clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

2013 Red Sox Top Prospect Voting #19: The Last First Rounder

Pat Light is the last of Boston's 2012 first round picks to make his way onto the list at #18.

By Ben Buchanan
William Vanderson

Much like with Brian Johnson, it can be hard to remember Pat Light. The Red Sox, after all, drafted nine or so variations of him in a row last year, picking up right-handed pitcher after right-handed pitcher. Still, as you might expect, there are tiers to these righties, and given his place as the 37th overall pick, Light comes in pretty high on that list.

So what does Mr. Light bring to the table? A nice big fastball with the sort of movement that means he can throw it over and over and over again and just keep getting outs with it. There's also a slider there, which could be a very useful out pitch at the major league level if it continues to develop. Where things get tricky is what's there beyond those two pitches.

With those two alone, Light is likely headed for a career in relief pitching, though there's something to be said for a guy with a moving fastball and a slider in the rotation if the slider is good enough and he can stay consistent over the course of a 100-pitch outing. But really, Light's future could ride on his development of a changeup. It's that changeup which inspired John Sickels to give Light a B- rating and the eleventh spot on his top Red Sox prospects list.

Still, if he can't make that changeup work, his fastball and slider definitely seem like enough to make him a late-inning reliever, and there's nothing wrong with filling up those spots with talent on the cheap either.

  1. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  2. Jackie Bradley, OF
  3. Matt Barnes, RHP
  4. Rubby De La Rosa, RHP
  5. Allen Webster, RHP
  6. Garin Cecchini, 3B
  7. Henry Owens, LHP
  8. Shooting Victim #1
  9. Blake Swihart, C
  10. Brandon Workman, RHP
  11. Jose Iglesias, SS
  12. Deven Marrero, SS
  13. Brian Johnson, LHP
  14. Jose Vinicio, SS
  15. Drake Britton, LHP
  16. Brandon Jacobs, OF
  17. Anthony Ranaudo, RHP
  18. Pat Light, RHP

Two to go. You know the drill.

I'll name candidates in the comments below, and you rec the comment of the player you want to vote for. For those unfamiliar with how to go about that, just click "actions" underneath the comment and then "rec." Nice and easy, though you do have to be a member to join in.

On the off chance I forget or otherwise leave someone out, you are free to start your own voting thread for that player. I'll even give it a rec of my own to make up for your vote.

Vote away!

More From Over the Monster