Baseball America Top 100 Prospects 2013 - Red Sox

[Lord Snow]

Finally some good news in Boston! And unfortunately for y'all it brings Lord Snow back to the board!

 

The Red Sox have 5 prospects on BBA's top 100 list for 2013, and one in the top 10! It's about time!

 

8. Xander Bogaerts

31. Jackie Bradley

40. Matt Barnes

49. Allen Webster

91. Henry Owens

 

I'm not sold on Allen Webster. If he gets off to a hot start I think the Sox should try to package him in some sort of trade. Pitchers with bad control scare me and generally don't make good major leaguers plus Webster is at an advanced stage of the minor leagues so he is unlikely to improve it all that much moving forward.

 

I like the rest though. Bogaerts, seems to be the real deal and its about time the Sox could use a star player. Jackie Bradley could be the next Ellsbury. Barnes & Owens we will have to see but both have great potential.

[SoxSport]

DeLaRosa has pitched for the Dodgers, so I guess he's not eligible for this list.

[BSN07]

DeLaRosa has pitched for the Dodgers, so I guess he's not eligible for this list.

 

He no longer has "prospect" status. If he did he probably be #2 on the Sox.

[Lord Snow]

I feel very good about the 2014 Red Sox.

 

I think the Red Sox have a nice group of young prospects who could have a major impact in the big leagues, led by Bogaerts and Bradley.

 

The Red Sox lack middle of the order bats to complement their young studs, assuming they become quality major leaguers.

 

I'm thinking a best case scenario is the resurgence of Jacoby Ellsbury in 2013 to 2011 production and the Red Sox sign him to 7-years $175M to shore up one of the 3 or 4 slots in the middle of the order.

 

I don't know that I ever see Middlebrooks growing into a 3 or 4 hitter. He never displayed the on base discipline in the minor leagues needed for those slots. He reminds me of a good 5 or 6 hitter.

[Palodios]

I'm thinking a best case scenario is the resurgence of Jacoby Ellsbury in 2013 to 2011 production and the Red Sox sign him to 7-years $175M to shore up one of the 3 or 4 slots in the middle of the order.

 

Ew.

[BSN07]

I'm a big Ellsbury supporter. But there is no reason to dump all that money on him. Ells is gone next season, everyone including my GF should enjoy the time he has left. I give him a %5 chance of being with the Sox next season.

[SoxSport]

They should trade Ells by the end of ST, if he shows any hitting. Victorino looks like he can bat leadoff--he's a very good player if he can revert to Phillies form. He can run--he and Pedey can be real sparkplugs at the top of the lineup. With Ells, you hold your breath for the next injury.

 

This is a complicated team to figure out. They have plugged all their holes with FAs, so there is no room to give any prospects a chance if they show something in ST. They are no.4 in salaries in the majors right now, which means the money stays on the roster--the prospects stay in the minors, unless there are injuries--which gave Middlebrooks a chance last year. That's the way they operate.

[BSN07]

They should trade Ells by the end of ST, if he shows any hitting. Victorino looks like he can bat leadoff--he's a very good player if he can revert to Phillies form. He can run--he and Pedey can be real sparkplugs at the top of the lineup. With Ells, you hold your breath for the next injury.

 

This is a complicated team to figure out. They have plugged all their holes with FAs, so there is no room to give any prospects a chance if they show something in ST. They are no.4 in salaries in the majors right now, which means the money stays on the roster--the prospects stay in the minors, unless there are injuries--which gave Middlebrooks a chance last year. That's the way they operate.

 

And who do they replace Ells with? Why not keep him for a couple months and dangle him closer to the deadline? There is no reason to move him now and promote Bradley.