July 31, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Sox sign Alex Hassan
The Red Sox today signed 2009 twentieth-round draft pick Alex Hassan and will assign him to the Lowell Spinners. The Milton, Massachusetts native was a two-way player for Duke this past season, both pitching and playing outfield. While Boston drafted Hassan as a pitcher, he will apparently get the opportunity to play some outfield in the Sox system this season. On the mound for the Blue Devils in 2009, Hassan appeared in 16 games and put up a 2-2 record with 8 saves and a 4.10 ERA, striking out 34 in 26.1 innings pitched. The tall righthander mixes in an 88-91 mph fastball, a low-70s curveball, and a change-up with a smooth delivery. The Sox followed Hassan this summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he played for the Orleans Cardinals and appeared in the league's All Star game at Fenway on July 23. He sported a 1.13 ERA in 7 appearances for Orleans, including 4 saves and 8 strikeouts in 8.0 innings, and also put up a .289/.344/.395 line before leaving the Cape earlier this week to sign with the Sox . He leaves Duke tied as the school's all-time saves leader.