Instead of looking forward, I’m going to look back at Boston’s last five drafts. I’ll look at some “hits,” some “wildcards,” and some “dudes on other teams.” The hits are the good picks, because the object of baseball is to hit the ball, and this is a baseball website. Do you get it? The wildcards are players who haven’t totally panned out yet but still could. Wildcards are also baseball teams that weren’t quite good enough to win a division but they still make the playoffs. Do you get it? The dudes on other teams are dudes on other teams, and I couldn’t think of a psuedo-creative name.

You get it.

2011

Hit: Everyone

When I was preparing to write this post, my plan was to pick one player for every draft. That was too difficult for this one, which may go down as one of the greatest individual drafts for any team in recent memory. This is a draft in which the Red Sox picked Matt Barnes, Blake Swihart, Henry Owens, Jackie Bradley, Mookie Betts and Travis Shaw. That’s not even to mention a couple of other guys I’ll talk about in a few seconds. I don’t feel the need to go in-depth on any of these names. We know they are good baseball players.

Wildcard: Williams Jerez

Jerez was a second-round pick by the Red Sox in 2011, but he was the fifth pick the team made thanks to the old compensation rules. Although he was drafted as an outfielder, he converted to pitching after flaming out as a position player. Since then, he has rocketed up the organization and was placed on the 40-man roster this winter. He’s having some trouble transitioning to Double-A Portland, but there is still plenty of potential for him to carve out a major-league bullpen role.

Dude On Another Team: Mac Williamson

Mac Williamson was the Red Sox’s 46th-round pick in 2011 who went back to college. He was drafted in the third round the following season by the Giants. He’s in the majors now and could possibly carve out at least a share of an everyday role down the road.

2012

Hit: Brian Johnson

This wasn’t nearly as successful as the 2011 draft class, but there are still some intriguing names. Johnson is clearly on top of the list, though. A polished lefty coming out of Florida, he was the second selection in Boston’s draft in 2012, and he’s flown through the minors, getting a little taste of major-league action last season. Right now, he’s dealing with some personal anxiety issues that should clearly be his priority over baseball, but a role as a No. 4 starting pitcher still seems part of his future.

Wildcard: Justin Haley

Haley was Boston’s sixth round selection in this draft and has slowly made his way through the system with little fanfare in that time. He reached Double-A Portland at the end of 2014, and repeated the level last year with horrible results. However, he turned things around in the Arizona Fall League, putting up a 12:2 K:BB ratio in 14 innings of work. Heading back to Portland this season, he has continued that success and should get a chance at Pawtucket soon. The ceiling isn’t huge, but he’s showing he can carve out some sort of role in the majors.

Dudes of Another Team: Carson Fulmer and Alex Bregman

The Red Sox took a chance on two late-round high schoolers in this draft, but both of them decided to go to college instead. It was a good decision for both Bregman and Fulmer, as they were both first-round picks in last year’s draft and are currently among the best prospects in the game.

2013

Hit: Mauricio Dubon

Hey, look, it’s my favorite prospect in the system. I’ve written extensively about Dubon on these pages and even more on Twitter dot com, so I won’t go too in-depth here. Still, as a 26th-round pick, this is one of the most impressive picks the Red Sox have made in recent history. He’s a fun guy to watch and should be in Portland at some point this summer.

Wildcard: Trey Ball

So, this is weird. A 26t- round pick ends up in the “hit” category, while the seventh overall pick is a wildcard. If you’ve followed their professional careers, though, it makes sense. On the one hand, Ball has been a disappointment after being drafted so highly, never being able to put it together on a consistent basis. On the other hand, he was supposed to be a project when he was drafted and he’s still only in his age-22 season. The early results in Salem this season have been fine, and I’d expect to see him there all season. There’s no guarantee he’ll ever come close to his potential, but the possibility still exists.

Dude on Another Team: Carlos Asuaje

I talked about Asuaje in the piece linked to in the Dubon section, as he’s another high-floor infielder. I’m a big fan of his line drive-oriented swing and think he’ll be a fine bench piece for the Padres, who received him in the Craig Kimbrel trade.

2014

Hit: Sam Travis

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not as high on Travis as many are, since the power still hasn’t come through in a big way, and it’s hard to succeed at first base with that profile. However, he’s still a really good hitter and counts as a hit in this draft. An unfortunate knee injury has ended his season prematurely, taking away the chance of him reaching the majors this season. He should get his shot at some point in 2017. For what it’s worth, I almost included Michael Kopech here, but his off-the-field issues knocked him off the list even though he’s still the more talented prospect.

Wildcard: Josh Ockimey

Ockimey was someone I loved watching in Lowell this season, but I never expected him to do what he’s doing in Greenville in 2016. He’s another first-base prospect, but he doesn’t share Travis’ lack of home run pop by any stretch. With nine home runs to his name already in 2016, there is easy power in his swing. Even better, he’s cut down on the strikeouts in full-season ball and is walking quite a bit as well. Who knows how Ockimey will perform in the upper levels of the minors, but he’s certainly someone to keep an eye on going forward.

Dude on Another Team: N/A

2015

Hit: Andrew Benintendi

Well, this was obvious. Benintendi has been unbelievable since his selection at seventh overall last season, and as we all know, he’s among the top prospects in the farm system. After seeing Boston (possibly) mess up their early pick in 2013, it’s refreshing to see the organization hit on this one. Benintendi could be up this season, and will almost certainly make his debut at some point in 2017 at the latest.

Wildcard: Austin Rei

So, full disclosure: It’s hard to pick a wildcard exactly one year after all these players were drafted. Rei is another guy I saw a bunch in Lowell this season, and I’d be lying if I said I was impressed. However, people a lot smarter than me see potential here, and he was included in BP’s top 10 Red Sox prospects. His first full season isn’t going extremely well, but it’s important to remember catchers are typically slow to develop. As a third-round pick from college, one would hope we start to see signs of life soon, though.

Dude on Another Team: Logan Allen

Allen is not your typical high school pitcher, lacking the huge ceiling possessed by many of his counterparts but also boasting a higher floor. He draws a lot of Jon Lester comparisons, and aesthetically speaking they are accurate. Allen doesn’t have that kind of talent, but as another piece in the Kimbrel deal, the Padres got another relatively safe piece in that package.

Photo by Kelly O’Connor/www.sittingstill.smugmug.com

If we’re being honest — and why not, we’re all friends here — you know very little about the group of players the Red Sox will be selecting from on Thursday evening. Same here. As these players matriculate to professional ball, we’ll get to learn all about them through ten-pack updates and Baseball America Prospect Reports and Keith Law’s work and on and on and on. But right now, they’re anonymous; players who compose a new crop of talent for us to dream on, names attached to players we hope will blossom into future stars.

That’s a long way of saying you won’t find any detailed analysis here, but what I can do is bring you a run-down of the players most often linked to the Red Sox just a day before they pop their first pick. And yes, by listing these eight players, I’ve all but ensured that the Red Sox won’t end up with any of them.

Also the photo is of A.J. Puk, who’s probably going to go first overall. You try and find a usable pic pre-draft.

Ian Anderson, RHP, Shenendehowa (NY.) HS
In Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline’s latest mock, Anderson is the pick. An oblique injury shelved Anderson for part of the season, but when on the mound Anderson showed a plus fastball in the low-to-mid 90s and a solid feel for two breaking pitches, per MLB.com. He’s a high school arm, so think high-risk, high-reward here.

Zach Collins, C, Miami
Collins has been linked to the Red Sox by several sources throughout the pre-draft season. A college catcher who might need to move to first base, Collins is seen as one of the better offensive players in the draft. The Sox have the time to let him develop behind the plate, thanks to Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart, but they could also accelerate his timetable by moving him to a less demanding position. You can read a lot more about Collins at the mothership here.

Braxton Garrett, LHP, Florence (Al.) HS
Most mock drafts have Garrett off the board by the time the Red Sox pick — he’s an especially popular choice for the Marlins at no. 7 — but Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com has the lefty falling to the Red Sox. Viewed as a pitcher with a relatively high floor for a prep arm, Garrett has one the better curveballs in this class. Based on what you read about him, it’d seem to be a bit of a coup if he fell to the Sox.

Dakota Hudson, RHP, Mississippi State
Hudson hasn’t been the selection for the Red Sox in any of the latest mocks I’ve read, but he’s often mentioned as an alternate pick. He had a great spring and has a big fastball, and while he’ll need to improve his command in professional ball, he’s got the makings of a mid-rotation starter. You can read more about Hudson at SoxProspects.com’s excellent draft primer, as well as in this piece by Chris Crawford and Wilson Karaman.

Nolan Jones, 3B, Holy Ghost (Pa.) Prep
Jones was the pick in two of Keith Law’s recent mock drafts and is also cited by Callis as a potential player of interest for Boston. A current shortstop who’s quite likely to move to the hot corner, Jones has above-average tools across the board, per MLB.com. If his profile reminds you a bit of Michael Chavis’, you’re not alone.

Mickey Moniak, OF, La Costa Canyon (Ca.) HS
In Keith Law’s latest mock (subscription required), Moniak is the pick. He’s often projected as a top-four selection, so this would be a solid get for the Red Sox. Moniak oozes tools and scouts think he should be able to stay in center field long-term.

Cal Quantrill, RHP, Stanford
How’s your risk tolerance? Quantrill underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015 and didn’t pitch at all this pre-draft season. He has been working out for teams, however, and apparently he’s been impressive enough to still warrant first-round consideration. SoxProspects has him as a potential Sox pick in the second round, while MLB Pipeline lists him as a potential choice in the first. He’s Paul Quantrill’s son, FYI.

Taylor Trammell, OF, Mount Paran Christian (Ga.) HS
In Baseball America’s latest mock (version 5.0), Trammell is the pick. A toolsy outfielder with a high ceiling but a long way to go, Trammell would help infuse upside into the low minors of the Sox’s system. This is earlier than most mocks have Trammell off the board, but, ya know, they’re mocks.

The Red Sox also pick at no. 51 overall and at no. 88 overall, but let’s not go there.

Photo by Steven Branscome/USA Today Photo Images