SoxProspects News

Fort Report: February 24

2012-02-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

This week's minor league notes:

Jose Iglesias (Kelly O’Connor)

Jose Iglesias has his eye on the Red Sox starting shortstop job according to Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston. SoxProspects Editor-in-Chief Mike Andrews is now projecting Iglesias to win the job. He believes that Iglesias will be the type of player who develops better on the job. Take a look at full roster projections for 2012 here.
New manager Bobby Valentine talks about Iglesias, including the differences between him and Rey Ordonez, who Valentine managed with the New York Mets in this report by Alex Speier of WEEI.com. While Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe notes that he looks stronger.
Speier spends time with new pitching coach Bob McClure breaking down some of the pitching depth that will likely fill out the back of the rotation or start the season with Pawtucket.
Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports that pitcher Aaron Cook does not mind delaying his start to the season due to a sore shoulder.
Pitcher Ross Ohlendorf went through fielding drills at half speed due to a sore back, notes Abraham.
Speier provides further details on the health of Ohlendorf and Cook.
Coming off a season of injuries and ineffectiveness, this is an important spring training for left-hander Felix Doubront as he is out of options and is trying to win a job with the big club. MacPherson talked to Doubront, who says he's feeling good coming into camp this year.
Right-handed pitcher Stolmy Pimentel suffered a lat injury on one of the first days of camp.
Stolmy Pimentel (Kelly O’Connor)
Tim Britton of the Providence Journals reports that Pimentel hopes to be back in a couple of days. He is looking to rebound after a difficult 2011 campaign between Portland and Salem.
MacPherson pens a piece on swingman Clay Mortensen who was acquired in the Marco Scutaro trade. He had an eventful month of January in addition to being traded.
With Red Sox fans and media talking about the Scutaro trade being a pure salary dump, Mortensen is out to prove his worth to the Red Sox according to Speier.
Carlos Silva is blessed to have the chance for redemption this spring, writes Britton.
Newly acquired pitcher Chris Carpenter arrived at Red Sox camp in Fort Myers on February 23.
Joe McDonald reports that Carpenter is comfortable in a relief role.
Salem Red Sox broadcaster Evan Lepler reports that outfielder David Mailman retired and has enrolled at the University of South Carolina. Mailman was a 7th round draft pick in 2007 and signed for $550,000. In his final professional season, Mailman hit .212 in 260 at-bats for the Salem Red Sox.
Former lefty prospect Hunter Jones has signed and is in Red Sox camp, reports Speier via twitter.
Rich Hill was added to the 40-man roster on February 22 as he has impressed in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and had the option to opt out of his contract in late March.
Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston notes that left-handed pitcher Daniel McGrath who was signed out of Australia on February 7 is in Fort Myers for a couple of days before he returns home to finish school.
In that same report, Edes says that sources tell him the Red Sox are keying in on 19-year old Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler.
Scott Atchison understands the business of baseball, writes Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.
Zach Kapstein took Josh Beckett deep in live batting practice, as noted by Britton on Twitter.

Jonathan Singer is the Digital Correspondent for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jonathan_Singer.

Staff Writer Jim Crowell of SoxProspects.com also contributed to this report. Follow him on Twitter @CrowellJim.

2012 Prospect Previews: Che-Hsuan Lin and Noe Ramirez

2012-02-24T07:59:00.004-05:00

Che-Hsuan Lin
Position: Outfielder
2011 Teams: Portland Sea Dogs/Pawtucket Red Sox
2012 Projected Team: Pawtucket Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 23

Strengths: An extremely graceful athlete, Lin displays outstanding defensive instincts in center field. He gets excellent reads off the bat that allow him to make difficult plays in either of the gaps look easy. Lin’s plus closing speed and instincts give him well-above average range in center. Very fundamentally sound, he typically takes ideal routes to the ball and rarely looks pressed when tracking flyballs down. Rounding out Lin’s defensive game is a plus-plus arm that has shown improving accuracy with each year of professional experience. He has developed better body control when throwing and also learned to not rush things when taking a shot at nabbing an advancing runner. Offensively Lin excels with his plate discipline and strike zone management when in the batter’s box. He has a plan in place during each at-bat. He rarely chases a pitch outside of his strike zone and picks up breaking balls very quickly. Lin demonstrates the type of bat control to spoil pitches in tough spots, allowing him to stay alive in counts. Once reaching base, his plus speed and work improving reads off of opposing pitchers project him to capable of stealing around 25 bases in a season at the major league level.

Development Needs: While Lin works himself into good hitter’s counts and displays sound discipline at the plate, his ability to consistently drive offerings in those situations has been lacking. His swing is short and compact, but often hits the ball off of the trademark or end of the bat instead of the sweet spot. Balls tend to die off his bat with little backspin. When Lin does drive balls, he is typically opening up early and guessing fastball to get the head of the bat in front. Cheating like this will leave him susceptible to experienced pitchers working him away with hard breaking balls consistently. Lin must improve with the frequency he makes solid contact to produce enough line drives to maintain an average-to-better batting average at the big league level. His power does not factor to be a big part of his game, projecting as well below-average. His ability to make hard contact is crucial to being able to take advantage of his on-base skills as well. Right now he gives opposing pitchers no reason not to challenge him. Overall, Lin’s bat is very light and his batspeed has not been translating with the increase in level of competition.

2012 Outlook: Added to the 40-man roster this past November, Lin will get a chance to participate in the major league camp before getting sent back at some point in March. This experience should be a good spring board into his season in Triple-A. Lin can more than handle center field defensively in the big leagues right now and should be a plus-to-better defender as he continues to slow things down in the field. The key for 2012 is showing that he can make more consistent hard contact. Lin will not strike out that frequently and will draw his fair share of walks with Pawtucket this season. It comes down to how much he can improve driving the ball to produce more line drives rather than an abundance of flares or weak grounders at this level. A rise here will prove he can be a threat to hit his way onto base as well as use his batting eye to do so. I see Lin as a future bench player at the big league level, providing late inning defense or pinch runner duty, along with drawing the occasional start with offensive progress in 2012. He also serves as outfield depth for the Red Sox this season and could see some time with the club if an injury depletes the bench or during a cameo September call-up appearance.

Noe Ramirez
Position: Starting Pitcher
2011 Team: Did not pitch
2012 Projected Team: Greenville Drive
Opening Day Age: 22

Strengths: Ramirez brings a strong mound presence to his outings and an understanding of how to pitch. He features an 89-92 mph fastball, with which he displays solid-average command. Utilizing both sides of the plate well, Ramirez moves his heater around the corners of the plate and is able to throw to all tiers of the strike zone. The offering is most effective in the lower portion of the zone between opposing hitters’ knees and thighs. Ramirez can reach back and touch 93 mph when needing a little something extra on his fastball to elevate against an opposing batter. His best offering is an 82-84 mph changeup. Showing strong diving action, this pitch drops quickly off the table to disappear out of the hitter’s line of sight. It can also tumble similar to a split-fingered fastball. Ramirez leans on his change to produce outs and swings-and-misses. It projects as a plus pitch. His ability to use it at any point in the count also enhances his fastball. When mixing it into sequences, the deception and change in speeds gives his fastball the appearance it is coming in harder than it is. Ramirez has the feel for when to play both of the pitches off of each other and vary his patterns to keep hitters off-balance. A polished pitcher out of college, he should adjust quickly in his professional career.

Development Needs: Ramirez will be the type of pitcher as he gets further into his professional career that will have to rely heavily on his command and control. He will have to be fine with his fastball due to the lack of overpowering velocity. In order for his heater to be effective against more advanced hitters in the minors, he needs to push his command by honing his ability to repeat his release point. Becoming more consistent with it will allow Ramirez to spot frequently on the corners and pound strike zone early in counts. He cannot afford to leave the ball up in the strike zone and in the middle of the plate. His slider is presently a fringe-average offering that lacks enough depth to fool hitters. A sharper breaking slider gives Ramirez an option to use against right-handed batters to keep them honest on the outside third of the plate. They will sit all over his fastball in this area if he cannot learn to snap his slider off so it darts down into the dirt. Development of this pitch into a more reliable one is a key need for being able to stick as a starter once he enters Double-A. Given Ramirez’ overall repertoire, he has the look of a reliever at the major league level.

2012 Outlook: Ramirez is set to begin his first spring training as a member of the Red Sox organization. Having not pitched last year after signing, there will be some adjustments to pitching in the five-man rotation, but an assignment to Greenville will help ease him into the transition. Taking his experience and polish into account, he looks likely to be ahead of the level of competition as he starts to find his footing. He should display solid control and limit the levels of hard contact made against him in the South Atlantic League. The time spent in A-ball is also a good opportunity to work on honing his fastball command and crispness of his slider for when he begins to face more advanced hitters. If his placement in Greenville is not providing enough of a challenge, there is a good chance that Ramirez will receive a promotion to High A around mid-season. While he is more likely to have his stuff fully tested when reaching Double-A, the bump up in competition faced in the Carolina League will push him to hit more spots and leave less margin for error. This year serves as a season to hone his overall arsenal and get used to the rigors of pitching in the long professional season.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

LHP Hunter Jones rejoins Red Sox

2012-02-23T23:29:00.000-05:00

As reported by WEEI.com’s Alex Speier, the Red Sox havesigned left-handed reliever Hunter Jones toa minor-league contract. He is back with the organization after a two-yearabsence.

Hunter Jones (Kelly O'Connor)

Jones, 28, wasoriginally signed by the Red Sox in 2005 as an amateur free agent out of FloridaState University. He spent five years in the Sox system, reaching the majorsfor 11 appearances in 2009. Despite being undrafted due to concerns about anarm fracture suffered in college, Jones had success in the minors. In 2008, SoxProspects.comranked him as high as the #14 prospect in the system. Jones split that season between Double-APortland and Triple-A Pawtucket, making 48 appearances out of the bullpen,compiling a 7-3 record, a 2.45 ERA, and an impressive 9.3 K/9 against only 2.2BB/9. He made his major league debut on April 20, 2009, pitching a scorelessninth inning to finish a 12-1 win against the Orioles.

After the 2009 season,Jones was traded to the Florida Marlins along with Jose Alvarezin exchange for Jeremy Hermida.He injured his left elbow on June 5, 2010, requiring Tommy John surgery. Joneswas released by the Marlins later that season, and spent the 2011 regularseason rehabbing. He returned to the mound in the Venezuelan Winter League,making four appearances for Aguilas de Zulia.

Jones is likely tobegin the 2012 season with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Possible breakouts of 2012

2012-02-23T16:23:00.003-05:00

Who will be the breakout prospects for the Red Sox in 2012?

That's a question that I've heard quite often lately. To me, "breakout prospect" can be defined in a few ways: You have players who break out from top-prospect status to elite blue-chip status, players who break into the top 100 prospects in all of baseball, and players who burst onto the scene from out of nowhere. Without currently having any surefire "blue chip" prospects in the organization, breakout potential may be the greatest strength of the Red Sox system right now, as there are several players in the system who could make a big leap in 2012 given the right development path.

Keep in mind, however, that I'm not projecting that every one these players will have such a breakout season -- I'm only saying that each of these players is capable of a breakout. The most likely scenario, as is the case with most years, is that a few of these players will have breakout seasons, others will follow a level development path, and others will take a step back.

That being said, here's a look at 10 breakout candidates in the Red Sox system for 2012.

Check out the full column at ESPN Boston.

2012 Prospect Previews: Chris Balcom-Miller and Juan Carlos Linares

2012-02-22T10:47:00.001-05:00

Chris Balcom-Miller
Position: Starting Pitcher
2011 Teams: Salem Red Sox/Portland Sea Dogs
2012 Projected Team: Portland Sea Dogs
Opening Day Age: 23

Strengths: Balcom-Miller’s bread-and-butter offering is his heavy, sinking fastball. Sitting 88-90 MPH, he gets solid leverage when throwing his heater to generate outstanding downward movement. This pitch rarely comes in straight. Balcom-Miller can also create arm-side run, with it tailing in on right-handed batters’ hands. Due to the movement and sinking action, opposing hitters have a tough time elevating the pitch when it is in the lower tier of the strike zone. Balcom-Miller can control stretches of game action by effectively spotting his fastball on the corners of the plate. After establishing his heater, he then leans on an improving 81-83 MPH changeup. Displaying bottom dropping action, this offering keeps hitters off-balance and provides enough separation in velocity that hitters tend to lunge out in front of it when mixed appropriately in sequences. Balcom-Miller’s change has made strong strides since turning pro. The pitch can round into a solid-average secondary offering with continued work syncing the arm-speed produced with that of his fastball. Showing a tough and confident demeanor on the hill, he is not afraid to pitch inside when necessary or come right after batters to get out of jams. Balcom-Miller’s ceiling is a back-end of the rotation starting pitcher.

Development Needs: Balcom-Miller’s fastball command needs refinement, grading as about average presently. His sinking fastball tends to have a mind of its own. He struggled reeling the offering in against more advanced hitters, laboring more through innings due to batters taking the pitch instead of chasing the movement. Balcom-Miller’s optimal starting point with the fastball rests at about the thighs, where opposing hitters will commit to swing since it looks like it is coming down the middle of the plate. He walks a fine line when placing it since hitters will take when it does not start high enough to be judged a strike, but is easier to make solid contact against when coming in at the belt. Development of a better feel for his release point is critical to being successful against polished hitters. Balcom-Miller also lacks a major league swing-and-miss pitch. While his changeup has made strides, it is designed to produce weak contact like his fastball. His 80-82 MPH slider is presently a below-average offering, floating across the strike zone rather than breaking sharply out of it. There is not enough depth for hitters to be fooled and it sits in the hitting zone waiting to be elevated. Honing of this pitch is necessary to give him a third viable option to churn through opposing lineups.

2012 Outlook: Balcom-Miller looks set to return to Double-A to show that he can make adjustments this season to get hitters out more consistently in the Eastern League. Expect him to continue to work in the rotation to hone his repertoire. Balcom-Miller’s fastball can be a highly effective offering for him. With improvement commanding the ball on both sides of the plate, he should reduce the amount of solid contact made against him. Progression in this area will also enhance his changeup. While I expect Balcom-Miller to fare better as a starter this season due to experience and repetition, his path to the big leagues lies as a reliever. He expends a lot of energy with his delivery and when forced to work harder in innings his stuff starts to diminish quickly. He projects as a potential 6th or 7th inning reliever on a contending team with progress developing more crispness and overall command of his arsenal in 2012. Balcom-Miller can push as a back-end starter on a second division team with strong gains improving his slider, but his delivery makes him ideally suited for getting 3-4 outs and that role will also allow his stuff to stay consistent.

Juan Carlos Linares
Position: Outfielder
2011 Team: Pawtucket Red Sox
2012 Projected Team: Pawtucket Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 27

Strengths: Linares utilizes a compact swing that is quick to the point of contact. Generating solid-average batspeed via strong wrists, he is an excellent fastball hitter, especially against ones on the inner third of the plate. Linares’ short swing allows him to get the head of the bat around on high velocity offerings. He has the potential to produce average-to-solid-average contact at the major league level and projects as about a .270 hitter for batting average. Strong for his size, Linares can put a charge into the ball when squaring it up. He has learned to create lift with his swing and elevate the baseball using his wrists. Linares’ power ceiling can reach 12-14 home runs with experience hitting at the big league level. Despite having a stocky build, he has deceiving speed. This serves him well in the outfield along with his instincts for reading the ball quickly off the bat. Linares covers slightly above-average ground in center field and can play left or right field more than adequately. While only possessing average arm strength, he shows a quick release and solid positioning when lining up to make accurate throws to the bases.

Development Needs: Linares lost almost the entire 2011 season to an ankle injury and still has not been tested against advanced secondary offerings. Although experienced coming over from Cuba in 2010, it remains to be seen whether he can hit the caliber of breaking balls seen in Triple-A and then the major leagues. Linares can also be too aggressive at the plate, lacking the discipline to take offerings out of his hitting zones. He hits fastballs well, but will chase elevated ones above the belt and try to pull ones away from him. There is a bit too much hook in his swing, which leads to fly balls with topspin and an over-dependence on pulling the ball to drive it. In order for Linares to produce enough contact, he must look to use the whole field more to increase the hitting areas in which he is a threat to do damage. Pitchers will also consistently feed him a diet of fastballs and secondary offerings away if he does not adjust his approach. Linares is a good defensive player, but does not have the footspeed or range to play center field in more than a fill-in role. Without front-line power or plus hitting potential, his ceiling is as a major league bench player, filling a fourth or fifth outfield slot on a roster.

2012 Outlook: Linares has an outside chance at winning a reserve outfield slot with the big club out of Spring Training, but more than likely slots as one of the starting outfielders on the Pawtucket squad. 2012 is an opportunity to play a full season as a professional and show that he is ready to contribute if the need arises at the major league level. It may take some time for Linares to get his timing back against live pitching given he only ramped back up during the Fall Instructional League and saw limited action out in Arizona, but his hitting talent is in line with the competition he will face in Triple-A. A positive sign that he is adjusting quickly will be an improvement with his patience at the plate, which will help drive frequent instances of solid contact in Triple-A. Linares will definitely be challenged by secondary offerings if he starts jumping all over fastballs early in the season. If he can work more consistently to the opposite field to mitigate opposing pitchers working him away with frequency, I see him rounding towards being ready for a potential look with the big league club around mid-season. Roster openings are dependent on a lot of factors, but over the course of the long season the major league team always ends up reaching down for players capable of answering the call. Linares provides the organization with outfield depth in 2012 and can end up as one of those players that seems to come out of nowhere to contribute.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

Lackey to 60-day DL, Hill added to 40-man roster

2012-02-21T17:01:00.002-05:00

The Red Sox announced today that they have put right-handed pitcher John Lackey on the 60-day disabled list and added left-hander Rich Hill to the 40-man roster. Tuesday was the first day that teams could place players on the 60-day disabled list.

Hill had started to show promise as a left-handed reliever last season, throwing 8 shutout innings with 12 strikeouts in 9 appearances before having his season end prematurely due to injury and subsequent Tommy John surgery. Hill's low arm slot makes him very difficult for left-handed hitters, but he tore through batters from both sides in his short major league stint, allowing just 3 hits to the 30 batters he faced. He has already started to throw bullpens, but is unlikely to see any Spring Training game action as he continues a regimented recovery from his June surgery. He currently has a streak of 15 consecutive scoreless appearances in tact to begin his Red Sox career, a team record.

Lackey suffered through a tumultuous 2011 season on the field, where he went 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA before having his season end following Tommy John surgery. He is expected to miss all of the 2012 season, so his addition to the 60-day disabled list today was no surprise.

Theo compensation announced: Sox receive righty Chris Carpenter, will exchange PTBNLs with Cubs

2012-02-21T13:53:00.002-05:00

The long-awaited announcement of the Red Sox' "significant compensation" for allowing General Manager Theo Epstein to become President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs was announced on Tuesday, exactly four months after Epstein's departure was officially made public. The Sox will receive right-hander Chris Carpenter from the Cubs, and in addition the clubs will swap players to be named later. Although the two clubs had submitted proposals to Commissioner Bud Selig, Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington told reporters that the clubs worked out a deal without the aid of the commissioner's office.

Carpenter, not to be confused with the Cardinals Cy Young winner and Exeter, N.H. native of the same name, made his major league debut last season, throwing 9.2 innings of relief over 10 outings, allowing 3 runs on 12 hits and 7 walks, striking out 8. After spending the first three seasons of his career as a starter, Carpenter moved into the bullpen at age 25 last year. The Bryan, Ohio native was the Cubs' third-round draft choice in the 2008 draft out of Kent State, climbing quickly to Double-A in his first full season.

Carpenter battles significant command and control issues, evidenced by his 23 walks in 30.1 Triple-A innings last season. He has a live arm, however, working in the high-90s and touching 100 mph as a reliever. He also throws a mid-80s slider as well as a changeup. All scouting outlets agree that harnessing his control will make the difference between him becoming a solid late-inning reliever or not. Carpenter will compete for a spot in the Boston bullpen during spring training, but could be optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to continue working on his command.

As for the players to be named later that will be exchanged by the clubs, Cherington told reporters that he and Epstein have agreed on the level of players that will be exchanged, and that he expects the trade to be completed by the end of spring training. To make room for Carpenter on the 40-man roster, Boston placed right-hander Bobby Jenks on the 60-day disabled list as he continues recovering from a number of off-season health issues.

2012 Prospect Previews: Alex Hassan and Frank Montas

2012-02-20T09:25:00.003-05:00

Alex Hassan
Position: Outfield
2011 Team: Portland Sea Dogs
2012 Projected Team: Portland Sea Dogs/Pawtucket Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 24

Strengths: Hassan displays excellent control of the strike zone and strong plate discipline. He typically grinds through at-bats, methodically working to get an offering he can drive. Hassan shows solid pitch recognition, which allows him to sit back comfortably on breaking balls. While his swing is on the long side, he compensates for it by crowding the plate and choking up on the bat depending on the situation in the count. His confidence in his strike zone management skills allow him to spoil tough pitches with two strikes or take a strike in a hitter’s count if it's not in the area he was zoning in on. Hassan has improved quickening up his swing load. This has helped him get the head of the bat out in front of higher velocity fastballs with more frequency and drive pitches on the inner third. He projects as an average-to-solid-average hitter for batting average with continued experience against upper level pitching. Hassan slots in as a corner outfielder defensively. His plus, accurate arm is his biggest asset in the field. Hassan charges balls well and also does a good job of setting himself up in throwing position to release the ball quickly.

Development Needs: While Hassan has natural strength and a well-filled out frame, he has to learn how to tap into it further if he is to produce consistent power at the major league level. He hits mostly with his upper body and arms, unable to get a lot of drive from his lower body to create leverage with his swing. Hassan has been improving with muscling up on the ball in favorable counts though. He also tends to create too much topspin when squaring fastballs up, which reduces the amount of carry he gets on drives. His power projection looks to be about average. Hassan covers the plate well with his swing, but at times struggles with outside fastballs. He carves these offerings to the opposite field rather than driving them. The early extension in his swing makes it difficult for him to stay inside of the baseball and he typically slices balls out-and-away from him. This bears watching as the caliber of pitching keeps increasing. Hassan looks better suited for left field defensively. He is a fringe-average runner and does not have the footspeed to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. His defensive ceiling is that of an average left fielder. Hassan’s bat will have to carry him to stick on a major league roster.

2012 Outlook: Spring Training will be a strong determining factor in where Hassan is placed to start the 2012 season. While he handled the Eastern League well in 2011, there is competition for spots on the Pawtucket roster and some outfielders in front of him more ready to serve as depth to the major league club. Wherever Hassan is assigned to start the season, expect him to continue to bring his grinding approach to the plate. This is his greatest asset and enables him to produce high contact rates. I would expect Hassan to pick up right where he left off if he returns to Double-A for the season. He looked ready for the next step at the end of the 2011 season. Hassan’s test will come when he reaches Triple-A and whether he can continue to adjust to maintain his contact rates. This is big for him due to his limited defensive value. His ability to stick on a big league roster will be driven by his offensive value and showing it in Triple-A will prove he is ready for a look. Hassan projects as a bench player at the major league level. With more improvement generating power in 2012 and continued strong contact rates, he can push that towards a projection as a second division starter.

Frank Montas
Position: Starting Pitcher
2011 Team: Dominican Summer League
2011 Projected Team: Gulf Coast Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 19

Strengths: Montas has a sturdy frame and a strong lower body that allows him to get solid drive during his delivery. Throwing from a ¾ arm slot, his fastball operates 95-98 MPH and tops out at 100 MPH. Montas possesses excellent arm strength. When in the lower reaches of his velocity, his heater shows some late tail and downward movement, but exhibits ride and explodes on hitters when he reaches back. His fastball also has late life in the lower tier of the strike zone. It does flatten out in the upper tier of the strike zone, but hitters will have a tough time getting on top of the ball due to the plus-plus velocity he generates. His fastball has the potential to develop into an elite pitch as he learns to command the offering. Montas has the ceiling of a closer at the major league level. He looks ideal throwing in short bursts, where he can over-power hitters with his fastball and mix in secondary offerings.

Development Needs: Montas is very crude and rough on the mound. Both his command and control are below-average. He will be prone to spells of wildness as he works to iron out his delivery. Montas tends to jerk his head off target when throwing his fastball. This causes him to lose sight of where the pitch is going and miss spots consistently. He is presently very much a thrower out on the mound. He will need to learn how to spot up with his heater and control the pitch if he is to make strides during his initial exposure to the lower levels of the Red Sox organization. Montas also throws a mid-80s slider, but the pitch is very raw. It lacks tight rotation and depth, spinning flatly up to the plate. While he may get by against inexperienced hitters in short-season with his slider because of the difference in velocity from his fastball, the offering needs to get much tighter to be effective against the more advanced hitters in full-season baseball.

2012 Outlook: Montas will get his first experience with baseball in the United States this season. Expect him to participate in Extended Spring Training before playing in the Gulf Coast League. The instruction time down in Florida will be a good transitional period for Montas. Besides getting a chance to work on smoothing out his delivery and sharpening his slider, it allows him time to adjust to the new environment and culture before jumping into game action. 2012 will most likely be a year of subtle progress for Montas. I do not expect him to suddenly burst onto the scene or put up performance numbers that are going to jump off the page. He is just learning how to pitch. Gradual improvement with his command and control as he pitches in game action is reasonable. Montas may also struggle for stretches in 2012, especially if he is falling into patterns of wildness. The progress he can make tightening up his slider will help him begin to get comfortable with mixing pitches during sequences. Montas has an outstanding arm and has power reliever potential. This coming season is a chance for him to start polishing his stuff and taking steps towards becoming a more refined pitcher.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

First Take: Another Aussie, another Ivy Leaguer, another guy I missed

2012-02-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

Time for one last clean-up edition of First Take before pitchers and catchers officially report on Sunday.

2/6:

The Move: Red Sox sign LHP Daniel McGrath

Even after the departure of former international scouting director Craig Shipley, the Sox showed they still have a presence in Australia with the signing of 17-year-old Aussie McGrath for a reported $400,000 signing bonus. McGrath, the youngest player to play in the Australian Baseball League, will come to Fort Myers this spring to check out the facilities, but he will finish high school this year and won't report to the club full-time in 2013. In case you're curious, that is standard procedure for past Sox signings out of Oceania.

Pacific Rim scout Jon Deeble, along with Shipley during his time with the Sox, has given the club a strong presence in Australia, as evinced by this signing, as McGrath and his family reportedly preferred the Sox to as many as 15 other potential suitors in part because the family are all fans of the team. Here's a list of Sox signings out of that area dating back to 2003:

Feb. 2011: C Beau Bishop, New Zealand, $60,000

June 2008: OF Moko Moanaroa, Australia

May 2008: 1B Boss Moanaroa, Australia, $120,000

March 2007: RHP Justin Erasmus, Australia

Feb. 2007: RHP David Harriott, Australia

Aug. 2006: 3B/RHP Michael Lennox, Australia, $100,000

Feb. 2006: C Matthew Kent, Australia

Sept. 2005: OF Mitch Dening, Australia

Oct. 2004: LHP Tim Cox, Australia

2003: LHP James Albury, Australia

2003: LHP Adam Blackley, Australia

McGrath won't come to camp until 2013, so be prepared to forget about him for a little bit. However, McGrath is a another great example of why building a presence in an area can pay dividends down the road, as he appears to be the highest-ceiling Aussie the Sox have signed.

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2/16:

The Move: Red Sox sign RHP Ross Ohlendorf with an invitation to spring training

For the sake of full disclosure: I hate Princeton. This has nothing to do with Ohlendorf - from everything I read, he's a swell guy. However, in my life, I've nearly universally found myself disliking nearly every Princeton student or graduate that I've met, with a begrudgingly-admitted few exceptions. Don't worry though, if you're reading this and went/go to Princeton, I'm sure you're, uh, one of those exceptions. Yeah...

But back on topic, Ohlendorf has pitched exclusively as a starter for the past three-plus seasons for the Pirates after breaking in with the Yankees as a reliever, and there is little reason to think that will change. His numbers during that period aren't shimmering or anything, as he walks too many guys and doesn't strike out enough (3.1 BB/9, 6.0 K/9 from 2009-2011). He's coming off an injury that he says hampered him for nearly all of last season, so this is another low-risk, medium-reward signing by the Sox to add to the Great Spring Training Rotation Competition. To be frank, his chances may hinge on whatever opt-out clauses he may or may not have in his contract - the guys that can leave first tend to get the first shots, all other things relatively equal. I like the signing from a practical standpoint, but could see him holding down a rotation spot in Pawtucket just as easily as I could see him making it to Boston at all this year.

Neat side note: Ohlendorf wrote his senior thesis at The-School-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named on an analysis of the MLB Draft. Pretty neat stuff, which you can check out in this article by ESPN's Tim Kurkjian.

Players affected:

Throw another log into the rotation competition fire. Ohlendorf joins Daniel Bard, Alfredo Aceves, Vicente Padilla (if he's coming to camp?), Aaron Cook, and Carlos Silva among those with a legitimate shot at winning a starting job this spring, perhaps with Andrew Miller, Brandon Duckworth, and Felix Doubront as darkhorses.

(Another tangent: I can't get over how much Doubront may have hurt his career by coming into last season out of shape. If he were in shape, stayed healthy, and pitched well last year, he might have been near the front of this list instead of near the back. Now he needs to make up for lost time in the span of a month.)

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1/13:

The Move: Red Sox sign 1B/OF Josh Kroeger with an invitation to spring training

Forgive me, like Jason Repko last time, I appear to have missed another minor league free agent signing in 29-year-old Josh Kroeger. However, I deny fault, as the Red Sox apparently missed it too - his 1/13 signing is strangely coming up last chronologically for January on their own transactions page, making me think they went back in and added it later, as I had not seen anything on this until he was listed on the non-roster invite list this week.

Kroeger's major league experience consists of 24 games with Arizona way back in 2004, back when I was in college learning to hate Princeton. (Have I mentioned that I hate Princeton?) He'd spent his whole whole career with the D-Backs from his selection in the fourth round of the 2000 draft to that year, but since has bounced around to the Phillies, Cubs, White Sox, and last year, Marlins organizations, looking for another shot. Although looking at his Triple-A stats is tough, given he has mostly played in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he still showed a good deal of pop in his three International League seasons in 2006, 2009, and 2010, putting up between about a .160 IsoP in each season. That said, his on-base skills have fluctuated greatly depending on league, never topping a .319 OBP in the IL even though he's had three seasons above .370 out in the PCL. Defensively, he can play all three outfield positions and first base, not really having a consistent home in any spot the past few seasons after coming up primarily as a right fielder.

In Pawtucket, Kroeger would provide depth at first base and in the outfield. I mentioned last time that the Mauro Gomez signing shored the Sox up at first base, where they were thin. Kroeger now completes the depth chart, for spring training at least, there and in the outfield. His ability to stick on the roster will depend largely on the Sox' health coming out of the spring.

Players Affected
Kroeger adds to what is now a crowded situation at first base and in the outfield. His fate likely depends on whether Carl Crawford's health and whether Lars Anderson is dealt before camp breaks. I'm not sure how the Pawtucket roster holds all of Kroeger, Repko, Gomez, J.C. Linares, Che-Hsuan Lin, AND Daniel Nava. Those first three likely come into camp so that the Sox can get a look at them for the Triple-A roster, and for insurance in the case of a trade.

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Thanks for reading folks. I'll be back next week with an analysis of the non-roster invite list.

Chris Hatfield is the Executive Editor of SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPChrisHatfield.

2012 Prospect Previews: Kolbrin Vitek and Oscar Tejeda

2012-02-17T12:07:00.003-05:00

Kolbrin Vitek
Position: Third base
2011 Team: Salem Red Sox
2012 Projected Team: Portland Sea Dogs
Opening Day Age: 23

Strengths: Vitek utilizes a fluid, mechanically sound swing to drive his hands to the point of contact. He generates easy batspeed via quick wrists and a smooth trigger. Vitek’s hit tool and bat control are his greatest assets at the plate, giving him the ability to develop into a plus hitter for batting average as he continues to hone his pitch recognition in the upper levels of the minors. His inside-out swing is designed to produce high levels of contact. At his best when he is waiting for the baseball to get deep on him, he is capable of driving balls hard from foul line-to-foul line. Vitek comes to the plate with a plan in place to work into counts that allow him to get pitches he can attack and displays the willingness to use the entire field. Possessing a lean body and athletic frame, he has some room to add a bit more muscle as he continues to mature into his mid-20s. While his present power is below-average, he produces a lot of backspin when he squares up line drives. He can grow into producing average-to-solid -average levels of power with continued experience against advanced pitching. Vitek shows solid-average speed on the basepaths, projecting as a runner who can pick his spots to swipe a bag by getting good reads off of the opposing pitcher. His work ethic to get better at his craft has been highly noticeable since signing with the organization, often out early on the field or taking extra practice to improve.

Development Needs: Vitek must get more lift out of his swing if he is to improve his levels of in-game power. While the strength and batspeed are there to produce average-to-solid-average power in the future, his swing comes through the hitting zone on a very level plane and his post contact extension is lacking. Learning how to balance producing more arc with his swing, while not sacrificing too much of his contact skills is a key need to project as better than an average overall hitter at the major league level. Vitek also can struggle with how he attacks secondary offerings. He tends to get his hands too far out in front of him to roll over the ball or swing over the top of it. When he is over-committing with his hands, he loses his ability to consistently drive pitches and gets into ruts of constantly pounding the ball into the ground. He should pick up breaking balls better with experience, but work to eliminate his stretches of poor hand separation during his stride is necessary to maintain frequent instances of producing hard line drives against the rising level of competition. Vitek has been manning the hot corner since turning pro with mixed results. While he has been putting in a large amount of time to get better at the position, he is still rough and lacks fluidity at the position. There have been questions as to whether all of the dedication to working on coming up to speed at third base has taken away from some of his focus on hitting. A move to the outfield in the near future seems likely given his lack of naturalness at third and may also allow him to relax to let his overall baseball skills perform.

2012 Outlook: Vitek looks likely to take the next step up the ranks and receive a placement in Double-A to start the 2012 season. This assignment will be a good test for him to make adjustments. With a full season of professional experience under his belt, Vitek should have a much better handle on the caliber of secondary offerings he will see on a daily basis. More comfort against these pitches will help him produce more consistent hard contact at this level. When relaxed at the plate, Vitek is a gap-to-gap hitter capable of driving balls hard on a line. He has the hitting talent to show strong contact rates as the 2012 season unfolds, but will be challenged to bring more consistency to his game by the pitchers in the Eastern League. Vitek may start off slower at the beginning of the season as he feels his way through the competition. I would not expect a large increase in his home run production this year, but for him to have a better understanding of when he can muscle up in favorable counts. A big key to this season is to relax more when playing the game. It will be interesting to see how much longer he ends up playing third base and by the end of the year could wind up playing the outfield. 2012 is a year to show improvement and that he is developing into a future high contact hitter at the major league level.

Oscar Tejeda
Position: Second base
2011 Team: Portland Sea Dogs
2011 Projected Team: Portland Sea Dogs
Opening Day Age: 22

Strengths: Tejeda is a solid athlete who has been growing into his frame over the course of the last couple of seasons. With a whip-like swing, he produces plus batspeed and has improved upward path to the point of contact. Tejeda excels against fastballs middle-in. His quick swing and ability to pull his hands inside the baseball allow him to create strong leverage against these offerings. Tejeda’s power projects as solid-average at the major league level, with the ability to hit around 18 home runs in his peak seasons. Capable of driving offerings to all fields, he extends well against pitches on the outer third to rifle them to the opposite field. Tejeda puts a charge into the baseball when he squares it up. Even when a bit out in front of a pitch, he has the strength to still hit the ball hard enough to find holes through the infield. He shows the knack for being able to get the barrel of the bat in all tiers of the strike zone when he is keeping his weight back. Tejeda has the hitting tool to produce a .275-.285 batting average at the major league level. Defensively, he has the footspeed to cover above-average ground at second base. His plus arm allows him to make off-balance throws and his footwork around the bag turning double plays has been improving. Tejeda displays a lot of fluidity when making tougher plays in the field.

Development Needs: Tejeda needs a lot of improvement with his pitch recognition and approach to continue to develop his hitting in the upper levels of the minors. He struggled considerably with secondary offerings in 2011. Often getting himself too far out on his front foot, he could not drive breaking balls and typically ended up producing a lot of weak contact when he put them into play. Tejeda also tends to chase pitches breaking away from him into the dirt with frequency. This accounts for a lot of his swings and misses. He needs to tone down his aggressiveness and learn to be more selective to diminish the amount of times he works behind in the count. While Tejeda has the ability to drive the ball hard to the opposite field, he consistently looks for the ball middle-in and neglects to cover the outside corner of the plate. This leaves him prone to any offering middle-to-away. Tejeda has to look to cover the entire plate and bring a plan to the plate to produce more solid contact against advanced pitching. In the field he shows the ability to make plays at second base, but at times gets poor reads off the bat, especially on balls hit up the middle. He also tends to botch relatively routine plays, but make tough plays look easy. Overall, he lacked focus for extended stretches in the field and at the plate in 2011. He seemed to drift through games and looked stuck in neutral, either giving away at-bats or losing his concentration in the field. Tejeda has a lot of baseball talent, but needs to raise his level of concentration and apply the mental aspect of the game to push his development to the next level.

2012 Outlook: Tejeda is slotted to return to Double-A to start the season and will work to prove that he can be successful against the level of competition. His experience in the Eastern League in 2011 can be a strong learning tool for him to raise the level of his game. If Tejeda can keep his hands and weight back with more frequency, he has the potential to produce a lot of solid contact as the 2012 season gets going. His power numbers should also rise with increased hard contact. As with a lot of young players, Tejeda is going through the learning process of understanding that the mental aspect of the game is just as important as having the physical tools. With more focus at the plate and in the field, he has a strong chance to be a lot more consistent in 2012 and have his talent translate to better in-game production. Although he could end up moving to the outfield, with dedication to his defensive game Tejeda can be adequate at second base and his potential production with the bat can carry him as an infielder. The key for him to project as a major league regular hinges on his maturation with the mental side of the game. This coming season will be interesting for both his development path and future with the organization. Given the composition of the major league roster, options seem limited for Tejeda. He could end up as a trade chip in a deadline deal, if he shows he is getting past his developmental plateau this past season.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

Fort Report: February 17

2012-02-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

The Fort Report returns for 2012 and will be running every Friday with notes on prospect activity from Fort Myers, Florida. This week's minor league notes:

Minor league mini-camp players and staff are required to report by February 22, remaining minor league pitchers and catchers by March 1, and the remaining minor league position players by March 9.
While players are required to report by those dates, many are in camp early. SoxProspects.com's #1 prospect, Will Middlebrooks hinted on his Twitter account that he was there as early as February 6, which would be among the earliest of any players.
Middlebrooks was not alone as you can see from this picture from Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe with as many as 30 players in attendance on February 12.
Abraham also reported that Ryan Westmoreland is in camp as he continues his recovery from the cavernous malformation in his brain that required surgery in 2010. Abraham says that Ryan Kalish is in camp working out but has not been cleared to swing as he continues to recover from the labrum surgery he underwent earlier this year. Others who were reported to be in camp included Aaron Cook, Felix Doubront, Luis Exposito, Rich Hill, Daniel Nava, and a "big herd of minor leaguers."
Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal notes that Alex Wilson, Alex Hassan, Dan Butler, and Juan Carlos Linares also received invitations to major league camp.
In addition to that list, Alex Speier of WEEI adds Doug Mathis, Jason Repko, and Pedro Ciriaco to the list of players receiving invites. Teams usually start with a large list of invitees before reassigning them to minor league camp as it progresses.
The Red Sox have also added former Pirate, Yankee, and Diamondback Ross Ohlendorf to a minor league contract that includes a spring training invite. Our own James Dunne provides some more detail on the signing. Alex Speier adds that Ohlendorf has one options remaining and will not reach free agency until after the 2015 season, which makes this signing very similar to that of Alfredo Aceves. The Red Sox will look at him in both starting and relief pitcher roles.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports Red Sox pitching coach, Bob McClure, said that Junichi Tazawa will start the year as a reliever. There is lots of minor league starting pitching depth after the signings of Ohlendorf, Aaron Cook, Carlos Silva, Brandon Duckworth, as well as Clay Mortensen who came over in the Marco Scutaro trade and younger options Alex Wilson and Felix Doubront. This will give Tazawa the best chance to impact the major league roster at some point in 2012.
It seems Red Sox catching instructor Gary Tuck is not in camp because of physical issues according to Nick Cafardo. Tuck is widely regarded as one of the best catching instructors in the game, and his absence certainly does not help the preparation and development of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Ryan Lavarnway, Luis Exposito, and the rest of the Red Sox catchers. Hopefully it is nothing serious and he can return soon.
This year Chris Mellen continues with his Prospect Previews column every Monday, Wednesday and Friday leading up to opening day. Each one covers two prospects looking into their strengths, developmental needs, and 2012 outlook. Thus far they have included: (1) Madison Younginer/Jordan Weems, (2) Williams Jerez/Heiker Meneses, (3) Reynaldo Rodriguez/Kendrick Perkins, (4) Jeremy Hazelbaker/Brandon Workman, and (5) Cody Kukuk/Henry Ramos.
The Red Sox released their spring training schedule for their minor league affiliates. Note that this is the schedule for the Triple-A and Double-A clubs. The A-Ball and Rookie-Ball squads will play the same schedule, but will simply be away against the same opponent on the days that the Triple-A and Double-A clubs are home, and vice-versa.

DATE OPPONENT AFFILIATION SITE TIME

Wed. March 14 vs Rochester Red Wings Twins Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Thur. March 15 @ Norfolk Tides Orioles Sarasota 1:00 pm

Fri. March 16 vs Norfolk Tides Orioles Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Sat. March 17 @ Rochester Red Wings Twins Lee County 1:00 pm

Sun. March 18 CAMP DAY

Mon. March 19 vs Durham Bulls Rays Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Tues. March 20 @ Durham Bulls Rays Port Charlotte 1:00 pm

Wed. March 21 vs Rochester Red Wings Twins Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Thur. March 22 @ Norfolk Tides Orioles Sarasota 1:00 pm

Fri. March 23 vs Norfolk Tides Orioles Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Sat. March 24 @ Rochester Red Wings Twins Lee County 1:00 pm

Sun. March 25 CAMP DAY

Mon. March 26 vs Rochester Red Wings Twins Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Tues. March 27 @ Durham Bulls Rays Port Charlotte 1:00 pm

Wed. March 28 vs Durham Bulls Rays Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Thur. March 29 @ Rochester Red Wings Twins Lee County 1:00 pm

Fri. March 30 @ Norfolk Tides Orioles Sarasota 1:00 pm

Sat. March 31 vs Rochester Red Wings Twins Ft. Myers 1:00 pm

Red Sox sign RHP Ross Ohlendorf to minor-league contract

2012-02-16T10:09:00.000-05:00

Peter Gammons is reporting the Red Soxhave signed right-handed pitcher RossOhlendorf to a minor-league contract. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe confirms that Ohlendorf has reported to Fort Myers and that he has been invited to major league camp.

Ohlendorf, 29, was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 draft out of Princeton bythe Arizona Diamondbacks. He has major league experience with both the NewYork Yankees, where he pitched primarily in relief, and Pittsburgh Pirates,with whom he was a starter exclusively. Ohlendorf has a career 14-28 record and4.77 ERA. His best season was 2009, when he started 29 games, going 11-10 with a3.92 ERA and compiling 109 strikeouts over 176.2 innings pitched.

In 2011, Ohlendorf struggled withinjuries and ineffectiveness. He left his second start of the season in thethird inning due to a recurrence of the right-shoulder posterior strain that hadcaused him to miss the last six weeks of the 2010 season. While the injury did not require surgery,Ohlendorf did not return to the Pirates until late August and struggled uponhis return, reaching the sixth inning in only one of his final seven starts. Hefinished 2011 with an 8.15 ERA and 9 home runs allowed in only 38.2 innings.

2012 Prospect Previews: Cody Kukuk and Henry Ramos

2012-02-15T07:28:00.003-05:00

Cody Kukuk
Position: Starting Pitcher
2011 Team: Did not pitch
2012 Projected Team: Lowell Spinners
Opening Day Age: 18

Strengths: Kukuk has an athletic body and a frame that can add more weight, especially in his lower half. He generates easy velocity via a smooth, balanced delivery. Kukuk’s fastball sits 91-93 MPH and can touch up to 95 MPH when he reaches back. Showing late, arm side tail and downward finish, his heater runs away from right-handed batters or jumps on the hands of lefties. He hides his fastball during his delivery and hitters tend to be late given the velocity. Kukuk also features an 81-83 MPH slider. With tight, hard break, the offering disappears sharply out of the strike zone when he snaps it off and stays on top of the ball. This offering should evolve into his go-to out pitch and one with which he looks to pick up swings-and-misses. It has the makings of a plus pitch at his disposal. Given the loose nature of how he throws, Kukuk does not expend extra energy during his delivery. With natural physical maturation, he should develop the stamina necessary to stick as a starting pitcher and be able to go deeper into games as he does not wear himself out or strain to create his velocity. Kukuk has the ceiling of a second or third starter at the major league level.

Development Needs: Kukuk can struggle with his fastball command, mostly because he tends to release the heater early in his delivery. He arches his back and will land too soon, causing the ball to come out of his hand high. This drives his fastball to sail up and out of the strike zone. Kukuk needs work repeating the optimal timing of his delivery and locking into a consistent arm slot. Early in his career, he is most likely going to show stretches of wildness due to this and will have to learn how to recognize when he is out of whack so he can correct himself. Kukuk is also in the early stages of learning to throw a changeup. It presently looks more like a fastball he is taking something off of. Gaining feel for this pitch through repetition is important for him to expand his repertoire. Kukuk must first find trust in this offering so he can start to work it into sequences against opposing batters. The progress he makes with this pitch over the next couple years of his career will be a strong factor as to whether he continues to project on the path of a starting pitcher.

2012 Outlook: Kukuk did not pitch professionally in 2011 until the Fall Instructional League. While he showed solid, raw stuff, he looks most likely to stay back in Extended Spring Training and then start his first pro season with the Lowell Spinners. This assignment will be good for Kukuk to ease into game action and allow him to continue working on repeating his arm slot to enhance his fastball command in an instructional environment. Early progress in Extended Spring Training can show during the season in the New York-Penn League. Kukuk has the stuff to be ahead of the hitters and if he is throwing strikes he can get solid results. The inexperienced hitters tend to be overmatched by pure stuff and also tend to miss a lot of pitches. The area to focus in on is where he is placing his fastball. Consistently living down in the zone is a good sign that Kukuk is starting to finish better out of his delivery. Fewer instances of wildness are also positive markers that he is not landing too early. I feel his changeup will continue to show as a below-average offering during the season, but as the year goes along it should start to mix more and more into sequences. 2012 is a year for Kukuk to begin polishing his stuff and get used to the routine of a professional starting pitcher. By the end of the year, he should prove to be ready for his first full-season placement with Greenville in 2013 and also begin to push as a rising young arm within the Red Sox system.

Henry Ramos
Position: Outfield
2011 Team: Greenville Drive
2011 Projected Team: Greenville Drive/Salem Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 19

Strengths: A converted soccer player, Ramos has shown a quick transition to playing professional baseball and earned a promotion to A-Ball out of Extended Spring Training in 2011. Bolstered by a powerful, athletic frame, he unleashes a smooth swing from both sides of the plate. Ramos generates above-average batspeed and can drive balls hard on a line with backspin. His raw power grades as plus and he has the swing path to produce 20-25 home runs as his hitting skills develop. Ramos’ swings from both sides of the plate are mechanically sound. He has the hit tool to also be able to produce the contact of an average-to-solid-average hitter for batting average. He covers the outside corner of the plate well when hitting left-handed and can get the head of the bat on pitches in tougher spots. Ramos has the defensive ability to play all three outfield slots presently and slots in as a corner outfield as his body fills out more. His plus arm profiles well in right field. He has the ceiling of a regular right fielder at the major league level, with the potential to hit fifth or sixth in a deeper lineup.

Development Needs: As expected, Ramos’ overall game is raw. He struggles to pick up secondary offerings, especially curveballs and sliders in the dirt. He is also very aggressive at the plate, lacking a plan of attack and the confidence to hit with a strike or two on him. Ramos typically goes up to the plate looking to hack at the first fastball he sees. Once behind in the count, he becomes defensive due to his lack of comfort seeing breaking balls and leaves himself prone to fastballs because he is hesitating with his swing. Ramos has very good batspeed, but gets behind fastballs when he is trying to protect against off-speed stuff. He can also lunge across the plate too much and allow higher velocity fastballs to eat him up on the inner third. Developing plate discipline will be necessary for Ramos to allow his natural hit tool to produce consistent, hard contact. His pitch recognition should improve with experience, but it will take dedication to learn to sit back more on offerings. Ramos is also still learning to slow the game down, especially defensively. He can rush or be over-zealous in the outfield when tracking flyballs. His reads can also be rough.

2012 Outlook: The organization was aggressive with Ramos last season and he surprised by sticking with Greenville for the entire season after his promotion in late May. Spring Training will be a factor, but he could likely use a return assignment to the South Atlantic League to continue honing his pitch recognition and plate discipline. A year more experienced, Ramos has a better foundation for understanding how to work to get ahead in the count. Improvement with this area of his game will lead to stronger overall contact for him in 2012. Most, if not all, of his offensive progression is tied into this aspect. Ramos can also begin to show more game power with rising contact rates. He has the ability to drive balls with very good backspin and getting better wood on offerings will lead to more instances of hitting drives with carry. Ramos will still show patches of inconsistency in 2012, but I feel he has the chance to make strong strides this season. He has shown to be highly coachable and displays a solid work ethic, in addition to his aforementioned tools. Ramos is an intriguing prospect to follow within the Red Sox organization and one that can show how the depth in the lower levels is starting to come into their own in 2012.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

First Take: More Triple-A roster maintenance

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Since our last edition, the Sox have been content to make a few tweaks to the Triple-A roster. Here's the dish:

The Move: Red Sox sign 1B Mauro Gomez to a minor league deal

Believe it or not, the Sox were actually pretty thin at first base before the Gomez signing. In the majors, Adrian Gonzalez is locked in at first, with Kevin Youkilis probably sliding across the diamond should he get hurt, although that would necessitate a corresponding move at third. In Pawtucket, Lars Anderson was the only true first baseman, problematic both in case of injury and because, to be frank, he could be traded at any time, as evidenced by last year’s near-trade for Rich Harden.

Gomez does one thing – hit. Although he’s old at 27, he put up a .304/.356/.522 line for Gwinnett in the International League last season and has averaged 24 home runs over the last four years. For reference, 24 home runs would have put him third in the entire Red Sox system last season. Gomez should see a fair amount of time at DH as long as Anderson is around, and could easily slot in as the PawSox starting first baseman should Anderson be traded.

Players Affected

Nate Spears, Brad Emaus, Pedro Ciriaco, Tony Thomas – No, these guys aren’t first basemen, but with a true backup first baseman on the roster, it looks like there may only be room for two of these four in Pawtucket, at least on the active roster anyway, if everyone is healthy. One will likely come down with a fake injury at the end of spring training in order to join the Pawtucket taxi squad if such a situation occurs.

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The Move: Red Sox outright RHP Scott Atchison to Triple-A Pawtucket, sign RHP Sean White to a minor league deal

I was not too surprised that Atchison did not elect for free agency. Considering that he came to the States after playing in Japan in order for his daughter to get better medical treatment, he seemed likely to be the type of player that would stick around rather than bolt for a marginally better chance at sticking in the majors.

As documented, Atchison no longer has options remaining. However, if he is going to clear waivers whenever he gets designated for assignment, as he did here, he might be able to remain the team’s top short-term I-95 shuttle reliever this year.

As for White, made his major league debut in 2007 and has bounced back and forth since, with his most extensive MLB time coming in 2009. He spent all of last season in Triple-A, and will likely do so again, trying to pitch his way into injury fill-in duty.

Players Affected

As written about in this space ad nauseum, the rest of the pitchers fighting for jobs in Triple-A. That said, the news of Charlie Haeger’s Tommy John surgery does relieve some of the pressure on those roster spots, as might the resolution of the Vicente Padilla child support situation and whether or not the Red Sox sign Roy Oswalt, which I am no longer quite as sure about given his apparent preference not to come to the Northeast.

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The Move: Red Sox sign OF Jason Repko to a minor league deal

This one happened back in early January, but I somehow missed it and wanted to cover it here. Repko is your classic replacement-level outfielder, and has been bouncing between Triple-A and the majors since 2006. He has never really excelled in the majors in part due to injuries. A solid defender who plays all three outfield positions, Repko is outfield insurance for the Red Sox on two fronts: 1) early in the season, he could be the fifth outfielder in Boston if Carl Crawford will start the year on the DL, and 2) whether or not that happens, he will serve as outfield depth in Pawtucket until Ryan Kalish returns in June. In Repko, J.C. Linares, and Che-Hsuan Lin, Pawtucket will have three excellent defensive outfielders, along with left fielder Daniel Nava, to start the year.

If you’re wondering why it’s important to have minor league depth, check out this list of who played right field for Pawtucket last season:

Ronald Bermudez – 40 games (Should have been no higher than Double-A, and more appropriately in High A)

Nate Spears – 23 games (He’s an infielder, “utility” be damned. He's not out there this much if they have three legit Triple-A outfielders.)

Matt Sheely – 21 games (Great as classic org. guy who spells starters with great defense, poor offense. Bad as your starting right fielder, and that’s why Bermudez was playing ahead of him)

Brett Carroll – 20 games (Signed late in the season when it was clear the team could not keep waiting for Kalish to return)

Josh Reddick – 15 games (Fine option, but played mostly center field until Lin was promoted and then spent most of the season in Boston)

Che-Hsuan Lin – 10 games (Fine but, again, should be in center)

J.C. Linares – 8 games (Until injury ended his season)

Yamaico Navarro – 8 games (See Spears, Nate, although much of this was apparently to showcase him for a trade)

Daniel Nava – 4 games (He’s a left fielder and should not really stray from there)

Tony Thomas – 4 games (Not even a utility player, a true second baseman)

Darnell McDonald – 3 games (“Rehab” assignment)

Joey Gathright – 2 games (Brief stint before going to Boston to pinch run)

Drew Sutton – 2 games (See Spears, Nate and Navarro, Yamaico)

J.D. Drew – 1 game (Rehab)

Ryan Kalish – 1 game (That’s right, 13 players saw more time in Pawtucket’s right field than him. Go figure.)

Players Affected

None really - he takes the spot Kalish would have occupied.

Chris Hatfield is Executive Editor of SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPChrisHatfield.

2012 Prospect Previews: Jeremy Hazelbaker and Brandon Workman

2012-02-13T07:49:00.003-05:00

Today's installment of the series features an outfield prospect working to further establish himself in the upper levels of the Red Sox system and a pitcher looking to hone his stuff in High A.

Jeremy Hazelbaker
Position: Outfield
2011 Teams: Salem Red Sox/Portland Sea Dogs
2012 Projected Team: Portland Sea Dogs
Opening Day Age: 24

Strengths: Hazelbaker generates strong leverage with his swing, showing the ability to square up offerings with a lot of backspin. He excels against pitches middle-to-in, especially ones down-and-in where he can drop the head of the bat to lift the ball with loft. Hazelbaker’s power grades as about solid-average, with the potential to hit 15-18 home runs at the major league level. On the raw side coming out of college, his pitch recognition and approach at the plate have been improving as he has gained experience against professional pitching. Hazelbaker has also worked hard at filling out his frame, putting on more muscle the last couple of off-seasons to better help him deal with the wear and tear of the long season. His speed has not been sacrificed by the weight gain and continues to be his best tool. Grading out as well-above average, Hazelbaker impacts the game on the basepaths and shows a strong ability to read opposing pitchers’ deliveries. He typically gauges pickoff moves by testing the boundaries of his leads, then takes off with excellent acceleration to swipe bags with ease. Hazelbaker shows the ability to tally 25-30 stolen bases at the big league level.

Development Needs: While Hazelbaker has been improving his pitch recognition and approach as he has made his way into the upper minors, this area of his offensive game still needs a lot of polish against advanced competition. Breaking balls give him considerable trouble. Hazelbaker likes to get the head of the bat out in front of the ball to produce extension and he tends to get his weight too far out in front. This causes him to produce weak contact or swing over the top of these offerings. A dead pull hitter, Hazelbaker does not cover the outer third of the plate well with his swing. This hole leads to a more limited area where he makes solid contact. Looking to use the opposite field more frequently will help him cover the plate better, instead of pulling off offerings consistently and trying to yank the ball. Presently Hazelbaker projects as having the ceiling of an average hitter for batting average. Without higher instances of solid contact, he will not be able to tap into his power or maintain enough of batting average to hold a roster spot down. Defensively, Hazelbaker at times does not get great reads off the bat in center field and tends to freeze on contact. He has the closing speed needed to cover ground in center, but looks better suited for a corner outfield slot.

2012 Outlook: Hazelbaker will return to Portland to work on polishing off his offensive game. He should continue to get the opportunity to play center and build his level of comfort with the position. With more focus using the whole field, Hazelbaker has the hit tool to produce hard contact from gap-to-gap and boost his contact rates. He does not need to sacrifice trying to drive offerings, but has to move away from trying to jerk every offering to right field for this to happen. Based on the experience he logged last year, Hazelbaker should be more comfortable in Double-A and by making the necessary adjustments has the potential to begin showing he is ready for a promotion to Triple-A in the middle of the summer. The areas to watch for are whether he is reducing his strikeouts and extending his hitting zones. Hazelbaker projects as a bench player at the major league level, and with strong improvement in 2012 on his development needs, could push towards a projection as a starter on a second division team. This season should provide a good indication as to whether he is trending towards making enough contact to warrant a look from either the Red Sox or possibly another organization taking a chance on him in 2013.

Brandon Workman
Position: Starting Pitcher
2011 Team: Greenville Drive
2011 Projected Team: Salem Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 23

Strengths: Workman is a large framed right-handed pitcher, with a body built to handle the rigors of pitching as a professional. A loose thrower, he releases his offerings from a ¾ arm slot and finishes well out of his delivery to throw downhill. Clocking in at 92-94 MPH, Workman’s heater shows solid downward movement across the plate and he can reach back to bust right-handed batters in on their hands. He tops out at 95 MPH when working as a starter and can live in that range of his velocity in shorter stints. Workman’s fastball improved over the course of the 2011 season as he got used to working out of a five-man rotation. His other presently advanced offering is a high-80s cut fastball. Grading out as a plus pitch, Workman utilizes it ahead in the count or when he is looking to grab the strike zone with a change of pace from his fastball. The late, sharp break makes it effective against left-handed batters as it rides onto their hands, especially when it is in the lower tier of the strike zone. Hitters also tend to open up early against it due to recognizing later in the pitch’s approach to the plate that it isn’t his fastball. He shows strong trust in his cut fastball, inducing a lot weak contact against the offering. Workman has the ceiling of a third or fourth starter at the major league level, capable of eating innings as he continues to build stamina.

Development Needs: Workman has about average command of his fastball and needs improvement spotting the pitch in areas that force the opposing batter to work harder to make solid contact. He throws strikes with it, but tends to grab the fatter parts of the plate. This improvement will be a key need for him as the level of competition advances and he needs to be finer with this pitch to get ahead in counts. Workman also lacks a secondary offering that consistently misses bats. His cutter is effective, but is designed to induce weak contact. Possessing a 76-79 MPH curveball, Workman has been inconsistent throwing it. The pitch can show deep break through the strike zone, but too often rolls up to the plate. Workman tends to wrap his wrist when throwing his curve and he releases the pitch early, causing it to stay high out of the zone. He does show feel for the offering at times and it can progress to become a solid-average-to-better weapon at his disposal. Workman has also been working to incorporate a changeup into his repertoire. Rough and raw, the pitch is presently below-average. Workman has yet to learn how to throw it with the same arm speed as his fastball to make it a viable offering for him to lean on. In order for him to stick on a starter’s path, sharpening his secondary offerings is necessary to give him more options to finish off hitters and reduce the amount of contact they make against him. Workman looks likely to project as a 7th or 8th inning reliever when reaching the upper levels of the minors.

2012 Outlook: Workman pitched the entire 2011 season with Greenville as he adjusted to pitching to the five-day rotation. An assignment in High A awaits him to begin this coming season. Workman will be challenged to spot his fastball better by the more advanced hitters in the Carolina League. This push will be good for the development of his heater and as he takes more turns through the rotation at this level, I expect him to get finer with his fastball command. Complimented by his plus cut fastball, Workman should be able to be successful working these two offerings against opposing hitters and trying to further establish his curveball into sequences. This is the key pitch for him as he prepares to enter the upper minors. While he may be able to just show his curve to keep most Carolina League hitters off-balance, Workman will have to execute the pitch more frequently when he reaches Double-A. His time with Salem in 2012 will help him gain more comfort throwing it and the better hitters will force him to focus on using it. Workman has good overall stuff. Although he is a bit jerky with his delivery, he knows how to consistently get his arm into slot, which points to the command coming with repetition. With a year of professional experience under his belt, I feel he can adjust relatively quickly to High A and push himself to finish off the 2012 season with Portland. His future role will be determined in the upper minors, but Workman has the look of a future major league arm and 2012 is a season to keep polishing off his stuff to reach the finishing stages of his development.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

2012 Prospect Previews: Reynaldo Rodriguez and Kendrick Perkins

2012-02-10T07:18:00.003-05:00

With Spring Training set to get under way, SoxProspects.com will be taking an in depth look at many of the system's prospects with previews set for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday leading up to Opening Day. The third edition of the series features a first baseman trying to prove himself in the upper minors and a young outfielder working to get his footing as a professional.

Reynaldo Rodriguez
Position: First Base
2011 Teams: Salem Red Sox/Portland Sea Dogs
2012 Projected Team: Portland Sea Dogs
Opening Day Age: 26

Strengths: Rodriguez excels at turning on inside fastballs, quickly driving the head of the bat through the hitting zone when he is pulling his hands inside of the baseball. With a relatively short swing and easy load, he is capable of turning around the consistent higher velocity fastballs seen in the upper levels of the minors. Rodriguez shows solid-average power potential, utilizing his lower body in his swing mechanics to generate torque as he impacts the ball and produce backspin when driving offerings. He understands how to create loft with his swing, especially with pitches from his thighs to the belt. While his batspeed is not above-average, he makes up for it by being quick with his trigger. Rodriguez looks to use the whole field, creating extension against pitches on the outer third to drive them to the opposite field. Defensively he handles himself well around the bag at first base. He is fairly light on his feet and fluid going to both his left or right. Rodriguez flashes a soft glove, aiding his infielders by being able to react to off-target throws.

Development Needs: Rodriguez has been old for the level of competition since joining the Red Sox organization out of the independent Golden Baseball League in 2009. He is untested and inexperienced against advanced secondary offerings. This showed during his time in Double-A last season. Rodriguez over-commits against breaking balls, often getting off-balanced on his front foot due to being fooled and he ends up punching with his bat or flicking the head of the bat to produce weak contact. He will have to adjust to prevent opposing pitchers from consistently feeding him secondary offerings. Rodriguez is also not overly patient and goes into ruts of hitting behind in counts after trying to attack the first fastball he sees regardless of its location. Logging experience will help him gain trust in his batting eye. While Rodriguez has a power element to his game, he does not have the power of a regular first baseman. Even with a fast learning curve in demonstrating he can make consistent contact, he looks most likely to have the ceiling of an up-and-down player within a second division team’s organization.

2012 Outlook: Rodriguez slots in as the starting first baseman on the Portland Sea Dogs and will get the chance to prove he can consistently hit in Double-A during the 2012 season. His stint at the end of last season should help to give him more of a feel for the level of competition he will face heading into this year. Rodriguez has hitting talent and has thus far made the most of the second chance at a professional career the Red Sox gave him in 2009. With dedication to keeping his weight back and producing better contact against secondary offerings, he has a good shot to put up solid-average power numbers and maintain a higher batting average during his time in Double-A. Due to his age, Rodriguez is behind the curve, but can show he is ready for Triple-A by mid-season. He provides the club with organizational depth this season and could also draw some interest from a team out of contention as a player in the back-end of a trade or potential Rule 5 pick during the 2012 off-season.

Kendrick Perkins
Position: Outfield
2011 Team: Gulf Coast Red Sox
2011 Projected Team: Lowell Spinners/ Greenville Drive
Opening Day Age: 20

Strengths: A former football player, Perkins has a sturdy, well-filled out frame that is designed to generate power. His strong wrists allow him to whip the head of the bat from the left-side of the plate with force. Perkins’ swing is geared towards producing lift and his raw power grades out as plus. With solid batspeed, his hit tool shows to be average-to-solid-average. Perkins is capable of producing enough solid contact as he matures to project as an average-to-better hitter for average. Now firmly focused on baseball since signing in 2010, he is the type of player who it can suddenly click two to three seasons into his career as his experience level begins catching up to his tools. The organization has moved on the slower side with Perkins to ease him into the professional environment. A good athlete, Perkins is slow out of the batter’s box, but his top speed clocks in at solid-average. He moves well for a bigger player and has the footspeed to play a corner outfield spot. Perkins has been improving with his reads in the outfield. His package of tools puts his ceiling as a power hitting middle-of-the-order bat, with 25-30 home run potential.

Development Needs: While Perkins has solid tools, he is a very raw player. His approach, plate discipline, and pitch recognition have been built from the ground up. Perkins doesn’t presently pick up offerings well out of opposing pitchers’ hands, leading to a lot of bad swings against secondary offerings. When he is caught in-between guessing, average fastballs tie him up due to the longer nature of his swing and he cannot get good wood on the ball to drive it. Repetition seeing pitches will help Perkins catch up to the caliber of professional pitching to enhance the amount of hard contact he makes, but he also has some mechanical flaws that need ironing out. His swing is rough. Perkins tends to hit out on his front foot, landing stiffly with his stride. His hands come too far forward with him and he is reduced to hitting primarily with his arms. The head of the bat also loops down under the ball leading to him missing the center of the baseball with the sweet spot of the bat due to opening up too early. Improvement of his balance and separation with his hands are keys to him tapping into his natural power, as well as unlocking his ability to square up the baseball frequently.

2012 Outlook: Perkins is in the mix to break camp with the Greenville Drive when the 2012 season gets underway. He could possibly stay back in Extended Spring Training for more instruction time and play with the Lowell Spinners, but showed signs of making improvements relaxing in the batter’s box during the latter portion of his time in the Gulf Coast League in 2011. He will be challenged this season to make strides cleaning up his hitting mechanics and this will be a good tell as to where his development is headed. Given the rough nature of his mechanics, it could be a struggle in 2012 for him to make consistent hard contact. Positive signs of improvement in this area will show in longer stretches of making hard contact. Perkins’ work with his pitch recognition is also vital to him making progress tapping into his hit tool as he tracks through the lower minors. Development steps should be expected to be slow and steady given his level of baseball experience. I do not see him as a prime candidate to break out in 2012, but a player to watch this season for the subtle clues and tells in evaluating whether his work during practice sessions is beginning to transfer into game action.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

Red Sox sign first baseman Mauro Gomez to minor league deal

2012-02-09T16:32:00.002-05:00

Baseball America's Matt Eddy reported on Twitter that the Red Sox have signed first baseman Mauro Gomez to a minor league contract.

Gomez, 27, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Texas Rangers in 2003. He initially showed some power in his first season with significant playing time in 2007. As a member of Low-A Clinton, Gomez hit .262/.316/.445 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI.

The right-handed hitting Gomez has flourished the past few seasons after joining the Atlanta organization in 2010. Last season as a member of Triple-A Gwinnett, Gomez hit .304/.356/.522 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI in 135 games. Gomez seems to have improved his strike zone recognition lately, being more selective at the plate and getting on base at a .398 clip the second half of last season.

Gomez figures to be in the mix for significant playing time as a member of Triple-A Pawtucket in 2012.

Announcement: Twitter change in @SoxProspects account

2012-02-08T14:11:00.000-05:00

Just a quick announcement for those who follow us on Twitter: We've done some tweaking to our Twitter lineup. Last night, the account that used to be @SoxProspects, which had been something of a hybrid between the site's official Twitter account and the personal account of site Editor-in-Chief Mike Andrews, became @MikeAndrewsSP, which will now be Mike's personal account. We have created a new account, @SoxProspects, which will be the official Twitter feed for the website.

For the visual learners out there:

Before | Now

(old) @SoxProspects | @MikeAndrewsSP

(nothing) | (new) @SoxProspects

Sorry if this is a bit confusing, but we hope that you will all add the new @SoxProspects account! Special thanks to our new Social Media Specialist, J.P. Kitson, who is helping us implement some new and exciting stuff with Twitter and our Facebook page.

(A note from Chris: I'm going to be writing a piece about Twitter that will include a list of the staff's respective Twitter accounts, as well as lists of accounts for Red Sox and general prospect news and for the Sox prospects themselves, so keep an eye out for that soon!)

Red Sox sign Australian LHP Daniel McGrath

2012-02-08T08:10:00.000-05:00

The Red Sox have agreed to a contractwith 17-year-old Australian phenom DanielMcGrath. The news of the left-handed pitcher’s signing wasoriginally reported on Twitter by the Doncaster Dragons, McGrath’samateur team. Doncaster followed up with an official pressrelease.

The 6’3” McGrath has been a fixture onthe Australian junior circuit since his debut with his under-14 team in 2007. Atonly 15, McGrath was the youngest player named to the 2010 Australian Under-19 NationalTeam. At the recent Oceania Under-19 Championship held in Guam, McGrath madetwo appearances, striking out 17 over 9 innings. Scouts reported that McGrathshowed the best velocity in the tournament, at times reaching 91 MPH.

Terms of the signing have not yet beendisclosed. Accordingto Rob Bradford at WEEI, McGrath will report to Fort Myers during springtraining before returning to Australia to finish high school.

McGrath’s signing continues a trend of aggressiveaction in the South Pacific under Red Sox Pacific Rim scouting coordinator JonDeeble. Among the current Sox minor leaguers signed from that region by Deeble and former international scouting director Craig Shipley are AustraliansMitch Dening, Justin Erasmus, and Boss Moanaroa,as well as Beau Bishop out of NewZealand.

2/9 Update: According to a major league source cited by Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, McGrath signed for $400,000.

2012 Prospect Previews: Williams Jerez and Heiker Meneses

2012-02-08T07:14:00.006-05:00

With Spring Training set to get under way, SoxProspects.com will be taking an in depth look at many of the system's prospects with previews set for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday leading up to Opening Day. The second installment of the series features a toolsy 2011 Draft Pick in the early stages of his development and an infielder looking to keep moving forward in 2012.

Williams Jerez
Position: Outfield
2011 Team: Gulf Coast Red Sox
2012 Projected Team: Lowell Spinners
Opening Day Age: 19

Strengths: A potential 5-tool player, Jerez is an impressive athlete with an ideal hitter’s frame. He generates plus batspeed from the left side of the plate and has the type of swing path to project out to generate average-to-better power as he matures in the professional ranks. His swing load shows a lot of fluidity to it, most likely requiring little tweaking as his pro career gets going. He demonstrates solid bat control, easily guiding the head of the bat through the hitting zone and has the hit tool to produce high levels of hard contact. A natural centerfielder with strong instincts reading balls off the bat, Jerez has long, powerful strides when tracking flyballs and quickly accelerates to his top speed, which grades out as plus. He covers both gaps well. His defensive game is accented by a plus throwing arm that has shown solid accuracy since Jerez controls his body well when getting himself into throwing position. He has the makings of an above-average defender. Jerez’s overall package of tools makes him a prospect with a lot of upside.

Development Needs: As with many young, high upside players, Jerez has a lot of rough edges that need to be polished off in the early portion of his career. He wasn’t overly challenged by strong competition in High School and his pitch recognition is presently well-below average. Jerez is in the early learning stages of picking up more advanced secondary offerings. He lunges against breaking balls, bringing his hands too far forward to cause him to either roll over the pitch or swing over the top of it. Further experience should help him relax more at the plate. His work improving both his pitch recognition and approach will be keys to allowing his solid-average hit tool to show. Despite having a strong body, Jerez will have to learn how to tap into his power potential, most notably incorporating his lower half into his swing mechanics. He presently tries to drive balls exclusively with his arms causing him to hit with too much topspin and not get enough carry behind his drives. Jerez has the defensive skills to stick in centerfield, but how much he fills out into his frame down the line will dictate whether he ends up moving to a corner outfield slot, which would put more of a premium on his bat.

2012 Outlook: After signing last summer and playing in the Gulf Coast League, Jerez looks likely to stay back in Extended Spring Training before heading north with the Lowell Spinners. His pitch recognition and approach could stand to get some more work in an instructional environment before being tested against pitchers with more experience and polish. However, if he shows signs of picking up things quicker in the spring, he could be in the mix for a placement with Greenville to break camp or earn a promotion before the New York-Penn League season begins. 2012 is a year of gaining experience for Jerez. His hit tool is most likely going to be suppressed, but he should show flashes of the ability to drive the ball hard around the ballpark. I do not expect strong in game power from Jerez out of the gate. It will take time for him to learn how to use his whole body in his swing mechanics and the power is a couple of seasons away from starting to show. By the end of the season, Jerez has a chance to be a rising young hitter within the ranks of the Red Sox organization. His numbers may not jump off the page when 2012 wraps up, but he has the type of tools to become a very well-rounded baseball player as the experience begins to accumulate.

Heiker Meneses
Position: Infielder
2011 Teams: Greenville Drive/Salem Red Sox/Portland Sea Dogs
2012 Projected Team: Salem Red Sox
Opening Day Age: 20

Strengths: Meneses utilizes a low maintenance, compact stroke that generates about solid-average batspeed through the hitting zone. With quick wrists, he does a solid job of barreling up pitches middle-to-in and shows some pop out to the left-center field gap. Meneses profiles as a gap hitter, capable of pulling balls with backspin and hitting pitches hard on a line when going after offerings in his hitting zone. He shows the ability to adjust more quickly against advancing competition, making strides improving his pitch recognition during the 2011 season. Possessing plus speed, he can impact the game on the base paths and has been improving with his reads when attempting to swipe a base. Meneses can play shortstop, second base, and third base defensively. He displays fluid actions and sound fundamentals at either of the positions. With a quick first step, he covers better-than-average ground at shortstop and has above-average range at the hot corner or second base. He projects out as a solid-average defensive infielder with continued work reading the ball off the bat.

Development Needs: On the smaller side and relatively filled out, Meneses has at best below-average power potential. Much of his offensive impact rests in his ability to make consistent, hard contact as he advances up the ranks of the organization. Meneses presently has a hole covering the outer third of the plate, which leaves him vulnerable to higher velocity fastballs away from him. To reach his potential as a gap-to-gap hitter, more work learning how to hit to the opposite field is needed to increase the zones to which he can drive offerings. If he can’t improve covering the entire plate, he most likely will not hit enough to be more than an organizational player. While showing improvement with his pitch recognition, Meneses still struggles with advanced secondary offerings. He has a tendency to get too far out on his front foot due to guessing in counts. When his weight is over-committed, his bat drags or yanks through the hitting zone. This causes him to produce weak contact on the ground. Meneses has solid defensive tools at shortstop, but looks better suited to play second base. His solid-average throwing arm is strained when making long plays from deep in the hole and his range to his right can be limited.

2012 Outlook: Meneses played at three levels in 2011, shuffling around some due to the injuries that hit the middle infield during the middle of the season. He should have an inside track at manning one of the infield positions with the Salem Red Sox. Offensively, 2012 is a season for him to continue his learning curve against more advanced secondary offerings and improve with how quickly he picks these offerings up out of opposing pitchers’ hands. By eliminating the instances he guesses in counts, Meneses has the ability to put up rising contact rates during the season. He will be tested to hit the other way with more frequency at this level. This will be a key developmental aspect for him to progress towards becoming a consistent contact hitter and show he can make it at higher levels. With strides made in these areas, I see him projecting as a future utility infielder at the major league level. Meneses showed developing skills in 2011, and 2012 is a season to continue gaining experience to push those skills towards being ready for a long-term assignment in Double-A.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen

Bogaerts opening eyes

2012-02-07T21:18:00.000-05:00

Nineteen-year-old Aruban shortstop Xander Bogaerts has the highest potential of any prospect in the Red Sox minor league system. Period. That’s why it’s not surprising that he’s ranked as a top-three prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com, Baseball America, MLB.com and minorleagueball.com, despite likely being a few years away from even getting a shot at the major leagues.

Bogaerts’ baseball career has been quite an interesting journey -- from learning the game in his grandmother’s backyard in Aruba, to signing a professional contract with the Red Sox in August 2009 on the same day that his twin brother, Jair, signed with the club, to vaulting to top-prospect status in Greenville, S.C., in 2011.

Check out the full column on ESPN Boston

Red Sox sign RHP Sean White to minor league deal

2012-02-06T23:04:00.000-05:00

Baseball America is reporting that the Red Sox have signed RHP Sean White to a minor league contract. The 30-year-old pitcher has appeared in 105 major league games, all with the Seattle Mariners, posting a career 4.16 ERA in 134.0 innings. White spent all of 2011 pitching for the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, joined for parts of the season by recent Red Sox signees John Maine and Aaron Cook, making 53 appearances, 6 starts, allowing 103 hits in 82.1 innings and posting a 5.68 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

White was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of the University of Washington in the eighth round of the 2003 amateur draft. He was selected by Seattle in the Rule 5 draft prior to the 2007 season, making his major league debut that year. His biggest weapon is his sinker, which has allowed him to have very low home run rates throughout his career. White will compete for a spot in the Pawtucket bullpen this season.

Atchison clears waivers, invited to spring training

2012-02-06T20:50:00.000-05:00

Scott Atchison (Dave Letizi)

Scott Atchison, who was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 26 in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for outfielder Cody Ross, has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket. As part of the move, the 35-year-old right-hander will receive an invite to spring training. Atchison compiled a 3.26 ERA with a win and a save in 30.1 innings out of the Boston bullpen in 2011. He spent the remainder of the season with Pawtucket, posting a 6-2 record with a 2.64 ERA and 5 saves in 61.1 innings out of the PawSox bullpen.

Atchison is entering his third year with the organization and will be in the mix to land a spot in Boston's bullpen during the spring.

Caribbean League Roundup: January 30-February 5

2012-02-06T08:35:00.002-05:00

With the winter league playoff season coming to a conclusion, just two players saw action this week.

Australian Baseball League - Play concluded January 22. Playoffs began January 26.

Mitch Dening (Sydney Blue Sox): Despite a hot week at the plate for Dening, the Blue Sox were defeated by the Melbourne Aces 3 games to 2 in their best of 5 series. Dening went 8 for 21 with 4 home runs, 8 RBI and 7 runs scored.

Colombian Winter League - Play concluded January 23. Playoffs began January 24.

Reynaldo Rodriguez (Monteria): Monteria lost the best of 8 championship series to Toros 5 games to 3. Rodriguez was just 1 for 10 with a run scored in the final three games of the series.

2012 Prospect Previews: Madison Younginer and Jordan Weems

2012-02-06T08:00:00.003-05:00

With Spring Training set to get under way, SoxProspects.com will be taking an in depth look at many of the system's prospects with previews set for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday leading up to Opening Day. The first installment of the series features a young arm working on becoming more consistent and a 2011 Draft Pick set to begin his first full season as a professional.

Madison Younginer
Position: Starting Pitcher
2011 Team: Lowell Spinners
2012 Projected Team: Greenville Drive
Opening Day Age: 21

Strengths: Younginer possesses a live arm and a frame with more room to add strength as he continues to mature. His 90-93 MPH fastball shows late, downward finish when he is staying on top of the baseball. Younginer can reach back with his heater to touch 95 MPH and produce late swings or freeze batters when he is spotting it on the corners of the plate. With continued focus on strengthening his lower body, he should be able to operate in the upper reaches of his velocity more consistently. Younginer shows improving feel for both of his secondary offerings. While his 73-76 MPH curveball is on the inconsistent side, he produces hard snap and can create deep break through the strike zone when executing the pitch properly. The pitch has plus potential. Younginer’s changeup has made the most improvement since he signed with the organization in 2009. Approaching the plate at 83-85 MPH, the offering shows late arm-side fade when he throws it from an over-the-top arm slot. Younginer has gotten better at keeping his arm speed consistent when throwing his changeup and this has led to getting more swings-and-misses with the pitch.

Development Needs: Younginer’s delivery is still on the rough and rigid side. He is not a very loose thrower. Struggling to consistently bring his arm into slot due to long and extended arm action behind his back, his command and control suffer considerably. Younginer’s fastball tends to sail on him when he cannot repeat his arm slot and flattens out, losing its late finish. Failure to spot his fastball leads to innings of laboring and instances of high contact when he does come into the strike zone. His curveball also rolls towards the plate, lacking tight rotation when he struggles to keep his hand on top of the baseball and instead wraps around it. Batters tend to get a long look at his grip due to how early he shows the ball during his arm extension. He also strains to create velocity as a stiff thrower, which puts extra stress on his arm and suppresses his fastball velocity. Younginer has solid overall stuff, but the robotic and jerky nature of his delivery does not allow him throw it with crispness. He needs a lot more work loosening up his delivery, especially with eliminating the difficulty he has bringing his arm into slot, to enhance his presently below-average command. Younginer looks best suited as a reliever in higher levels if he can make progress cleaning up his delivery.

2012 Outlook: After spending the last two seasons with the Lowell Spinners, Younginer should have a strong chance to break camp with the Greenville Drive. Expect him to continue to work in a starting role to give him the repetitions needed to try to smooth out his delivery and sharpen his stuff. The South Atlantic League will be tough for Younginer if he cannot consistently command his arsenal and is forced to groove fastballs when behind in the count. Positive signs that he is commanding his fastball better should show with a reduction in his walks and less frequent contact against. Younginer has plenty of talent, but the progress has been slow. His delivery has looked relatively the same since signing with the organization and his command continues to be an issue. 2012 is a big season for him to show some signs of progress in his first full-season assignment. He has the stuff to be successful against A-ball hitters this season, but inconsistency with his command will hold him back and push him towards a bullpen role more quickly.

Jordan Weems
Position: Catcher
2011 Team: Gulf Coast Red Sox
2012 Projected Team: Lowell Spinners
Opening Day Age: 19

Strengths: Weems has a smooth, compact swing from the left-side of the plate. He brings the head of the bat quickly through the hitting zone, showing the ability to square up fastballs with backspin. He demonstrates the type of bat control to profile as an average-to-solid-average hitter as he starts to learn the strike zone. Standing 6’3’’ and weighing 175 pounds, Weems is presently very lanky, but has the type of frame that can pack on muscle as he matures into his mid-twenties. With a swing path that shows some upward plane, he projects out as having about solid-average power potential as he learns to lift the ball. Weems demonstrates quick reactions defensively and an early understanding of how to get his body in front of the ball when blocking offerings in the dirt. He controls himself when moving laterally and is firm with his target. Weems has the defensive tools to stick at the position as he progresses into the upper minors.

Development Needs: Weems needs to get stronger so that his body can handle the rigors of life as a professional catcher. His lower body presently lacks strength, which hurts him when he comes out of his crouch. Weems has a plus arm, but shows a slow release when throwing down to second base. He presently struggles to drive out of his crouch and has long throwing mechanics. Added strength will also be key to his offensive development. Weems’ bat tends to drag through the hitting zone due to his lack of strength. He hits with a lot of his upper body, opens his hips early, and can yank the head of the bat with too much top hand. This is typically seen in hitters adjusting to wood bats, but the progress Weems makes improving his plate coverage with his swing will dictate how quickly he can begin to make consistent contact as a professional.

2012 Outlook: Weems looks like a prime candidate to stay back in Florida when the full-season teams head north and then begin the 2012 season with the Lowell Spinners. He did not physically look ready in the 2011 Fall Instructional League to handle the grind of a full-season assignment. The additional offensive repetition of seeing pitches in Extended Spring Training will also be good for Weems to begin working on honing a professional approach and learn to extend better with his swing to drive the ball to the opposite field. Spending a summer with Lowell will provide him with his first extended test against advanced pitching. I do not expect him to show much in-game power this season, but to progress with sharpening his approach to allow him to make more consistent contact as the year moves along. Weems will need to learn to hit with more lower-body to drive the ball better as he matures. This season should serve as an introductory year for him to begin working on polishing his rough edges and ramp up to breaking camp with the Greenville Drive in 2013.

Chris Mellen is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisMellen