Podcasts are fun to make. I mean, most of the time they are. Sometimes a guest can be hard to pin down on something or maybe having a bad night for whatever reason (not that that has ever happened to us!) but mostly it's just a joy to get to talk to the amazing writers and baseball people that have graced the 68 different OTM podcasts. For the most part I have Marc Normandin to thank for that, but no matter who is responsible, I'm just damn lucky to be able to do this for fun.
Last night was a perfect example of that because even though Marc couldn't make the podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Mellen of Sox Prospects. Chris knows his stuff, he's been out there and seen the players and talked to other scouts and honestly he's just as good as it gets. He's so good in fact that he's recently joined Baseball Prospectus to assist with their prospect work. I spoke with him about a number of different things Red Sox minor league including, but not at all limited to:
- What are 'Instructs'
- Anthony Ranaudo and what his disappointing career to date means for his future
- The amazing Xander Bogaerts and where he might fit on the defensive spectrum
- Matt Barnes, skilled pitcher extraordinaire
- Why organizations might keep a player at a position that they don't think the player could handle at the major league level
- The new guys from L.A.: the lowdown on Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster
For Red Sox fans who just experienced the despair of the 2012 season, the Sox minor league system offers a glimpse into the future, a look at what the Red Sox can be a few years down the road. It may not seem it, but it really is an exciting time to be a Red Sox fan. So sit back and enjoy the 68th OTM Podcast!
You can subscribe to and/or download the podcast at iTunes and/or listen and/or download at our hosting site, Podomatic Email us with questions, media inquires and marriage proposals at OTMPodcast@gmail.com. Many thanks to Chris Mellen for his time an insight. Thanks to Kahoots, the official band of the OTM Podcast, and, of course, thanks to you for listening.