Farm to Fenway pipeline still loaded - 美國職棒

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Farm to Fenway pipeline still loaded

Sox cast wide net to keep prospects on the road to Boston

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com



The future success of every Major League team lies in its Minor League system.
With that in mind, each preseason, MLB.com takes a top-to-bottom look at all 30
organizations, from top prospects to recent Draft picks.


It must be fun working in the scouting and player development departments of
the Boston Red Sox. Not only does your parent club compete every year -- sure,
the club came up short of another title in 2008 -- but all of your Minor League
affiliates are competitive year after year with rosters chock full of young
talent.


The Sox continue to set the bar very high in terms of pouring resources into
bringing young talent into the system. They don't hesitate to go over slot in
the Draft and they're extremely active in Latin America and the Far East.


That allows them to win in the Minors -- a .547 winning percentage overall and
every affiliate finishing over .500 in 2008 is a testament to that -- and
maintain a steady pipeline of talent to the big leagues that also can be used
in trades to help the big club out (see: Bay, Jason).


This year will be no different. Pick any affiliate in the system and you'll be
able to see exciting future Major Leaguers. The Sox will have much to choose
from, now and in the future, to help out in Boston, meaning there's little
question about their ability to compete annually in the ultra-competitive
American League East.



Coming Soon


Daniel Bard, RHP

There doesn't appear to be much room right now, but you know how Major League
bullpens can be. Bard can hit triple digits on the gun and blew away Pudge
Rodriguez with a 99-mph heater in an exhibition the other day. He's got future
closer -- or at least setup man -- written all over him.


Michael Bowden, RHP

He's had only seven appearances above Double-A and he's just 22, so there's no
huge rush. But he's got good stuff and terrific command, always an excellent
combination. He could be the first guy the Sox call on when there's a need in
Boston's rotation.


Hunter Jones, LHP
Since joining the organization out of Florida State in 2005, he's moved up
steadily as a lefty reliever, posting a 2.88 career ERA and more than a
strikeout per inning. He's in Major League camp and has thrown well, and
everyone knows that southpaws out of the bullpen are always in high demand.



Under the Radar


Luis Exposito, C

A 2005 draft-and-follow, Exposito had a decent enough debut in '06, hitting
.250 with short-season Lowell in the New York-Penn League. He kind of fell off
the radar in 2007 because he played in only nine games, sitting out due to a
suspension for disciplinary reasons. He came back last year, splitting time
between Class A Greenville and Class A Advanced Lancaster, hitting a combined
.293 with 21 homers. He's got power to all fields and has some catch-and-throw
ability.


Will Middlebrooks, 3B

Again, the name probably rings a bell because the Sox gave him a considerable
bonus in 2007 to sign in the fifth round. He didn't debut until last summer in
the short-season NY-Penn League. His overall numbers didn't make him stand out,
but he turned it on some in the second half. He put 20 pounds on his frame
during the offseason, and a slight hamstring injury this spring isn't expected
to hamper him for too long. He'll play all year at age 20.


Anthony Rizzo, 1B

He's a little high-profile because he got a large over-slot bonus coming out of
the sixth round of the 2007 Draft, but it's hard not to root for this guy.
Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma 21 games into the 2008 season. Now
healthy, he reported to camp in fantastic shape. He won't turn 20 until August
and has considerable offensive skills to display.



Draft Top Picks


2008: Casey Kelly, RHP/SS

The son of former Major League coach Pat Kelly, Casey was convinced not to head
to Tennessee to play quarterback. He played shortstop last summer and got in
130 pro at-bats. He'll begin this year as a pitcher, then will switch back to
hitting after reaching an innings limit.


2007: Nick Hagadone, LHP

The University of Washington product, a supplemental first-round pick, looked
like he might be a fast tracker until he needed Tommy John surgery last season.
He's on his way back and could hop back on that track in May or June.


2006: Jason Place, OF

The 27th overall pick in the draft has some tools and has shown some power, but
he's also shown an ability to swing and miss a bit too much (147 strikeouts in
114 games in 2008).



2008 Draft Recap

Largely a reliever at Rice, RHP Bryan Price (1st supplemental) started nine
games (relieved three more) for Lowell, finishing with a 3.83 ERA and 43 K's
(only 10 walks) in 40 innings. ... INF Derrik Gibson (2) hit .309 in 27 games
in the Gulf Coast League, earning a late promotion to Lowell, where he went
3-for-14. He was a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts. ... RHP Kyle
Weiland (3) went from Notre Dame to Lowell and posted a 1.50 ERA with 68 K's
and just 10 BB over 60 IP. The league hit just .166 against him. ... RHP
Stephen Fife (3) was a starter at Utah but pitched in relief for Lowell,
finishing with a 2.33 ERA, a pair of saves and 41 K's in 38 2/3 IP.



Predictions

Hitter of the Year -- OF Josh Reddick

The easy choice would be to go with last year's organizational Hitter of the
Year, Lars Anderson. But let's be a little different and say that Reddick will
adjust to Double-A pitching, hitting over .300 while leading the system in
homers and RBIs.

Pitcher of the Year -- Stolmy Pimentel

Again, double-dipping here would make sense, but Bowden could end up with
considerable Major League time in '09. So we'll go further down and say
Pimentel won't be fazed by full-season ball as a teen, leading the organization
in ERA along the way.



Notes of Note

The Sox continue to explore the Far East for young talent. OF Che-Hsuan Lin was
the 2008 Futures Game MVP, played on the Chinese Taipei Olympic Team and is
currently on the nation's World Baseball Classic squad. ... Keep an eye on
Japanese import Junichi Tazawa. It's not out of the question that the
22-year-old right-hander could help out in Boston before the season's over.



Quotable

"It's exciting to see the caliber of player that our amateur and international
scouting departments are signing. We are very fortunate with the support of our
ownership group that we can continue to be aggressive in both markets."

--Director of player development Mike Hazen on the organization's willingness
to spend to bring elite talent into the system.




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