Top Prospect Ryan Westmoreland to Undergo Surgery

Earlier today, the Red Sox front office released a statement reporting that top prospect Ryan Westmoreland will undergo surgery to correct a cavernous malformation. A cavernous malformation is a group of dilated blood vessels in the brain, often diagnosed following headaches in the patient. However, many people can have cavernous malformations without presenting symptoms.

Remarked General Manager Theo Epstein, "The entire Red Sox organization stands in support of Ryan as he courageously deals with this issue. Ryan is a remarkable kid and a talented player, and we understand that many will be concerned about his health. He is getting the best medical attention the world has to offer, and we will have more information soon. Until then -- out of respect for Ryan's privacy and at the request of the Westmoreland family -- we will not have any further comment."

Everyone here at FireBrand and all over Red Sox Nation is pulling for a speedy recovery for Ryan and we wish him the best. At the moment, there is no word as to when he will return to the field.

Wrapping Up the Offseason

Spring Training is only a day away, and it's been a busy offseason for the Red Sox in 2010. The team struggled in the playoffs last year after putting up another solid regular season; tweaks were made to sew up the loose ends on the team's defensive deficiencies. Another front line starter was brought into the fold. Is Lackey here to supplant Josh Beckett in 2011 and beyond, or simply be another high priced compliment to the rotation? With the Olympics currently underway, let's review what's happened this offseason, and see what moves the teams made deserved a spot on the podium. Third Base: Adrian Beltre replaces Mike Lowell While the Lowell trade was derailed by an injury the fan base is still scratching their heads over (was Lowell hiding it, was the organization?), the acquisition of Beltre signaled the end of Lowell's regular playing time. Arguably the most talented defensive third basemen in baseball, Beltre brings his slick glove to Fenway to provide the teams with the defensive wins they had lacked all last season. Even returning just to his 2008 level of offensive woudl make Beltre a 4 WAR player, a huge bonus for the Red Sox with minimal risk.

Minor League Prospect List

The rankings are rolling in and the Red Sox are entering 2010 with their best two prospects having yet to play a game at Double-A yet. I'm speaking of outfielder Ryan Westmoreland and confirmed starting pitcher Casey Kelly. I want to look at what the rankings are telling us and how we should value these two. Baseball Prospectus and Minor League Ball have Westmoreland as the Red Sox number one prospect. John Sickels gives him a grade of B+ and gave the following comments.

Interviewing Alex Wilson: 2009 draft pick closest to the bigs

Alex Wilson was drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft by the Boston Red Sox out of Texas A&M. Wilson pitched in Low-A Lowell after signing, a rather low level given being 22. He dominated the competition, posting a 0.50 ERA in 13 starts encompassing 36 innings and whiffing 33 while walking seven. It's felt that if Wilson can develop his changeup, he will start. Otherwise, he will relieve. Baseball America says he is closest to the majors, and is expected to open the season at High-A Salem. Don't rule out closing the season out in Double-A Portland. Read on to read an interview conducted with Alex Wilson.

Q+A with ‘untouchable’ prospect Ryan Westmoreland

Ryan Westmoreland was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. He has been compared to Rocco Baldelli, given that both hail from Rhode Island. For Low-A Lowell, 'Westy' is hitting .298/.398/.491 with seven home runs, three triples and 15 doubles in 218 at-bats. He has 19 stolen bases and zero caught and is ranked the seventh best prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

He got on the radar for casual Sox fans this year who heard that Westmoreland was deemed untouchable by the Red Sox during trade talks. Westmoreland first talked to Fire Brand exactly a year ago today. Let's check in...

Which prospects are untouchable?

With the recent trade rumors flying fast and furious, a lot of Red Sox fans have had to come to grips that significant prospects will have to be given up to get an impact player. There have been some names that is clear the Red Sox are not willing to move; others that I personally go "eek!" at when I hear their names in trade rumors.

So which prospects should be considered untouchable? I have heard two names that the Red Sox consider off-limits, Casey Kelly and Ryan Westmoreland (also Daniel Bard, but now that he's in the bigs, I no longer consider him a prospect). I would add a third to that as well. Let's take a look.

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.

Sox Top 10 Prospects

Baseball America came out with the Top 10 prospects. Lars Anderson is unsurprisingly ranked first, but what's with leaving Will Middlebrooks off? A surprise: pitcher Nick Hagadone third. Casey Kelly and Ryan Westmoreland, despite lack of experience, rank high.

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