Minors
First Half Minors Recap Part 2.5: Greenville
by USG
on Jul 3, 2009 8:58 AM EDT
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Part 1: Pawtucket and Portland
=Greenville=
If Salem has been the most disappointing team, Greenville has been the most impressive. Halfway through the season, they have secured a postseason berth, their 39-29 record winning the division's first-half by a game. And more importantly, the team has advanced the prospects which got them to that point. Tim Federowicz, Anthony Rizzo, and David Mailman have all moved on to Salem after posting great numbers with the A-level team. Bryan Price has also managed to make his way up to Advanced-A ball. But perhaps the biggest story in the whole Sox system this year has been the fast-rising star of Casey Kelly, who pitched his first 48 innings with Greenville.
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First Half Minors Recap Part 2: Salem
by USG
on Jun 30, 2009 10:43 AM EDT
in Minors
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Continuing on from last week, a look at the Salem Red Sox' first half.
Part 1: Pawtucket and Portland
In Virginia, the Salem Red Sox have honestly been the most disappointing branch of the Sox system. They finished "just" 6.5 games back in their division, but when that division most resembles the 1994 AL West and 6.5 games back is a 32-37 record, that's saying basically nothing. On an individual level, there were quite a few interesting players, mostly positional, but nobody really in the upper-echelons of the Sox' farm system except for Ryan Kalish—and he wouldn't stick around for long.
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First Half Minors Recap Part 1: Pawtucket and Portland
by USG
on Jun 23, 2009 9:00 AM EDT
in Minors
21 comments
The end of June marks the halfway point in the season for the upper levels of the minor leagues, and the starting point of short-season ball. For the A-level teams (Salem and Greenville), it also represents a fresh start, as the records are reset and the team with the best record to that point is granted a post-season berth. As significant a milestone as this is, it makes sense to use it as a time to look back at the season thus far, and for teams like the Lowell Spinners and GCL Red Sox, the season to come.
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The Pawtucket Red Sox Roster Crunch
by USG
on Jun 16, 2009 7:08 AM EDT
in Minors
8 comments
When doing Minor Lines on an average night, Pawtucket is the least interesting team to look at. The notable names on offense, up till the promotion of Aaron Bates, were all guys who were likely to be bench players at best in their career. Chris Carter, Dusty Brown, Jeff Bailey, Jonathan Van Every. Talented ball players who often rank amongst the elite at AAA, but can't seem to take the next step and enter the world of the Majors.
Portland, on the other hand, is perhaps the most interesting team. Lars Anderson and Josh Reddick were the obvious standouts coming into the year. Wagner has exploded onto the scene with Aaron Bates. Ryan Kalish was promoted after only a month in Salem to start the year, and has slowly but surely begun to adapt to the tougher competition (.308/.325/.385 in June vs. .133/.212/.233 in May). Even less noticeable guys have performed, as 26-year-old Bubba Bell was promoted to Pawtucket today.
When a player is promoted in the minor leagues, much like in the Majors, there always has to be a counter move. Someone has to be traded, released, sent to the DL, promoted or demoted in order to make space. With such a large wave of players having legitimate shots at Pawtucket, and such a large amount of guys seemingly stuck at AAA, the Red Sox are faced with an obvious problem. Who stays, who goes, and what do we do with those who go?
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Red Sox Top-10 Draft Pick Profiles
by USG
on Jun 9, 2009 10:47 PM EDT
in Minors
45 comments
UPDATED: Now with information on the first 10 picks.
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Reviewing the Red Sox's 2008 Draft: Casey Kelly is that good
by Randy Booth
on Jun 6, 2009 6:00 AM EDT
in Minors
11 comments
With the 2009 MLB Draft quickly approaching on June 9, I decided to look back on what the Red Sox's 2008 draft looked like.
The MLB draft is always an interesting time because unlike NFL or NBA drafts, the average person doesn't know 95 percent of the players drafted. If you're really into it, you jump on the Internet and start Googling Joe Schmo's name as quickly as possible. You learn a tidbit here, you learn a tidbit there. But the real proof is in the pudding: the regular season.
Here's a look at the top 10 selections from the Red Sox' 2008 draft:
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
1 Kelly, Casey SS/RHP Sarasota HS (Fla.)
TM ERA IP H BB SO
A 1.12 48.1 32 9 39
A+ 5.06 5.2 9 1 4
The Sox started the season with a plan for this talented player: 95 innings to start the season as a pitcher and then the rest of the season he'll play shortstop. The Red Sox are going to have a hard time yanking Kelly from the mound after the way he's started this season. If Kelly does well in the field, it's going to be an interesting decision about what to do with this all-around athlete. He is, no doubt though, going to be a impact player in just a few years.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
1s Price, Bryan RHP Rice
TM ERA IP H BB SO
A 2.45 44.0 37 12 40
A+ 12.00 6.1 8 7 10
If Kelly is a shortstop, Price could play the pitcher role down the line. Price found similar success to Kelly in his team in Greenville (A). His two starts in Salem has been rough, but there's no reason not to expect him to rebound. According to SoxProspects, Price doesn't have a lot of "mileage" on his arm -- that's a good thing. There's another guy who has succeeded when he entered the Sox system without a lot of mileage -- Clay Buchholz.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
2 Gibson, Derrik SS Seaford HS (Del.)
2008 stats
TM AB BA HR SB/CS OPS
RK 94 .309 0 14/0 .804
SS 35 .086 0 2/0 .318
Unfortunately for Gibson, he hasn't seen any time on the field this season (extended spring training). The book on Gibson looks good, though: fast and very good defensively. He seems the type that could float around the infield -- and perhaps even the outfield -- and be a game changer on the basepaths. The bat will be the thing to watch down the line, though.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
3 Fife, Stephen RHP Utah
TM ERA IP H BB SO
A 0.00 4.0 1 1 1
Fife just made his 2009 debut on May 30, but at least it was solid. Fife missed time due to weakness in his pitching shoulder. The injury could be of concern, but he's still an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
3 Weiland, Kyle RHP Notre Dame
TM ERA IP H BB SO
A+ 6.91 43.0 53 18 37
Weiland has certainly struggled in his time in Salem. His strikeouts are still pretty high, but so are his walks and the number of hits he's allowed. Salem seems to be a hitter's paradise though, so I wouldn't worry about him too much. He, like Fife and Price, have the college experience to help them get through problem areas.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
4 Hissey, Peter CF Unionville HS (Penn.)
TM AB BA HR SB/CS OPS
A 144 .222 0 9/2 .568
Hissey has struggled transitioning from the high school game to the professional game. He'll need to bring up the batting average/power numbers if he wants to keep moving up in the system.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
5 Westmoreland, Ryan CF Portsmouth HS (R.I.)
Has yet to play in Red Sox system
Well ... he's supposed to be talented. Westmoreland had shoulder surgery in November and is expected to be returning this month. SoxProspects compares Westmoreland to Grady Sizemore.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
6 Lavarnway, Ryan C Yale
TM AB BA HR SB/CS OPS
A 135 .283 6 0/0 .881
Future Red Sox catcher of the future? You never know. Lavarnway is splitting time with Tim Federowicz and is performing almost as well. He's been all around solid, having both a decent average (.283) and showing pop (6 home runs) in the bat.
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
7 Federowicz, Tim C North Carolina
TM AB BA HR SB/CS OPS
A 169 .314 7 1/0 .882
Future Red Sox catcher of the future? You never know. Federowicz has seen great success in his short time in the Sox system. Not only is he hitting for average in Greenville, but he's hitting for power. His 7 home runs and .882 OPS is evidence of that. The Red Sox would like him to take a few more walks in the future, though (.368 OBP).
RD NAME POS SCHOOL
8 Lee, Mike RHP Oklahoma City U.
TM ERA IP H BB SO
A 4.91 3.2 4 3 3
Lee has only pitched one this season and that was on May 29. He worked 3.2 innings of relief but didn't fare well. Obviously the jury is still out on Mr. Lee until he can put some more innings in.
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The Catching Situation – Improving from Within
by USG
on Jun 2, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
in Minors
70 comments
During the last offseason, all Red Sox fans had the same top priority: finding someone to fill in for Jason Varitek, who had just come off a truly pathetic offensive season, putting up a career low 73 OPS+. Although the Red Sox no longer have anything to complain about when it comes to Varitek, whose impressive power numbers help to offset his low on base percentage, there's still the question of the future. At 37, Varitek is not likely to be a long term solution, and within as little as a year-and-a-half, the Sox are likely to need the replacement we all wanted last winter. While last year, the idea of finding a catcher within the organization seemed like a pipe dream, this year the Sox find themselves with a number of potential options at almost all levels of the minor leagues. These are the catchers who could, at some point in the future, be considered the Red Sox' "Catcher of the Future".
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OTM Top Prospects: Who's No. 15?
by Randy Booth
on Apr 4, 2009 12:44 PM EDT
in Minors
3 comments
The list is coming to a close!
After some dragging of the feet here and there, the Over The Monster Top 15 Red Sox prospects is about to finish out. Yamaico Navarro slotted in at No. 14. Now we have only a few prospects left for the final spot. Voting will continue until Opening Day.
KYLE WEILAND (More info)
22 y.o. / Pitcher / B: L, T: R
SP: 14 / BA: -- / MLB: 13
LVL IP BB SO HR ERA WHIP
A- 60 10 68 1 1.50 0.77
SoxProspects.com:
90-95 mph fastball complemented by a plus low 80s curve and a decent 79-83 mph change. Attacks the zone with very good command - doesn't throw a lot of mistake pitches. Control of his secondary pitches could use some improvement. Fastball has great late downward life. Consistent. Delivery is somewhat unconventional - a little long on the back end, but his motion is smooth coming to the plate. But he's shown great success, so the organization may let him go with it. In college, Weiland struggled recovering from a broken collarbone sustained prior to the 2007 season, after demonstrating flashes of dominance during his freshman campaign at Notre Dame. The Sox will attempt to develop Weiland as a starter down the line.
OSCAR TEJEDA (More info)
19 y.o. / Shortstop / B: R, T: R
SP: 17 / BA: -- / MLB: 10
LVL AB 2B HR RBI BA/OBP/SLG
A 372 18 4 38 .261/.301/.347
SoxProspects.com:
Top-notch athlete, lots of tools. Ahead of the fold in terms of age-advancement, but still needs a lot of refinement. Excellent bat speed with a smooth swing. Below average present power, but he's still very young and he could fill out. Plate discipline could definitely use some improvement. Also struggles with off-speed stuff. Above average speed, but has yet to translate that into many stolen bases. Average glove at SS, decent range, and a strong arm that's accurate but inconsistent. He makes most of his errors on off balance throws. Got some time at 3B in 2008. Has impressed with his intellect for his age.
ARGENIS DIAZ (More info)
22 y.o. / Shortstop / B: R, T: R
SP: 13 / BA: -- / MLB: 16
LVL AB 2B HR RBI BA/OBP/SLG
A+ 256 9 0 29 .281/.330/.363
AA 139 8 2 23 .288/.336/.417
SoxProspects.com:
Diaz is an elite defensive shortstop, and could compete for a gold glove in the bigs right now. He has plus range, excellent footing, an impressive glove, and an outstanding arm. Makes impossible plays in the field. An inordinate amount of errors in 2008 have largely been attributed to off-the-mark long throws off of grounders that Diaz had no business getting to in the first place. The key for Diaz is how much he will hit. He's a slap hitter with average on base ability and without much power, but he's swung the bat very well during a few prolonged stints here and there. Hits lefties significantly better than righties. Excellent at laying down bunts. Speed on the basepaths isn't much to speak of.
STEPHEN FIFE (More info)
22 y.o. / Relief Pitcher / B: R, T: R
SP: -- / BA: -- / MLB: 15
LVL IP BB SO HR ERA WHIP
A- 38.2 11 41 1 2.33 1.01
SoxProspects.com:
Great pitcher's frame. At Utah, Fife worked middle relief in 2007 and earned a rotation spot for 2008. Four-seam fastball gets up to 95 mph, but generally sits between 90-93 mph. Great movement on his fastball, tailing down and in on righties. Two seamer sits around 90 mph and has a nice sink. Also works in a low 80s sharp slider and a biting 76-89 mph curve, both have excellent potential. Curveball is his out pitch. His changeup sits around 81-84 mph. Good command, pounds the zone. Extreme groundball pitcher. Workhorse, went deep into games in college, maintaining velocity well. Somewhat jerky delivery with a lot of torque - snaps the ball as it comes out of his hand. Really came on as a draft prospect late in the 2008 season.
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