2012 Prospect Previews: Reynaldo Rodriguez and Kendrick Perkins

With Spring Training set to get under way, SoxProspects.com will be taking an in depth look at many of the system's prospects with previews set for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday leading up to Opening Day. The third edition of the series features a first baseman trying to prove himself in the upper minors and a young outfielder working to get his footing as a professional.

Reynaldo Rodriguez
Position: First Base
2011 Teams: Salem Red Sox/Portland Sea Dogs
2012 Projected Team: Portland Sea Dogs
Opening Day Age: 26

Strengths: Rodriguez excels at turning on inside fastballs, quickly driving the head of the bat through the hitting zone when he is pulling his hands inside of the baseball. With a relatively short swing and easy load, he is capable of turning around the consistent higher velocity fastballs seen in the upper levels of the minors. Rodriguez shows solid-average power potential, utilizing his lower body in his swing mechanics to generate torque as he impacts the ball and produce backspin when driving offerings. He understands how to create loft with his swing, especially with pitches from his thighs to the belt. While his batspeed is not above-average, he makes up for it by being quick with his trigger. Rodriguez looks to use the whole field, creating extension against pitches on the outer third to drive them to the opposite field. Defensively he handles himself well around the bag at first base. He is fairly light on his feet and fluid going to both his left or right. Rodriguez flashes a soft glove, aiding his infielders by being able to react to off-target throws.

Development Needs: Rodriguez has been old for the level of competition since joining the Red Sox organization out of the independent Golden Baseball League in 2009. He is untested and inexperienced against advanced secondary offerings. This showed during his time in Double-A last season. Rodriguez over-commits against breaking balls, often getting off-balanced on his front foot due to being fooled and he ends up punching with his bat or flicking the head of the bat to produce weak contact. He will have to adjust to prevent opposing pitchers from consistently feeding him secondary offerings. Rodriguez is also not overly patient and goes into ruts of hitting behind in counts after trying to attack the first fastball he sees regardless of its location. Logging experience will help him gain trust in his batting eye. While Rodriguez has a power element to his game, he does not have the power of a regular first baseman. Even with a fast learning curve in demonstrating he can make consistent contact, he looks most likely to have the ceiling of an up-and-down player within a second division team’s organization.

2012 Outlook: Rodriguez slots in as the starting first baseman on the Portland Sea Dogs and will get the chance to prove he can consistently hit in Double-A during the 2012 season. His stint at the end of last season should help to give him more of a feel for the level of competition he will face heading into this year. Rodriguez has hitting talent and has thus far made the most of the second chance at a professional career the Red Sox gave him in 2009. With dedication to keeping his weight back and producing better contact against secondary offerings, he has a good shot to put up solid-average power numbers and maintain a higher batting average during his time in Double-A. Due to his age, Rodriguez is behind the curve, but can show he is ready for Triple-A by mid-season. He provides the club with organizational depth this season and could also draw some interest from a team out of contention as a player in the back-end of a trade or potential Rule 5 pick during the 2012 off-season.

Kendrick Perkins
Position: Outfield
2011 Team: Gulf Coast Red Sox
2011 Projected Team: Lowell Spinners/ Greenville Drive
Opening Day Age: 20

Strengths: A former football player, Perkins has a sturdy, well-filled out frame that is designed to generate power. His strong wrists allow him to whip the head of the bat from the left-side of the plate with force. Perkins’ swing is geared towards producing lift and his raw power grades out as plus. With solid batspeed, his hit tool shows to be average-to-solid-average. Perkins is capable of producing enough solid contact as he matures to project as an average-to-better hitter for average. Now firmly focused on baseball since signing in 2010, he is the type of player who it can suddenly click two to three seasons into his career as his experience level begins catching up to his tools. The organization has moved on the slower side with Perkins to ease him into the professional environment. A good athlete, Perkins is slow out of the batter’s box, but his top speed clocks in at solid-average. He moves well for a bigger player and has the footspeed to play a corner outfield spot. Perkins has been improving with his reads in the outfield. His package of tools puts his ceiling as a power hitting middle-of-the-order bat, with 25-30 home run potential.

Development Needs: While Perkins has solid tools, he is a very raw player. His approach, plate discipline, and pitch recognition have been built from the ground up. Perkins doesn’t presently pick up offerings well out of opposing pitchers’ hands, leading to a lot of bad swings against secondary offerings. When he is caught in-between guessing, average fastballs tie him up due to the longer nature of his swing and he cannot get good wood on the ball to drive it. Repetition seeing pitches will help Perkins catch up to the caliber of professional pitching to enhance the amount of hard contact he makes, but he also has some mechanical flaws that need ironing out. His swing is rough. Perkins tends to hit out on his front foot, landing stiffly with his stride. His hands come too far forward with him and he is reduced to hitting primarily with his arms. The head of the bat also loops down under the ball leading to him missing the center of the baseball with the sweet spot of the bat due to opening up too early. Improvement of his balance and separation with his hands are keys to him tapping into his natural power, as well as unlocking his ability to square up the baseball frequently.

2012 Outlook: Perkins is in the mix to break camp with the Greenville Drive when the 2012 season gets underway. He could possibly stay back in Extended Spring Training for more instruction time and play with the Lowell Spinners, but showed signs of making improvements relaxing in the batter’s box during the latter portion of his time in the Gulf Coast League in 2011. He will be challenged this season to make strides cleaning up his hitting mechanics and this will be a good tell as to where his development is headed. Given the rough nature of his mechanics, it could be a struggle in 2012 for him to make consistent hard contact. Positive signs of improvement in this area will show in longer stretches of making hard contact. Perkins’ work with his pitch recognition is also vital to him making progress tapping into his hit tool as he tracks through the lower minors. Development steps should be expected to be slow and steady given his level of baseball experience. I do not see him as a prime candidate to break out in 2012, but a player to watch this season for the subtle clues and tells in evaluating whether his work during practice sessions is beginning to transfer into game action.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

Red Sox sign first baseman Mauro Gomez to minor league deal

Baseball America's Matt Eddy reported on Twitter that the Red Sox have signed first baseman Mauro Gomez to a minor league contract.

Gomez, 27, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Texas Rangers in 2003. He initially showed some power in his first season with significant playing time in 2007. As a member of Low-A Clinton, Gomez hit .262/.316/.445 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI.

The right-handed hitting Gomez has flourished the past few seasons after joining the Atlanta organization in 2010. Last season as a member of Triple-A Gwinnett, Gomez hit .304/.356/.522 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI in 135 games. Gomez seems to have improved his strike zone recognition lately, being more selective at the plate and getting on base at a .398 clip the second half of last season.

Gomez figures to be in the mix for significant playing time as a member of Triple-A Pawtucket in 2012.

Announcement: Twitter change in @SoxProspects account

Just a quick announcement for those who follow us on Twitter: We've done some tweaking to our Twitter lineup. Last night, the account that used to be @SoxProspects, which had been something of a hybrid between the site's official Twitter account and the personal account of site Editor-in-Chief Mike Andrews, became @MikeAndrewsSP, which will now be Mike's personal account. We have created a new account, @SoxProspects, which will be the official Twitter feed for the website.

For the visual learners out there:

Before                      | Now                           

(old) @SoxProspects | @MikeAndrewsSP

(nothing)                   | (new) @SoxProspects

Sorry if this is a bit confusing, but we hope that you will all add the new @SoxProspects account! Special thanks to our new Social Media Specialist, J.P. Kitson, who is helping us implement some new and exciting stuff with Twitter and our Facebook page.

(A note from Chris: I'm going to be writing a piece about Twitter that will include a list of the staff's respective Twitter accounts, as well as lists of accounts for Red Sox and general prospect news and for the Sox prospects themselves, so keep an eye out for that soon!)

Red Sox sign Australian LHP Daniel McGrath

The Red Sox have agreed to a contract with 17-year-old Australian phenom Daniel McGrath. The news of the left-handed pitcher’s signing was originally reported on Twitter by the Doncaster Dragons, McGrath’s amateur team. Doncaster followed up with an official press release.

The 6’3” McGrath has been a fixture on the Australian junior circuit since his debut with his under-14 team in 2007. At only 15, McGrath was the youngest player named to the 2010 Australian Under-19 National Team. At the recent Oceania Under-19 Championship held in Guam, McGrath made two appearances, striking out 17 over 9 innings. Scouts reported that McGrath showed the best velocity in the tournament, at times reaching 91 MPH.

Terms of the signing have not yet been disclosed. According to Rob Bradford at WEEI, McGrath will report to Fort Myers during spring training before returning to Australia to finish high school.

McGrath’s signing continues a trend of aggressive action in the South Pacific under Red Sox Pacific Rim scouting coordinator Jon Deeble. Among the current Sox minor leaguers signed from that region by Deeble and former international scouting director Craig Shipley are Australians Mitch Dening, Justin Erasmus, and Boss Moanaroa, as well as Beau Bishop out of New Zealand.

2/9 Update: According to a major league source cited by Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, McGrath signed for $400,000.

2012 Prospect Previews: Williams Jerez and Heiker Meneses

With Spring Training set to get under way, SoxProspects.com will be taking an in depth look at many of the system's prospects with previews set for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday leading up to Opening Day. The second installment of the series features a toolsy 2011 Draft Pick in the early stages of his development and an infielder looking to keep moving forward in 2012.

Williams Jerez
Position: Outfield
2011 Team: Gulf Coast Red Sox
2012 Projected Team: Lowell Spinners
Opening Day Age: 19

Strengths: A potential 5-tool player, Jerez is an impressive athlete with an ideal hitter’s frame. He generates plus batspeed from the left side of the plate and has the type of swing path to project out to generate average-to-better power as he matures in the professional ranks. His swing load shows a lot of fluidity to it, most likely requiring little tweaking as his pro career gets going. He demonstrates solid bat control, easily guiding the head of the bat through the hitting zone and has the hit tool to produce high levels of hard contact. A natural centerfielder with strong instincts reading balls off the bat, Jerez has long, powerful strides when tracking flyballs and quickly accelerates to his top speed, which grades out as plus. He covers both gaps well. His defensive game is accented by a plus throwing arm that has shown solid accuracy since Jerez controls his body well when getting himself into throwing position. He has the makings of an above-average defender. Jerez’s overall package of tools makes him a prospect with a lot of upside.

Development Needs: As with many young, high upside players, Jerez has a lot of rough edges that need to be polished off in the early portion of his career. He wasn’t overly challenged by strong competition in High School and his pitch recognition is presently well-below average. Jerez is in the early learning stages of picking up more advanced secondary offerings. He lunges against breaking balls, bringing his hands too far forward to cause him to either roll over the pitch or swing over the top of it. Further experience should help him relax more at the plate. His work improving both his pitch recognition and approach will be keys to allowing his solid-average hit tool to show. Despite having a strong body, Jerez will have to learn how to tap into his power potential, most notably incorporating his lower half into his swing mechanics. He presently tries to drive balls exclusively with his arms causing him to hit with too much topspin and not get enough carry behind his drives. Jerez has the defensive skills to stick in centerfield, but how much he fills out into his frame down the line will dictate whether he ends up moving to a corner outfield slot, which would put more of a premium on his bat.

2012 Outlook: After signing last summer and playing in the Gulf Coast League, Jerez looks likely to stay back in Extended Spring Training before heading north with the Lowell Spinners. His pitch recognition and approach could stand to get some more work in an instructional environment before being tested against pitchers with more experience and polish. However, if he shows signs of picking up things quicker in the spring, he could be in the mix for a placement with Greenville to break camp or earn a promotion before the New York-Penn League season begins. 2012 is a year of gaining experience for Jerez. His hit tool is most likely going to be suppressed, but he should show flashes of the ability to drive the ball hard around the ballpark. I do not expect strong in game power from Jerez out of the gate. It will take time for him to learn how to use his whole body in his swing mechanics and the power is a couple of seasons away from starting to show. By the end of the season, Jerez has a chance to be a rising young hitter within the ranks of the Red Sox organization. His numbers may not jump off the page when 2012 wraps up, but he has the type of tools to become a very well-rounded baseball player as the experience begins to accumulate.

Heiker Meneses
Position: Infielder
2011 Teams: Greenville Drive/Salem Red Sox/Portland Sea Dogs
2012 Projected Team: Salem Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 20

Strengths: Meneses utilizes a low maintenance, compact stroke that generates about solid-average batspeed through the hitting zone. With quick wrists, he does a solid job of barreling up pitches middle-to-in and shows some pop out to the left-center field gap. Meneses profiles as a gap hitter, capable of pulling balls with backspin and hitting pitches hard on a line when going after offerings in his hitting zone. He shows the ability to adjust more quickly against advancing competition, making strides improving his pitch recognition during the 2011 season. Possessing plus speed, he can impact the game on the base paths and has been improving with his reads when attempting to swipe a base. Meneses can play shortstop, second base, and third base defensively. He displays fluid actions and sound fundamentals at either of the positions. With a quick first step, he covers better-than-average ground at shortstop and has above-average range at the hot corner or second base. He projects out as a solid-average defensive infielder with continued work reading the ball off the bat.

Development Needs: On the smaller side and relatively filled out, Meneses has at best below-average power potential. Much of his offensive impact rests in his ability to make consistent, hard contact as he advances up the ranks of the organization. Meneses presently has a hole covering the outer third of the plate, which leaves him vulnerable to higher velocity fastballs away from him. To reach his potential as a gap-to-gap hitter, more work learning how to hit to the opposite field is needed to increase the zones to which he can drive offerings. If he can’t improve covering the entire plate, he most likely will not hit enough to be more than an organizational player. While showing improvement with his pitch recognition, Meneses still struggles with advanced secondary offerings. He has a tendency to get too far out on his front foot due to guessing in counts. When his weight is over-committed, his bat drags or yanks through the hitting zone. This causes him to produce weak contact on the ground. Meneses has solid defensive tools at shortstop, but looks better suited to play second base. His solid-average throwing arm is strained when making long plays from deep in the hole and his range to his right can be limited.

2012 Outlook: Meneses played at three levels in 2011, shuffling around some due to the injuries that hit the middle infield during the middle of the season. He should have an inside track at manning one of the infield positions with the Salem Red Sox. Offensively, 2012 is a season for him to continue his learning curve against more advanced secondary offerings and improve with how quickly he picks these offerings up out of opposing pitchers’ hands. By eliminating the instances he guesses in counts, Meneses has the ability to put up rising contact rates during the season. He will be tested to hit the other way with more frequency at this level. This will be a key developmental aspect for him to progress towards becoming a consistent contact hitter and show he can make it at higher levels. With strides made in these areas, I see him projecting as a future utility infielder at the major league level. Meneses showed developing skills in 2011, and 2012 is a season to continue gaining experience to push those skills towards being ready for a long-term assignment in Double-A.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

Bogaerts opening eyes

Nineteen-year-old Aruban shortstop Xander Bogaerts has the highest potential of any prospect in the Red Sox minor league system. Period. That’s why it’s not surprising that he’s ranked as a top-three prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com, Baseball America, MLB.com and minorleagueball.com, despite likely being a few years away from even getting a shot at the major leagues. 

Bogaerts’ baseball career has been quite an interesting journey -- from learning the game in his grandmother’s backyard in Aruba, to signing a professional contract with the Red Sox in August 2009 on the same day that his twin brother, Jair, signed with the club, to vaulting to top-prospect status in Greenville, S.C., in 2011.

Check out the full column on ESPN Boston

Red Sox sign RHP Sean White to minor league deal

Baseball America is reporting that the Red Sox have signed RHP Sean White to a minor league contract. The 30-year-old pitcher has appeared in 105 major league games, all with the Seattle Mariners, posting a career 4.16 ERA in 134.0 innings. White spent all of 2011 pitching for the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, joined for parts of the season by recent Red Sox signees John Maine and Aaron Cook, making 53 appearances, 6 starts, allowing 103 hits in 82.1 innings and posting a 5.68 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

White was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of the University of Washington in the eighth round of the 2003 amateur draft. He was selected by Seattle in the Rule 5 draft prior to the 2007 season, making his major league debut that year. His biggest weapon is his sinker, which has allowed him to have very low home run rates throughout his career. White will compete for a spot in the Pawtucket bullpen this season.

Atchison clears waivers, invited to spring training

Scott Atchison (Dave Letizi)

Scott Atchison, who was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 26 in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for outfielder Cody Ross, has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket. As part of the move, the 35-year-old right-hander will receive an invite to spring training. Atchison compiled a 3.26 ERA with a win and a save in 30.1 innings out of the Boston bullpen in 2011. He spent the remainder of the season with Pawtucket, posting a 6-2 record with a 2.64 ERA and 5 saves in 61.1 innings out of the PawSox bullpen. 

Atchison is entering his third year with the organization and will be in the mix to land a spot in Boston's bullpen during the spring.