Red Sox invite 20 non-roster players to Spring Training

[Beckett95]

Boston.com

 

The Red Sox today invited 20 non-roster players to spring training in Fort Myers, including injured outfielder Gabe Kapler.

 

Kapler, who ruptured his Achilles’ in September, is very unlikely to be ready to return to action by Opening Day. According to a source close to Kapler who spoke with the Boston Herald, he expects to be ready to return to the field by early May. He could contend for the team's fourth outfielder spot upon his return.

 

Also among the invitees is former Yankee Enrique Wilson, who played in 22 games with the Cubs last year. The 32-year-old utility infielder is a close friend of Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez.

 

Other invitees include righthanders Tim Bausher, Matt Ginter and Jimmy Serrano, as well as lefthanders Craig Breslow, Mike Bumatay, Mike Holtz and Phil Seibel. Catcher Ken Huckaby, utilityman Willie Harris, infielders Trent Durrington, Luis A. Jimenez, Rodney Nye, Dustin Pedroia and Josh Pressley, and outfielders Luke Allen, Ron Calloway, Gabe Kapler, Tyler Minges and Dustan Mohr round out the group.

 

More information on these players from the Red Sox:

 

Outfielder Luke Allen: Hit .287 with 23 homers and 92 RBI in 128 games with the Angels’ Triple-A Salt Lake City affiliate in 2005. The 26-year-old has enjoyed two stints in the big leagues with the Dodgers (2002) and Rockies (2003), going 1-for-9 (.111) with a double and two walks in eight big league contests. The Covington, GA native first signed with the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in 1996. He is a career .291 hitter in 1,054 minor league contests in the Dodgers (1996-2002), Rockies (2003), Pirates (2004) and Angels (2005) chains. Allen bats lefthanded and throws righthanded.

 

Righthander Tim Bausher: Returns for his second season in the Red Sox organization after going 3-2 with five saves and a 3.41 ERA in 44 relief appearances for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2005. The 25-year-old spent a day in the big leagues with the Red Sox on April 29 but did not see action before returning to Pawtucket the next day. Bausher, who was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox from the Rockies December 6, 2004, is 9-21 with a 4.01 ERA in 102 minor league outings (24 starts), fanning 269 batters in 249.1 innings pitched.

 

Lefthander Craig Breslow: Made his major league debut in 2005 with three stints with the San Diego Padres, posting no record and a 2.20 ERA (4 ER/16.1 IP) in 14 relief outings. The 25-year-old southpaw limited big league lefthanders to a .063 (1-for-16) batting average, and recorded 70 strikeouts in 77.2 innings between Double-A Mobile, Triple-A Portland and San Diego, averaging 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He is 12-11 with four saves and a 4.09 ERA in 126 career minor league relief appearances since signing with Milwaukee as a 26th-round pick in the 2002 draft. The New Haven, CT native graduated from Yale University in 2002.

 

Lefthander Mike Bumatay: Is 24-22 with 22 saves and a 3.77 ERA in 287 games (10 starts) in eight minor league seasons. The 26-year-old appeared in 50 games for Detroit’s Double-A Erie club in 2005, going 2-4 with two saves and a 4.08 ERA. He enjoyed his second career stint at the Triple-A level after a September 1 promotion, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings in three appearances with Toledo. Bumatay combined to strike out 77 batters in 68.1 innings, an average of 10.1 punchouts per nine innings. He has played in the Pirates (1998-2002), Rockies (2003-04) and Tigers (2005) minor league systems.

 

Outfielder Ron Calloway: Batted .263 with 25 doubles, 10 homers and 44 RBI in 110 games for New York’s Triple-A Norfolk affiliate in 2005. The 29-year-old played in 172 major league contests for the Expos from 2003-04, including 126 games in 2003, and combined to hit .224 with 10 homers and 62 RBI. Drafted by Arizona in the eighth round of the 1997 Draft, the left-handed hitter has a career .277 batting average with 66 homers and 416 RBI in 857 minor league games.

 

Infielder Trent Durrington: Is a 13-year pro veteran who has appeared in 140 big league games in part of five seasons with Anaheim (1999-2000, 2003) and Milwaukee (2004-05). The 30-year-old native of Sydney, Australia was a Pacific Coast League All-Star with Triple-A Nashville in 2005, batting .300 with 61 runs scored and 30 steals in 92 games. In a pair of stints with Milwaukee, the right-handed hitter and thrower appeared 17 times as a pinch hitter, 10 times as a pinch runner and once as a defensive replacement at third base.

 

Righthander Matt Ginter: Has appeared in 92 big league games (15 starts) with the White Sox (2000-03), Mets (2004) and Tigers (2005), compiling a 4-4 record and a 5.46 ERA. He split the 2005 season between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo, going 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA in 14 appearances (one start) in the majors and 4-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 17 outings (10 starts) in the minors. The 28-year-old was originally a first-round selection (22nd overall) of the White Sox in 1999 and made his major league debut in just his second pro campaign. In 151 minor league contests (66 starts), Ginter is 27-26 with 15 saves and a 2.97 ERA.

 

Utilityman Willie Harris: Joins the Red Sox in 2006 after spending the last four seasons in the Chicago White Sox organization. The left-handed hitter has a career .242 batting average with 25 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 52 RBI, 121 runs scored and 49 stolen bases in 322 major league games. The 27-year-old has averaged 30 stolen bases per season in his seven-year professional career, swiping 210 bases in 804 career pro games. He has been caught stealing only 73 times in 283 attempts for a 74.2 percent success rate. The Cairo, GA native owns 49 steals in 322 games at the major league level, including a White Sox team-best 19 in 2004.

 

Lefthander Mike Holtz: Returns to the United States in 2006 after pitching in Japan for the Yokohama Bay Stars in 2005. The southpaw last saw action in the majors in 2002, when he split time between Oakland and San Diego. The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder spent 2003 and 2004 with the Triple-A affiliates of the Pirates and Devil Rays. The 33-year-old has gone 16-20 with three saves and a 4.68 ERA in 350 career big league relief appearances with the Angels (1996-2001), Athletics (2002) and Padres (2002). In 218 career minor league games (all but 2 in relief), he is 11-12 with 19 saves and a 3.12 ERA.

 

Catcher Ken Huckaby: Has spent all or part of five major league seasons with Arizona (2001), Toronto (2002-03, 2005), Texas (2004) and Baltimore (2005), returning to the Blue Jays last season and batting .207 with four doubles in 35 games. The 35-year-old, who bats and throws righthanded, has thrown out 31.6 percent of potential base stealers in his major league career, gunning down 30 of 95 potential base stealers in 152 career games. Huckaby has caught 1,102.0 big league innings, including 243.0 last year and a career-high 683.0 innings in 2002. The San Leandro, CA native has played in 1,075 minor league games in 15 years from 1991-2005, batting .275 with 31 homers and 433 RBI. Huckaby played six straight full seasons at the Triple-A level from 1995-2000 before making his major league debut at the end of the 2001 campaign with Arizona.

 

Infielder Luis A. Jimenez: Last season belted 29 doubles and 16 home runs in 116 games for Double-A New Britain in his first season in the Twins organization, batting .278 with 69 RBI and 61 runs scored. In 2004, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound first baseman set career highs with 20 home runs, 75 RBI and 62 runs scored in 110 games for Single-A Columbus (Dodgers) of the South Atlantic League. In 2002, he led the Appalachian League with a .375 batting average and a .597 slugging percentage, and ranked second with a .474 on-base percentage for Single-A Bluefield. The 23-year-old Venezuelan originally signed with the Oakland Athletics as a non-drafted free agent in January of 1999. He bats and throws lefthanded.

 

Outfielder Gabe Kapler: Returns to the Red Sox after batting .247 with one homer and 9 RBI in 36 games in 2005, a campaign cut short when he ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon September 14 in Toronto. After beginning last season with Japan’s Yomiuri Giants, Kapler re-signed with the Red Sox July 15 and joined the club following a D.L. stint and rehab assignment on July 30. A member of Boston’s World Championship club in 2004, the 30-year-old is a career .271 hitter with 62 home runs and 290 RBI in all or part of nine major league campaigns with Detroit (1998-99), Texas (2000-02), Colorado (2002-03) and Boston (2003-).

 

Outfielder Tyler Minges: Batted .324 with 19 homers, 60 RBI and 98 runs scored in 116 games for St. Louis’ Double-A Springfield affiliate in 2005, ranking second in the Texas League in batting average, third with 34 doubles and fourth in runs scored. The 26-year-old spent his first six professional campaigns in the Guardians organization, climbing as high as Double-A Akron in 2003 and 2004, before moving to the Cardinals chain in 2005 and setting career highs in batting average, home runs, RBI, runs scored, doubles and slugging percentage (.564). In 770 career minor league games, the Cincinnati, OH native is a career .255 hitter with 79 home runs and 362 RBI. Minges bats and throws righthanded.

 

Outfielder Dustan Mohr: Is a career .252 major league hitter with 46 homers and 151 RBI in 476 games with Minnesota (2001-03), San Francisco (2004) and Colorado (2005). The righthander set a career high with 17 home runs last season with the Rockies, batting .214 with 10 doubles, 38 RBI and 34 runs scored in 98 games. The 29-year-old is a season removed from batting a career-best .274 in 117 games in 2004, and he recorded at least 20 doubles in three-straight seasons from 2002-04. A native of Hattiesburg, MS, Mohr played college ball at the University of Alabama and was selected by the Guardians in the ninth round of the 1997 Draft.

 

Infielder Rodney Nye: Played for New York’s Triple-A Norfolk affiliate in 2005, his seventh professional season, and batted .288 with 19 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 54 RBI and 47 runs scored in 108 games. The 29-year-old enjoyed his finest pro season in 2003, when he was named the Binghamton Mets Sterling Award winner after leading the Double-A Eastern League with 41 doubles and ranking 10th with a .312 average en route to being voted by managers as the league’s best defensive third baseman. The right-handed batter is a career .279 hitter with 185 doubles, 56 home runs, 382 RBI and 380 runs scored in 810 minor league games.

 

Infielder Dustin Pedroia: Was named the Red Sox 2005 Minor League Offensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the Double-A Eastern League’s post-season All-Star squad. Boston’s first pick in the 2004 draft advanced to Triple-A Pawtucket from Double-A Portland on June 22 after batting .324 with a .409 on-base percentage, 19 doubles, eight homers, 40 RBI and 35 runs scored in 66 games for the Sea Dogs. The 22-year-old battled a wrist injury while playing for the PawSox over the remainder of the season, batting .255 with nine doubles, five homers, 24 RBI and a .356 on-base percentage in 51 games. The Arizona State product has hit .310 with 41 doubles, 16 homers, 83 RBI and 112 runs scored in 159 career minor league games, and has more walks (77) than strikeouts (50) in his pro career.

 

Infielder Josh Pressley: Posted his strongest offensive campaign in 2005, turning in career highs with a .311 batting average, 22 home runs, 88 RBI and 74 runs scored in 119 games for Kansas City’s Double-A Wichita Affiliate. The 25-year-old tied for second in the Texas League with a .400 on-base percentage, tied for third in home runs and RBI, and ranked sixth in batting average. Pressley began his professional career in the Devil Rays chain after being selected by the organization in the fourth round of the June Draft. The 6-foot-6, 239-pound native of Fort Lauderdale, FL advanced as high as Triple-A in 2002 and 2003 before spending the last three seasons at the Double-A level. Pressley, who bats lefthanded and throws righthanded, is a career .282 hitter with 170 doubles, 49 homers and 397 RBI in 753 minor league games.

 

Lefthander Phil Seibel: Looks to return to the mound for the first time since undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery at the conclusion of the 2004 campaign. The 27-year-old made his major league debut for the Red Sox in 2004, turning in a pair of scoreless relief outings in April, but was limited to only 14 additional minor league appearances due to injury. Claimed off waivers from the Mets on November 20, 2003, Seibel is 28-26 with a 3.99 ERA in 99 minor league outings, 69 as a starter.

 

Righthander Jimmy Serrano: Combined to go 12-7 with a 3.84 ERA in 28 starts between Oakland’s Triple-A Sacramento and Cincinnati’s Triple-A Louisville affiliates. The 29-year-old struck out nearly one batter per inning (159 strikeouts in 161.2 innings pitched) and posted double digits in victories for the first time in his career. Serrano appeared briefly in the majors with Kansas City in 2004, going 1-2 with a 4.68 ERA in 10 appearances, five as a starter. A native of Grand Junction, CO, Serrano attended the University of New Mexico and was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the eighth round of the 1998 Draft. In 331 minor league appearances, including 41 starts, he is 48-33 with a 3.24 ERA, boasting 748 strikeouts in 671.1 innings pitched (an average of 10 strikeouts per nine innings).

 

Infielder Enrique Wilson: Is a veteran of all or part of nine major league campaigns with Cleveland (1997-2000), Pittsburgh (2000-01), New York (2001-04) and the Chicago Cubs (2005). The 32-year-old switch-hitter has seen time at every infield position and owns a career .244 batting average with 22 home runs and 141 RBI in 555 major league games. Wilson split the 2005 campaign between Baltimore’s Triple-A Ottawa affiliate and the Cubs, batting .136 with a pair of doubles in 20 games in the big leagues. Wilson is a native of Santo Domingo, DR and originally signed with the Twins on April 15, 1992 before joining the Guardians chain just prior to the 1994 campaign.

[RedSoxRooter]

Of the ones I don't know, Luke Allen could be an interesting pickup. Seibel could also be a good pickup if he gets healthy.

[Beckett95]

Allen had pretty impressive stats in AAA last year and is only 27. Maybe he could be on the team as a 5th OF.

[riverside sluggers]

Wasnt Seibel a former Red sox farmhand?

[Beckett95]

i think he was on the team in 04, then got injured and played for the mets farm system last year.

[stocker323]

Wasnt Seibel a former Red sox farmhand?

 

I think he's been in the Sox organization his entire career and he had a cup of coffee with the Sox in 04.

[Beckett95]

Serrano also might be a good pickup. Kind of like a Jeremi Gonzalez type guy.

[YAZMAN]

Serrano also might be a good pickup. Kind of like a Jeremi Gonzalez type guy.

 

Does he say "F - You, Jobu" and rub chicken wings on bats?

[yankeessuck013]

Enrique Wilson? Well, with the Mets coming up in June, we may have to face Pedro.

 

On the other hand, maybe we can make Enrique a BP catcher and give him a more important job like... following Manny around making sure he doesn't get lost wandering around any hotel lobby bars.

[riverside sluggers]

Former Yankee, Enrique Wilson, works out in his "Red Sox best"

 

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/gallery/02_23_06_workouts?pg=9

[jsinger121]

u mean manny's baby sitter

[riverside sluggers]

Same thing. At the most I could see Wilson getting a September call-up if he's still with the organization by that moment.

 

I also put up this photo, because yankee fans on here have shown pics of Damon/Clemens in their Yankee duds. This is a player that was a fan favorite in the Bronx, but now sporting the Red B

[jsinger121]

Same thing. At the most I could see Wilson getting a September call-up if he's still with the organization by that moment.

 

I also put up this photo, because yankee fans on here have shown pics of Damon/Clemens in their Yankee duds. This is a player that was a fan favorite in the Bronx, but now sporting the Red B

 

or called up when the sox play the mets so enrique can hit against pedro if he pitches in the series

[26 to 6]

Same thing. At the most I could see Wilson getting a September call-up if he's still with the organization by that moment.

 

I also put up this photo, because yankee fans on here have shown pics of Damon/Clemens in their Yankee duds. This is a player that was a fan favorite in the Bronx, but now sporting the Red B

I must admit, that picture SERIOUSLY hurts.