Red Sox 2009 draft thread

[Dipre]

David Renfroe-SS/P

 

He has a lot of upside at either position but he wanted a lot of money.

[jacksonianmarch]

I really wanted this kid. Very solid two way talent akin to Casey Kelly. More of an offensive player than a pitcher, but he could go either way as a third round talent (I thought he was a late 1st round talent as a SS). He's got a big price tag and that scared the yankees off with their second rounder being unprotected, so they went safer. If the sox are willing to go to the 3 mil necessary to nab Renfroe, then he is actually the best pick on day 1 IMO, well above Fuentes.

[yankeessuck013]

Hahaha, Renfroe is gonna be pissed when we want him to pitch. $3m will help.

[Dipre]

Hahaha' date=' Renfroe is gonna be pissed when we want him to pitch. $3m will help.[/quote']

 

Sox will let him hit.

 

He's a better hitting talent IMHO.

[jacksonianmarch]

In Casey Kelly's case, having him pitch wasnt a bad thing since Kelly touched 96 mph and was developed for a HS pitcher. Renfroe throws a bit slower (tops out at 93) and isnt as polished. If you put a gun to Theo's head and made him choose, I bet he'd leave Kelly at P and put Renfroe at SS. But it cannot hurt to try. Maybe he'll do the same thing he did with kelly and start him in the rotation for the first half and then at SS in the second.

[yankeessuck013]

"I was very surprised. I didn't know that I was going to get picked by Boston, but I'm really excited."

 

"I'm thin but I'm strong. I have a hidden power, but my game is to slap the ball and start running," Fuentes said.

 

"My strength is my legs. I'm very fast, and the only thing I have a problem with is my throwing mechanics," Fuentes said.

 

"I don't pay any mind to anything outside the game. I just play ball. I consider myself very similar to Carlos, because when he plays the game, he just plays and nothing else," Fuentes said.

 

http://soxblog.projo.com/2009/06/sox-select-cf-r.html

 

 

Mississippi's high schools could produce some high-round draftees, like South Panola shortstop David Renfroe, an Ole Miss signee.

 

Renfroe says he only wants to play infield and doesn't want to be considered as a pitcher, even though he has a fastball in the mid-90s. That could hurt his draft stock, but ESPN.com's Keith Law recently wrote that Renfroe could go as high as the second round.

 

"I just really want to be an every day player," Renfroe said. "I'm really excited about tomorrow and I'm anxious to see what happens."

 

Renfroe said the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners have shown the most interest.

 

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090609/SPORTS02/906090317/1287/SPORTS

[jacksonianmarch]

Hmm, ESPN has Renfroe topping out at 93mph.

[Dipre]

Hmm' date=' ESPN has Renfroe topping out at 93mph.[/quote']

 

93 is considered mid-90's.

[jacksonianmarch]

From what I can tell, the sox are having a very nice draft thus far. Their first two guys shouldnt be too far over slot if they are over at all. Their third guy is gonna be 6-7 times over slot if they are willing to match his demands. But if they sign all 3, they have a safe pick in Wilson, a high ceiling guy with a lot of potential in Renfroe and a speedster with the potential to become a solid hitter in Fuentes. Not a bad 3 rounds for Boston.

[yankeessuck013]

vid of renfroe

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yoN6fiSO-s

 

renfroe hitting a bomb in wrigley

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS1oTjC6Zr0

[castigs850]

so whats the word on this massi kid you were all skeetin over??? was he picked yet or is he dropping due to signability

[yankeessuck013]

Max Stassi hasn't been picked yet due to signability

[castigs850]

haha massi

[BigPapiEnFuego]

I'm excited about Fuentes. I hope he turns out to be good.

[yankeessuck013]

I'm excited about Fuentes. I hope he turns out to be good.

 

“He’s going to be a good player — not because he’s [related], just judging by the talent he has. He’s very disciplined. For being young, he loves to work. That’s what impresses me the most.” - Carols Beltran

[yankeessuck013]

"I got word about three minutes before it actually happened," Wilson said. "They were just calling to brief me on what it looked like and that if I was still there, everything was good to go."

 

"I rebuilt myself, to be completely honest," Wilson said. "From there, it's not only a physical thing but a mental thing. I had to convince myself that I was able to do it.

 

"I've got a new arm. You can't ask for much more than that. I'm completely healthy and I've felt that way the majority of the year.

 

Now that I've made it through an entire season injury-free I'm ready to go."

 

Wilson, 22, said he will learn his first minor-league destination in the coming days.

 

"I'm just waiting on the next phone call to work out all the odds and ends," he said.

 

"They said it would be a couple days, but that they were going to get with me as soon as possible after the draft was complete."

 

http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/PrepSports/200906100001

[yankeessuck013]

Red Sox brass said they have had an eye on Fuentes for some time, scouting him for two full years. He has added size and power in recent months, and those attributes should help to supplement his natural speed and defensive skills.

 

"He became one of the kids we were really hoping would be there for us with our pick," said scouting director Jason Mcleod. "Speed is going to be part of his game -- he's a plus-plus runner, sprinting champion on the island. We really think he has an opportunity to be a leadoff-type player who can give us good defense in centerfield and hopefully disrupt on the bases as well."

 

There are many players coming out of the draft with those skills, but General Manager Theo Epstein said that what set this one apart was his developing bat.

 

"The thing we liked about Reymond that distinguished him from the typical plus-plus run, speedy, defense-first centerfielder is that this guy can hit, too," Epstein said.

 

Besides, he said, the place to have a glut of players is up the middle: center, short, second, catcher, because these athletic players can move elsewhere if need be.

 

"If you're going to have a lot of players at a position, you want it to be in the middle of the field. These are young players we're talking about, and as centerfielders mature, a lot of them move off, and can play right field, or left field...." he said. "If you have a surplus on the corners, those players really can't go anywhere."

 

With their second pick, 77th overall, the Sox picked William Alexander Wilson, a senior reliever out of Texas A&M. The 22-year-old righty had Tommy John surgery earlier in his college career, but came back strong from the operation and has pitched well since.

 

"The success stories are numerous, and our medical staff didn't think there was a problem there," McLeod said.

 

Wilson has been a reliever in college, but Boston will prepare him as a starter. He will likely incorporate a changeup as a third pitch as he progresses.

 

"He brings a power fastball-power curveball combination, he's a real bulldog competitor on the mound. We really like the repertoire that he brings," McLeod said.

 

The third round brought 6'3", 200 pound David Renfroe, an 18-year-old from South Panola High School in Mississippi. The shortstop-pitcher has potential both in the batters box and on the mound, but the team sees his future as a hitter.

 

At the moment, Epstein said, "His highest upside is as a position player. A potential impact bat. But certainly, there's a lot to like as a pitcher as well."

 

Before the draft, there were many reports connecting Stassi to the Sox, and indeed, McLeod said the team was very interested in him. Stassi is still out there, and the Sox said it's certainly possible they could make a play for him on the second day.

 

"We spent plenty of time scouting him this year," McLeod said. "He's still out there, we'll see what the draft holds tomorrow."

 

http://soxblog.projo.com/2009/06/sox-select-cf-r.html

[example1]

"The thing we liked about Reymond that distinguished him from the typical plus-plus run, speedy, defense-first centerfielder is that this guy can hit, too," Epstein said.

 

I hope the kid can hit Theo. You just used a 1st round pick on him.

 

That said, I generally trust the Sox ability to know a good player when they see one and it sounds like Fuentes is someone they liked quite a bit. They liked him enough to draft him ahead of his predicted spot, with "better" players still on the board.

 

Theo talking about drafting up the middle and moving players to the side... I think it makes sense in a purely academic sense but Ellsbury wouldn't be a great option for this team as a corner OF, certainly not compared to people with beefier power like Bay and Drew. If Fuentes and his noodle arm don't make it in CF, I can't imagine where else he would be playing. Ellsbury, Kalish, Reddick, Lin, and now Fuentes. Out of that group the Sox must assume they have at least one all-star caliber CF option.

 

 

Renfroe makes up for some of the risk with Fuentes, if he signs. It sounds like he had 1st round potential and, like Fuentes, is fitting a recent mold of the athletic two-way SS. Interesting...

[BoSox21]

is there a real worry that the FO wouldnt be able to sign any of these guys? haven't they gone on record basically saying this is where they would flex their financial muscle as opposed to the FA market?

[jacksonianmarch]

I dont think Fuentes or Wilson will be tough signs. Renfroe will be, hell, that is the only reason he wasnt taken in round 2. He's asking for 3.5mil, which would be mid 1st round money.

[yankeessuck013]

Stassi's Deal:

 

But over the course of five hours, anticipation turned to disappointment. One hundred and eleven players were selected during the first three rounds on Tuesday — and the Yuba City High catcher was not among them.

 

The omission of Stassi's name — which was floated in the first round of many mock drafts — stems from signability issues — and the family isn't budging.

 

With a full-ride scholarship to UCLA on the table, the Stassis wanted "top 20 money" to pull the Honkers standout away from the Pac-10 school and into the pros, said Max's father and coach, Jim Stassi.

 

"We have a figure in our head what UCLA is worth," he said. "And when those clubs called, we said we are not going to make a deal at slot to get it done.

 

"He would have gone in the (compensation round) if we had settled for slot."

 

During the course of the draft, Jim Stassi answered calls on his Blackberry from the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.

 

"(They asked) if slot was going to get it done, and we said no, he's going to school," he said.

 

"Were not going to make that decision until it is all over," said the elder Stassi about his son's college decision. "We would like to think he is in a pretty good position, being one of the top players left, and some clubs had only picked twice.

 

"You never know who may step up to the plate. We've already gotten calls that said, 'You're the best player out here,'" he said.

 

The Boston Red Sox, who Max Stassi worked out for at Fenway Park on Monday, had called in the morning.

 

Projections had Stassi going to the Sox with the 28th pick in the first round, but instead the team opted to choose center fielder Reymond Fuentes out of Fernando Callejo High in Puerto Rico. After Fuentes' name was called, there remained hope that Boston would take Stassi with their second-round pick.

 

"That's where I expected him to go because they are a team that pays over slot," Jim Stassi said. "I thought they liked him, but that is the business side of things."

 

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/first-1440-advarsity-year-flat.html

[yankeessuck013]

The Red Sox, a team that looked poised set to draft Myers with the No. 28 pick overall, passed up on the catching prospect and opted for a centerfielder. With Myers having just returned from Fenway Park just days ago, he offered his thoughts when the pick passed.

 

“I talked to Boston and they wanted to find someone with slot money and I didn’t want to pass up going to South Carolina for slot money there,” Myers said. “Once they passed, I wasn’t worried about it. I felt like I was going to be happy wherever I went. I just look forward to whatever happens next.”

 

http://thebigspur.com/news/story.php?article=3037

 

Rich Poythress' phone couldn't keep up with the calls that began flooding in from teams as the first round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft wrapped up Tuesday night.

 

With teams checking in on availability and signability, the Seattle Mariners grabbed the Greenbrier High School product with the 51st overall pick and the second pick in the second round.

 

"It was a crazy last 10 minutes for me," Poythress said via phone. "Seattle had (picks) 27 and 33, but then I had the Red Sox calling about first-round money in the third round, but the Mariners pulled the trigger when I was on the phone."

 

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/06/10/bas_527141.shtml

 

For Tate High's Jayce Boyd, the wait will go on at least one more day. Day one of the Major League Baseball Draft came and went Tuesday without Boyd coming off the board, and he's now a safe bet to be picked in the early part of today's rounds, which run from 4 through 30, starting at 11 a.m. Since he wasn't picked, his future is still up in the air, but it was a fun experience for him.

 

"I figured it probably wouldn't be (Tuesday) anyway," said Boyd, who already has signed with Florida State. "I was just excited to watch because half those guys drafted today, I've played against or played with."

 

He came close to being picked by the Chicago Cubs. The organization called and made him an offer with the 79th pick, toward the end of the second round. He turned it down, though, because he's expecting either the Red Sox or Yankees to give him a chance to play summer ball for them to see if he can earn the undisclosed money number he wants from them..

 

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090610/SPORTS/906100353/Boyd+could+be+picked+in+MLB+Draft+today

[jacksonianmarch]

Sorry...

 

Sox 4th Round Pick- Jeremy Hazelbaker CF Ball State

Sox 5th Round Pick- Seth Schwindenhammer IL HS LF

Sox 6th Round Pick- Brandon Kline Maryland HS RHP

Sox 7th Round Pick- John Younginer South Carolina HS RHP

Sox 8th Round Pick- William Wilkinson Augusta St Univ RF

Sox 9th Round Pick- Kendal Volz Baylor Univ RHP

Sox 10th Round Pick- Brandon Jacobs Georgia HS

[jacksonianmarch]

For the first 10 rounds, the sox are taking a TON of signability cases.

 

Jacobs, Younginer and Kline are big time talents (albeit raw) and are all going to be asking for a LOT of money. Renfroe as well. In order for the sox to sign their top 10 picks, they are gonna have to spend about 10 mil.

[jacksonianmarch]

Another signability pick. Renny Parthemore, 6'5" RHP with a commit to PSU can get it up into the mid 90s. The sox are going for broke. They have selected 9 players through 18 picks who are expected to exceed slot by a TON.

[yankeessuck013]

Through 18 rounds, the Sox have only drafted one college Senior (Wilson in the 2nd). All the rest have been college Juniors, Jucos or Prep Players.

[jacksonianmarch]

They are going for broke. The 9 signability guys they drafted are all gonna be 500K+ signee guys with Renfroe being the most expensive in the 3+ mil range. I have a feeling they pull down their first rounder, play around with Renfroe and either sign him and let a few others walk or let Renfroe walk and sign 3 or 4 of the others.

[yankeessuck013]

Milton Boy Al Hassan (BC High,Duke) drafted by the Sox. Sweet.

[Cocos Disciples]

*Gets Schwindenhammer shirt*

[jacksonianmarch]

They just took another high school kid in lefty Randall Fant. Dont know much about him, but I would assume he is another signability guy. The amount of HS talent in their draft pool is ridiculous