Fort Report: Top prospects getting attention as camp ramps up

The Fort Report is back for another year! Every Monday during spring training, we will be detailing all the Red Sox minor league news and notes from the week that was down in Fort Myers.

Here are this week's minor league notes:

• The SoxProspects.com podcast is back for the 2016 season. This past week, Chris Hatfield, Matt Huegel, and Ian Cundall discussed the newest prospect ranking lists from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, and ESPN.com's Keith Law. This led to a discussion about top prospects Yoan Moncada (pictured, right), Rafael Devers, Anderson Espinoza, and Andrew Benintendi. They also answered some listener questions, highlighting Austin Glorius, a 2015 undrafted free agent signing out of Valdosta State.
• Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe wrote a piece on Danny Rosenbaum, who will be healthy for the first time in a while in 2016. Coming off Tommy John surgery, Rosenbaum pitched through discomfort and struggled mightily last year, but the 28-year old pitched well in the Arizona Fall League and is ready for a fresh start 2016. Soxprospects.com currently projects Rosenbaum to begin the year in the Portland bullpen, as the Red Sox see him as a reliever.

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Podcast Ep. 90: Rankings Talk; Listener Questions

Pitchers and catchers have reported, so it must be time to fire the podcast machine back up! Chris, Matt, and Ian got back on the horn to discuss the (current and former) Red Sox prospects ranked among the game's top 100 prospects by various outlets. Can we learn anything by the rankings of Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi, Anderson Espinoza, and Michael Kopech? Also, we got some great reader questions about Moncada, Henry Owens and Brian Johnson, Austin Glorius, Karsten Whitson, the 2016 draft class, and more! Who were our picks for sleeper breakout seasons? Who from last year's draft class are we excited to see in 2016? Listen to find out!

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Fort Report: Florida arrivals & rankings

The Fort Report is back for another year! Every Monday during spring training, we will be detailing all the Red Sox minor league news and notes from the week that was down in Fort Myers.

Here are this week's minor league notes:

• The Red Sox made a last-minute addition just before the start of spring training, adding right-handed reliever Carlos Marmol on a minor league deal with an invitation to major league camp. With a surprising amount of free agents still looking for jobs, Marmol may not be the final signing by the Sox, who reportedly may still be interested in signing left-handed relievers.
• Back in September, the Red Sox promoted scout/analyst and ex-major league pitcher Brian Bannister to the newly created position of director of pitching analysis and development. While it is not a standard title, Bannister will help coaches and coordinators throughout the organization as well as assist with scouting and analytics. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe looked at how Bannister got to where he is and also how he was able to help an under the radar signing last season, lefty Rich Hill.
• Part of the reason the Red Sox signed Marmol was Bannister's belief that returning to his lower arm slot could lead to a return to his previous success, as Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal notes. Identifying these potential low-cost, high-reward players is one area the Red Sox believe Bannister will be able to help.

• Prospect ranking lists continued to come out in droves this month. Before diving into those, you probably should refamiliarize yourself with the best Red Sox prospect rankings out there, ours at SoxProspects.com. We go deeper than any other outlet and the top 20 can be found here and 21-60 can be found here.
• ESPN's Keith Law was very busy to start the month. He started by releasing his rankings of all 30 farm systems in the game. The Red Sox came in at tenth on his list, down five spots from his 2015 ranking after the departure of four players in the Craig Kimbrel deal, as well as the graduations of Blake Swihart (#1 ranked prospect going into 2015), Henry Owens (3), Eduardo Rodriquez (6), Matt Barnes (8) and Travis Shaw (17).

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Red Sox invite Carlos Marmol to spring training

The Red Sox have announced that they have added right-handed reliever Carlos Marmol to their spring training roster as a non-roster invitee. 

Marmol, 33, was originally signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1999 as a positional player. He made the conversion to pitching in 2002 and made his major league debut with the Cubs in 2006. Marmol is best known as serving as the Cubs' closer from 2009-2012, leading the league in games finished (70) in 2010. 

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Help Wanted: Database Coordinator

SoxProspects.com is seeking applicants for the position of Database Coordinator for the 2016 season. See below for details.

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January Notes: Red Sox extend contract with Greenville

Here are this month's minor league notes:

• The Red Sox announced that they have agreed to extend the Player Development Contract with the Greenville Drive through the 2020 season. The Drive have been an affiliate of the Red Sox since 2005, and Fluor Field's nearly identical dimensions to Fenway Park have helped players learn how to use the Green Monster over the course of a full season. 

• The 2015 Season in Review series wrapped up on January 22, and it is a great resource for the fans who are looking to re-acquaint themselves with the players after a long offseason. The series covered recent graduates, like Blake Swihart and Eduardo Rodriguez, every player who was ranked in the site's top 40 at the end of the season, and also players who were ranked in the top 40 at one point but who ultimately fell out of the rankings. All 33 entries in the series can be found here. 

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Fall/Winter League Roundup: Champions crowned as play concludes

This week's roundup covers play for the period of January 25-31. For the full list of Red Sox players who participated in offseason action, check out our Fall and Winter Leagues page,

Note that this will be the last roundup of the offseason. You will be able to find further updates in our regular offseason notes columns. 

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