Minor Notes: Red Sox punished for video room scandal

There is no baseball to watch, but there is plenty of baseball news to talk about. Here is what's going on down on the farm.

• After a seemingly interminable wait, the commissioner's office finally doled out the Red Sox punishment for the scandal involving their unauthorized use the video replay room. The team was docked a second-round choice in June's amateur draft. Replay operator JT Watkins was suspended for the 2020 season and will not be allowed to return to that role in 2021. Manager Alex Cora escaped punishment beyond what he received for his role in the more involved Houston Astros scandal.

• The SoxProspects.com news page has kept on ticking even while games remain on hold. Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield have collaborated to run the new State of the System series over the last few weeks. The most recent entry dives into likely the deepest position in the organization, the corner infielders, including top prospect Triston Casas (pictured). 

• The shortened 2020 draft is only five weeks away, and Chris and Ian are charged with the Red Sox selection in the first ever Prospects Live MLB mock draft. The mock is streaming on Friday at 8:30 pm Eastern and features a writer or site for each team. MLB Pipeline also published its first mock draft of the season and they have the Red Sox selecting 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet, a move that would be a boon for headline writers. 

• In normal times, the news page runs a daily Cup of Coffee, a longtime staple of the site recapping the previous day's action. With no baseball to be played, that space is being used for other recaps. Most recently has been a look at some prominent ex-prospects to check in on what they're up to these days. 

• The changed Fall Instructional League format and the cancellation of Spring Training before the site trip has unfortunately cut into our ability to give as many updated scouting reports as we'd like. However, we are happy to provide updates where we can. This week we brought new looks at five players, including 2019 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year Thaddeus Ward and 2018 second-round pick Nick Decker.

• The COVID-19-induced shutdown seems to have accelerated last winter's controversial plans to eliminate as many as 42 minor league franchises. Reports are that MLB met with their minor league counterparts last Wednesday and moved closer to an agreement. The Lowell Spinners are the only Red Sox affiliate whose name has come up in conversation. Despite that team's solid attendance numbers, the elimination of short season leagues outside the complexes make for a tough situation. The team outdraws some full-season franchises but shares facilities with UMass-Lowell, making the logistics of baseball in the spring very difficult. 32

• Make sure your perform your democratic duties by heading on over to the SoxProspects.com forums to vote in our Pre-season All-Star polls. Voting for second base is currently going on, with Cameron Cannon holding a slim lead over Antoni Flores and Marco Hernandez. 

• Our friends at Baseball America are running a wonderful "Better Know a Broadcaster" series. Recent entries include Dan Scott of the Greenville Drive and Emma Tiedemann of the Portland Sea Dogs.

Photo Credit: Triston Casas by Kelly O'Connor

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