PawSox mascot, Paws, before the game. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yes, it’s only April. Yes, the Red Sox have only played thirteen games, and it’s still too early to make any real judgments. But they are 4-9 in those thirteen games, and although it may be early, the Sox may already be looking to make some changes. Minor League Roundup is here to tell you what may be coming:
Stock Rising:
Will Middlebrooks: All he’s doing is hitting .368, with 5 home runs, 16 RBI’s, and a .684 SLG. All those stats are tops among Red Sox minor leaguers. I’m not saying Kevin Youkilis should be looking over his shoulder but it certainly is ahrd to ignore those numbers. Middlebrooks still has trouble with his plate discipline as he is currently posting only a .390 OBP. That’s really the only piece missing from his major league puzzle, and it will be interesting to see what Boston does if Middlebrooks continues to rake like this.
Matt Barnes: He’s killing it right now. Sixteen innings pitched, no earned runs, only two walks, and twenty-five strikeouts. Yes, twenty-five strikeouts in 16 innings. He’s pitching at Single A Greeneville right now, but if he has a few more starts like the three he’s already dominated, don’t be surprised to see him get promoted soon.
Juan Carlos Linares: The outfielder has a .373/.467/.608 line right now for the double A Portland Sea Dogs. On top of that, he’s launched three homers and knocked in eight runs. Not that it matters, but the Sea Dogs are 4-12. See? It’s not only the major league club.
Aaron Cook: He’s made three starts so far in Pawtucket, giving up only three earned runs in twenty innings. He’s walked seven and struck out seven. So I ask you this: is there any real reason not to move Bard or Doubront back to the bullpen, promote Cook to the fifth starting spot, and call it a day? Sox pitchers have the worst ERA in the game, something is not right. How long can Cook continue to succeed in triple A before he’s given a chance?
Ryan Lavarnway: He’s only hitting .260, but he’s posting a .383 OBP and has a .783 OPS. Meanwhile, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is batting a robust .103 with eight strikeouts and only two walks in twenty-nine at bats. Like Will Middlebrooks, it’s going to be hard to watch Lavarnway continue to hit well in the minor leagues all summer.
Stock Falling:
Jose Iglesias: He’s had a rough start to the year down at Pawtucket. He’s only hitting .220 over 50 at bats, and maybe even more concerning is the fact that he has yet to knock an extra base hit. He does have two stolen bases, but his 6 walks compared to 11 strikeouts is not encouraging. On top of that, Mike Aviles has been solid so far, so it’s not like Boston is exactly looking for new options at shortstop.
Andrew Miller: Many were anticipating his return from injury, looking for another lefty option out of the bullpen, but he’s hit a road bump in the minors. He’s pitched 4.1 innings and walked an astounding nine batters. For what it’s worth, he’s also struck out nine, but walking two men an inning just isn’t going to cut it. For a player that has had control issues for his entire career, it’s going to take a few more solid innings before anyone can feel comfortable with Miller coming out of the ‘pen at Fenway.
Alex Wilson: This is another guy who had the potential to play a role in the bullpen this year. His unspectacular spring has carried over to his first three starts in the Pawtucket rotation. He’s given up eight earned runs in 13.2 innings. That being said, he has struck out sixteen while only walking four, so the stuff is there.
This and That:
-Will Middlebrooks has homered in 5 of his last 6 games.
-Xander Bogaerts continues to just hit. His line at single A Salem (50 at bats): .300/.375/.480
-Mark Melancon has done the impossible: pitched a scoreless inning. He yielded no runs in his first inning at Pawtucket, although he did hit a batter.
Listening To: For A Fool by the Shins
Watching: Away We Go, Directed by Sam Mendes
