Sox reach deals on six draft picks

The Red Sox announced they have agreed to terms with six players selected in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft as of midnight last night.

The Sox agreed to terms with Unionville High School (West Chester, PA) OF Peter Hissey (4th round); Portsmouth (RI) High School OF Ryan Westmoreland (5th round); Armuchee High School (Rome, GA) RHP Tyler Wilson (13th round); Sterling High School (Baytown, TX) LHP Colby Cervenka (27th round); Liberty Christian School (Argyle, TX) SS Carson Blair (35th round); and Grant Community High School (Ingleside, IL) RHP Kyle Stroup (50th round).

All six players have been assigned to the Rookie League Gulf Coast Red Sox in Fort Myers, FL.

Hissey hit .509 with 26 steals and a .672 on-base percentage as a senior for Unionville High School this spring. Westmoreland batted .486 with 4 homers, 31 RBI, 37 runs scored and 17 steals for Portsmouth High School this season. He went 7-0 with a 0.45 ERA in 7 games (6 starts) and tossed a perfect game on April 30, fanning 19 of 21 batters faced. He also pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout and fanned 20 on April 3. In 2007, he was named the Rhode Island High School Baseball Player of the Year as well as the state’s Schoolboy Athlete of the Year.

With the agreements, the Red Sox have come to terms with 29 of their selections in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, including the club’s top 16 picks.