2012 SoxProspects.com All-Stars - 美國職棒

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The SoxProspects.com community has voted on its selections for the 2012
year-end All-Stars. Included on the list are some familiar faces, along with
breakout prospects who were not on the radar when the season began.

Catcher: Ryan Lavarnway
For the third consecutive season, the Yale graduate was honored for his
continued excellent work behind the plate. Lavarnway got off to a slow start
with Pawtucket, but turned around to post a .295/.376/.439 line, winning
SoxProspects.com Player of the Month honors in June. In addition to his noted
offensive prowess, Lavarnway also earned plaudits for his defense in 2012, as
he was recognized by International League managers as the top defensive
catcher in the circuit. The six-foot-four backstop, ranked the #5 prospect in
the system on SoxProspects.com was promoted to Boston on August 1.

First Base: Mauro Gomez
Gomez began 2012 as an unheralded minor league free agent and finishes it as
the International League Most Valuable Player with a prominent role in the
Red Sox lineup. The 27-year-old led the league with 59 extra base hits and a
.589 slugging percentage. He also was near the top of the leaderboard with
his .310 batting average, 24 home runs, 34 doubles, and 74 RBI. After over
700 minor league games, Gomez finally made his major league debut with the
Red Sox, and has appeared in 22 games in three stints at the major league
level.

Second Base: Pedro Ciriaco
Like Gomez, Ciriaco was a minor league free agent signed in the offseason to
provide minor league depth. He entered the consciousness of Red Sox fans with
an excellent spring training, catching the eye of the major league coaching
staff and ending up the last player cut in Fort Myers. Ciriaco earned
International League midseason All-Star honors, hitting .301/.318/.406, but
he would not be available to play in the midsummer classic in Buffalo - he
was called up to the Red Sox on July 8th, and has remained there since.

Third Base: Garin Cecchini
The 2010 fourth round draft pick was enjoying a breakout season with Lowell
in 2011 before breaking his wrist, ending his season prematurely. Given a
placement in Low A Greenville to begin the year, Cecchini showed no lingering
effects of the injury, either on his durability or quality of his play. He
appeared in 118 games while posting a strong .305/.394/.433 line that he
paired with an organization-high 51 stolen bases.

Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts
The #1 prospect in the Boston system was the only unanimous choice for the
post-season All-Star team. Looking at Bogaerts' production, it is easy to see
why. After abusing Single A pitching to a .302/.378/.505 line for 104 games,
Carolina League pitchers were given a reprieve, and the 19-year-old was
promoted to Double-A Portland. Only three players younger than Bogaerts
reached that level (or higher) in 2012 - National League Rookie of the Year
favorite Bryce Harper and phenoms Jurickson Profar and Dylan Bundy. Far from
intimidated by the promotion, the precocious shortstop began his Portland
career on August 9 with a game-winning home run, on his way to 15 extra-base
hits in only 92 at bats with the Sea Dogs. Bogaerts was also named the
SoxProspects.com Offensive Player of the Year.

Outfield: Jackie Bradley, Jr.
Heading into the 2012 season, the discussion for this 2011 supplemental first
round pick was whether he would begin the year at Low A Greenville, or be
challenged with a placement with Salem. Ultimately, Salem was the
destination, but it was the opposing pitchers who were the ones being
challenged. Bradley used a plate approach that was uncommonly advanced for
such young player to post a eye-popping .359/.480/.526 line. Promoted to
Double-A Portland at the All-Star break, Bradley posted a .271/.373/.437 that
was more modest in general, but just as impressive for a 22-year-old only a
year out of college. After beginning the year as the #18 prospect in the
system, Bradley currently sits at #3 on the SoxProspects.com rankings.

Outfield: Bryce Brentz
For the second consecutive season, Brentz has earned All-Star recognition.
Taken in the supplemental first round of the 2010 draft, the 23-year-old
continued to build on his breakout 2011 season. After a difficult adjustment
to Double-A pitching in April, Brentz made adjustments and gone on track
posting a .296/.355/.478 line with the Sea Dogs that included 17 home runs
and a career high 30 doubles. Brentz was given a promotion to Triple-A
Pawtucket during the final week of the regular season. As he did in Portland,
Brentz had a difficult adjustment at first, starting 0 for 12 and ending up 2
for 17 in his five games. He then showed his ability to make adjustments,
stepping up as the main offensive cog as the PawSox defeated the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees three games to one in the International League
semi-finals. In the series, Brentz went 6 for 14 with two doubles, two home
runs and five RBI. He is currently ranked the #6 prospect in the organization.

Outfield: Keury De La Cruz
Entering the season ranked as the #54 prospect on SoxProspects.com, De La
Cruz came into 2012 an unknown. The outfielder opened eyes in spring
training, appearing noticeably stronger in his upper body. The off-season
workout program paid serious dividends, as De La Cruz was the only 20/20
player in the Red Sox system, and led all Boston minor leaguers with 153
hits. By midseason, he had set career highs in nearly every category, on his
way to a .307/.350/.533 line with Greenville that earned him a final-week
promotion to Salem, where he is likely to begin 2013. De La Cruz flew up the
rankings all season long, and currently sits at #20.

Starting Pitcher: Matt Barnes
The 19th overall pick in the 2011 draft exceeded all expectations along the
way to winning SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year honors. As has often been
the case with pitchers in recent years, the Red Sox gave Barnes a
conservative placement to begin 2012, starting him off at Low A Greenville.
Barnes, however, dominated that level like few others have, allowing exactly
one run in his five starts, striking out 42 and walking four before earning
his promotion to Salem. At High A, Barnes continued to impress, tossing 93.0
innings, striking out 91 and walking 25 while posting a 3.58 ERA. The UConn
alum's 133 strikeouts led the organization, and Barnes finishes the year
ranked the #2 prospect in the system.

Starting Pitcher: Brandon Workman
The tall right-hander, taken in the second round out of Texas in 2010,
continued to move forward as one of the top pitching prospects in the Boston
system. Workman made 20 starts at High A Salem, striking out 107 batters in
113.2 innings while walking only 20, posting a 3.40 ERA. Promoted to Double-A
Portland at the beginning of August, Workman had a 3.96 ERA in 25.0 innings,
striking out 23 and walking only 5.

Starting Pitcher: Keith Couch
For the second consecutive year, the unheralded Couch has impressed the
SoxProspects.com community, earning All-Star honors. The 22-year-old
left-hander continued to move forward, posting a career best 3.46 ERA at
Salem while proving to be one of the most durable arms in the system,
compiling 145.1 innings pitched.Couch anchored Salem with a team-high 11
wins and 109 strikeouts

Starting Pitcher: Henry Owens
At first glance, one may see Owens' 4.87 ERA at Greenville and believe that
perhaps the 2011 supplemental first round pick was a bit of a disappointment.
Digging deeper, though, and Owens debut has to be considered a success. Only
a year out of high school, the six-foot-seven left-hander was facing mainly
opponents with previous professional or college experience, and holding his
own. Most impressive was the frequency with which Owens was able to miss bats
- 130 strikeouts in 101.2 innings gave the Huntington Beach native the best
strikeout per nine-inning ratio (11.5) of any pitcher in the South Atlantic
League. As Owens gains polish and better control of his arsenal, he is a
strong bet to return to this list in 2013.

Relief Pitcher: Michael Olmsted
The 25-year old minor league veteran is almost certainly the most unlikely
name on this list based on preseason expectations. Olmsted was originally
drafted by the Mets in 2007, but had elbow trouble that eventually led to
Tommy John surgery and his release. After being unable to catch on in Japan,
Olmsted signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in 2011, appearing in 21
games as he worked his way back. Placed in Salem to begin the year, Olmsted
was a force of nature. In 33 appearances, he used a fastball that touched 97
to notch 16 saves, and struck out 61 while walking only 8 in 39.1 innings.
After a promotion to Double-A Portland on July 24, Olmsted was even better,
not allowing an earned run in 20.0 innings, striking out 31 and walking 7.
Overall, his 1.23 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) across the two levels
was the best in all of the minor leagues in 2012.

Relief Pitcher: Josh Fields
Acquired as part of the Erik Bedard trade at the 2011 trade deadline, Fields
will be the one with a chance to make a long-term impact. After a difficult
April, Fields tinkered with his delivery, and, working from a different
arm-slot, found himself having the best season of his career. In 32
appearances with Portland, Fields posted a 2.62 ERA, striking out 59 and
walking only 16 in 44.2 innings pitched. This earned him a promotion to
Pawtucket, and, like Olmsted, Fields was even more unhittable at the higher
level. The 2008 first round pick did not allow an earned run in his 10
Triple-A appearances, striking out 19 and walking 2 in 13.2 innings of work.

Relief Pitcher: Junichi Tazawa
The right-hander joins Couch as the only pitchers to earn All-Star
recognition for a second time. Unlike Couch, Tazawa had to wait three years
in between appearances on this list. Originally signed before the 2009 season
highly regarded out of the Japanese amateur league, Tazawa had a fine rookie
season. Unfortunately, he blew out his elbow in 2010 spring training,
requiring Tommy John surgery. It has been a long road back for Tazawa - one
that included a transition to the bullpen during 2011. Entering 2012, with
his role defined, Tazawa was able to focus on his fastball and changeup. The
results have been apparent. In 25 appearances out of the 'pen for Pawtucket,
he posted a 2.55 ERA in 42.1 innings, striking out 56 and walking 17. After
making the trip back and forth from Boston to Pawtucket several times over
the past two years, he was recalled for good on July 15, and, with a 1.62 ERA
in 33.1 innings for the big club, has established himself as one of the most
important pieces of the Boston bullpen heading into 2013. Tazawa graduated
from prospect status on August 17.

Swingman: William Cuevas
The lanky right-hander, signed in 2008 out of Venezuela, had a record-setting
season for Lowell. Splitting his time between the rotation and bullpen,
Cuevas posted a 1.40 ERA in 77.1 innings, breaking the Spinners record for
single-season ERA previously held by former prospect and current Houston
Astro Kyle Weiland. Cuevas dominated the New York-Penn League with an 8-2
record and 72 strikeouts against only 15 walks. In addition, Cuevas continued
his reputation for keeping the ball in the park - in 230.0 professional
innings, he has allowed only seven home runs.



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