September 15, 2013 at 5:00 PM
2013 SoxProspects.com All-Stars
The 2013 Red Sox minor league season was one to remember, league championships were won, playoffs berths were clinched and prospects, familiar and unheralded, rose to new heights during the course of the year, some even making an impact on the playoff-bound Boston Red Sox. To cap off an unforgettable season, the SoxProspects.com community has voted on its selections for the 2013 year-end All-Stars.
Known more for a defensive exploits than his offense, Vazquez showed improvement with the bat this season, batting .287/.375/.391 in 403 plate appearances between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket. The 23-year-old, who was also an Eastern League All-Star and named Portland's team MVP this year, mowed down runners attempting to steal all season, as he threw out an organizational-high 46-percent. His selection ends Ryan Lavarnway's three-year run as SoxProspects.com year-end All-Star.
A 33rd-round pick in 2011, Chester was one of several All-Stars who burst onto the Red Sox minor league scene with a strong 2013 campaign. The 24-year-old started the year in Greenville, where he batted .270/.356/.462 with 13 home runs in 385 plate appearances, before moving to Salem on July 24. In 112 High-A plate appearances, Chester hit .273/.348/.475 with six home runs. His 19 combined home runs tied him with outfielder Bryce Brentz for most in the minor league system.
The SoxProspects.com Offensive and Breakout Player of the Year, Betts certainly had an unforgettable season, one that can be summarized with a look at the "Awards" section on his SoxPropects player page. The second baseman commenced his season-long reign of terror in Greenville, where he batted .296/.418/.477 with eight home runs in 340 plate appearances. His offensive output didn't skip a beat when he was promoted to Salem on July 9, batting .341/.414/.551 with seven home runs with the club. Betts, who jumped 41 spots (52 to 12) in the SoxProspects rankings during the course of the season, ended his first full professional season with a 35 game on-base streak, his second 30-plus game on-base streak of the season, and 81 walks to 57 strikeouts. The 20-year-old was one of two SoxProspects All-Stars to earn an unanimous selection.
Outside of Betts' astounding year, Cecchini probably had the biggest breakout season among Red Sox prospects. His overall average (.322) and on-base percentage (.443) ranked second-best in the organization among those who qualify (250 plate appearances), and his OPS (.915) ranked third. The 22-year-old also stole 23 bases between Salem and Portland, the seventh-best total in the organization. Although he did see a slight drop-off in production from Salem to Portland, he still managed a very respectable .296/.420/.404 in his first 295 plate appearances at the Double-A level.
Named USA Today's 2013 Minor League Player of the Year, Bogaerts was the second unanimous choice for SoxProspects' year-end All-Stars. The 20-year-old, who has been with Boston since the club promoted him August 19, batted .297/.388/.477 in 515 plate appearances between Portland and Pawtucket. His 63 walks between the two highest minor-league levels was just six shy of his two-year total from 2011 and 2012 (69), when he had 828 plate appearances among Greenville, Salem and Portland, a great measure of how he's improved his plate discipline during his sprint through the system.
Bradley may not have come close to the unsustainable production he had during spring training, but he had a solid minor league campaign with Pawtucket, despite battling injuries. In 374 plate appearances with the club, Bradley batted .275/.374/.469 with a career-high 10 home runs. The 23-year-old didn't commit an error in 165 chances with the PawSox.
Hassan battled injuries all year, delaying the start of his season to mid-May. Rust was no where to be found with the 25-year-old though, as he went on to hit .478 in an eight-game rehab stint with Greenville and followed that by hitting .337/.455/.466 with four home runs when he returned to the PawSox on June 14. Hassan led the organization in three offensive categories, average (.338), on-base percentage (.457), and OPS (.929).
Brentz's season reportedly ended on July 16 after the outfielder tore the meniscus in his right knee and needed to have it surgically repaired, but he recovered sooner than expected and played the final week of the season for the PawSox following a brief rehab appearance in the GCL. Although he went on to hit only .167 during that final stretch, Brentz -- who earns SoxProspects.com All-Stars honors for the third consecutive year -- batted .272/.321/.487 with 19 home runs in 324 plate appearances prior to the surgery.
The SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year, Owens dazzled in his second professional season. In 104 2/3 innings with Salem, the left-hander struck out 123 -- a 10.58 SO/9 -- and had a 2.92 ERA, earning him Carolina League All-Star honors. Owens was even better in 30 1/3 innings in Double-A, which he was promoted to on August 1, as he struck out 46 and allowed only six runs (1.78 ERA). His 169 combined strikeouts topped the organizational leader board.
Ranaudo suffered through an injury-plagued 2012 season, which limited the right-hander to just nine games last season. 2013 was a completely different story, though. The 24-year-old started the year in Portland, where he posted a 2.95 ERA and struck out 106 in 109 2/3 innings. Ranaudo then earned an August 2 promotion to Pawtucket, where he had a 2.97 ERA in 30 1/3 innings. He did have a slight drop in strikeouts numbers in Triple-A (6.2 SO/9 compared to a 8.7 SO/9 in Portland), but he remained effective, registering a 1.46 GO/F ratio and a 1.29 WHIP.
Diaz, signed out of Venezuela in 2008, wasn't on many prospect followers' radars at the start of the year, as he had an abysmal 2012 season statistically. He had a 6.01 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP in 91 1/3 innings with Greenville, but he'll enter 2014 with plenty of watchful eyes following the show he put on in 2013. The lean right-hander led the organization (min. 80 IP) with a 1.96 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, which he obtained splitting time between Greenville and Salem.
Starting Pitcher: Brandon Workman
The 2012 Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Workman improved on his award-winning season last year by virtually every measure. He combined to pitch 102 innings with Portland and Pawtucket, during which the 25-year-old tallied a 3.18 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 108 strikeouts (9.62 SO/9), all of which ranked in organizational top-10 by season's end. His time in the minors was relatively brief, as he's been suiting up for Boston since mid-July.
Starting Pitcher: Brandon Workman
The 2012 Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Workman improved on his award-winning season last year by virtually every measure. He combined to pitch 102 innings with Portland and Pawtucket, during which the 25-year-old tallied a 3.18 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 108 strikeouts (9.62 SO/9), all of which ranked in organizational top-10 by season's end. His time in the minors was relatively brief, as he's been suiting up for Boston since mid-July.
A fourth-round pick in 2011, Ramirez was converted to the bullpen this season after spending all of 2012 in Greenville's rotation. The transition was seamless for the 23-year-old, as he had a 2.38 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, six saves and a 4.41 SO/BB ratio (75/17) in 75 2/3 innings between Salem and Portland.
Martin, who was a SoxProspects.com All-Star in 2011, began the season with a 28 2/3-innings scoreless streak between Portland and Pawtucket, a span in which the former Indy Leaguer struck out 34 and walked eight. The first Portland pitcher to earn a promotion to Pawtucket, Martin struggled in his subsequent 32 2/3 innings, posting a 4.96 ERA, before ending the regular season with an 11-inning scoreless streak. For the season, Martin had a 2.25 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched.
Aro, who signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011, pitched in every single capacity for Lowell this season, but didn't miss a beat during his role changes, as the 22-year-old had a 2.13 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings pitched. Aro even contributed three saves to the Spinners this season, all of which were of the three-inning variety.
Gonzalez made his organizational debut with the DSL Red Sox after he was signed out of Venezuela in September 2012. The 17-year-old made a good first impression, as he had 42 strikeouts and just three walks in 46 2/3 innings with a 0.96 ERA.
Photo Credit: Kelly O'Connor and Luis Diaz by SoxProspects, LLC
Kevin Pereira is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevinrpereira.