[漁塭] 2009 Prospects: Boston Red Sox
Source: Swamigp's Weblog
The Boston Red Sox haven’t been spending much money of late, certainly not
like their rival, the New York Yankees. This is because they have players in
their minor league system to fill various holes. Many of whom can contribute as
soon as the 2009 season.
The Red Sox future, hitting-wise, is in the hands of first baseman Lars
Anderson, their top position prospect. The left-handed Anderson has a smooth
swing, and though he’s a power hitter, he isn’t a prototypical one. He’s not
a pull-hitter, and excels at hitting to the opposite field. He strikes out a
lot, particularly flailing at off-speed pitches, and also has a tough time
laying off high fastballs. When he doesn’t swing and miss, he’s putting his
power-hitting frame to work. He has a .316 batting average and has reached base
43% of the time during his short minor league career. He was drafted out of
Jesuit (California) High School in 2006 in the 18th round. He’s seen as a
home-run hitter, but has been more of a doubles-hitter in his two-year minor
league career. Because of this, and his preference to hit to left-field, I can
see him playing wall-ball with Fenway’s Green Monster sometime soon. Soon may
be as quick as a mid-season call-up. The Red Sox are aging at third-base, with
Mike Lowell, and at Designated Hitter, with David Ortiz, so Anderson would be a
welcome sight for Boston and their fans during a playoff push.
Michael Bowden, their #2 ranked prospect, is one of many talented pitchers in
the Red Sox farm system. The big right-hander has been in the the Red Sox minor
league system since 2005, and has taken advantage of the experience he has
gained. He was called up late last season and made one start, pitching five
innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, a walk, and three strikeouts. His
delivery is very deceptive, but awkward, one his coaches have been tempted to
tinker with. He isn’t a strikeout pitcher, with his fastball sitting in the
low 90’s, but gets outs via the groundball thanks to a sharp curveball and a
changeup full of movement. Boston thinks highly of him, and has been reluctant
to trade him (he was mentioned in their talks with the Minnesota Twins
regarding Johan Santana before the 2008 season), even with their surplus of
minor league pitchers. He should make an impact at some point with the Red Sox
this next season, whether as their fifth starter, or as an extra arm in their
bullpen.
Other notable top prospects in Boston’s system are starting pitcher Clay
Buchholz, and reliever Daniel Bard. Buchholz tossed a no-hitter with the Red
Sox against the Baltimore Orioles in 2007, but hasn’t been the same since. He
lost his command in his 2008 stint with the team, compiling a 2-9 record with a
6.75 ERA, prompting a demotion. He improved drastically in the Arizona Fall
League, as he gave up just 9 runs in 21 innings and boasted a 3.86 ERA. Bard,
23, is a hard-throwing right-hander who has pitched brilliantly over his past
two seasons spent with Single-A and Double-A. He has two fastballs, one that
touches 100 miles per hour on the radar gun, and a two-seamer that’s thrown in
the mid 90’s. Bard is primarily used as a middle reliever, and would be
nothing else for the Red Sox. Though both have a good chance to play with
Boston next season, Bard may be expendable. The Red Sox are already set in the
bullpen, with Jonathan Papelbon at closer, and Justin Masterson, Ramon Ramirez,
and Hideki Okajima holding down the main setup roles. Even still, he’s yet
another talented player in an excellent farm system that’s primed for a bright
future.
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