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Sox Therapy— Where Thinking Red Sox Fans Obsess about the Sox
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Weekly Minor League Thread: Splitting the Difference
There are a couple of players who have had good to great 2nd halves after struggling in the first half. I’m hopeful that at least a few of these guys have made real improvements during the season that have been masked by their season totals. Here are a couple examples:
Jeff Natale: Gadzyouki, as all the cool kids are calling him, put up a .389 OBP but only a .341 SLG before the All-Star break. Since the break he’s batting .308 with a .461 SLG and .429 SLG. That’s still pretty lousy power but his amazing total BB/K ratio of 83/33 cannot be ignored. Perhaps like Youkilis and Pedroia, also patient hitters, he takes a while to adjust to new levels. I hope they move him to Pawtucket next year and see how he can do. I’d also like to see them find a position for him.
George Kottaras: A B+ catching prospect in return for a few starts from David Wells? Why, it’s too good to be true! Maybe it was. Kottaras put up an abominable .576 OPS for Pawtucket before the All-Star Break this year, which continued his lousy AAA play from the year before (.647 OPS in 33 PCL games). Since the break Kottaras is hitting .313/.387/.563, with a respectable 12 BB and 20 K in 96 ABs. Unfortunately, it’s only been a few plate appearances. Most of the goodness came from a hot July and he’s not hitting much in August. At only 24 this year, there’s still hope he can figure it out.
Reid Engel: Engel is a bit different. He wasn’t so much of a 1st half/2nd half split. He had a lousy April and has hit well ever since. After his first month of 2/16 BB/K, he’s been at 35/58 since. His .458 OPS in April has been replaced by a .307/.375/.457 line since. His #1 fan must be feeling pretty smug about now.
Darren
Posted: August 28, 2007 at 10:56 PM | 14 comment(s)
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WALK DAMMIT
(.647 OPS in 33 PCL games).
If he can do taht in the MLB, it'd already be better than Doug.
oops, I didn't even read that, I just assumed it was his line from this year. I just took the first krappy stat I saw in Darren's post and assumed it was Kottara's line.
"Nick Hagadone, the Red Sox' top 2007 draft pick, has continued his scoreless streak at Lowell. Since giving up five earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in his professional debut, Hagadone has allowed just six hits and no walks, while striking out 21 batters in 17 innings in two- and three-inning starts."
"Lancaster first baseman Lars Anderson is 7 for 16 (.438) in five games since being promoted from Greenville."
"After playing in 10 games with the GCL Sox, the team's second draft pick, infielder Ryan Dent, played his first game for Lowell Tuesday. Dent, a first-round sandwich pick (No. 62 overall), went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored."
"Jacoby Ellsbury's hitting streak was 24 games after Wednesday's contest."
Isn't there a prospect maxim that catchers develop later than other players? Varitek has another year and Kottaras will be 26 in 2009. Ride his peak years and hope one of the Single A catchers develops.
gimme a break, darren. kottaras does not have a good defensive repuation, from what i've read. cash can't hit, but he caught wake and that's no easy task.
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