BOSTON — For those who don’t think Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft isn’t important, all you need to do is take a quick look at the Red Sox’ roster.

You surely have heard of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, Craig Hansen and Jed Lowrie. They were selected by the Red Sox between 2004 and 2006, and they have made significant contributions to the big-league club.

So there’s a good chance — given the Sox’ history in recent drafts — that Boston’s first selection in this year’s draft will be a household name sooner rather than later.

The Red Sox yesterday selected shortstop/pitcher Casey Kelly with the 30th overall pick out of Sarasota (Fla.) High School. The son of former major-league catcher Pat Kelly, Casey Kelly hit .473, with 13 doubles, 1 triple and 5 homers, and had 31 RBI and 11 steals. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder also can pitch.

The right-hander posted an 8-1 record, with two saves and a 1.16 ERA to go along with 77 strikeouts and only 12 walks over 66 innings. Kelly also has been recruited to play football at the University of Tennessee, so he has a decision to make.

Because of his athletic ability, most teams were interested more in his fielding than his pitching. The Red Sox think he can do both, but general manager Theo Epstein has him listed as a pitcher.

“It’s a unique animal,” said Epstein, “that we have someone whose potential first-round talent (is) as a position player and a pitcher. He can go to Tennessee to play quarterback. We spent some time talking to the kid, and first of all, he’s a good kid from a great baseball family. You can hear the passion in his voice when he talks about baseball.”

According to Red Sox director of amateur scouting Jason McLeod, Kelly is an athletic two-way player who is an advanced high school pitcher at this point. The Sox like him as a shortstop, and given his football ability, McLeod believes Kelly is one of the most athletic players in this year’s draft.

Red Sox management believes that if Kelly decides to forgo his collegiate career and sign with Boston, his development will be on the fast track.

If Kelly decides to sign, Epstein said he would like to see him on the mound by the time he gets to the instructional league. McLeod said Kelly is natural on the mound and has good command of his fastball, which is clocked in the low 90s.

With their second pick, the Red Sox selected right-handed pitcher Bryan Price 45th overall in the supplemental first round. As a junior at Rice University, Price went 3-4 with two saves and a 3.65 ERA in 27 appearances. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder recorded 50 strikeouts and walked only 24 in 44 1/3 innings.

Price might not jump out at you due to his relatively low numbers because of his ineffectiveness during his freshman and sophomore seasons, during which he pitched a combined 17 innings.

“He has a big arm with a fastball that’s 95 (mph) with good life down in the zone,” said McLeod. “He has a hard slider. He’s someone who is a little more untapped for a college right-handed pitcher, which excites us. We think there’s more upside left in him, and having the physical attributes that he does have, we’re really excited to get him into our player-development system and let our guys get their hands on him.”

jmcdonal@projo.com