The last article I wrote focused on two position players in the upper levels of the sox minor league system; Dustin Pedroia and David Murphy. Today, we will look to the opposite end of the spectrum; two pitchers in the lower level of the minors.
Since the Sox have graduated 4 legitimate pitching prospects in the last calendar year; Jon Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, and Jon Lester, the Sox double-A and triple-A affiliates are now practically barren in terms of legitimate pitching prospects. To find players who might be able to come up and make the impact that the aforementioned players have made, we need to scour the lower, less advanced, levels of the minors.
That brings us to two pitchers for the Greenville Drive; Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden. Both Bowden and Buchholz were selected in the supplemental round of last year’s draft. Clay Buchholz was selected #42 overall, as compensation for the Sox losing Pedro Martinez. Bowden was selected 5 picks after at #47 overall, as compensation for Derek Lowe. While it will be difficult for either to live up to the legacy of the pitchers they are compensation for, both Bowden and Buchholz have give a lot of reasons for Sox fans to believe they will be pitching at Fenway in the future.
When Theo Epstein first took the reins at Fenway Park, his draft strategy towards pitchers revolved around pitchability. Pitchability is the phrase often used to describe pitchers who “know how to pitch.” This led to the Sox drafting soft-tossers like Abe Alvarez (2003), Andrew Dobies(2004), and Tommy Hottovy (2004). These three pitchers had impressive collegiate resumes, that were coupled with an overwhelming statistical record. But these numbers didn’t always translate to a good performance record in the minors. Alvarez’s career has stalled in triple-A, where his advanced control isn’t enough to get consistent outs from near major league-quality hitters. Hottovy and Dobies took their lumps last year in Wilmington, where neither were effective. Both have progressed to double-A this season, but neither project as more than situational relievers.
The Sox took a divergent path in 2005. With their sandwich picks, they selected two projectable, but largely unproven right-handed pitchers. Buchholz, a tall, lanky kid originally from Lumberton, Texas, transferred from McNeese State to Angelina Junior College after his freshman year. He felt he would be able to get more playing time at the smaller Junior College. At Angelina, Buchholz was converted from a shortstop to a starter. An excellent hitter, Buchholz led the team with a .617 slugging percentage, and he could have been selected as a top 5 round pick as a hitter. Because of his relative inexperience on the mound, his command and stuff was still somewhat raw. Although he could dial up his fastball to the mid-90’s, his breaking balls were inconsistent. Because Buchholz was the best athlete on the team and a great athlete in general, scouts believed he could make the full transition to starter.
One of the major knocks on Clay Buchholz before the draft was a makeup problem, stemming from an incident in high school, where he stole computers from his school’s computer lab and attempted to re-sell them to other students. Sox scouting director Jason McLeod believed the Sox had invested enough time investigating the past of Clay Buchholz where they felt comfortable with his makeup. Comfortable enough to select him 42nd overall in the 2005 draft and give him $800,000.
Michael Bowden, the 47th pick, came from out of nowhere during his senior year in high school in Illinois. He steamed up the draft charts as a senior as he dominated the competition in Illnois. Bowden, a 6’3″, 215 pound right-hander has the arsenal of the prototypical power pitcher. He mixes a low-to-mid-90’s fastball in with a power curveball, a good changeup, and a developing slider. While there were some concerns with a dip in his delivery, the Sox sent him to the American Sports Medicine Institute in Alabama to have his delivery mapped and analyzed. The reports concluded that while unorthodox, his motion was technically sound. One of the most becoming aspects of Bowden is his makeup. His scores were off the charts on the psych tests the Sox give all their prospects. Scouts rave about his attitude and willingness to learn. While some questions lingered about Buchholz, the consensus on Bowden’s makeup was that he was a truly unique prospect.
Entering the 2006 minor league season, the Sox chose to pitch Bowden in low-A, a testament to their faith in his maturity. Buchholz and Bowden would become the 1 and 1A pitchers for the Greenville Drive. Aside from a few blips on the radar, both have lived up to the billing, compiling excellent numbers across the board, and drawing rave reviews. Buchholz has pitched 103 innings this year in low-A ball, while maintaining a 2.62 ERA. He has an impressive 117/29 K/BB ratio, while allowing only 78 hits. Though Buchholz is 2 IP short of qualifying for the SAL leaderboard, if he did, his K/9 would rank #1. This past week Buchholz was finally granted a well-due promotion to high-A Wilmington, where he will help the Blue Rocks in
their playoff run. While handing out their “Best Tools” awards, Baseball America bestowed the “Best SAL Breaking Ball” upon Buchholz. Buchholz’s potential is finally beginning to intersect with polish. He may be knocking on Fenway’s door quicker than we anticipated.
Though Michael Bowden technically participated in the GCL last year, he only threw 6 innings. So this year when the Sox broke camp, his assignment to Greenville was telling. Though both Buchholz and Bowden have been kept on strict innings limitations, they have each shined when they can. Bowden has struck out 117 in 107 IP this year, with a 3.28 ERA. Like Buchholz, he has kept the hits against him to a relative low number; 89. Unlike Buchholz, Bowden has been more flaky this year, which is to be expected for a kid straight out of high school. He has had starts of complete dominance (5.1 IP, 1 H, 10/1 K/BB) and others where he has been rocked (3 IP, 7 ER, 2 HRA). But that is part of becoming a pitcher. Sox prospects in the lower levels of the minors are told to not worry about their statistics, and more about working on their weaknesses. The pitchers are ordered to aim for efficiency, with strikeouts being only a consequence of dominance, not the intended goal.
Both Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden are two young pitchers who can give the Red Sox hope for 2 or 3 years down the road. Right now, they are still learning their craft. Low-A is a long, long way from Fenway Park. But in their brief professional experience, both have been progressed to the point where they are going to start being mentioned as the Sox top prospects.
