Red Sox Trade for Brian Anderson
Brian Anderson isn’t much for hitting, but at least he has an acceptable UZR for a 5th outfielder. Let the…
Author: daniel rathman
Previewing the 2009 Draft: Part II (6-10)
In Part I of the six part series on covering the 2009 Draft, I gave brief scouting reports over the well-known names in amateur baseball. Strasburg remains at the top and is having an unbelievable Junior year (.172 BAA, 74 K/7 BB in 34.1 IP). Part II features the top athlete in the draft followed by two very projectable arms and two pitchers that have experienced quite a bit of controversy within the past year.
6. Donovan Tate, OF, GA (HS)
Son of former NFL running back, Lars Tate, Donovan has is a genetic freak and arguably the best athlete in the draft. As a football player, he is a 4-star prospect according to Rivals.com and rated the 5th best athlete in the country. As a baseball player, he is the type of specimen which comes around once every five or ten years. He has plus bat-speed and is an absolute ballhawk in the outfield.
Some quick notes from Ft. Myers (Fife, Pimentel, etc.)
I've been down at the Fort for the past couple of days, and have spent most of that at the Player Development Complex. Here's some quick notes from yesterday and today.
Miguel Gonzalez undergoes Tommy John
Less than a month ago, right handed Rule V pick Miguel Gonzalez had an arthrogram taken on his elbow in the next couple of days. The X-ray procedure includes an injection of dye in order to get a better understanding of any possible damage. According to a Boston.com report last night, Miguel underwent Tommy John and will undergo rehab in Fort Myers. Many had speculated that this may have been an excuse to put him on the "Phantom DL", but it looks like he'll probably miss the entire season and likely be returned to the Angels.
Middlebrooks out with Torn Hamstring
According to a report on SoxProspects.com, third base prospect Will Middlebrooks suffered a torn hamstring during drills this past weekend and will be out until May, or possibly longer. Will was projected to start at Class-A Greenville where he'd split time between third base and DH with fellow top prospect Michael Almanzar.
Previewing the 2009 Draft: Part I (1-5)
Last weekend marked the opener for the 2009 college baseball season for Division I baseball. Roughly 50-60 scouts were in attendance for the consensus top pick Stephen Strasburg's first start against Bethune-Cookman. Strasburg is largely considered the top right handed pitcher to come from the collegiate ranks since Mark Prior was drafted out of USC in 2001. Baring an injury, he'll be the top pick by the Washington Nationals on June 9. Let's take a look at the top five talents for the 2009 draft.
1. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State
Arguably the best right handed pitcher college baseball has seen in the last five years. He has the size, stuff, athleticism, and still project to get better, if you can imagine. He started his career at San Diego State in the bullpen, so his arm doesn't have a lot of miles on it, although you'd assume it does when watching how advanced of a pitcher he is am. You may remember him from last season, when he struck out 23 batters in a 1-0 complete game shutout against Utah (a game that Sox prospect Stephen Fife started for the Utes). He have the ideal pitchers body, and can still manage to add 20 lbs to his frame. His fastball sits between 93-95 with solid late break, and could comfortably be in the mid-upper 90's once he adds more muscle.
Lars to play some OF in AAA
Last December, Sox Director of Player Development Mike Hazen released a statement to announce that the ultra-versatile Casey Kelly will both pitch 100 innings and play shortstop in a way that provides both the team and himself greater flexibility for the long haul, and help increase the likelihood that his professional career will ultimately progress at the position at which he is most valuable. Recently and similarly, another announcement was made that top prospect Lars Anderson will get a cup of tea as an outfielder when he gets promoted to Pawtucket some time this year.
A Year Removed from the Shortstop Logjam
Twelve months ago, I was eagerly looking forward to today because it would be then that the logjam at the shortstop position in the low-minors could be resolved. There were five guys: Oscar Tejeda, Yamaico Navarro, Kris Negron, Will Middlebrooks, and Ryan Dent; that could potentially play the position down the road. Luckily, not all five guys were on the same team, but it sure was something to worry about had they all progressed at the same rate. There were certainly plenty of variables that typically unscrew these logjams, such as injuries, lack of production, etc. To quote Sox Director of Player Development Mike Hazen, "things like these will work themselves out, we just have to make sure to get everybody equal opportunity".
Well, Mike was right. Oscar spent the first few weeks in Extended Spring Training with arm issues and is more suited for third base. Navarro played very well and is now a top ten prospect. Negron struggled to make consistent contact in Greenville before becoming a product of Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster. Middlebrooks was never really given a shot at shortstop and is handling third base well. And finally, Dent has failed to make much contact and is more than likely going to switch to either second base or center field. That leaves Navarro as the only one who will be playing the majority of his time at the shortstop position.
Mechanical Analysis: Michael Bowden
With Clay Buchholz slowly exhausting his prospect eligibility last season, Michael Bowden emerged by solidifying his status as the next best pitcher in the Sox system. One of Michael's bigger caveats coming out of Waubonsie Valley High School were his somewhat unconventional mechanics.
While they are nothing to be overtly concerned about, there are a few areas that bother me. He's your prototypical long-armer who relies more on arm strength than using his lower body.
Brad Wilkerson signed to minor-league deal
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Red Sox have signed OF/1B Brad Wilkerson to a minor league deal with roster and playing time incentives. Last year, he split time with Toronto and Seattle by hitting a combined .220/.308/.326 in 309 plate appearances and fighting nagging shoulder and back injuries.
Although he may only be 6th or 7th on the outfield depth chart, Wilkerson provides solid depth if his shoulder is healthy. He's always been a solid player when he's been on the field. He's only a year removed from hitting 20 home runs, gets on base at a decent clip, and possesses the rare ability of being a left handed hitter who hits lefties better than righties.