Weekly Notes: Trade deadline approaches

This week’s minor league notes:

• SoxProspects.com Editor-in-Chief Mike Andrews broke down which prospects might be involved in trade talk with the upcoming deadline looming on ESPNBoston.com. 
• Andrews also took a look at all of the prospects that have been traded since 2005. 
• SoxProspects.com Senior Columnist Jon Meoli discussed Bryce Brentz’s approach and the adjustments he has had to make this season. 
• Despite an injury to his hamate bone, a notoriously tough injury to overcome, Brandon Jacobs has continued to impress with his performance this season as Meoli writes. 
• As SoxProspects.com Staff Writer James Dunne notes, the Red Sox signed MLB veteran Nelson Figueroa to a minor league contract and he reported to Triple-A Pawtucket. He pitched five scoreless innings for a victory in his debut on Wednesday. 
• The Red Sox traded Brent Lillibridge, whom they acquired in the Kevin Youkilis trade, to the Cleveland Indians for right-handed pitcher Jose De La Torre. Dunne gives a summary of the trade including news that De La Torre reported to Pawtucket and is in their bullpen. 

• In the 18th round of the 2012 draft, the Red Sox selected Shaq Green-Thompson, one of the top safety recruits in the nation, despite the fact he had very limited baseball experience. It is no surprise that he struggled when the Red Sox assigned him to play in the Golf Coast League with little instructional time. WEEI.com’s Alex Speier writes about the decision to assign him to the GCL and why his struggles are just part of developing an athlete with little baseball experience. 
• Speier also had a list of players that are close to being considered untouchable, and the top name he lists may surprise some people -- left-handed pitcher Henry Owens (pictured). 
• Baseball America released its yearly list of the youngest players in each league. Red Sox have a history of aggressively promoting players, so it is no surprise they have several players on this list. It is very interesting to note that Jose Iglesias is still the eighth-youngest player in the Triple-A International League. Reliever Aaron Kurcz is Portland's lone representative in the Eastern League, coming in at 19th on the list. Xander Bogaerts is just the fourth youngest player in the Carolina League, and his teammates Sean Coyle (12th) and Heiker Meneses (20th) also made the list. In the South Atlantic League, Jose Vinicio's strong season is made all the more impressive by the fact that he's the third-youngest player in the league.
• MiLB.com’s Ashley Marshall put Michael Almanzar’s remarkable feat of reaching base in 16 consecutive plate appearances in historical context. 
• The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton spoke with Jackie Bradley Jr. about what he learned from his first and only 2012 slump. 
• Britton also talked to Stolmy Pimentel and Drake Britton about the progress they have made since their disastrous seasons last year. 
• The voice of the Pawtucket Red Sox, Aaron Goldsmith, broke the news this week that the final two remaining members of the PawSox opening day rotation, Brandon Duckworth and Doug Mathis, have signed to pitch in Japan and have been released by the Red Sox.

Photo credit: Henry Owens by Kelly O'Connor

Will Woodward is a Staff Writer and Elizabeth Dreeson is a Special Contributor for SoxProspects.com. Follow them on Twitter @SPWill and @Eli_DreeSox respectively.

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