Reviewing The Red Sox Top Prospects List

It's a new year, and that means a new top prospect list from you, the Over The Monster population.

Before we get started on voting for the new list, however, let's take a look back at the year that was, and how it went for our last top-20...

...which didn't include Xander Bogaerts or Will Middlebrooks. Oh my!

20. Juan Carlos Linares

The possibility that Linares could be a major league ready talent given his age and his domination of the Arizona Fall League helped him to narrowly beat out the aforementioned Mr. Bogaerts. Bogaerts went on to establish himself as the most exciting young prospect in the system by hitting 16 home runs over half a season in Greenville, while Linares played in only 17 games putting up an OPS under .800.

19. Sean Coyle

Often compared to Dustin Pedroia, Coyle seemed a bit more like J.D. Drew in his first season--right down to the injuries. A shoulder strain early in the year and a freak pitch to the mouth in the middle limited Coyle's first professional season both in terms of at bats and results. Aside from a short spell of ineffectiveness following his dental layoff, Coyle was something of a monster providing a surprising show of power...albeit with 110 strikeouts mixed in.

All the rest (in briefer fashion) after the jump.

18. Luis Exposito

Exposito's slow fade continued as his first exposure to Triple-A pitching went poorly. While his name remains on the 40-man for now, it's likely one of the first off should the Sox find themselves in need of a roster spot.

17. Brandon Workman

Remarkably consistent, rarely spectacular, Workman had the kind of season that would be more impressive at a higher level or a younger age.

16. Junichi Tazawa

Tazawa gained strength quickly as he returned from Tommy John Surgery, but he still has the same questions from before his injury.

15. Garin Cecchini

A strong season was cut short when a pitch broke Cecchini's wrist. He'll likely see his first exposure to full-season ball next year, which is one of the two biggest jumps minor leaguers make.

14. Oscar Tejeda

A beneficiary of BABIP last year, Tejeda was largely exposed in Portland.

13. Che-Hsuan Lin

After a typical Che-Hsuan Lin start to the season at Portland, Lin made his way up to Pawtucket where his strikeout and walk rates shifted just enough in the wrong direction to make him ineffective.

12. Yamaico Navarro

Gone to Kansas City after an uninspiring major league stint.

11. Ryan Westmoreland

Still working his way back after undergoing brain surgery, early last month Westmoreland faced live pitching for the first time since the operation.

10. Josh Reddick

Worked his way into the starting lineup for Boston, and then traded to the Oakland Athletics for Andrew Bailey.

9. Kolbrin Vitek

Vitek went through a prolonged slump in the middle of the year before coming on strong in the second half. He still hasn't shown any power, and it's not clear that he'll ever figure out third base, but he should move on to Portland next year all-the-same.

8. Lars Anderson

Nearly traded to the Athletics for Rich Harden, Lars didn't have the big season he needed to restore his prospect status. He's still just 24, but at this point it's hard to see or even remember the Anderson of 2008.

7. Stolmy Pimentel

After having one of the worst seasons in recent memory, Stolmy is in need of retooling, be it as a starter or a reliever. The latter would be a shame since his secondary offerings once seemed to have so much potential, but Double-A hitters were not fooled in the least.

6. Ryan Lavarnway

After struggling through the first month of the season, Ryan Lavarnway exploded for a huge May in Portland, and then missed not a step after a promotion to Pawtucket. Continues to show improvement behind the plate., He still needs to prove himself in the majors, but expectations are high.

5. Drake Britton

The aggressive approach of the Sox pushed Britton a bit too high a bit too fast. Having missed almost all of 2009 after Tommy John Surgery, Britton's development has been limited in recent years. The push to Salem after a reduced workload in Greenville led to Britton being shelled regularly. Still, he's got a better excuse than Stolmy, and could very well rebound.

4. Felix Doubront

Lost much of his momentum between conditioning and injury issues. He could still break camp with the Sox as a bullpen arm, but what the Sox really need is the up-and-coming starter who impressed in 2010.

3. Jose Iglesias

Clearly still struggling against the advanced competition the Sox have decided to line him up against, it's easy to forget that batters Jose's age are typically hanging out in Salem. It would be nice to have seen the bat immediately, and it's a question whether or not this approach will hurt Iglesias long-term, but he's still got time.

2. Anthony Ranaudo

The most exciting selection from 2010, Ranaudo's season was good, but not necessarily everything we may have dreamed of. It hasn't hurt his hype that much, however, and if he keeps up this pace he'll be ready to fill a regular spot in the rotation within a couple of years.

1. Ryan Kalish

Injured all year, Kalish had little success when he was off the field. He'll have to re-establish himself as the future right fielder this year, but there won't be much resistance to that idea if he has a solid season.

It seems like there's going to be quite a bit of change this year. Two of the guys likely to grace the top of the list didn't so much as make an appearance despite already being in the system, which is not to mention the various breakouts.

We'll get to the voting soon now, using the same rec system as last year. If you've got any suggestions on the process, feel free to leave them in the comments.

I'd also like to gauge the community's opinions on two players:

1) Ryan Kalish -- Prospect, or not?

2) Ryan Westmoreland -- Include him, or not?