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By Jimmy, 3/16/2010 9:53 am

A New First Baseman – Mike Lowell, having recently returned from an injury, was playing a position he has not one played in a MLB regular season game: 1B.  From what I could tell, there didn’t seem to be very much awkwardness for him at the position.

Big Day for DH – After going 1-21 in the first two weeks of spring training, David Ortiz had an impressive 2 for 2 game, including a bomb over the right field fence on a 3-1 pitch.  Ortiz is confident he’ll see an improvement over 2009.

WTF is That? – If you’ve never heard of a “cavernous malformation of the brain” before, chances are you expected the worst after reading that Red Sox top prospect Ryan Westmoreland was diagnosed with one.  Here’s a nice thorough write-up on the condition, including the risks and probable recovery period, from Ryan’s hometown paper.  The surgery will happen today in Phoenix.

No Gyroballs Yet – Daisuke Matsuzaka’s bullpen session was once again pushed back to today (tentatively).  It’s becoming increasingly more likely that you will see Tim Wakefield in the rotation to begin the year.

Travel Tip - If you’re in southwest Florida, do be sure to avoid any “Italian restaurants” they may have down there.  Especially if they plan on closing in 45 minutes.  One in particular basically incapacitated me for 24 hours.  Be smart…stick to grouper.

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By Jimmy, 2/1/2010 9:52 am

Top prospect Ryan Westmoreland has been in the news quite a bit recently, as fans and scouts alike have taken quite a shine to the local guy. However, the inevitable has finally happened: Westmoreland has been compared to Darin Erstad. Yes, Darin Erstad, the Sultan of Scrappiness. The General of Grit. The Duke of Dedication. I think this is a comparison that might stick to Ryan as he rises through the minor league ranks, for better or for worse.

I’m mostly being a ball-buster here, as there are some similarities between the two players, and it’s only natural that Gary DiSarcina (the guy who made the comparison) would liken Westmoreland to one of his old teammates. Both players are roughly the same size, and if you look at Erstad’s minor league numbers, they aren’t too different from what you might expect from Westmoreland. I just got a chuckle out of the fact that the kid was compared to a player who is most known for garnering the “gritty/scrappy” tag, something we elitist bloggers like to poke fun at every once in a while.

Anyway, I’ll just paste the key excerpts from the above Projo article here:

“makeup”
“play the game the right way”
“like a freight train”
“hard-nosed attitude”

Hey, it could be worse.  He could have been compared to Mark Kotsay.  (If that actually happens, I’ll probably quit following baseball and start a meth lab or hike the Appalachian Trail or something.  If your #1 prospect is the next Mark Kotsay…what’s the point? Of anything?)

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By Jimmy, 12/16/2009 7:52 am

Free agent Aroldis Champan, a 21-year-old left-hander from Cuba, showcased his arm in a workout for representatives from 15 teams yesterday.  Among the representatives was Boston’s Craig Shipley, as the Red Sox have been interested in Chapman for months.

Technically, Boston already offered Chapman a major league contract worth around $15 million dollars, but that was before he switched agents.  In accordance with the insane brand of logic used by bloodthirsty lawyers, it’s as if the offer never happened.  The Sox now start their negotiations from scratch, and will be competing with a bunch of other franchises, including the Yankees.

In the workout, Chapman’s fastball ranged from 92-97 MPH, with some secondary pitches mixed in.  This is pretty impressive, considering it was done on a random day in December.  The velocity will likely increase during actual season, once Chapman has been throwing regularly in competition.  In the past (most notably, the World Baseball Classic), Chapman has been clocked in triple digits.  He’s very raw and will need some minor league seasoning, but will instantly become one of the top prospects in baseball as soon as he chooses a team.

Odd and Ends:

• Nothing new on the pending Lowell / Ramirez trade.  FOX’s Ken Rosenthal says the odds of the deal happening are greater than the odds of it falling through.
• Big Halladay trade yesterday, of course.  The spurned Yankees are claiming that the Blue Jays imposed a Yankee Tax on them during trade talks.  The persecution continues!  Cue the violin music!
• This new-look Red Sox team will not be cheap, and the luxury tax is a real possibility.  Actually, it could be the most expensive non-NY team in baseball history (they would likely still fall about $50 million short of the top MLB payroll, however).
• Two press conferences today, one for each new guy.  It would be great if Lackey threw a tantrum and trashed the media room for no reason whatsoever.

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By Jimmy, 12/15/2009 10:00 am

When taking a closer look at Mike Cameron’s profile as a player, it appears that there may be several reasons why the Red Sox front office decided to acquire this 37-year-old outfielder instead of shelling out top dollar to retain Jason Bay.

First, let’s look at the basics.  Cameron is known primarily for his glove, as he has been one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball over the past 10 years.  Although he is old, he is a tremendous athlete who has yet to experience much of a regression in his performance.  Offensively and defensively, he is a typical stat-head favorite.  His fairly low batting average and high strikeout totals might become a talking point for the uninformed barstool/WEEI types who dwell on such things, but Cameron has always produced where it counts: creating runs and preventing runs.

Now, let’s dig a little deeper.

Performance against left-handed pitching:
Last season, Cameron hit .271/.420/.534 in 150 plate appearances against lefties (147 OPS+).  With Jeremy Hermida’s 103 OPS+ in 370 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, this platoon (should the Sox decide to go that route) would give you a weighted average OPS+ of 116, a performance similar to Bobby Abreu and Nelson Cruz last season.

Targeting the Green Monster:
Cameron hits a lot of long fly balls to left field, and should benefit greatly from the shallow wall.  Here is a chart of the home runs he hit in 2009:

If you click on this link, you can see a chart of all of Cameron’s fly ball outs in Milwaukee’s Miller Park last season.  There are roughly a dozen outs that would have been doubles or home runs in Fenway.

As of right now, I think this is Boston’s best move of the offseason, in terms of value relative to dollars spent.  Cameron’s deal is for roughly $7.25 million per year over two years.  Two years seems like an appropriate amount of time to determine whether someone from the OF prospect group (Ryan Kalish, Josh Reddick, Ryan Westmoreland, etc.) will take that big step forward, or if the Sox need to outsource their corner outfield duties once again.

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By Jimmy, 12/7/2009 6:27 pm

Top Red Sox prospect Casey Kelly, a versatile player who has been both pitching and playing shortstop since his selection in the 1st round of the 2008 draft, has come to an agreement with the organization on his full-time role.

Are you ready? [drum roll................]

Casey is now exclusively a pitcher.

This is good news, albeit not very surprising.  As a pitcher, Kelly was one of the most promising arms in Low A ball last season.  As a hitter, the man couldn’t make solid contact with Kim Kardashian’s butt if he was swinging at it with an oversized red whiffleball bat.

Kelly as a pitcher: 95 innings, 65 hits, 74 Ks, 16 BBs, 2.08 ERA
Kelly as a hitter: 323 plate appearances, .219/.282/.336

Good choice, son.

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By Jimmy, 11/17/2009 1:14 pm

This may be a difficult notion to consider after witnessing a team who hastily signed three Type A free agents win the World Series, but given the superiority of the 2011 free agent class over this one, it may be wise for the Red Sox to exercise some fiscal responsibility in the coming winter months.

I’ll identify a couple of names that may be tantalizing, but aren’t worth the money they are seeking.

1) Marco Scutaro – SS

Yes, the Red Sox have a gaping, bleeding wound between second base and third base.  This wound is best treated with cheap gauze, not fool’s gold.

Scutaro had a pretty good season in 2009 while playing shortstop for the Blue Jays.  The problem is, Marco has a long track record of sub-par play before his one good year, and he turned 34 last month.  Scutaro is likely seeking a 3 year deal, which means the Sox would be paying him until his 37th birthday.  Not to mention, he’s a Type A free agent, so the Sox would lose their first round draft pick to division rival Toronto.

Well, you tell me. Which of the seasons below seems like an outlier?

Also, here’s some trivia.  Can you name the full-time 35-year-old shortstops in the majors last year?  There were 2.  Hint: one plays on the Yankees, and he should have been moved to left field 3 years ago. The other plays for the Astros, and has supplemented his durability with lots and lots of…er… “Vitamin b-12 shots”…cough cough.  Both are likely Hall of Famers.  Do we think Scutaro the type of player who will be joining this prestigious group?

Hey, I’ll propose another free agent idea for shortstop.

This guy has career averages of .277/.340/.402, similar to Scutaro’s. His career OPS+ is 92, exactly the same as Scutaro’s.  His UZR is about even, similar to Scutaro’s.  This guy even manages to steal bases, and is 3 years younger than Scutaro.  Sounds good right?  Sign him to a long-term deal, right?

Who is that player?  His name is Julio Lugo, circa December 2006.  No need to make the same mistake twice.

Throw a 1 year deal at Alex Gonzalez (the devil we know), and see what Jose Iglesias and Yamaico Navarro do in the minor leagues.  Iglesias is currently hitting .277/.329/.431 in the Arizona Fall League, and Navarro will be repeating AA Portland this season, and could be looking at a mid-season promotion to AAA if he storms out of the gate early.

To be continued…

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By Jimmy, 10/2/2009 1:38 pm

2009 American League Best Rookie:
Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas
Silver: Brett Anderson, P, Oakland
Bronze: Jeff Niemann, P, Tampa Bay

Andrus was one of the big surprises of 2009.  Most sensible people questioned the decision to jump him from Double-A to the majors at age 20, but the move seemed to work out, and nearly helped Texas grab a playoff spot.  He wins this award based mostly on the 8.5 UZR/150 he managed while starting at shortstop for the Rangers for the majority of the season.  He’s also an excellent base runner, and while he may never develop into the type of guy you want hitting at the top of a lineup, he’s proven that he can at least hang with the big boys at the plate.

Anderson and Niemann are among a very solid rookie class of pitchers in the American League,  a group that includes Rick “Ultimate Douchebag” Porcello, Trevor Cahill, Ricky Romero, and Boston’s own Daniel Bard.  I’m ranking Anderson above the rest due to his impressive peripherals (8 K/9, 2 BB/9, 50% GB rate).

2009 National League Best Rookie:
J.A. Happ, P, Philadelphia
Silver: Randy Wells, P, Chicago
Bronze: Chris Coghlan, LF, Florida

I’ll come out and say it here: I think Happ has enjoyed a bit of a fluke season.  He’s not a ground ball pitcher, and his 87 MPH fastball isn’t much more lively than Nick Green’s.  His minor league track record is decent, but nothing that would indicate he would have the fifth highest ERA+ in the league during his first full season.  Regardless of how he did it, the guy prevented the other team from scoring runs on a regular basis, and as a result, the Phillies have won their third straight NL East championship.

Randy Wells is the right-handed counterpart to Happ.  A 26-year-old rookie with a sub 90 MPH fastball who managed to surprise everyone in his first full MLB campaign.  The one main difference between the two (aside from the whole left-right thing) is that Wells is a ground ball pitcher, whereas Happ is not.  I’m going to predict that neither of the two pitchers above will win more than 100 games over the course of their respective careers.

Coghlan had a very good year at the plate, but that .318/.387/.454 line is a little less impressive when it comes from a left fielder as opposed to a second baseman.  Still he’s giving the Marlins fans (both of them) a reason to keep hope alive for next season.

NEXT: Previewing Sox vs. Halos

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By Jimmy, 9/22/2009 1:10 pm

Now that the minor league season has come to an end, it’s time to take a look at where the top prospects of the Boston Red Sox stand.

The Sox engaged in a handful of mid-season trades this year, and amazingly only managed to part with one upper-echelon prospect: pitcher Nick Hagadone.  Hagadone, while impressive, is a guy who will be 24-years-old in January and has yet to pitch above A ball.  His loss is acceptable considering the addition Victor Martinez brings to the team.  The other key names in the farm system are, for now, still Red Sox property.

1. Josh Reddick (OF, 22)
Reddick rises to the top of the list of the strength of his power potential, something we’ve seen on display at times during his 2009 stint with the big team.  As skinny as he is, he’s able to drive the ball fairly well, and is probably a 25 HR guy in the majors right now.   If the 22-year-old adds some muscle to his 6′2″, 185 pound frame, he could become a legitimate middle-of-the-order power threat.  He’s probably 1 year away from becoming starting RF material.  If the Sox decide to move J.D. Drew before his 2011 contract year, Reddick is a logical replacement.

2. Ryan Kalish (OF, 21)
Probably the closest thing to a “5 tool player” in the upper levels of this farm system.  Kalish does everything well enough (hitting, fielding, running) but nothing really extraordinarily.  His .271/.341/.440 line is extremely impressive for the Eastern League considering his age.  Power hitting and plate discipline are two areas where he could improve.  He has plenty of time to do just that.

3. Lars Anderson (1B, 21)
Easily the biggest disappointment in the farm system this season.  I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and keep him relatively high.  He’s still very young, and has all the physical attributes of a premier hitter (and his track record prior to this year indicate that the scouts aren’t just blowing smoke).  He turns 22 on Friday, and will likely repeat the Eastern League in 2010.

4. Casey Kelly (SS/P, 19)
To a non-scout who hasn’t seen him play the field, it’s easy to glance at the 2009 results and dismiss his potential as a SS/3B in light of his huge successes on the pitcher’s mound.  I did see him throw an inning in the Futures Game, and he looked extremely polished for a guy his age.  Kelly is at or near the top of most lists right now, but I can’t help but assume that his infield pursuits are hindering his development as a pitcher.

5. Luis Exposito (C, 22)
Suddenly, catchers who can hit are all the rage in Beantown.  Expo is not the greatest at throwing out runners (26.7% in 2009), but can you honestly remember the last time the Red Sox had a starting catcher with a good arm?  I think it was Tony Pena, and I’m not exactly pining for a return to those days.  As long as the guy isn’t a complete Mackey Sasser level dolt behind the plate, I’ll take a pure hitter over a banjo-hitting “gritty leader who handles pitchers well and is good in the clubhouse” any day.

6. Ryan Westmoreland (OF, 19)
Probably the fastest rising player in the organization.  His terrific season ended on a sour note when he crashed into an outfield wall a la Michael Madson in The Natural.  I’d love to put the RI native higher on this list, but his stellar performance needs to be taken in context; a lot of also-rans have put up gaudy numbers in Lowell over the years.  Still, Ryan is a 5-tool player, and maybe the one guy on this entire list who has the potential to become a true superstar.

7. Yamaico Navarro (SS, 21)
Another guy who the Sox promoted aggressively to Portland before his 22nd birthday, only to see him struggle.  I’m not going to discount what he did in Salem after returning from injury.  Navarro is still the best SS prospect in the organization.

8. Michael Bowden (SP, 22)
Bowden quietly had an excellent year in AAA Pawtucket.  In his professional career, Bowden has never really had a disappointing season.  He may not light up the radar gun, but he could have a long career as a serviceable starter in the major leagues.

9. Che-Hsuan Lin (OF, 21)
A personal favorite of mine who started the year out very slowly before finishing up strong.  Lin is reportedly amazing in center field, with great speed, range, and a cannon for an arm.  Offensively, he’s very patient at the plate, and makes the opposition pay with the occasional SB.  He’s still young enough to add some pop.

10. Junichi Tazawa (SP, 23)
His fastball seemed a bit too meaty for my tastes.  However, that 12-6 curve he flashed was impressive, and apparently he’s working on a forkball similar to the one employed by teammate Hideki Okajima.  He might eventually become a decent back-end starter.  I’d peg his potential as similar to Bowden’s.  He’s never going to be a guy that you’re afraid to face in a short playoff series.

Next: Our 2009 Awards (League MVP, etc.)

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By Jimmy, 7/13/2009 4:23 pm

Join me, friends, as we travel back in time to the distant past.

The month was June 2009.    The nation was mired in a financial crisis, but bound together by our collective love of talking cats on YouTube.  Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Ed McMahon were all breathing the same air as you and me.  The immortal song “LoveGame” by Lady Gaga was at the top of the charts.  Yes, those were crazy, tumultuous times.  I lived it…I was there, man.  And on top of all of this hoopla, we had the 2009 MLB amateur draft.

How have the Red Sox draftees fared since?  Let’s take a look:
…

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By Jimmy, 7/6/2009 4:23 pm

The Red Sox are being forced to dig deep into their 1B depth chart, much deeper than they anticipated this season.  With injuries to Mike Lowell, Mark Kotsay, and Jeff Bailey, 25-year-old Pawtucket first baseman Aaron Bates has been summoned to make his MLB debut tonight.

In a nutshell: he’s a big, slow-footed first baseman.  A RHH with good plate discipline.  Some power, but nothing great by 1B standards.   Will be able to pull a fly ball or two over the monster.  High K rates.  He might be overmatched by strong right-handed pitching.

Here are his career minor league numbers:

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By Jimmy, 7/2/2009 9:26 am

The Red Sox have signed their first round pick, center fielder Reymond Fuentes, with a bonus of a little over $1 million dollars.  Keep an eye on those Gulf Coast League box scores for his professional debut this weekend.

Former Red Sox infielder Alex Cora describes Fuentes as “Jacoby’s clone”.  Since those are Cora’s words, and Cora is basically the Yoda of baseball, there is now a 100% chance of that comparison being accurate.

Check out our draft day report on Fuentes here.

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By Jeff, 6/11/2009 2:19 pm

Day 3.

Round 31 Pick 948 - Shaughn Webb lhp Palm Beach CC FL
Round 32 Pick 978 - Michael Clark lhp American Heritage HS FL
Round 33 Pick 1008 - Blaze Tart rhp Pendleton School HS NC
Round 34 Pick 1038 - James Patterson lhp Central Arizona College AZ
Round 35 Pick 1068 - Matthew Milroy rhp Marmion Acadamy HS IL
Round 36 Pick 1098 - Michael Yastrzemski rf St John’s MA
Round 37 Pick 1128 - Matthew Koch rhp Washington HS IA
Round 38 Pick 1158 - Ezekiel Devoss cf Astronaut HS FL
Round 39 Pick 1188 - Gavin McCourt of Harvard-Westlake HS CA
Round 40 Pick 1218 - James Dykstra rhp Rancho Bernardo HS CA
Round 41 Pick 1248 - Kyle Rutter rhp North Carolina St NC
Round 42 Pick 1278 - Gera Sanchez rhp New Mexico JC MN
Round 43 Pick 1308 - Luke Maile c Covington Catholic HS KY
Round 44 Pick 1338 - Derrick Thomas rf Roswell HS GA
Round 45 Pick 1368 - Kyle Arnsberg c Arlington Lamar HS TX
Round 46 Pick 1398 - John Pivach rhp U of New Orleans LA
Round 47 Pick 1428 - Jordan Sallis 2b Arkansas- Ft Worth AR
Round 48 Pick 1458 - Brian Heere rf Kansas KS
Round 49 Pick 1488 - Chris Constantino 3b Bishop Hendricken HS RI
Round 50 Pick 1518 - Andrew Hedman 1b Ponoma-Pitzer College CA

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By Jimmy,

The Red Sox, using the same financial muscle utilized in the signing of top prospect Lars Anderson a few years back, have begun their annual tradition of depriving college baseball teams of highly-touted incoming freshman.

Their first victim is Auburn University, who will have one less running back on their football squad next season.  10th round pick Brandon Jacobs, a 5′11″ 245 pound (now that is a low center of gravity) high school slugger has decided to nix his commitment to the football factory and sign a contract with the Red Sox.  Jacobs, as you can probably imagine, is all about pure strength, and has a chance to develop into a powerful slugging corner OF/1B.

A few more “signability” high school draft picks who the Sox will work on over the next two months:

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By Jeff, 6/10/2009 12:19 pm

I’ll be updating the draft picks here as they come in. Sometime this weekend, I’ll have bigger bios of these guys.

Round 4 Pick 138 - Jeremy Hazelbaker cf Ball St University IN
Round 5 Pick 168 - Seth Schwindenhammer lf Limestone Community HS IL
Round 6 Pick 198 - Branden Kline rhp Governor Thomas Johnson HS MD
Round 7 Pick 228 - Madison Younginer rhp Malden HS SC
Round 8 Pick 258 - Shannon Wilkerson rf Augusta State University GA
Round 9 Pick 288 - Kendal Volz rhp Baylor University TX
Round 10 Pick 318 - Brandon Jacobs lf Park View HS GA
Round 11 Pick 348 - Jason Thompson ss Germantown HS TN
Round 12 Pick 378 - Michael Thomas c Southern U A&M TX
Round 13 Pick 408 - Chris McGuiness 1b The Citadel SC
Round 14 Pick 438 - William Holmes rf Chaffey College CA
Round 15 Pick 468 - Michael Bugary lhp California-Berkley CA
Round 16 Pick 498 - Luke Bard rhp Charlotte Christian School NC
Round 17 Pick 528 - Kraig Sitton lhp Oregon St OR
Round 18 Pick 558 - Renny Parthemore rhp Cedar Cliff HS PA
Round 19 Pick 588 - Thomas Ebert rhp Florida International FL
Round 20 Pick 618 - Alex Hassan rhp Duke NC
Round 21 Pick 648 - Randall Faint lhp Texas HS TX
Round 22 Pick 678 - Jordon Flasher rhp George Mason U VA
Round 23 Pick 708 - Chris Court rhp Stephen F Austin TX
Round 24 Pick 738 - Daniel Kemp ss Tantasqua HS MA
Round 25 Pick 768 - Austin House rhp LaCueva HS NM
Round 26 Pick 798 - Miles Head 3b Whitewater HS GA
Round 27 Pick 828 - Reed Graganani ss Mills Goodwin HS VA
Round 28 Pick 858 - Eric Curtis rhp Miami Dade CC South VA
Round 29 Pick 888 - Cody Stubbs 1b Tuscola HS NC
Round 30 Pick 918 - Jeremiah Bayer rhp Trinity College MA

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By Jeff, 6/9/2009 11:08 pm

Renfroe is a prep two way player for South Panola High in Batesville, Mississippi

Ranked 67 by BA, and is unranked by Keith Law

6′3 195 lbs and obviously he hasn’t been drafted yet. He’s committed to Ole Miss, and word around the campfire is that it’ll take $3 million to pull him away from the Rebels.

Renfroe Hits One Out at Wrigley

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By Jeff,

Wilson is a junior right-handed pitcher who transferred to Texas A&M from Winthrop in 2008. Born Nov 6, 1986 (so he’s in his age 22 year) in Saudi Arabia.

Ranked 52 by BA, and 37 by Keith Law

6′1 205 lbs…played for Falmouth in the Cape League last year…drafted by the Cubs in 08 also.

This year, he went 6-6 with an ERA of 4.46 in 89.7 innings (second on the Aggies)…struck out 120 (1st on Aggies, 2nd in Big 12), walked 25, and gave up 4 homers.

He’s also had Tommy John surgery once, and was dropped from the rotation into the bullpen for “arm fatigue,” and it’s unclear if that’s because of actual fatigue or injury.

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By Jimmy,

It seemed like everyone and their mothers were predicting the Red Sox to draft a catcher in the first round.  Seems logical, right?  Their current catcher is a walking fossil, so why not draft based on positional need?  The problem is, that’s not the way most baseball organizations think when they draft, and it’s certainly not how the Red Sox have approached the draft in the past.

Ironically, they went with the least intuitive position, the position where they are youngest: centerfield.  Why?  Because they likely felt Reymond Fuentes was the best overall value available at the 28th pick.

There’s not a whole lot of information on Fuentes.  Here’s what we know:

• He’s a left-handed hitter out of a high school in Puerto Rico, 18 years old.
• He’s fast.
• He’s the nephew of star veteran CF Carlos Beltran.

I’m sure there will be some more scouting information on him tomorrow morning, but strangely enough it looks like the scouts and pundits didn’t focus too much of their pre-draft anaysis on him.

Added by Jeff:

Ranked 54 by BA, and 32 by Keith Law.

I’ve read some aggregate scouting reports on him (basically the stuff you’d read on the internet from sources like Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and from MLB.com) and they basically say:
*”fastest guy in the draft
*covers a lot of ground in center
*left handed swinging
*should develop some power
*free swinger who should develop plate discipline
*has line drive, pole-to-pole swing
*poor arm in center
*potential leadoff hitter
*very similar to Johnny Damon

Ladies and gentlemen…Jacoby Ellsbury!!!

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By Jimmy, 5/12/2009 11:49 am

Here’s an early update on the top five prospects in each positional category (as ranked by me during the offseason).

Catchers

1. Dusty Brown: .259/.357/.329 at Pawtucket.  Still getting on base, but not hitting like he was last year.  Would probably make a adequate backup if something happened to Kottaras or Varitek.
2. Luis Exposito: .235/.309/.376 at Salem.  Not busting out of the gates like everyone had hoped.  Will probably take a couple of months to get used to the fact that Salem actually feels the effects of gravity, unlike his last home.
3. George Kottaras: currently backing up Varitek in Boston.  In true backup catcher tradition, he’s not hitting at all.  Unlike his predecessor, there is some potential in his bat.
4. Mark Wagner:  starting strong in Portland after a disappointing 2008.  He wants out of Vacationland.  Hitting .267/.441/.511.
5. Tim Federowicz: playing well among a relatively low level of competition in Greenville, SC.  He’s turning 22 in August, so the true test will come next year in Salem/Portland.

Corner Infielders

1. Lars Anderson: starting off slow, with an OPS of .663.  It’s cold in Portland, let’s see how he does when things warm up.
2. Michael Almanzar: looking quite advanced for an 18-year-old.  Striking out a bit much, but the poise will come over time.  Hitting .248/.305/.385 in Greenville.
3. Will Middlebrooks: the honeymoon period is just about over, as Will continues to struggle mightily.  Hitting an abysmal .125/.204/.188 in Greenville.
4. Dan Rizzo: hitting well.  Still only 19-years-old, still plenty of time to develop despite the medical setback last year.  The best 1B prospect in the system not named “Lars”.
5. Aaron Bates: now playing LF in Portland, and doing quite well, hitting .352/.410./.486.  Alas, given his lack of defensive ability and mediocre power, AAA might be his ceiling.

Outfielders

1. Josh Reddick: still raking, still looking like a legit MLB right field prospect.  Maybe J.D. Drew’s eventual replacement.  1.002 OPS in Portland.
2. Che-Hsuan Lin: looking overmatched in Salem, .153/.260/.188.  Really, really disappointing.  Hopefully he’ll find his stroke.
3. Ryan Kalish: has leapfrogged Lin on the prospect chart.  .277/.426/.455, the hamate issue looks to be ancient history.
4. Ryan Westmoreland: still recovering from surgery, has not played a game yet.
5. Zack Daeges: struggling in Pawtucket.  He’ll eventually start hitting there, but there’s not much hope for a MLB stint in this organazation given the presence of Jeff Bailey, Chris Carter, and Paul McAnulty ahead of him on the deptch chart.

Middle Infielders

1. Argenis Diaz: people rave about his glove, but he’s no slouch at the plate either.  Hitting .321/.369/.397.  Might be in Boston sooner than you think.
2.  Oscar Tejeda: struggles at Greenville continue.  Still very young (19), strong tools.  The jury will be out for a while on this one.
3. Yamaico Navarro: hamate issues will shelve this promising infielder until June.
4. Chih-Hsien Chiang: hitting well enough, but playing mostly LF and DH these days; should no longer be considered a 2B prospect.
5. Derrik Gibson: XST, Lowell bound.

Pitchers

1. Michael Bowden: dominating AAA.  Despite a lack of overpowering stuff, all signs point to him being at least a serviceable MLB starter in the future.
2. Daniel Bard: recently promoted after obliterating AAA competition.  His ceiling is that of a dominant Brad Lidge-esque closer.
3. Nick Hagadone: a year removed from TJ surgery, Hagadone is throwing his slider in extended spring training.  Still very much a prospect.
4. Junichi Tazawa: has performed as advertised in AA.  3.34 ERA.
5. Bryan Price: an ERA under 2 in Greenville.  At age 22, he’s too polished for the Sally League.

Honorable mention: Casey Kelly didn’t make this original list due to his odd SS/P role.  If I had to pick a position (even though he has performed very well at both), I’d call him a pitcher.  He’d probably be at least 4th on this list if that were the case.

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By Jimmy, 4/9/2009 12:41 pm

Happy minor league opening day.  The four full-season Red Sox minor league affiliates begin their seasons today.  Here’s a peak at the rosters (info courtesy of soxprospects.com):

The guys I consider “prospects” (a term which tends to mean different things to different people) are highlighted in yellow.

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By Jimmy, 11/20/2008 10:54 am

In an effort to save time (and because the crop is extremely top-heavy at both positions), I’m combining the Red Sox prospect ranking of first basemen and third baseman.  In case you missed them, check out the rankings of outfield prospects and catching prospects in the Boston minor league system.

Let’s get down to business:

1) Lars Anderson (1B)
Age: 21
2008 Level: AA

No surprises here.  Lars in generally considered the top prospect in the entire minor league system, and one of the top offensive prospects in all of baseball.  Last season, the big question was whether he hit after being promoted from the launching pad environment in Lancaster to the unforgiving tundra that is Portland, and he responded by dominating the Eastern League (.316/.436/.526) at the age of 20.

He still needs to develop some power to go along with his massive frame, and he still has trouble making contact, but these issues tend to fix themselves as hitters mature.  As with any prospect, Anderson should not be considered a sure thing (i.e., the team should not be basing their current free-agent decisions on what Anderson might become). That being said, the ceiling for Lars is superstardom, and he could arrive as early as 2010.  Hell, Boston already has a park named after him.

2) Michael Almanzar (3B)
Age: 17
2008 Level: Low A

The kid who received the highest bonus for an international free agent in the history of the Boston Red Sox ($1.5 million) wasted no time impressing scouts by hitting .348/.414./472 in the Gulf Coast League debut last season.  He was then promoted to Low-A Greenville, where he appeared to be overmatched by the much-older competition.  He’s a raw pedrigree, and needs to develop both physically and on the field, but he’s another guy who has the frame and the swing to become an elite offensive player.  He’ll repeat Low-A, and his performance bears watching.

3) Will Middlebrooks (3B)
Age: 20
2008 Level: SS-A

A much more polished and well-rounded player than Almanzar, but his ceiling is lower and he’s three years older.  Middlebrooks is a tremendously versatile athlete who can run, throw, and hit.  He initially struggled in his professional debut at Lowell, but seemed to come into his own after the All-Star Break, hitting .298/.353/.468.  It will be interesting to see how the Greenville Drive roster is constructed, as both Middlebrooks and Almanzar appear to be groomed for third base.  I suppose you could take a chance and try Middlebrooks in High-A Salem, but he’s raw for the Carolina League and might be overmatched.  We’ll see how the Sox play it.

4) Anthony Rizzo (1B)
Age: 19
2008 Level: Low-A

The 6th round draft pick from 2007 got everyone’s attention by busting out of the gate in 2008, hitting .373/.402/.446 before being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in May.  The belief was that Rizzo would make a full recovery after 6-8 months of treatment. Since he’s been out of the public eye during his recovery, little is known regarding his progress.  We’re working under the assumption that the early prognosis was accurate, and Rizzo will be able to take the field in the spring of 2009.  Rizzo projects to be a decent all-around first baseman, handy with the glove and the bat.

5) Aaron Bates (1B)
Age: 24
2008 Level: AA

A few paragraphs above, I mentioned that this crop of prospects is extremely top-heavy.  Here’s a perfect example, as the difference in value and talent drops precipitously from #3 to #5.  There was a time when Bates was considered a solid first base prospect, but now it appears that his monster offensive season in 2007 might have been smoke-and-mirrors, a function of the hitter-friendly park and Bates’ advanced age.  His one area of strength is plate discipline, and he still has some power potential, but Bates is well below guys like Chris Carter and Jeff Bailey on the 1B organizational depth chart.  His ceiling is that of an “AAAA” auxiliary bat, and he still has some work to do to get there.

Next up, we’ll tackle middle infielders, before ending the prospect rankings with the pitchers.