbing in the majors, but Ramos could make a case for himself with a hot start.

Right-handed starter Justin Haley (5-3, 2.22 ERA) is making a push for a promotion. He won again Monday (six innings, two hits, no runs).

• IN ADVANCED A SALEM, third baseman Rafael Devers may be making a move. He’s finally above .200 (.208 batting average/.601 on-base plus slugging) and is batting .333 in his last eight games.

As for the other big names, second baseman Yoan Moncada (.298/.894) and shortstop Mauricio Dubon (.302/.773) had cooled some, although Moncada enjoyed a 7- for-10 stretch over three games last week, and Dubon was 4 for 4 last Friday.

• IN CLASS A GREENVILLE, first baseman Josh Ockimey continued to mash, batting .298 with nine homers.

• IN EXTENDED SPRING TRAINING, players on the disabled list have been appearing in games, including major league reliever Brandon Workman, coming back from Tommy John surgery. Right-handed prospect Michael Kopech, who broke his hand in spring training, has made a few starts. He had a 2.63 ERA in 16 games with Greenville last year. And infielder Michael Chavis is rehabbing from a thumb injury. He started hot in 15 games with Greenville this year (.356/.992).

NOTES: Two minor league transactions caught local interest. The Marlins released pitcher Ryan Reid, 31, a Portland native. Reid, who reached the majors briefly in 2013 with the Pirates, did not pitch last year and was trying to come back in the Marlins’ advanced Class A team. He had a 1.04 ERA, but the Marlins still let him go … Former Sea Dogs and Red Sox reliever Daniel Bard has signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. It is Bard’s fourth organization since he was waived by Boston in 2013. Bard, who was cut by the Pirates last month, has not pitched in an official game since 2014.

Related Stories