By Andrew Lipsett
I want to take a little time out from the Great Bullpen Debate to delve a little deeper into the minor league system and see what we find. The Sox top prospects – guys like Lester (who collected his first major league win tonight), Hansen, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Buccholz, and David Murphy – are fairly well known to many fans by now; a couple of them have even seen MLB playing time. But beyond the top of everyone’s Prospect Hot Sheets are a number of interesting and promising ballplayers whose names haven’t been throw around much. I’d like to highlight 5 of them, those that I find most intruiging, and provide a bit of a scouting report. It’s entirely possibly that none of these guys will ever amount to much of anything, but their under-the-radar performances certainly warrant a mention.
Mike Rozier, 20, LHP, Greenville
Mike Rozier made waves before ever playing a game in the Sox system; as a high schooler, Rozier was a two way star in football and baseball, and the offer of a football scholarship to North Carolina – as well as the presence of his agent, Scott Boras – caused his top-round ability to slip to the Sox in the 12th round of the 2004 draft. To pry him away from football, the Sox set a draft record, inking him to a bonus worth over 1.5 million – the highest amount ever given to a pick taken after the first 10 rounds.
Rozier entered the Sox system in 2005, being placed immediately with low-A Greenville and skipping the GCL and Lowell altogether (signed on August 24th, Rozier effectively missed the 2004 season in the minor leagues). He struggled in his first year, primarily with his control: though he ended with an ERA of 390 and 52 K’s in 92 innings, he also walked an ugly 49. His control remains a significant issue in his development – perhaps the very biggest. In 2006, Rozier has thrown just over 52 innings for the Drive, and has walked 25 (though he’s K’d 35, which is a small step up from his 2005 K/9). Still, his stuff – which includes a low-90’s fastball, a solid curve and a very good change – is unquestioned, and his young age suggests he could iron out his control issues with more polishing. Rozier has a high ceiling, but shouldn’t be expected at AA until he can bring down his walk rate.
Luis Mendoza, 22, RHP, Portland
Mendoza is an interesting prospect, though an inconsistent one, and seems to be an every-other-year type player whi can rapidly swing from a bad season to a good one. Signed as an international free agent out of Mexico City in 2001 – at the tender age of 17, he began his career in the Venezuelan Summer League – Mendoza moved to low-A ball quickly, and had a breakout 2003 in Augusta, going 3-3 with a 2.26 ERA, 29 K’s and 14 walks in just under 60 innings. The following season, at Sarasota, he met with somewhat more mixed success: the 3.74 ERA was solid, but the 51/54 K/BB ratio – in 134 innings – was not.
2005 was a tough year for Mendoza, as he struggled in high-A Wilmington before eventually being shipped to the San Diego system in a trade. He performed poorly in his two starts for high A Lake Elsinore, and was released. The Sox picked him up again in July.
Mendoza stayed in Wilmington in 2006, and performed markedly better in his secod go-round; in 13 starts for the Blue Rocks, he posted a 3.14 ERA and struck out 46 – while walking just 14 – in 63 innings. His performance earned him a promotion to AA Portland, to fill David Pauley’s vacated rotation spot. Though he’s struggled in his first two appearances, it will be interesting to see what he does when he settles in; I can’t really define why I like Mendoza so much (it may have something to do with the fact that he looks like he’s 12), but I do.
Kyle Jackson, 23, RHP, Wilmington
Jackson, drafted in the 32nd round of the 2001 draft out of a New Hampshire high school, has been a pleasant surprise in his career, displaying impressive control and a good strikeout ability. Injury problems have hampered his development, forcing a switch to the bullpen, but it’s possible that was the right move for Jackson regardless; since the switch, his strikeout rate has risen above 9 per nine innings, and his control was solid last season though it’s taken a dip in 2006. Currently, Jackson is holding down the Blue Rocks bullpen with a 1.85 ERA in 39 innings, and has struck out an impressive 57 batters.
Mark Wagner, 22, C, Greenville
Wagner’s breakout 2006 – batting .309/.371/.492 as Greenville’s everyday catcher – has vaulted him onto more than a few top prospects lists for the Sox organization, as it appears he’s genuinely come into his own offensively. a product of the 2005 draft – he was selected in the 9th round – Wagner has all the tools you want in a catcher; he calls a good game, is a solid defender, and has an excellent throwing arm. Now that his offensive performance has lived up to his potential, he could turn into a fairly exciting catching prospect; if he continues his hot hitting, which recently landed him on the Sally League All-Star Team, he would be an excellent candidate for promotion by mid-season.
Yahmed Yema, 21, OF, Greenville
Yema was one of the lesser-known OF’s in a 2005 draft that featured Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeff Corsaletti; Yema was taken in the 7th round of the draft, with the Sox noting his patience and raw power, as well as his defensive ability. In his first pro season, with Lowell in 2005, Yema put up a solid BAA and OBP, though his power – an SLG of just .411 with 1 HR – was a bit of a disappointment. In 2006, though, he’s ramped that last up; while hitting .297 and getting on base at a .351 clip, Yema has hit 5 HR and slugged .483 for Greenville through 209 AB’s. If he continues to develop his power while maintaining his solid on-base potential, he could easily see time in the higher minors, sooner rather than later.
