November Notes: Roster shuffle, minor league veterans depart

Red Sox minor league notes for November:

• The most widely discussed player movement of the month came at the 40-man roster deadline, as the Red Sox added six players and designated another five for assignment. SoxProspects.com Executive Editor Chris Hatfield offered his First Take on the decision to add pitchers Allen Webster, Alex Wilson, and Steven Wright, catchers Dan Butler and Christian Vazquez, and outfielder Alex Hassan to the roster, while designating infielders Ivan DeJesus and Danny Valencia and pitchers Sandy Rosario, David Carpenter, and Zach Stewart.
• DeJesus is the only one of the five players designated for assignment who will remain in the Red Sox organization. He cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he is currently slotted as the starting shortstop, and serves as valuable depth in case injuries strike the major league infielders. Valencia, Rosario and Stewart were dealt to Baltimore, Oakland, and Pittsburgh, respectively. Carpenter was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves. 
• Relief pitcher and fan favorite Michael Olmsted (pictured) signed a major league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Olmsted is coming off a fantastic minor league campaign, where the burly right-hander had a 1.52 ERA and 19 saves between High A Salem and Double-A Portland. Olmsted also had one of the best strikeout rates in the minor leagues, punching out 92 batters - while walking only 15 - in 59 1/3 innings across the two levels. 
• The long Red Sox minor league odyssey of Caleb Clay came to an end when the 2006 supplemental first round pick signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals. An elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery in 2007 kept Clay from reaching the potential the Red Sox saw when they made him the 44th pitch out of Cullman (AL) High School. Clay transitioned to the bullpen with Portland in 2011, and spent two years at that level. In 2012, the 24-year-old righty went 3-3 with a 4.61 ERA. He struggled with the long ball, giving up 12 in 66 2/3 innings. Clay appeared in 120 games in the organization from 2007 to 2012.
• Utilityman Nate Spears signed a minor league contract with the Indians. Spears spent three seasons with the Red Sox organization, and had a couple cups of coffee at the major league level. in 2011 and 2012 He made his major league debut on September 6, 2011, and appeared in seven major league games, going 0 for 8. He hit .240/.329/.396 for the PawSox this season.
• Other minor league free agent departures include Will Inman (Tampa Bay), Billy Buckner (LA Angels), Guillermo Quiroz (San Francisco), and Marquez Smith (Cincinnati).
• The Red Sox brought in a pair of minor league veterans as well. Pitcher Terry Doyle, a Salem, NH native and Boston College alumnus, signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Longtime Kansas City Royals backup outfielder Mitch Maier also signed a minor league deal. Both are likely to begin 2012 with Pawtucket.
• Outfielder Seth Schwindenhammer and pitchers Mike Gleason and Jadd Schmeltzer were released on November 19. Schwindenhammer was the most notbale of the three, as a 2009 fifth round draft choice. He appeared in the 2011 New York-Penn League All Star Game, but his bat never developed as expected, and he slumped greatly in 2012, going 3 for 41 with the Spinners. Gleason, a 2010 34th rounder out of Cal. State-Chico, appeared in 63 games out of the bullpen over three seasons, compiling a 4.70 ERA. Schmeltzer, a big right-hander taken in the 49th round out of Cornell in 2011, struggled with a 6.14 ERA at Lowell this season. 
• A few ex-Prospects were involved in transactions this month as well:
• Pitcher Hunter Strickland was added to the 40-man roster by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Red Sox drafted Strickland in 2007, and he was sent to Pittsburgh in 2009 as part of the Adam LaRoche deal. 
• Randy Consuegra, released after the 2010 season, is back in organized pro baseball, signing with the Nationals. He most recently had been pitching in the Colombia League.
• Infielder Kris Negron, who made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds on June 7, was nontendered by the Reds but retained on a minor league contract. 
•  An update on those with ties to the Red Sox organization currently playing college football:
• Shaq Green-Thompson finished off an impressive freshman season with 66 tackles (40 solo), three interceptions, and 2.0 sacks as a safety for the University of Washington. Thompson and the Huskies will be taking on Boise St. in the Las Vegas Bowl.
• Linebacker Brandon Magee led Arizona State with 104 tackles, 77 of them solo. He also had 6.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions, and was named to the Second Team All Pac-12. Magee will enter the 2013 NFL draft, where he is likely a late-round draft choice. He will lead ASU against Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on December 29.
• Khiry Cooper finished the season with three catches for 30 yards for the University of Tulsa. Cooper is likely to be in camp with the Red Sox.
• Senquez Golson, the Mississippi defensive back who turned down a massive $1.4 million signing bonus from Boson, had an up-and-down season for the Rebels. He started in the season opener, but lost his starting job in week four. He also missed Mississippi's game with Georgia on November 3 after sustaining a concussion the previous week. However, Golson was very impressive, nabbing a pair of interceptions, including one in the end zone, in Mississippi's near-upset of LSU in the second-to-last game of the season. The Rebels will take on Pittsburgh in the Compass Bowl. Golson will be playing baseball for Mississippi in the spring.
• Over at Baseball Prospectus, Jason Parks outlined his Red Sox Top Ten Prospects, with a big assist from SoxProspects.com Director of Scouting, Chris Mellen. Spoiler alert: Xander Bogaerts is listed. 

Photo Credit: Michael Olmsted by Kelly O'Connor

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