Home.... Transactions... Depth Chart... 40-Man Roster... 2025 Projected Rosters... Podcast
News.. Lineups.. Stats.. Payroll.. Draft History.. International Signings.. Scouting Log.. Forum

SoxProspects News

January 26, 2007 at 11:59 PM

Red Sox, Drew make it official


In contrast to recent signings, which featured a signing ceremony and a smiling player, in a Friday conference call the Red Sox confirmed that they have settled on contractual language with J. D. Drew, announcing him officially as a member of the team. The contractual language in question represents protection for the Red Sox in the event of a specific injury. The Sox will be able to opt out of the five year contract in the deal’s third or fourth year if Drew spends a certain number of days (reportedly 35) on the disabled list as a result of a prior right shoulder injury for which he underwent surgery in September 2005. This announcement represented the culmination of a seven week process from an agreement in principle during the winter meetings, to questions being raised by the Sox medical staff after the routine pre-contract physical, to a reported positive second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. Drew, whose proper name is David Jonathan Drew, will succeed the recently departed Trot Nixon in right field and is widely expected to bat fifth in the Sox lineup. He is a career .286/.393/.512 in eight big league seasons.
Read full post ...

at 3:40 PM

Kevin Goldstein Chat


Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus was kind enough to chat with some members of the SoxProspects.com message board. Special thanks to Kevin for his answers and Jonathan Singer for organizing. Here’s a select portion:


How does BP foresee the quality (especially depth) of the 2007 draft compared with drafts from, say, the past 5 years or so?
With all sorts of disclaimers here that it's early, the college class looks remarkably similar to last year's class with nice pitching depth, including a few elite-level arms, and very few hitters – that's something that is possibly becoming a trend. The high school class, however, is a great improvement from 2006. Right now, overall, I'd call it an average year.

Tony Granadillo has been mentioned as a possible sleeper in some circles. What do baseball professionals feel are Granadillo's strengths, weaknesses, and most likely peak? Does he have the physical ability to play a middle infield position on an everyday basis?
Granadillo is generally seen as a pretty marginal prospect. He has decent hitting skills, he has gap power, but to address the most important part of your question, he really does have the athleticism or skills to play in the middle of the infield, and he doesn't have the bat to play third base every day.

You recently listed Clay Buchholz as the number 1 prospect in the Sox system, while most other sites have Ellsbury as the number 1 prospect. Are you especially high on Buchholz, or low on Ellsbury? What do you see the ceilings as for both?
It's a very close 1-2 for me. I think it's a case of both situations, where I might like Buchholz a little more than most, and Ellsbury a little less than most, and that's enough to give Buchholz the slight edge. Scouts who saw Buchholz towards the end of the season were completely blown away by him, and for me, a potential all-star starting pitcher is worth more than an above-average centerfielder/leadoff man.

My question concerns Luis Soto. At 21, he has put up decent numbers in winter ball. He seems to have a solid package of skills, but hasn't yet been able to translate them to performance. What are the chances he still ends up a top prospect in the near future? Is there a major flaw in his game that will hold him back?
I think time is running out. He's made very little progress offensively – his power remains raw, he still has contact troubles, right-handers give him fits and it's just not enough to be an every day outfielder.

Do you have any opinion concerning the two young Dominican prospects - Moises Tejeda & Angel Beltre? Specifically how do they rate when compared to other similarly aged Dominican prospects ?
They're both very nice pickups who have nice tools and up-the-middle defensive skills. I don't think they're in the same league as a guy like Villalona (Giants), but they're in the top 10 Latin American signs – probably the top six.

Which of the '06 draft picks is most likely in your mind to take a big step forward this year?
If you are talking about Red Sox guys, I like Bryce Cox and Jason Place quite a bit, but that's a little easy, so gimme Ryan Kalish.

Who is likely to be the top prospect of the group after years end?
Buchholz will likely still be a prospect next year.

Who do you think is likely to take a step back?
That's a weird question. I don't really rank anyway high if I think they're going to step back. I will say that I think Lars Anderson might disappoint some, but I see that question is coming down the pipe here, so we'll get to that soon.

Where do you see the Sox placing Bard and Lars?
I could see both starting at Low A, with Bard moving out of there quickly if he seems to have everything together.

Could you give a clarification of your rankings for prospects? (i.e., what's an excellent prospect, what’s an average, etc?)
In general, Excellent has been elite – top 50 or so talent. Very Good is 50-100, Good is on the fringes and Average is what's left. I decided not to use anything below Average, though I maybe could have with some systems.

In your opinion where would you rank the Sox system throughout baseball?
Dunno. I'm still rolling through my Top 10s, and I use that exercise to gauge system strength. My gut tells me they're in the top half, but not in the top five or anything.

Any thoughts on the Red Sox draft and follow prospects? Specifically Kyle Gilligan, Brandon Belt, and Kyle Snyder.
The guy I know the most about is Belt – who my Texas contact really loved for his size and upside. He also saw him as raw and inconsistent, and thought DFE-ing him was the best bet.

David Murphy has always had very good raw power (including BP displays) but never had very good game power (outside of doubles really). Do you think he will ever add more power, and do the reported 10-15 lbs of weight gain improve his stock (as a corner OF) or hurt it (less mobility to stay in CF where he seems below average)?
It's really hard to know what the weight is going to do until we see him out there – I've seen it be a good thing, I've seen it be a bad thing. I still think he'll have a fine career as a bench outfielder/occasional starter.

What do you make of Bowden's changeup? Did it improve much over the year? In what areas is it good, or bad (i.e., deception, movement, control)? It seems to me this is the pitch that will be the difference between him being better in the rotation or the bullpen.
It could use improvement in all of the departments you listed here. This is nothing to be upset about, he was 19 years old and he needs a better changeup – that's pretty common. The good news is he works hard and takes well to coaching. It's not an awful pitch, it's just not good yet. Nobody is talking about moving him to the bullpen.

You seem to have not fallen for the Lars Anderson kool-aid (versus Sickels and Callis), do you feel that they are overvaluing him, or that you are being more cautious?
I'm not going to take a shot at Callis, he's a good friend and also somebody who taught me many things. I think there is probably two things going on here. #1 – I have a personal bias against first base prospects – they have to be AMAZING hitters to make it, because their only value is in the bat. #2 – I talked to multiple west coast stats who saw him as an amateur and they loved the plus-plus power, but saw that as his only tool. They didn't see him as a true first-round talent, more of a second with both significant talent and significant risk. I don't hate the guy, he'd be 11-13 for me.


Did Edgar Martinez's off-speed stuff improve at all this past year? How about his control?
No, yes. The bad news is that he's looking more and more like a one-pitch pitcher with limited upside.

Where does Ty Weeden's power rank on the 20-80 scale? Is there ANY hope that he can stay behind the plate, or is there too much depth ahead of him for the Sox to be patient enough?
The most attractive part of Weeden's game in high school was definitely his raw power, which is certainly above-average. It's really not about patience, it's about wasting time – he's not going to be able to stay at catcher long term.

Does BP (or yourself) look at much video of draftees and minor leaguers to draw conclusions? In addition, what do you make of Jeff Albert's work regarding drafting based on video analysis of swing and his conclusions? This would seem like an ideal way for offering scouting analysis on the internet, and was wondering if BP had any plans for this type of work.
I couldn't open the link, and I'm not aware of the work, but I'm also incredibly leery of the conclusions as they are stated here. I can think of some crazy pretty swings from some bad prospects and I can think of some all-stars who have anything but ideal hitting mechanics. To the first part – yes, I watch tons of video. I Tivo truckloads of college baseball and I'm lucky enough to acquire DVDs of most of the top prospects that I watch incessantly as my girlfriend looks at me in utter disbelief.

Regarding former Sox prospects: this past year we saw the Sox deal away players who weren't looking very good blossom into stars elsewhere. Do you feel that the Sox' scouting department is poor in assessing their own? Or is it just bad luck?
Or is it that you got to pay something to get something? Not every deal is about taking advantage of a situation or trying to rip anyone off – both teams have to feel they're getting something good in order to get it done.

Andy Marte had a rough year in AAA this year and his star has diminished. What was the biggest reason for his poor year? Did the Braves and/or Sox see something in him prior to last year's campaign to lead them to believe that Marte was overvalued as a prospect?
I think he was definitely overrated by the prospect-ranking world, but I still think he'll have a solid career. He lost some athleticism and he stopped getting better. I know I was much higher on him than I am now.

From a scouting standpoint, what was the biggest reason for Hanley's improbable jump from AA disappointment to NL Rookie of the Year?
Boredom? I know that doesn't say a lot about makeup, but I graduated high school with a C average yet I got a 1420 on the SATs with a 790 math score, a subject I also got Cs in. I was bored. That's one possibility.

What is your opinion of Kris Negron? does he have the potential to be a big league SS or 2B?
Well, as the saying goes, 222 guys were picked ahead of him for a reason, so let's not jump on the bandwagon yet. That said, I like his speed, and I think he has a better approach than most teenagers, so that's a good start.

What is your opinion of Tommy Hottovy? Does he have better potential than Abe Alvarez or Kason Gabbard?
Aim High! Actually, those are fair comps in the sense that Hottovy is a very fringy arm who succeeds on command and keeping hitters off balance.

You write that Pedroia is an "average" prospect. What do you mean by "average" prospect in this context? (There is a constant question as to how to balance risk vs. upside - Pedroia may be a good example of that.)
Pedroia is definitely at the bottom of one end of the risk/upside curve. I think the chances of him being a productive second baseman are very, very high. I think the chance of him being a star or impact player is very very low. Philosophically, I think a system is about finding impact players, as average starters are still relatively cheap on the free agent market – provided they're not pitchers.

Any more thoughts on why Hansen is a category below Cox, rather than simply below him but in the same category?
Hansen's definitely taken a step backwards, and Cox's slider right now is just plain better, and one of the very best in the minor leagues.

In the past BP (for better or worse) relied very heavily on PECOTA when forming their top prospects list. What role, if any, does PECOTA play in your lists? Also, in terms of how you decide on your rankings, does your method differ from the methods used at BA? If so, how?
I looked at PECOTA, but at the same time, I leaned mostly on the same way I ranked prospects when I was at BA. I've certainly learned some stuff during my year at BP, and I think I rank guys better now than I did in the past.

Which under the radar (less talked about/hyped) prospects in the Red Sox system have the best chance of breaking out this year and being considered legit prospects?
I feel like if I don't say Tony Granadillo, a certain Red Sox fan is going to get very angry. How about Brandon Moss building on his nice second half and fine showing in the Dominican this winter to rake his way back into the top 10?

Kyle Jackson was added to the 40-man roster this off season. What kind of bullpen role does he project to?
Jackson has neither the stuff, nor the control to be a late-innings leverage guy, but he's got enough to be a solid middle reliever.

What are your thoughts on Nick DeBarr (the Sox Rule 5 pick this year)? Does he have a future as a major leaguer? What kind of role does he project to in the future?
I think he's worth the 25K risk, but at the same time, I'll be surprised if he sticks. The Sox insist he'll get a real chance in spring training. He's a sinker/slider guy with nice movement on the fastball, pretty good height and above-average command – I like his chances for a career – not stardom – but a career.

Read full post ...

January 13, 2007 at 9:02 PM

Boston Brings Back Snyder


The Boston Red Sox have announced that they have come to terms with 29-year-old RHP Kyle Snyder on a one year contract, thereby avoiding arbitration. He is expected to compete for a spot in the Boston bullpen. Snyder was acquired by the Red Sox last June via waivers from the Kansas City Royals. With the Sox he went 4-5 with a 6.02 ERA (10 starts, 16 games). Snyder has no minor league options remaining and so must make the Red Sox out of spring training or risk exposure through the waiver process if he is sent down. Snyder utilizes a fastball, slider, curve, and a changeup. The fastball sits in the low 90s with some sink.
Read full post ...

January 8, 2007 at 1:09 PM

Red Sox Rookie Development Program kicks off


The third annual Red Sox Rookie Development Program began this afternoon at noon at Boston College. The development program is a 10-day camp that allows the organization's major and minor league coaches to instruct MLB-ready prospects on life in the big leagues. The players are tutored on the physical and mental aspects of playing in the big leagues, particularly in Boston. There are sessions on dealing with the media, money management, alcohol, drugs, umpire relations, and other obstacles players may face upon reaching the major leagues. Typically, mornings are spent working out and afternoons in classrooms. The program also gives the players a chance to get to know some of their fellow up-and-coming prospects who may have played at different levels during past seasons. The players are selected by Red Sox management based on projections of who may be promoted to Boston in the coming year. The twelve prospects participating in this year’s camp are Craig Hansen (above left), Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, George Kottaras, David Murphy, Brandon Moss, Chad Spann, Edgar Martinez, Kyle Jackson, Kason Gabbard, David Pauley, and Nick Debarr. Other Red Sox players who have attended the program in the past include Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, and Abe Alvarez.
Read full post ...

January 5, 2007 at 12:55 PM

Red Sox net draft pick for Foulke


The Red Sox gained a 2007 supplemental first round draft pick when the Cleveland Indians signed Keith Foulke on Thursday. Presently that pick is slotted as the 53rd overall pick of the draft, but could slide as low as 56 if Ron Villone, Scott Schoeneweis, or Mark Mulder sign with teams other than their respective 2007 organizations. Previously, Boston lost its 2007 first round pick (20th overall) to the Dodgers as compensation for the signing of Julio Lugo. However, the Sox also garnered another supplemental pick (41st overall) for losing Alex Gonzalez to free agency. Boston also possesses the 20th pick in rounds 2 – 50, and does not stand to gain any further picks as the team’s remaining free agents were not offered salary arbitration. Nor should Boston stand to lose any further picks unless the team opts to sign one of the few remaining Type-A free agents.
Editor's Note: As of January 22, the Foulke compensatory pick will be the 54th overall pick of the draft.
Read full post ...

January 4, 2007 at 11:55 PM

Pineiro signs contract with incentives to close


The Boston Red Sox confirmed that they have signed RHP Joel Pineiro to a one-year contract (with a mutual option for 2008), reportedly worth $4 million--with $2 million in incentives based on games finished. It has been widely speculated in the media that Pineiro represents the Red Sox prime candidate to fill their vacant closer role. Pineiro, age 28, represents a reclamation project, joining Boston after being non-tendered by Seattle following his worst year as a professional (8-13, 6.36 ERA). After spending the bulk of his career as a starter Pineiro was moved to the bullpen in August of last year, where he went 1-1, with a 4.81 ERA (.213 BAA) and picked up his first career save (Sept. 8, vs. Texas).
Read full post ...

January 2, 2007 at 11:59 PM

Deeble to Skipper Spinners



The Boston Red Sox have announced that John Deeble will succeed Bruce Crabbe as manager of the (low-A) Lowell Spinners. Deeble spent 2006 as Boston's Coordinator of Pacific Rim Scouting and recently gained media attention for his role in the Red Sox's acqusition of Daisuke Matsuzaka. He will be a familiar face in Lowell, having managed them to a 39-34 record in 2003. The Australian born Deeble has also managed the Aussie national team since 2000, guiding them to a silver medal finish at Athens in 2004. Crabbe remains in the organization retaining his position as Minor League Infield Coordinator after serving in both roles last season.
Read full post ...

at 11:54 PM

Jim Callis Chat


Jim Callis of Baseball America was nice enough to do a Q&A sesson with some members of the SoxProspects.com message board. Special thanks to Jim for his answers and Jonathan Singer for organizing. Here’s the transcript:

1. How fast can Bryce Cox move? He looks to have dominant stuff out of the bullpen, is there a possibility he could move as rapidly as Craig Hansen and Cla Meredith?
Yes, he could move that fast. I've said several times that I've never seen a better slider in person than the one Cox was throwing at the College World Series. He also has plenty of fastball, and it's remarkable how he went from not being able to throw strikes for a year to lights out overnight, once he figured out his delivery. The Red Sox are going to try not to rush him, but he may not allow it.

2. A recent Boston Globe article quoted Jason McLeod comparing Kris Negron to Freddy Sanchez, which seems quite a jump for a kid heretofore known more
as the team chef than a possible top prospect. What's your opinion on Negron?
I think part of that comparison is the fact that both were offensive-minded infielders coming out of non-Division I colleges, who weren't high draft picks and have great makeup. Negron is an interesting prospect, but I want to see him in full-season ball before getting too excited.

3. After a seemingly eye-popping instrux there has been some debate as to how much time Daniel Bard should spend in A ball. Where is it reasonable to see him starting and finishing the '07 season?
Bard is a tough guy to figure because he has an electric arm but hasn't dominated amateur hitters like you'd expect. I could see him starting the year in high Class A, where the Red Sox have a new affiliate in the California League--a huge hitter's league. If all goes well, he could finish the year in Double-A. I'd be surprised if he got past there in 2007.

4. Have you heard anything about Angel Beltre and Moises Tejada beyond the basics? Will both/either of them make the BA top 30?
They checked in toward the middle of the list in our Prospect Handbook. They're both very far away, of course, but they're athletes who could be possibly dynamic offensive performers, very interesting guys.

5. What do you make of the late reports that Clay Buchholz was throwing in the mid to high 90's down the stretch in Wilmington? Mike Hazen said that they asked Clay to make command of his fastball his #1 priority this season and stated that promotions would be based on his progress in this area. Is it possible that he was holding back earlier in the year and then let things fly after the promotion or am I looking into things too much? What's the final scouting report on him as I've seen 1,000 conflicting reports about his fastball velocity and secondary pitches.
The reports I had were that his fastball sat at 90-93 for most of the season, then at 95-97 toward the end. His radar-gun readings have been interesting because he typically threw harder late in games rather than early when he was in junior college. His secondary stuff is terrific--hard curveball, hard slider and a changeup that some say is his best pitch. His biggest thing is just getting more consistent with his stuff and command--once he does he'll move very quickly.

6. In your chat today (11-1), you mentioned that there was a talent gap that would prevent you from rating our farm system in the top-5 despite your strong feelings w/ re: to our past two drafts. I expect Pedroia to graduate to the Sox out of Spring Training next year, and feel strongly that Ellsbury/Kottaras can help in '08. Are there any others that you think we might be overlooking in the High Minors, players who might have the talent, but for injuries, or other reasons have not followed a linear path of development? I guess I just took the long way around to asking you for sleepers.
I wound up ranking the Red Sox 11th when I did a rough list of farm systems in mid-December. I like their potential blue-chip talent, but they don't have much depth in the upper minors. You might see a David Murphy or Brandon Moss contribute as an extra outfielder. I think Phil Seibel was a classic sleeper until he got traded. Maybe an Edgar Martinez or a Kyle Jackson finds a bullpen role.

7. If the Sox were to sign Brandon Belt, where would he rank among their SP and overall prospects?
While the Red Sox don't have upper-minors depth, they do have a lot of interesting guys they've brought in from the last two drafts. As a result, I'd put Belt probably right behind someone like Caleb Clay.

8. Do you see Justin Masterson or Bryce Cox as having the higher ceiling, and do you think Masterson can develop the tools to be a major league starter rather than a reliever?
I think Cox has the higher ceiling--a legitimate chance to become a closer. I do think Masterson could become a starter, but I've had enough people tell me reliever that I believe that's what he'll be.

9. Have you heard anything on Mike Rozier? Any thoughts on how he might be expected to recover in 2007? (You may recall that he left the field in an ambulance during the final game of the season after being drilled with a line drive.) Any chance that Rozier may someday justify his signing bonus?
I'm not a believer in Rozier. His stuff is below average and he has yet to come to either of his two spring trainings in shape. I'll pass.

10. Kyle Snyder(the draft pick): what’s with all the hype?
I don't know that there's a ton of hype. He's a projectable right-hander who's still pretty raw, and the Sox will try to sign him as a draft-and-follow if he looks good next spring.

11. The Sox have a number of prospects who are polished professional hitters, but who are not seen by scouts as having a lot of upside, for various reasons. Could we hear your thoughts on Jay Johnson, Jeff Corsaletti, and Jeff Natale in particular?
I'd rate them in this order: Natale, Corsaletti, Johnson. Natale was No. 30 on the Red Sox Top 30 list I did for the Handbook, Corsaletti got bumped off with the late Matsuzaka and Okajima signings and Johnson wasn't really in the mix. Natale and Corsaletti may hit their way to the big leagues, but they're limited. Natale is a poor defensive second baseman and probably is going to be a left fielder. Though Corsaletti runs well enough, he's a left fielder and not a center fielder, and he doesn't have left-field power.

12. There has been a lot of debate in these parts about how good David Murphy can be. Is it reasonable to think he will be a solid starter, or a just a fourth outfielder (on a team like The Sox)?
I think on a contender, you'd want him more as a fourth outfielder than a regular. He does a lot of things OK but nothing that really grabs you. I have a little more hope for Brandon Moss than I do for Murphy.



13. Have the Sox mishandled Craig Hansen, and can he recover without a change of scenery?
I think if the Red Sox had it to do over again, they wouldn't have pushed him as fast as they did. Circumstances also dictated that as well. I think he can recover, and I'd start him off this year in Double-A and hope he can regain his knockout slider. He looked shell-shocked at times in the majors.

14. What do you know about the "approach" that The Sox take with their pitching prospects? This mysterious approach was referenced by Cla Meredith as detrimental when he landed in San Diego, and has been blamed for Craig Hansen's stumbles this year. Can you shed any light on this?
I don't think it's an approach. Relievers move faster than other players, and I think the Red Sox jumped the gun on those two. In Meredith's case, his first major league appearance came under trying circumstances and he seemed to lose confidence for a while afterward. When he got back to being a sinker machine this year, he was fine.

15. What do you think of the Red Sox catching prospects?(Egan, Exposito, Weeden, Kottaras and Wagner) Who is the best defensively and who may have to move to 1B or DH? Who is the best offensively? Which one has the most potential and highest ceiling? Where would you rank them overall in the system? If forced to pick 1 who would it be?
They do have some catching depth after that was a weakness in previous years, though none of those guys is a Top 100 Prospect type. I ranked Kottaras the highest--he just missed the Top 10--in part because of his longer track record. I'd pick him. Wagner is the best defensively, followed by Exposito. Weeden and Egan would be the most likely candidates to move to first base. Egan and Weeden were in the 21-30 range, and Wagner just missed.

16. Michael Bowden or Tyler Clippard? Clay Buchholz or Tyler Clippard?
Buchholz, easily. I'd take Bowden over Clippard, too, though you could make a case for Clippard performing well two levels higher.

17. Luis Soto has always been long on tools and has yet to put it together, what do you see in his future?
I'm off the Soto bandwagon, skeptical that he's going to put it together. At least he's still young.

18. Many scouts believe that Dustin Pedroia will not hit for the kind of power that he hit for in AA and in his last 300 ABs in AAA after he recovered from an injury. They compare him to David Eckstien who routinely has lower than a .100 ISOP. You yourself in a recent chat predicted that Pedroia would have a .716 OPS in 07. Why do scouts believe that Pedroia's ISOP in AA, and his last 300 ABs in AAA will not translate to the majors? Do they misunderstand the importance of his high BB/K ratio?
I don't think BB/K has much to do with power, necessarily. Pedroia has such good hand-eye coordination that he can swing from his heels and still make contact. But he's not a big guy and he doesn't have a lot of strength. If I said a .716 OPS, that might have been in response to a prediction for his 2007 performance--this has been a while since that chat. I like Pedroia, but I also think he's as good as he's going to get.

19. What can you tell us about Chad Spann's future? We've heard some Joe Randa comparisons. Is this reasonable? Better/worse?
Randa is the extreme upside. I think Spann is kind of like David Murphy . . . doesn't really do anything well enough to warrant starting on a good team. I can't see Spann having the long career Randa had.

20. If you had to guess a role for Murphy next year: a) 4th OFer - defense b) Platoon in RF c) In Pawtucket d) traded to another team
D--Traded for some pitching. Maybe to the Rangers?

21. Mark Wagner? MLB Starter, backup or minor league depth guy?
At this point backup, but it's early and if he continues to improve like he did in 2006, maybe he's a starter.

22. Is this Bladergroen's last chance to prove he's past the wrist injury and a legit prospect once again?
Yeah. I'm off that bandwagon too.

23. A couple years ago the Sox seemed to emphasize performance more than tools in the draft (Dobies, Alvarez, Hottovy, etc.). More recently they have gone after guys who just plain throw harder, whether or not they have the best numbers (Bard, Hansen, Buccholz, Clay, and even Richardson, Craft and Lentz). Do you see this as a rejection of their earlier, more numerically driven scouting philosophy, or simply a matter of happenstance?
I think it's a change in need. A couple of years ago, the system was very thin and they wanted advanced college players they could move quickly. Now they're just looking for talent regardless of demographic, a better way of going about it.

24. Could you rank the stronger and weaker positions in the red sox's farm system. And do you have any information on Reddick, he was mentioned in your draft card. Plus any information on Chih-Hsein Chiang? plus any idea where he will start next year? possibly from a nice DP combo with Negron in Greenville? Also is Craig Hansen still eligible as a prospect since he has not pitched 50 innings in the majors?
The two strongest positions are right-handed starters (Buchholz, Bowden, Bard, Masterson, Clay, etc.) and center field (Ellsbury, Place, Murphy, Kalish, Beltre, etc.). The weakest would be probably third base, with Chad Spann the best of a weak crop. I don't have a current left fielder on the Red Sox Top 30, though some of those CF may wind up there. Josh Reddick is another center fielder. Boston took him as a draft-and-follow and signed him this summer after he starred against Team USA. He has a promising bat and good speed. They like Chiang, who very well could form a DP with Negron in low Class A. Hansen was eligible for the list because he hasn't exceeded 50 innings in the majors.



25. What are your thoughts on some of the Dominican prospects (Soto, Santa, Capellan, Beltre and Tejeda) and Venezuelan born prospects (Doubront, Fernandez, Arambarris, Lara)? Will any of them live up to there tools?
Beltre and Tejada are the best of the Dominicans, with Doubront and Fernandez the best of the Venezuelans. They're promising in their own ways, though they're so far away. You can't really tell much about guys until they get to full-season leagues.

26. Will the new CBA draft rules prevent the Sox from duplicating their performance rating of the last two drafts?
I don't think so. Even with the new rules, I don't think you'll see many teams taking tough signs in the early rounds. If they can't sign a guy, they won't take him, even if they can get the pick back the next year. Boston still will have more money than most clubs and can be more aggressive than most. The one thing that may hold them back is they won't have as many extra early picks as they had in 2005 and 2006.

27. Was the predominate reason for the Red Sox rating as #1 driven by the number of picks at top of the draft or because of the "tough signs" in the later rounds.
Really, a combination of both and how aggressive they were at adding talent.

28. Chris Turner seems like he has great power but no other tools except the ability to strike out. Will this power be enough to propel him through the system or do you see him floundering around High-A for a while? Thanks a lot for coming on here and doing this.
He's an interesting guy but hasn't put it together yet. He's a career .258 hitter after four pro seasons, and he's going to need to do a lot better than that.

29. Michael Bowden had a great year in Greenville, but the numbers don’t reflect his development. Has his changeup progressed enough to be a viable 3rd pitch? How about his fastball command and how it would translate in the high minors?
His fastball command is good, very good for his age. His changeup is a decent third pitch but needs a lot more work. Remember, he was just a teenager in low Class A, and in that context, he performed very well.

30. Daniel Bard said in an interview that his changeup came in at around 89 mph, do you have nay knowledge of what type of change this is, (split-change/circle change/3 finger) and what kind of depth it has?
I don't, to be honest. That sounds like a splitter.

31. Jed Lowrie was considered a poor ss this year in many facets of the position, in your opinion is it time for the sox to switch him back to 2B to get his bat back on track and just accept that he is not a SS?
Teams usually try to play a guy at the more challenging position as long as he can handle it. With Julio Lugo signed for four years, that could hasten Lowrie's move to second base. If it came down to it, I think Dustin Pedroia could play a better shortstop than Lowrie could.

32. Kottaras' receiving skills were questioned by some scouts (on top of his catch and throw mechanics), are these valid concerns shared by most scouts, or just few. Also are his high k numbers more a reflection of failure to make contact, or hyper-patience that results in a lot of called strikes?
Kottaras should be an adequate to average defender. No one raves about his defense, but he's not a stiff either. The Red Sox think he just needs some fine-turning. He does take a lot of pitches because of his patience, which leads to some deeper counts and more strikeouts.

33. Jason Place: can he stick in CF?
He has a chance. Right now he projects as a solid center fielder, but if he slows down at all he'd have to move to right field. He has more than enough arm strength to fit in right.

34. Is Lancaster a 2 and done deal with the sox, or are the sox looking to diversify their parks (offensive and defensive) using the differences to get a better read on their prospects?
I'm thinking it's a two-and-done deal. It makes much more sense for Boston to have an Eastern-based high Class A affiliate, and playing in an extreme environment (in this case, one that favors hitters), isn't the best way to develop prospects.

35. How far has Natale's defense gone at 2B, is he adequate, and if so, what type of offensive production do you see out of him in the upper minors?
He's below average and there's little hope that he'll even be adequate because his hands, range and footwork just don't get the job done. I can see him as a .280-.300 hitter with 30 doubles and 15 homers in the upper minors.

36. Will Felix Doubront add velocity and do you see him starting in Greenville next year?
Yes, because he can add a lot of strength to his 6-foot-2, 166-pound frame. He's already at 86-91 mph, very promising for a projectable young lefty. I think he'll start the year in Greenville.



37. Are you at all concerned with Ellsbury's lower than expected 2B and 3B totals this year. Do you feel that he could add enough power to be an 840-860 OPS cf?
Not concerned, as it was his first full year in the minors and power usually comes late. Wilmington is not a good hitter's park, and he posted better numbers after moving up to Double-A. I see him as a .300/.380/.460 type once he hits his stride.

38. Is Moss still considered a "tweener" in RF (too little offense for RF, not enough defense for CF) or has his stock improved enough this past season that scouts believe he can be a full-time player in RF?
Sort of in between. I wouldn't say that scouts say he's a definite regular in right (he can't play center), but his stock is on the upswing. He's still pretty young. I think he's a little underrated.

39. What are your thoughts on the raw, toolsy position players taken in this years draft? We all know you like Anderson do you think he will hit for enough average to move quickly? What do you think about Place, Kalish, and Weeden both offensively and defensively? Where do you think these guys will start next season and how fast will they move?
Outside of anyone who works for the Red Sox, I'm probably the biggest Anderson booster there is. I think he'll hit from day one and move fairly fast. Long term, I bet Place winds up in RF, Kalish in CF and Weeden at 1B. Some scouts don't like Place's swing mechanics, but he has a lot of tools and if they work for him, he can be very good. Kalish is a line-drive hitting athlete, while Weeden is more of a slugger. I think Anderson and Place have the best chance to start 2007 in low Class A. Outside of Anderson, I think the other guys will move like high schoolers normally do, rather than rush to the majors.

40. What does Boston have in Brandon Moss? It seems that he showed good power this season, if you put any stock in doubles. Do you think he can develop into a starting ML corner OF?
Just touched on him two questions ago . . . Moss made some strides in 2006. He has a chance to be a big league regular, sure.

41. What do you think the Sox have with Devern Hansack? If he were five years younger people would assume he could be in the starting rotation in a couple years but at 28, if that’s really his age, he's probably reached or close to his ceiling. Is his stuff good enough to be a #4 type pitcher?
It's hard to say about Hansack, who went from totally off the map to pitching in the majors in 2006. There's some talk he could become the closer, but that sounds far-fetched to me. He could be a No. 4, as he has a plus fastball and a solid slider to go with some moxie.

42. Two years ago, you had Kyle Jackson listed as one of you sleepers, I Was wondering is his true potential starting to show now as a reliever? He has established himself as a Legit Rhp out of the pen. Do you see him making the pro's next season? (Sept?) or is he still a couple years away? Is it possible Boston leaves him unprotected in the rule 5 draft this coming month and he gets a shot in the bigs w/another team? just wondering your insight.
Jackson is a couple of years away. Interesting arm, probably not more than a sixth- or seventh-inning guy, but that's a needed role on any club.

43. The Red Sox have a few guys that signed late and didn't have a chance to play in the organization (Weeden, Caleb Clay, Lars Anderson). Can any of these guys make it to Greenville to start the year?
Anderson has the best shot of that group.

44. Can you tell us something about any of the guys from the DSL? Alvarez, Jimenez, Castillo, Burgos, and Navarro all seem interesting.
I don't delve much into the Dominican Summer League, so can't help you there.

45. Any insight on Mike Jones? He was old for the league, but he doesn't have a lot of experience. Could he be a sleeper?
He could, and he intrigues me a little. Physically, he resembles a young David Ortiz, and he's very strong. I'd like to see what he does in full-season ball.

46. Pedroia- is he a legitimate full-time 2nd baseman, or is he just temporarily holding the position until either Jed Lowrie or Chiang are ready?
Pedroia is better than those guys. He's not the star that his early minor league numbers led some to project him to be, but there's no reason he can't be a dependable big league regular for a while.

47. Masterson-is he a starter or reliever? Reid Engel-can he hit enough to be a legitimate major league prospect?
Touched on Masterson earlier. The Red Sox like Engel and he's only 19, but he needs to kick his bat into gear.

48. What is your opinion of the red sox approach with respect to international scouting?
They obviously made a huge splash with Daisuke Matsuzaka in Japan, and I think the Hideki Okajima signing could be a nice one also. In Latin America, other teams felt that they got great bang for their buck in Engel Beltre and Oscar Tejada. It's hard to accurately judge international scouting, because with the players mostly being very young, you don't know how good they are until five years later.

49. Which Sox pitching prospects have a legitimate #1/2 potential?
Daisuke Matsuzaka will be a No. 1. Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard have that kind of ceiling. Michael Bowden is probably more of a No. 3.

50. Can you tell us anything about Tim Cox? he put up some pretty good numbers in Greenville, almost as good as Buchholz's, but seems to have gone largely under the radar, especially for such a young kid, i assume due to his size. What does he have to do to be a legitimate prospect, do you have a scouting report on what he throws, and is he already a pretty polished pitcher or does he have some room for projectability. Do you think he can some day be an effective major league setup-man?
The knock on Cox is that he has a below-average fastball. He has a good breaking ball, and it's easy to fool hitters in low Class A with a good breaker. Adding some more velocity would help his cause. I wouldn't tag him as a setup man yet, but he has some potential.

51. With the Red Sox having had two excellent drafts in a row and with only two top 10 prospects graduating to the pros after this year, many of the top prospects will have another year to prove their prospect status. Do you see the Red Sox challenging for the top farm system spot after next year?
That might be a bit much. They shouldn't lose too many guys off the top of their list, except for Dustin Pedroia and Craig Hansen, so that will help. But for them to jump all the way up to No. 1, all of those recent draft picks will have to progress and not regress, and attrition usually strikes some of them.

52. The Red Sox will select _________ with the 20th pick in the 2007 MLB Draft.
Tough call this early. I'll go with Georgia right-hander Josh Fields or Oklahoma State third baseman Matt Mangini.

53. The Red Sox announced early this week that Allan Baird will formally join them as an AGM. According to the Boston Globe this past Monday: "The New Hampshire native will oversee the team's pro scouting -- the club is expected to announce the hiring of several new scouts shortly -- but also will have a hand in amateur scouting while also serving as one of Epstein's key talent evaluators on special assignments." Do you see any changes with the addition of Baird, or do you see this position as more advisory? Also, can you give us any insight into what happened in KC during his tenure there?
I think he'll be more of an advisor, another intelligent guy in the mix. Baird's best reputation is as a scout. He didn't have many resources to work with in the Royals, and he also didn't make many good decisions either. He's not the first scout to struggle as a general manager, and he won't be the last. It's a tough job.

Read full post ...