Sickels: Boston Red Sox Top 20 Prospects for 2009

Stares at worthless Jimmy Schankle autograph…

1) Lars Anderson, 1B, Grade A-: Will hit for power and average, I’m confident home runs will increase.
2) Michael Bowden, RHP, Grade B+: Another personal favorite, strong command of solid stuff.
3) Daniel Bard, RHP, Grade B: Can hit 100 MPH, turned things around, command still a question but huge upside.
4) Josh Reddick, OF, Grade B: At this point I’m not that worried about Double-A struggles. Not a walk machine but it seems to work for him.
5) Ryan Westmoreland, OF, Grade B: No numbers yet, this is based on scouting reports indicating power, speed, and good plate discipline.
6) Michael Almanzar, 3B, Grade B-: Needs work with strike zone judgment, but huge upside. Miguel Cabrera type? If he gets the zone under control. . .
7) Ryan Kalish, OF, Grade B-: Strong leadoff skills, and young enough for the power to come.
8) Nick Hagadone, LHP, Grade B-: Can’t rank higher than B- until we see how he comes back from Tommy John. Excellent stuff when healthy.
9) Yamaico Navarro, SS, Grade B-: Tools and youth, with good offensive upside for a middle infielder.
10) Oscar Tejeda, SS, Grade B-: Tools and youth. I will cut him some slack due to health problems this year.

SYSTEM IN BRIEF: The Red Sox have thinned out a bit at the top, but the system is recharging very quickly and is still quite deep overall. Anderson and Bowden are personal favorites. They have a mixture of tools guys and guys with polish, which I like to see, and they have a nice balance of pitchers and position players. They draft guys from high school, they draft guys from college, they spend money in Latin America and Asia. This is how a big-money team SHOULD run a farm system, and it will ensure the team is competitive for years to come.