I see some other teams being put up and thought why not put up the Red Sox prospects for 2013.
1) Xander Bogaerts, SS, Grade A: Given his age, overall track record, and the small sample size, I am not worried about the lack of walks in Double-A. He's going to be an excellent hitter and there is at least a moderate chance he can stick at shortstop, at least for awhile. One of the top elite prospects in the game.
2) Jackie Bradley, OF, Grade B+: Terrific defense, on-base ability, moderate power, excellent makeup. Sounds like a winner to me and worthy successor to Jacoby Ellsbury.
3) Matt Barnes, RHP, Grade B+: I'm a little worried about his wilt in the second half, otherwise I might have ranked him ahead of Bradley, but overall he performed up to expectations, looking like a future number two or three starter to me, assuming any durability issues clear up.
4) Garin Cecchini, 3B, Grade B: Borderline B+. I assume this grade may surprise people, but I'm thinking he will start to show more power to go with his OBP skills, speed, and greatly improved defense. I don't always play it safe with the grades.Initially I had him at a B+, but have kicked that down slightly. It isn't that my opinion about Cecchini changed, but rather that there were a couple of guys I had at strong Bs that I felt were slightly better.
5) Allen Webster, RHP, Grade B: Borderline B+. Love the grounders, but needs to sharpen his command further and refine breaking ball. Another guy who can be a mid-rotation arm, eat tons of innings.
6) Henry Owens, LHP, Grade B: He's got some issues, needs to get the walks down for example, but the 4.87 ERA overstates his troubles. I like his physicality, size, delivery, and I think the command will improve.
7) Bryce Brentz, OF, Grade B-: Borderline B: I think he can develop into something like Ryan Ludwick but he may need a couple of years to do it. Will he get that kind of slack?
8) Blake Swihart, C, Grade B-: So far, he scouts better than he performs. Defense seems to be coming along, but hitting was disappointing in the Sally League given all the pre-draft hype his bat received, and at age 20 he was old for a 2011 high school draft. He's a solid prospect certainly but I am going to wait and see beyond that. Catchers have weird development curves, though, and New Mexico background also factors in.
9) Brandon Workman, RHP, Grade B-: Not spectacular, but seems like he'll become a workhorse arm. If he switches to relief he would be more dominant, but even the Red Sox need inning eaters.
10) Deven Marrero, SS, Grade B-: Very good defense and patient at the plate, could develop some doubles power. I don't see him as a star but he has a chance to be a solid regular or a really good utility
11) Pat Light, RHP, Grade B-: One of my favorite pitchers from the 2012 draft, I suspect I like him better than many people do but I think he can improve his changeup enough to start. If not, another guy who could dominate in relief.
12) Jose Iglesias, SS, Grade C+: His glove is excellent but his bat is so bad that it may be tough to keep him in the lineup anyway. If they are lucky he can be the Cuban Adam Everett and hold a job with positive WAR even with poor hitting. If they aren't lucky, keep in mind that Rey Ordonez had a great glove but couldn't hold the job anyway.
13) Brandon Jacobs, OF, Grade C+: At this point, the C+ guys could be listed in just about any order depending on taste. I'll go with Jacobs here, the tools hound who had a disappointing season in High-A but is young enough at age 22 to rebound effectively. Everybody seems to have forgotten about him.
14) Drake Britton, LHP, Grade C+: Very erratic, command issues remain, but has one of the better left-handed arms in the minors. Should be a useful power bullpen arm if his control doesn't come around enough for him to start.
15) Brian Johnson, LHP, Grade C+: Very polished University of Florida lefty is classic "low upside, high floor" pitcher who should move through system quickly as an inning-soaking strike-thrower.
16) Keury De La Cruz, OF, Grade C+: Great slash line in Low-A (.308/.352/.536) at age 20 is nice, but poor strike zone discipline and hesitant scouting reports from non-Red Sox sources give one pause. Obviously a prospect but I want to see more before buying in completely.
17) Ty Buttrey, RHP, Grade C+: Big horse from 2012 draft was fourth round pick but took first round money to sign. Has a first round arm to go with it, but it remains to be seen how his command and changeup will work out. Fastball/knucklecurve combo would make him a good reliever if necessary.
18) Jose Vinicio, SS, Grade C+: Another tools guy, gets strong reviews on defense. Fast, has a chance to hit for average, but don't expect power.
19) Brock Holt, 2B, Grade C+: Acquired in Joel Hanrahan trade with Pirates. Opposite of Vinicio: lacks tools, but knows how to play and persistently exceeds expectations of scouts. Solid glove at second, good-enough at shortstop for utility work, should hit for average.
20) Cody Kukuk, LHP, Grade C+: My pick for a surprise breakthrough in 2013. Big lefty with above average fastball and slider, lost most of the season on restricted list due to DUI charges that were eventually dismissed. Looked outstanding in August, mechanics and command were more consistent than they were in high school. If he keeps that up, he will vault up this list next year. Assuming no more off-field glitches, he *could* turn into Jon Lester.
OTHER GRADE C+: Sean Coyle, 2B; Austin Maddox, RHP; Travis Shaw, 1B.
OTHERS: Mike Augliera, RHP; Jamie Callahan, RHP; Chris Carpenter, RHP; Sergio Gomez, RHP; Alex Hassan, OF; Chris Hernandez, LHP; Aaron Kurcz, RHP; Juan Carlos Linares, OF; Tzu-Wei Lin, SS; Manuel Margot, OF; Simon Mercedes, RHP; Francellis Montas, RHP; Miguel Pena, LHP; Noe Ramirez, RHP; Anthony Ranaudo, RHP; Christian Vazquez, C; Alex Wilson, RHP; Steven Wright, RHP.
1) Xander Bogaerts, SS, Grade A: Given his age, overall track record, and the small sample size, I am not worried about the lack of walks in Double-A. He's going to be an excellent hitter and there is at least a moderate chance he can stick at shortstop, at least for awhile. One of the top elite prospects in the game.
2) Jackie Bradley, OF, Grade B+: Terrific defense, on-base ability, moderate power, excellent makeup. Sounds like a winner to me and worthy successor to Jacoby Ellsbury.
3) Matt Barnes, RHP, Grade B+: I'm a little worried about his wilt in the second half, otherwise I might have ranked him ahead of Bradley, but overall he performed up to expectations, looking like a future number two or three starter to me, assuming any durability issues clear up.
4) Garin Cecchini, 3B, Grade B: Borderline B+. I assume this grade may surprise people, but I'm thinking he will start to show more power to go with his OBP skills, speed, and greatly improved defense. I don't always play it safe with the grades.Initially I had him at a B+, but have kicked that down slightly. It isn't that my opinion about Cecchini changed, but rather that there were a couple of guys I had at strong Bs that I felt were slightly better.
5) Allen Webster, RHP, Grade B: Borderline B+. Love the grounders, but needs to sharpen his command further and refine breaking ball. Another guy who can be a mid-rotation arm, eat tons of innings.
6) Henry Owens, LHP, Grade B: He's got some issues, needs to get the walks down for example, but the 4.87 ERA overstates his troubles. I like his physicality, size, delivery, and I think the command will improve.
7) Bryce Brentz, OF, Grade B-: Borderline B: I think he can develop into something like Ryan Ludwick but he may need a couple of years to do it. Will he get that kind of slack?
8) Blake Swihart, C, Grade B-: So far, he scouts better than he performs. Defense seems to be coming along, but hitting was disappointing in the Sally League given all the pre-draft hype his bat received, and at age 20 he was old for a 2011 high school draft. He's a solid prospect certainly but I am going to wait and see beyond that. Catchers have weird development curves, though, and New Mexico background also factors in.
9) Brandon Workman, RHP, Grade B-: Not spectacular, but seems like he'll become a workhorse arm. If he switches to relief he would be more dominant, but even the Red Sox need inning eaters.
10) Deven Marrero, SS, Grade B-: Very good defense and patient at the plate, could develop some doubles power. I don't see him as a star but he has a chance to be a solid regular or a really good utility
11) Pat Light, RHP, Grade B-: One of my favorite pitchers from the 2012 draft, I suspect I like him better than many people do but I think he can improve his changeup enough to start. If not, another guy who could dominate in relief.
12) Jose Iglesias, SS, Grade C+: His glove is excellent but his bat is so bad that it may be tough to keep him in the lineup anyway. If they are lucky he can be the Cuban Adam Everett and hold a job with positive WAR even with poor hitting. If they aren't lucky, keep in mind that Rey Ordonez had a great glove but couldn't hold the job anyway.
13) Brandon Jacobs, OF, Grade C+: At this point, the C+ guys could be listed in just about any order depending on taste. I'll go with Jacobs here, the tools hound who had a disappointing season in High-A but is young enough at age 22 to rebound effectively. Everybody seems to have forgotten about him.
14) Drake Britton, LHP, Grade C+: Very erratic, command issues remain, but has one of the better left-handed arms in the minors. Should be a useful power bullpen arm if his control doesn't come around enough for him to start.
15) Brian Johnson, LHP, Grade C+: Very polished University of Florida lefty is classic "low upside, high floor" pitcher who should move through system quickly as an inning-soaking strike-thrower.
16) Keury De La Cruz, OF, Grade C+: Great slash line in Low-A (.308/.352/.536) at age 20 is nice, but poor strike zone discipline and hesitant scouting reports from non-Red Sox sources give one pause. Obviously a prospect but I want to see more before buying in completely.
17) Ty Buttrey, RHP, Grade C+: Big horse from 2012 draft was fourth round pick but took first round money to sign. Has a first round arm to go with it, but it remains to be seen how his command and changeup will work out. Fastball/knucklecurve combo would make him a good reliever if necessary.
18) Jose Vinicio, SS, Grade C+: Another tools guy, gets strong reviews on defense. Fast, has a chance to hit for average, but don't expect power.
19) Brock Holt, 2B, Grade C+: Acquired in Joel Hanrahan trade with Pirates. Opposite of Vinicio: lacks tools, but knows how to play and persistently exceeds expectations of scouts. Solid glove at second, good-enough at shortstop for utility work, should hit for average.
20) Cody Kukuk, LHP, Grade C+: My pick for a surprise breakthrough in 2013. Big lefty with above average fastball and slider, lost most of the season on restricted list due to DUI charges that were eventually dismissed. Looked outstanding in August, mechanics and command were more consistent than they were in high school. If he keeps that up, he will vault up this list next year. Assuming no more off-field glitches, he *could* turn into Jon Lester.
OTHER GRADE C+: Sean Coyle, 2B; Austin Maddox, RHP; Travis Shaw, 1B.
OTHERS: Mike Augliera, RHP; Jamie Callahan, RHP; Chris Carpenter, RHP; Sergio Gomez, RHP; Alex Hassan, OF; Chris Hernandez, LHP; Aaron Kurcz, RHP; Juan Carlos Linares, OF; Tzu-Wei Lin, SS; Manuel Margot, OF; Simon Mercedes, RHP; Francellis Montas, RHP; Miguel Pena, LHP; Noe Ramirez, RHP; Anthony Ranaudo, RHP; Christian Vazquez, C; Alex Wilson, RHP; Steven Wright, RHP.
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