Red Sox Top-15 Prospects of 2009, No's 5-15
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/boston-red-sox-top-15-prospects-5-to-15/
Boston Red Sox Top-15 Prospects of 2009, No’s 5 - 15
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5. Nick Hagadone | LHP | 1A Greenville | Age - 23 | Drafted - Round 1A(55), 2007
Fastball - 55 Now | 60 Future
Slider - 55 | 60
Change-Up - 40/45 | 50
Control - 45 | 55
Command - 50 | 55
Pitchability - 50 | 55
Final Grade - B
Body Type - Big and strong lefty
Stuff
Fastball - Sits between 92 and 95…possesses good movement with the ability to
spot pitch to both sides of the plate. An example of his fastball:
http://0rz.tw/5e5lj fastball
Slider - extremely tough on lefties, and gets hitters from the right side of
the plate to swing over top of it.
Change-Up - throws the pitch to right handers…pitch has improved since
college, but he needs to work on maintaining arm speed. The success of the
pitch could determine his fate as a starter though his other two pitches are
good enough to where it doesn’t have to necessarily be better than an average
pitch
Scouting Report
Hagadone is out until probably May as he recovers from Tommy John Surgery. When
healthy, he’s Boston’s 3rd or 4th best prospect.
Hagadone is strong in almost every peripheral that indicates future success: he
misses bats, generates ground balls, and throws strikes. His stuff matches the
peripherals.
Mechanically, he reminds me a bit of Jeff Francis at the beginning of his
wind-up, but each player’s arm action is very different. Hagadone loads his
scapula much more efficiently than Francis and is able to produce better arm
speed. He also has a faster tempo than Francis and drifts through his balance,
which you can see below. It’s also something I mentioned when profiling
Madison Bumgarner. When you take all these factors into account, you see why
Hagadone is able to throw 92 - 95 and Francis sits in the 86 - 88 range.
http://0rz.tw/445km
My last comment on Hagadone’s mechanics has to do with his finish. He lands a
little stiff-legged and ends up pitching somewhat uphill. As a result, his arm
has less room to decelerate and you see how his finish is a pretty abrupt. He
needs to find a way to give his arm more room to decelerate.
Best Case Outcome - No. 2 starter…durability is the biggest concern.
More Likely Outcome - No. 3 starter or multi-inning reliever out of the bullpen
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6. Junichi Tazawa | RHP | N/A | Age - 22 | Signed - Japan, 2008
Fastball - 50 Now | 50/55 Future
Curveball - 50 | 50
Forkball - 50 | 55
Control - 45 | 55
Command - 45 | 50
Pitchability - 45 | 50
Final Grade - B-
Body Type - small frame, athletic
Stuff
Fastball - 91 - 93, touching 94…some pop at the end, commands it pretty well…
keeps it down in the zone and on the corners…not a tremendous amount of
movement
Curveball - throws the pitch often, has two versions…one is slower and loopier
with a bigger break. It’s clocked in the mid-70’s, while the harder curve is
thrown in the upper 70’s or low 80’s. I like the higher velocity, harder
breaking version better.
Forkball - could also be called a change-up…tumbles toward home plate in the
low 80’s. Below is Tazawa’s fastball (right) and forkball (left). The
fastball is coming in at 91, while the forkball is clocked at 82.
http://0rz.tw/0c5oV forkball
http://0rz.tw/f55iJ fastball
Mechanics
His wind-up is kinda segmented. Leg kicks out, glove is pointed toward home,
leg swings around, glove is pulled in, pitching arm makes its way through its
arm path. He generates pretty good velocity, but might cost himself a mph or
two by halting his momentum at various points in his delivery. One thing worth
pointing out is his ability to consistently repeat his delivery.
Best Case Outcome- No. 3 starter
More Likely Outcome- No. 4 starter or quality reliever out of the bullpen
===============================================================================
7. Ryan Westmoreland | CF | B - L | N/A | Age - 19 | Drafted - Round 5, 2008
Contact - 40 Now | 55 Future
Power - 40 | 55
Discipline - 45 | 55
Speed - 55 | 55
Defense - 50 | 55
Arm - 55 | 60
Instincts - 50 | 60
Final Grade - B-
Body Type - athletic and projectable
Scouting Report
Shows good bat speed as he displays the ability to let the ball travel deep
into his hitting zone though he needs to work on keeping his hands back a
little more…ball jumps off his bat when he’s able to square up.
Reported to have excellent plate discipline. Displays a good combination of
power, discipline, and speed…considered a 5-tool player.
Defense - Solid range in center and shows off a cannon for an arm though he
needs to work on his accuracy.
Best Case Outcome - Top-5 center fielder
More Likely Outcome - Too early to say what he will most likely become. We’ll
see where he stands when he gets some at bats under his belt. He’ll be out
until some point in 2009 with a torn labrum.
=============================================================================
8. Stolmy Pimentel | RHP | Lowell (SS) | Age - 19 | Signed - Dominican
Republic, 2006
Fastball - 45 Now | 55 Future
Curveball - 45 | 55
Change-Up - 40 | 50
Control - 40 | 50
Command - 40 | 55
Pitchability - 40 | 50
Final Grade - B-
Body Type - tall and skinny, but with a projectable frame…athletic
Stuff
Fastball - pretty good command of the pitch, especially on the outer half of
the plate…decent movement to go along with average-above average velocity (91
- 94)
Curveball - a 12-to-6 curve with good bite…good enough to buckle knees at
times and he keeps the release point consistent with his fastball. Needs more
consistency in terms of command. Below is one of his better curves in this
particular outing:
http://0rz.tw/285hy
Change-Up - shows a good feel for the pitch…solid job of maintaining arm
speed, but needs to work on the pitch’s consistency
Mechanics
Really a smooth delivery…his tempo is slower than I like, but he picks up
speed where it counts. He employs the “kick-out” move to jump-start an
aggressive hip rotation, and he creates good separation between his torso and
hips. His arm action is loose and whip-like.
Other Notes - Good command at a very young age (just 19 heading into next
year). The age is the most intriguing thing about Pimentel right now. He’s a
fly ball pitcher and was hurt a little by the homerun ball last year, but
overall Pimentel was very impressive when you consider his age.
Best Case Outcome - Borderline No. 2–though when you’re as young as Pimentel,
every once in a while, a pitcher puts everything together and gets a boost in
the quality of his stuff. It’s a long shot, but the same thing can happen for
Pimental if the Red Sox are lucky. I am confident we will see an increase in
velocity to his fastball, at the very least.
More Likely Outcome - Solid No. 3 starter
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9. Michael Almanzar | 3b | B - R | Greenville (A) | Age - 18 | Signed -
Dominican Rep., 2007
Contact - 35 Now | 50 Future
Power - 40 | 60
Discipline - 35 | 45
Speed - 40 | 40
Defense - 40 | 50
Arm - 55 | 60
Instincts - 40 | 50
Final Grade - B-
Body Type - tall, lanky, but room to fill out
Scouting Report
I have yet to see Almazar play, but the reports all indicate he is a top level
talent though raw as a baseball player. He has very little professional
experience–just 229 ABs–but was stellar in his debut in the Gulf Coast
League. He was overmatched, however, in Greenville over the course of 140 ABs.
Almanzar is blessed with quick wrists and is able to generate excellent bat
speed despite some stiff mechanics in the box. One would expect his power to
develop as he fills out his projectable frame.
He needs work defensively, but has the athleticism and tools to make it at
third base.
Best Case Outcome - Top-10 third baseman
More Likely Outcome - Too early to say…there is obviously a big difference
between his upside and what he is now.
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10. Yamaico Navarro | SS | B - R | Greenville (A) | Age - 21 | Signed -
Dominican Rep., 2005
Contact - 35 Now | 45 Future
Power - 35/40 | 50
Discipline - 35 | 40/45
Speed - 50 | 50
Defense - 50 | 55
Arm - 55 | 55
Instincts - 40 | 50
Final Grade - B-
Body Type - Projectable and athletic
Scouting Report
Swings hard and as a result he makes hard contact. Good hand-eye coordination
allows him to make contact as much as he does. However, his plate discipline
leaves a lot to be desired. He’s often too aggressive at the plate and swings
at pitches he should be taking. Struggles on breaking balls.
Navarro possesses quick wrists and plenty of bat speed as he generally lets the
ball travel deep into his zone when he’s not out in front on off-speed stuff.
A mechanical flaw that makes Navarro susceptible to pitches away and breaking
stuff is how he strides into foot plant. As Navarro strides, there are times
where he seems to be drifting toward third base. When he does this, he ends up
planting well on the third base side. In the clip below, you’ll notice he has
a little Juan Uribe in him. That’s not necessarily the worst thing in the
world as long he learns there are times to cut down on the swing a bit and
develops some semblance of patience and discipline. Easier said that done,
however.
http://0rz.tw/f45fk
Navarro moved up from Greenville and posted an .880 OPS in Lancaster, but when
you take park factors into account, Navarro’s adjusted OPS was .831. Still,
that was much better than his previous output and he showed clear signs of
improvement in terms of contact rate.
Navarro’s specialty is his defense as he boasts good range, decent feet, and a
solid arm. He’s also versatile enough to play third and second, and possibly
center field if need be.
Best Case Outcome - Above average shortstop
More Likely Outcome - Average shortstop with solid defense…worst case is
utility player.
===============================================================================
11. Bryan Price | RHP | Lowell (SS) | Age - 22 | Drafted - 1A (45), 2008
Continuing the Breaking Down the Draft series, I compare Boston Red Sox Draft
Pick Bryan Price to New York Mets draft pick Brad Holt. Below is an excerpt
with Holt on the left and Price on the right:
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Resources/brad-holt.gif


As I watched the video of Bryan Price, who was drafted 48th overall this season
by the Boston Red Sox, his similarity to Mets draft pick Brad Holt struck me.
Both were drafted in similar spots, both offer plus fastballs, and both have
projectable, athletic builds.
Since signing, Holt has been just filthy. Holt currently sports a 1.75 ERA and
has the peripherals to back it up. He has 89 strikeouts in just 67 innings,
striking out one third of batters faced for a K% of 33. When contact is made,
it doesn't seem to be of the hard variety since Holt has a BABIP against of
.262 and has given up just nine extra-base hits. The only thing iffy has been
the control, but it hasn't hurt him because his power stuff has simply been too
tough to hit.
Price, on the other hand, stacks up well with Holt. The K% of 24, while solid,
isn't at Holt's level, but his groundball percentage of 58 makes up for some of
that difference. In addition, Price's control has been much better than his
college numbers indicate. Price's biggest problem has been hittability: a .350
BABIP against and nine extra base hits in less than half the innings.
To read the full length version of this article, please click here
http://0rz.tw/405aO
===============================================================================
12. Kyle Weiland | RHP | Lowell (SS) | Age - 22 | Drafted - Round 3, 2008
Polished and quality college pitcher with some solid stuff to match. He’s a
tall-and-fall pitcher which I’m not a big fan of, but he produces solid
velocity nonetheless.
http://0rz.tw/315nM
Weiland is another pitcher that tilts the shoulders, but he takes it another
level by placing the arm behind his butt and lifting his glove arm high in the
air and like a see-saw, as the glove arm drops, the throwing arm rises. Due to
his wind-up, Weiland is able to add some deception to his pitches. His throwing
arm is loose, and tension free from the dangling of his arm and a fastball with
good velocity is produced. Sometimes he doesn’t get the arm up quick enough
and he loses a bit of command on his pitches.
His fastball moves downward to generate ground balls. His curveball is solid
with a slurve like action, while the change-up is behind his top-2 pitches.
Weiland is being used as a starter after being used as a closer in college.
Grade - B-
===============================================================================
13. Casey Kelly | SS/RHP | B - R | GCL (Rookie) | Age - 19 | Drafted - Round 1
(30), 2008
A difficult player to grade because of his lack of experience and lack of
position–we don’t really know whether he will end up as a pitcher or hitter.
After reviewing him back in August, I initially liked him as a hitter more than
a pitcher because he had a higher upside in my mind. But I underestimated just
how raw he is as a player. His plate discipline and pitch recognition need a
lot of work and his swing has a few minor issues as well. I would prefer him as
a pitcher now, but I just don’t know what direction the Sox are going to take
with him.
Grade - C+
===============================================================================
14. Stephen Fife | RHP | Lowell (SS) | Age - 22 | Drafted - Round 3, 2008
Going against the grain as far as Sox picks go, Fife was actually a starter in
college and will be converted to reliever. His stuff plays well out of the
bullpen, as his fastball upticks a bit in velocity. Fife is an extreme ground
ball pitcher that also displays the ability to miss bats. He should move
quickly as a college pitcher that is already physically mature.
Grade - C+
===============================================================================
15. Oscar Tejeda | SS | B - R | Greenville (A) | Age - 19 | Signed - Dominican
Rep., 2006
===============================================================================
Other C+ Prospects (in no particular order): Ryan Kalish (good plate
discipline, hits the ball on the ground an alarming 62% of the time), Luis
Exposito, Eammon Portice (unique mechanics, looks like a future reliever)
C+/C Prospects: Derrick Gibson
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order): Felix Doubront, Che-Hsuan Lin,
Kris Johnson, Anthony Rizzo, Jon Still, Brock Huntzinger, Chris Carter, Dustin
Richardson, Austin Bailey, Jason Rice, Jason Place, Zach Daegas
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