Minor Help

Not So Nasty Nate made a comment the other day about the Sox’ lack of depth on the corners that resonated with me.  I got to thinking about some players who are a bit off the radar and might contribute in 2013.  I’m pretty geared up for my Spring Training trip (52 days!) so count this as a little list of non-big name guys I’m hoping to check out somewhat closely while I’m there (thus ending their careers in the process).  Plus, a thread that isn’t all-Hall of Fame all the time seems useful;

Minor League Review - The Pitchers

The Sox should be pretty pleased with the performance of their minor league pitchers.  While the veterans at the MLB level had rough years it was an encouraging year for a few prospects and The Trade added a little more depth.  At the big league level the final numbers were not great but Felix Doubront gave the club cause for optimism. 

What I see here is a farm system that has some guys who can either be contributors down the road or pieces if the Sox elect to go for a big trade.  This gives ...

Minor League Review - The Hitters

With the minor league seasons over it seems like a reasonable time for a look at the state of the system.  I’m going with the hitters for now and I’ll get to the pitchers later in the week.  I figured a position by position look probably makes the most sense.  Any reference to a league (e.g. AAA, AA, etc…) is where the player spent the majority of his season unless otherwise noted.

1st Base
Notables – Mauro Gomez (AAA), Travis Shaw (A/AA)

Not an especially strong position for the Sox ...

Minor League Update - The ex-Dodgers

We don’t need another thread on this trade but…the heck with it.  Plus, if it annoys TVErik a bit, that’s kind of fun (oh we kid because we love). With all the attention on the players we traded and the money gained I think some focus on the players we are getting back is warranted.  I ignored Loney because I think it’s a safe assumption that he’s going to have a Red Sox career about as long as Carlos Pena’s.

Rubby de la Rosa – So the first thing I learned is that it’s pronounced ...

Minor League Update

The trade deadline cameth and wenteth and while the Sox were generally (and prudently) inactive we can now rest assured that the guys on the farm are going to be there the rest of the year.

The impetus for the Sox’ moves seem to have been freeing up some room on the 40 man roster.  With that in mind I spent a bit of time at www.soxprospects.com looking at players who would need to be protected this coming winter.  Among their top 40 prospects the Sox feature three players who will need to be ...

Minor League Mid-year Update

Our last minor league thread is over a month old so I figure there is no time like the present to get a new one rolling.  Both John Sickels and Baseball America have released updated prospect lists and between those independent sources and any look at the performance of the minor leaguers 2012 is a great year so far for the minors.

Sickels; Bogaerts #11, Bradley #36, Barnes #41, Lavarnway #59, Swihart, #90, Jacobs #105, Owens #119

BA: Barnes #13, Bogaerts #31, Bradley #32, Lavarnway “also ...

Red Sox Draft Thread

I recently completed my traditional draft prep of ignoring amateur baseball entirely for 363 days out of the year, and so with the first rounds scheduled for tomorrow, I went and looked at some talent rankings and mock drafts.  The Sox have two late first-round picks this year (their own 24th pick and the Phillies’ 31st) as well as a sandwich round pick (the 37th), which is also Papelbon compensation.

The establishment of tough new slotting rules means that the Sox will have only about $350k ...

Minor League Thread: 150 PA Prospects

I like to look at minor league numbers about 150 PA into the season because this is when a few of the component numbers start to stabilize.  For strikeouts especially, and to a lesser degree walks and some of the power stats, we’ve got enough of a sample to begin to make some claims.  And I’m claiming that there are a bunch of good things going on in the system right now.  This is particularly fun because the Sox drafting and development has been in a slump with the last few drafts in ...

Minor League Thread: Jose on the Roster Assignments

When clubs announce their roster assignments for the minor leagues, they provide un-spun, objective information about their own evaluations of their minor league players.  You only get that level bump up to AA if the club really believes that you have the skills and talent to succeed at the higher level.  Along with the release of the prospect rankings, it’s one of the best collections of information we’re going to pick up.

Jose very helpfully ran through the roster assignments as listed ...

Offseason Minor League Thread

Because the Red Sox system is so thin in the high minors, and because their low-minors strength doesn’t feature any single obvious superstar, the prospect ratings have been a bit all over the place.  John Sickels’ top five only shared two names with Jim Callis’ top five, and Keith Law didn’t rank Callis’ #1 in his top 100, but he did put Sickels’ #7 in his 100th spot (only the second Red Sox to make the list).  Since I don’t actually watch minor league games, I tend to count on ...

Minor League Thread: Other Things That Are Also Bad

A midseason survey of Baseball America’s top ten Red Sox prospects, with MLEs for high minors hitters.

1) Ryan Westmoreland – had successful surgery on a “cavernous malformation” in his brain this spring, is recovering well and beginning baseball activities.  Whether, following major brain surgery and neurological rehabilitation, Westmoreland will still stand among the couple dozen best young ballplayers in the world is an open question that won’t be addressed until next year at the ...

Weekly Minor League Thread: This and that

Just a couple of notes, feel free to add anything that you’d like.

—Since starting the season on a tear, Corsaletti, Ellsbury, and especially Lowrie have come crashing back to earth. Hard. None of them have particularly good numbers right now. I’m beginning to think they won’t all be ready to start in teh Majors next year.

—The Sox signed 30-year-old Corky Miller and placed him in Pawtucket, where Kent Huckaby just went on the DL. This is good depth where the Sox really need it. Corky has ...

Red Sox Minor League Park Factors

Culled from Transaction Oracle:

Team                 R       H       2B       HR      BB      SO

Pawtucket         1.05   1.04   0.91    1.59    1.10    1.15
Portland (AA)    1.08   0.97   0.88    1.18    1.01    1.03 
Wilmington        0.94   0.95   0.91    0.75    0.93    0.99 
Greenville         1.07   1.07   1.00    1.07    1.07    1.07 
Lowell               1.04   1.02   1.08    1.10    1.10    1.04 
Fort Myers         0.97   1.01   1.04    0.90    0.98    1.14 

Also, before 05, ...