Jim Callis of Baseball America Talks Prospects

Jim Callis, Executive Editor of Baseball America, recently agreed to sit down and answer a few questions about Red Sox…

2011 Player Review: Kevin Youkilis

As we look toward the 2012 Boston Red Sox a lot of questions surround the future of third baseman Kevin…

‘Tis the season… it is better to give than receive

The calendar is closing in on July 31, 2010 and most are discussing who could the Red Sox acquire to help the team close the gap in the A.L. East. But few talk about the prospects that could be moved until a year or two or twenty years from now. Hopefully, the Olde Towne Team will not give up another future Hall of Famer this summer.

Hopefully, the Olde Towne Team will not give up another future Hall of Famer this summer. Two that could go are Lars Anderson and Oscar Tejada . The former Red Sox top prospect could now find his w

Will Middlebrooks: a Man of Many, Many Tools.

In a word, third baseman Will Middlebrooks’ career got off to a flying stop.

Because he was asking for seven figures and had committed to playing baseball for Texas A&M, he slid to the fifth round of the 2007 draft and eventually accepted a $925,000 signing bonus from Boston.

Then, because he signed late and developed shoulder tendinitis, he didn’t make his pro debut -- with Lowell -- until late June of 2008.

Middlebrooks showed flashes of five-tool ability last season at Greenville where, in 103 games, he hit .265 with seven home runs, 57 RBI and a .404 slugging percentage. But he also drew only 46 walks while fanning 123 times.

Q+A with top 3B prospect Will Middlebrooks

Will Middlebrooks is currently ranked the 25th best prospect in the Red Sox farm system. 20 years old, Middlebrooks is currently in Mid-A Greenville, hitting for a .265/.343/.424 line. Excepting first basemen, he is the fourth best infield prospect in the system.

Will took some time out of his schedule to answer a couple questions for Fire Brand. You'll be interested in his answers...

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.

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.

Is it time to move on from Julian Tavarez?; Will Middlebrooks answers some questions

What should we do with Julian Tavarez? Over the last five starts, Tavarez is 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA. This…

Is There a Draft In Here?

Contributed by Ian Theodoridis Christmas in June is what I like to call it. The most fun two days of…