Nice to see Doubront getting some shine. Lets see him string some starts together now. Not much to brag about in terms of the hitters on the GCL Sox though. Roberto Sosa has been OK, but he isn't much in the way of a prospect.

I don't know if Yema is a prospect, but I have more hope for him than Corsaletti. Yema was a bit of a heralded sleeper last year in the draft. Sickels now famously called him his sleeper pick in 2005. As you pointed out, he has been able to control the strike zone over the last two months. And with that, all his numbers have been on the rise. Right now, it's hard to project him to more than a 4th outfielder, because he is a tweener. But he can be interesting to watch.

17-year old Venezuelan LHP Jose Alvarez has been putting in work in the DSL so far.

YTD: 16.2 IP, 1 ER, 23/5 K/BB, 10 HA

Hard to get excited over a DSL prospect, I understand. But he (along with Yeiper Castillo)was the prominent latin signing last year for the Sox.

I noticed that Yema went 3/6 last night (all singles) and was thinking that his numbers over the last few weeks were remarkable - a 350/490 hitter in CF at an age appropriate level is pretty solid, though if he were in high A it would be nicer. Temple - you call him a tweener; I assume this means scouts think his defense is not CF quality?

The Wind, fwiw, is now up to ~290/370/400, and a 900+ OPS recently.

An interesting question is what will happen with Bard and Cox when they sign. Do the Sox shut them both down or get them some innings vs. wood bats? Cox wasn't used very much during the season, but he pitched a lot in the CWS. As a reliever, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in AA for the final few weeks of their season.

Josh I take it it means "defense not good enough for center, stick not good enough for left/right."

Sorry - I was wondering what makes people think his defense isn't a good fit for center? I think Corsaletti is considered a little slow, fwiw.

W/R/T Bard and Cox, I would take a different philosophy towards each. As you said, despite being worked like a mule in the CWS, Cox didn't really throw too much this year. I think you will see him pitch for the organization this year, but probably not for a couple weeks. I think he can be placed as high as Portland, and he will be in the majors by the end of next year. And I think he is better than Hansen.

On Bard, I think it might be a month or so before his contract actually gets signed. This topic was actually broached the other day at another board and there was some confusion. I contend that Bard can sign a 2007 contract this year, and not be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until 2010. But perhaps I'm wrong. This is significant, because I don't see Bard as the usual fast-tracked 1st round collegiate starter. He has some great tools right now. But I think you basically have to start all over with him as a pitcher. The arm will always be there, but there seems to be little else. I think he will start in Greenville next year, and need three full years to advance through the system.

Yema played CF at a second-tier university, IIRC. He was not considered a particularly toolsy player, either, so I was quite surprised to see him playing center in Greenville. I figured it was a good sign, in a way, because the Red Sox have shown a pronounced tendency to challenge defensively the prospects they are most high on (the exception, perhaps, being GadzYouki.) But I wouldn't look at his stats as CF stats. One of the more plugged-in prospect guys could probably answer the question better.

By the way, while I was on vacation, I could check in on MLB box scores, but not on minor league stuff, for the most part. I had a dream where I was looking at the Greenville box score, and I saw that Soto went 3-for-5, and that he was playing SS. I thought it was really good news htey were trying him at short again. I may have needed a longer vacation, or just a more interesting brain.

Yema played CF

Yema played corner outfield...

What to make of Murphy?

Are we going to trade Alvarez for Shealy, as rumored? That'd be pretty sweet.

Are we going to trade Alvarez for Shealy, as rumored? That'd be pretty sweet

Of course, Theo would come in at the very last moment to veto the trade and save the day, again.

On the general topic...

I got to see the Sea Dogs last night at New Britain, sitting right behind home plate. I was surprised at just how much Brandon Moss reminds me of Trot Nixon. Lefty RF'er with a decent arm, can hit the cork out of a fastball but seemed to have trouble with the breaking stuff.

Chris Smith started. Despite the occasional error, he didn't seem to get rattled. He gets decent movement on his pitches, and though he used it sparingly I really liked his curveball. Batters couldn't do much with it.

Edgar Martinez also pitched. Meh.

If anything made me feel good about the Sea Dogs, though, it was the Rock Cats. They did not play particularly well last night. If they keep it up, starting in 2011 we're going to hear contraction talk about the Twins again.

My favorite play - With two outs and a Sea Dog on second, the batter grounded to first. The first baseman thought about flipping to the pitcher, but the pitcher was running late. The 1B made a mad dash to first but the batter beat him. The 1B was too tired out from the sprint to notice that the runner on second was on his way home. He threw, but too late. So, yep, the runner on second scored on a cleanly-fielded grounder to first with two out.

He could be the best set of initials on the Sox since Ugeth Urbina.

Vi,

Why didn't you tell me you were going? It's a bit of a shame this year because there's just not much that's interesting on the Portland team.

Yet they are by far the best Sox minor league team.

Can anybody fill us in on the state of the Red Sox international scouting operation, etc.? Last I heard, rather vaugely I think, it was somewhat weak?

Why didn't you tell me you were going?

It was my daughter's birthday. "Socializing with some guy I met on the internet" somehow didn't make the list of ways to celebrate.

First you invent Mrsidiom and now your 'daughter.' Can't wait to see who you get to play her at the next meetup.

Can anybody fill us in on the state of the Red Sox international scouting operation, etc.? Last I heard, rather vaugely I think, it was somewhat weak?

For this to go unanswered for this long makes me fear something has happened to Temple.

Can anybody fill us in on the state of the Red Sox international scouting operation, etc.? Last I heard, rather vaugely I think, it was somewhat weak?

The international scouting situation is still a bit murky. It actually might clear up in the near future, because Monday is the day after big IFA's are allowed to start signing. Sox fans beware, however. All indications are that the Sox will not be shelling out any huge signing bonuses to Dominicans or Venezuelans. That isn't set in stone, but I would not be surprised at this point to see no big announcements by the Sox. It seems that the Sox have taken the strategy of spreading the international risk as opposed to concentrating it on 1 or 2 big signings. They have some decent pitchers in the DSL and GCL currently pitching well, who were signed under this philosophy. Spreading the risk is not just limited to Latin America however. They have made a huge investment in Taiwan, and continue to spend money, rightly or wrongly, in Australia. In regards to Chih-Hsien Chiang, their most prolific Taiwanese signee, they paid ~350K, but he actually turned down several larger offers, including 500K from the Braves, to sign with the Sox.

I have not formed an opinion on this strategy yet. I will wait it out and see if the Sox Dominican academy has the ability to filter out some good talent. But as a fan, it is sure nice seeing your team invest in the Deolis Guerra's and Fernando Martinez's of the world. There are several extremely high-ceilinged prospects who are going to command 1 million+ signing bonuses. But I just can't see the Sox, who have a lot of money tied up in the amateur draft, dishing these bonuses out to 16-year olds.

Thanks, TUS.

First you invent Mrsidiom and now your 'daughter.' Can't wait to see who you get to play her at the next meetup.

She's in the background on my avatar. The boy is in the foreground.

For the role they play they're very well paid... if cotton candy is your idea of pay.

I think I got that same picture in a wallet that I bought. Nice try though.

I would love to be wrong about this:

It actually might clear up in the near future, because Monday is the day after big IFA's are allowed to start signing. Sox fans beware, however. All indications are that the Sox will not be shelling out any huge signing bonuses to Dominicans or Venezuelans.

And it looks like I might:

2. Engel Beltre, OF, Dominicana (16)
A left-handed hitter with extra-base power. He has a powerful throwing arm and plays great defense in the outfield. There's a rumor that he has a verbal agreement with the Boston Red Sox.

This is from a list of the top international talents available, on ESPN.com.

We signed Engel Beltré for 600K

Spanish site

TempleUSox rough translation:

Young Engel Beltre made the jump to professional baseball with the hopes of being the next David Ortiz, or following in the footsteps of Ken Griffey Jr.

And it is with the Boston Red Sox that he signed for $600,000, Sunday. The largest contract ever given out by Boston in the Dominican.

According to one executive of the Red Sox, Beltre is a five-tool player...

"This is a kid who has all the qualities you want in a prospect, and it is the most important signing we have made in this country." (whither Luis Soto?) said the coordinator of international scouting, John Dipuglia.

Beltre is 16 and a half years old, and is one of four brothers, each one a faithful fanatic of the Red Sox.

"David Ortiz is my favorite player and I am thankful to the Red Sox for the opportunity they have given me," said Beltre minutes after putting his signature on the lucrative contract.

Beltre is a centerfielder with an above average arm, plays good defense, and combines hitting for a high average, with power potential.

Beltre has played baseball for 7 years and one of his instructors describes him as a complete player.

"This boy has all the chance to develop into a future star. He is a hard worker and he will be able to flourish if he stays that way," said Santiago Jimenez, a manager on one of the teams in one of the smaller Dominican leagues.

Beltre will be assigned to the minor leagues. But he will begin this year in the Red Sox Dominican complex, and next year he will play in the Dominican Summer League.

"(whither Luis Soto?) "

Didn't Soto's stock kind of take off playing in some summer tourneys over here? Maybe he means the most important guy to come totally out of there....or (obviously) maybe he doesn't like him as much

Or maybe he's just talking up the guy that just signed.

I have a hard time getting excited for 18-year-old highschoolers, these guys are just too far away for me to invest much emotion in.

On the day the Sox signed Engel Beltre to a rich deal, the other Engel makes his claim to the prospect charts:

Reid Engel- 4/4, 2 HR, BB

Some other non-ordered notes from a busy night in prospectdom:

Jacoby- 2/3, 2 BB, 4 SB

Soto- 1/2, 2 BB

Pedroia- 3/5, BB

Luis Exposito- 1/2, 2 BB

Aaron Bates- 3/4, HR

Yay Pedroia! Yay Jacoby, who'd been slippy. Yay forgotten Soto. Yay guys I never heard of.

I think I got that same picture in a wallet that I bought. Nice try though.

C'mon, Darren. I've met you and your daughter. You two caught a ball right when you were walking into the ballpark.

SoSH seems obsessed with Reid Engel for reasons that go completely past me. He's got neither scouty pedigree nor results (until tonight), but everyone's watching him intently for some reason. I hope they're right.

Really? I thought it was just me. Where on SoSH does someone make a big deal of him? He's just a fun kid to follow because he's as raw as they come, but very athletic. Not exactly the type of player the Sox player development system is known for refining into a major league player. He is extremely young, so he has that going for him. If he can put together a good two months in Lowell, he might start popping up in the Sox top 15. You need to start somewhere.

Bowden had another excellent 5 IP, giving up three hits and no runs. He and Clay Buchholz (3.08 and 2.81 ERAs) are really putting it togethero. I was concerned about the bad HR, H and RA numbers in the thread of about a month ago, but Bowden and Buchholz have really kept those in check recently while maintaining excellent K/BB numbers. They're starting to look like real deal prospects to me, and so I guess I'm coming late to that party. I'm very excited to read whatever midseason scouting reports squeak out of BA.

MCoA,

I know it's not BA, but Sickels just did his Top 20 Prospects in Review for the Red Sox.

Darren,

Do you mean the one at http://www.minorleagueball.com/? If so, that was compiled in the pre-season, though posted just a few days ago. The comments also appear to be new, though the grades are old.

He puts Hansen at the top (A-), and says he "might work out as a starter." Lester, Papelbon and Pedroia got B+'s, Ellsbury, Bucholz and Bowden Bs.

Yes, PJ. That's a review of his preseason list. The comments, but not the grades, reflect his most recent take.