Yesterday we got a look at which Red Sox prospects Kevin Goldstein thinks are within the top 101 in all of baseball, but today he released something more Boston-centric: his top 11 Red Sox prospects list. It's misnamed, as it's actually profiles for the top 11 prospects in a system, but a ranking for the top 20.
If you want to read the profiles for those 11 prospects, you'll need a Baseball Prospectus subscription, but the list itself is available for anyone to view, as is Xander Bogaerts' profile.
If you followed along yesterday, you already know that Goldstein rated Brandon Jacobs as a top 50 prospect. He's the first-ranked four-star prospect on his Red Sox list, thanks to what Goldstein describes as a "perfect world projection" as a "star-level right fielder." Those are some strong words -- stronger than we're used to seeing about Jacobs -- but Goldstein also tells you about why that might not happen, as Jacobs has the tools, but is far from perfect.
Other tidbits of note:
- Bryce Brentz is ranked as a three-star outfielder, but Goldstein also sees him as a potential long-term solution in right field, possibly as soon as 2013.
- Alex Wilson is described as having "back-end starter potential" and "could help this year." He comes in ranked #15.
- Matt Barnes is ranked ahead of Anthony Ranaudo, but both of them are three-star prospects. There isn't another Red Sox pitching prospect ranked until Henry Owens at #14.
- Stolmy Pimentel and Drake Britton haven't fallen off of the list yet, but Pimentel's 2012 is described as a "potential make-or-break year" and Britton is considered possibly more viable in a bullpen role now, rather than as a starter.
- Don't start making Dustin Pedroia comparisons for Sean Coyle, but Goldstein's scouting report at least reads like Coyle wishes he were Dustin Pedroia.
- It should be noted that Ryan Kalish no longer has prospect eligibility, but on Goldstein's list of the Top 25 And Under talents in the Red Sox organization, he actually comes in ahead of everyone except Bogaerts.
- In the comments, Goldstein remarks that the three-star prospects are "well into the teens. Choke point is 16 or so", meaning Alex Wilson is a three-star guy. That's a pretty deep system, even if it lacks star power.