Weekly Notes: Bogaerts' call-up highlights busy week

Here are this week’s minor league notes:

• The huge news for Red Sox followers was after weeks of anticipation (maybe months for some of us) Red Sox consensus top prospect, shortstop Xander Bogaerts (pictured, right), finally was called up to the majors. He did not start the first game after getting the call, but did start at shortstop on Tuesday, finishing 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He also came off the bench to play third base in Wednesday's blowout, grounding out in his only at-bat. The plan going forward is to give him intermittent playing time at both third base and shortstop.
• The move caused a large media response and SoxProspects.com's Executive Editor answered the call by appearing on the Adam Jones Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, which can be heard here. Hatfield went on to call Bogaerts "the most exciting player they’ve had in the system, period, since at least Hanley Ramirez, if not going past that to the likes of Nomar Garciaparra and so forth." A fact that is hard to argue.
• We were not the only site to cover the news, as most outlets published pieces about the prospect ranked in the top five of almost all national prospect rankings. Ben Badler at Baseball America talked about Bogaerts' tools, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal covered the local angle of the impression he left on members of the Pawtucket Red Sox, and finally Bogaerts' prospects were strong right from the start as the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman writes.
• That one roster move received much of the attention this week, but there was lots else going on throughout the system. SoxProspects.com's Managing Editor Matt Huegel wrote that right-hander Anthony Ranaudo continues to make progress with Pawtucket after being promoted from Pawtucket. Ranaudo has made one additional start since Huegel published that piece, throwing 6.2 shutout innings while allowing only three hits and two walks.
• Chris Hatfield stayed busy and had updates from the his time watching the Golf Coast League down at Fort Myers. Chris also had the chance to speak with 2013 number seven overall pick lefthander Trey Ball and third-round pick catcher Jon Denney about their experience since turning pro.
• Mookie Betts has one of the best names in baseball, but he is also impressing with his on-field performance this season and seeing his stock dramatically rise as SoxProspect.com Senior Columnist Jon Meoli writes.
• SoxProspect.com's Northeast Scout Ian Cundall was out doing what he does best. His most recent Scouting Scratch covers Lowell Spinners pitchers Teddy Stankiewicz and Daniel McGrath.
• The Bogaerts' call-up was not the only roster move of the week as a pair of pitchers were promoted, left-hander Mickey Pena to Portland and right-hander Luis Diaz to Salem. After the promotions both had strong starts. Diaz threw six innings while allowing two earned runs, and Pena was even more impressive throwing seven shutout innings.
• The Red Sox catching depth continues to grow and impress as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes, with a nice mix of players in the upper minors such as Christian Vazquez and Dan Butler and in the lower minors with Blake Swihart and Denney.
  
• The search for 'the next Bogaerts' has already begun, and FanGraphs' David Laurila wonders if it could be outfielder Manuel Margot (pictured, left). While that comparison may be a bit too bold for my taste, the piece does have good quotes from others on Margot and from Margot himself. WEEI.com's Alex Speier was also moving on to the next wave looking for the next great power hitting prospect and he wonders if it could be 17-year-old third baseman Victor Acosta.
• Prognosticating is in full gear as the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley takes a look at possible Red Sox call-ups when rosters expand in September.
• Two Red Sox prospects made Baseball Prospectus' Monday Morning Ten Pack this week with SoxProspect.com's Director of Scouting Chris Mellen writing on Jackie Bradley and Mark Anderson covering Lowell Spinners pitcher Simon Mercedes.
• Finally, Baseball America released their Top 10 prospect rankings archive for every team from 1983-2000. Fair warning, this can suck you in for hours.

Photo Credit: Xander Bogaerts and Manuel Margot by Kelly O'Connor.

Will Woodward is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPWill.

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