The Young Guns

[Orange Juiced]

This sure is a really fun time for the Red Sox and their fans. Not only are they in first place, but they're playing an exciting brand of baseball, have lots of homegrown players, and have a lot of quality players in the pipeline.

 

Homegrown on the Major League Roster:

2b Pedroia

CF Ellsbury

OF Bradley, Jr.

OF Nava

3b Middlebrooks (DL)

OF Kalish (DL)

SS Iglesias

SP Buchholz

SP Lester

SP Doubront

RP Tazawa

 

And then here are some more prospects that I personally just find to be very exciting:

 

SP DeLaRosa

SP Webster

SP Britton

SP Barnes

SP Ranaudo

SP Owens

SP Workman

RP Wilson

C Lavarnway

C Swihart

C Vazquez

SS Bogaerts

SS Marrero

3b Cecchini

OF Brentz

OF Jacobs

 

Clearly not all these guys will pan out, but there's a lot of talent there.

 

One guy I'm really intrigued by is Ranaudo. He was a stud in college, but struggled in the minors until this year. And now, at age 23, he is dominating AA:

 

59.1 ip, 6-1, 2.43 era, 0.98 whip, 9.6 k/9

 

So is it finally clicking for him? If he came up to the Red Sox as a bona fide starter midway through next year, at age 24, that would be pretty sweet.

[Standing Room]

This looks like a team that's going to be competitive for a long time. We're in first place, we have would would probably rank as a top five farm system, we have players who have been ranked two of the best 25 prospects in baseball and we have the 7th overall pick in the draft.

 

What a difference a year makes.

[Station 13]

Wish we have a 1B prospect. Rizzo would be very nice in the middle of the order for us. He got some serious power to all field and he is only 23. Imagine once he start to enter his prime/peak?

[User Name]

First base is probably the easiest position to fill on a team. Maybe you could enjoy the good times the team is going through without digging for something to complain about?

[SoxFanForsyth]

Yeah - Cecchini could become a solid 1B option in the next couple of years if he continues to hit like he has.

[mvp 78]

Yeah - Cecchini could become a solid 1B option in the next couple of years if he continues to hit like he has.

 

Does he have a poor glove at 3rd?

[SoxFanForsyth]

Does he have a poor glove at 3rd?

 

From Sox Prospects:

 

"Soft hands. Needs improvement with reads off of bat. Can be stiff and slow with reactions."

 

He did play middle infield in high school, so he may have the glove for 3B.

[User Name]

If WMB can improve his plate selectivity to the point of having a semblance of an idea of what the phrase "swing at strikes" means, he could be the solution at 1B. He has the power, and if his pitch selection was a bit better, he could easily become a 270/340/500 bat with 30 HR/100 RBI averages.

[Thunder]

If WMB can improve his plate selectivity to the point of having a semblance of an idea of what the phrase "swing at strikes" means, he could be the solution at 1B. He has the power, and if his pitch selection was a bit better, he could easily become a 270/340/500 bat with 30 HR/100 RBI averages.

 

Why is it that all 1B are now power hitters?

[Standing Room]

Lavarnway might not make a bad first baseman. Behind him, we've got Almanzar who's OPSing .846 as a 22 year old in AA. I agree with User Name?, power hitting first basemen are a dime a dozen.

[User Name]

Why is it that all 1B are now power hitters?

 

It's a trend mostly. But i think it has to do with the fact that big, lumbering power hitters are usually best suited for a position that doesn't demand much mobility. 1B is the position best suited for them under that criteria.

[Thunder]

It's a trend mostly. But i think it has to do with the fact that big, lumbering power hitters are usually best suited for a position that doesn't demand much mobility. 1B is the position best suited for them under that criteria.

 

I didn't realize this before, but I guess it's true. That's why Ortiz plays 1B during interleague road games.

[mvp 78]

Why is it that all 1B are now power hitters?

 

Because John Olerud looked silly in the field with his helmet on?

[SoxFanForsyth]

I didn't realize this before, but I guess it's true. That's why Ortiz plays 1B during interleague road games.

 

It's the exact reason why having a power hitting middle infielder (like Cano or Bogaerts) is so valuable, because they are so rare. But a power hitting 1B? Dime a dozen.

 

If Bogaerts wasn't a SS, he wouldn't be a top 10 prospect.

[User Name]

It's the exact reason why having a power hitting middle infielder (like Cano or Bogaerts) is so valuable, because they are so rare. But a power hitting 1B? Dime a dozen.

 

If Bogaerts wasn't a SS, he wouldn't be a top 10 prospect.

 

That's kinda misleading though. If he was a C, 2B or CF, he'd still be a top 10 prospect. What you meant to say is that if he played a corner he wouldn't be a top prospect.

[Rdsxmbnt]

Disagree, any position besides 1B and he's still a top 10 prospect. ~.900 OPS as a 20 yr old in AA is amazing for any position prospect, the fact that he's a SS is why he might be the #1 guy now.

[SoxFanForsyth]

That's kinda misleading though. If he was a C, 2B or CF, he'd still be a top 10 prospect. What you meant to say is that if he played a corner he wouldn't be a top prospect.

 

Yes. That's what I should have said. If he played a position where power was not at a premium, he would not be a top prospect.

[SeanJohn93]

I had the chance to see Ranaudo down the cape and he is really good. I am glad to see everything is coming along for him.

[Standing Room]

Disagree, any position besides 1B and he's still a top 10 prospect. ~.900 OPS as a 20 yr old in AA is amazing for any position prospect, the fact that he's a SS is why he might be the #1 guy now.

 

Yeah, the fact that he's a shortstop is just gravy. He was ranked as a top prospect before scouts starting thinking he could stick at short.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Yeah, the fact that he's a shortstop is just gravy. He was ranked as a top prospect before scouts starting thinking he could stick at short.

 

Never top 10 though

[BSN07]

Never top 10 though

 

Because until this season(his age 20 season) he was a ? mark at staying at SS. I know Harper and Trout made it look easy but cracking the top 10 MLB prospects as a teenager is actually pretty hard to do.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Because until this season(his age 20 season) he was a ? mark at staying at SS. I know Harper and Trout made it look easy but cracking the top 10 MLB prospects as a teenager is actually pretty hard to do.

 

Which brings me to my original point. He's not a top 10 prospect if he's not a SS.

[BSN07]

Which brings me to my original point. He's not a top 10 prospect if he's not a SS.

 

He's a top 10 prospect with his bat alone. The fact he is sticking to SS is gravy and probably shoots him near to or in the top 5.

[User Name]

Which brings me to my original point. He's not a top 10 prospect if he's not a SS.

 

So you're saying that if he was a C or 2B with those numbers he wouldn't be a top-10 prospect?

[BSN07]

So you're saying that if he was a C or 2B with those numbers he wouldn't be a top-10 prospect?

 

haha those numbers at C might make him the top prospect in all of baseball

[SoxFanForsyth]

So you're saying that if he was a C or 2B with those numbers he wouldn't be a top-10 prospect?

 

Oye, we went over this. You know what I mean. If he isn't at a position where offense is at such a premium, he's not top 10. If he were a corner IF or corner OF, no.

[User Name]

Oye, we went over this. You know what I mean. If he isn't at a position where offense is at such a premium, he's not top 10. If he were a corner IF or corner OF, no.

 

Well be specific. "If he wasn't a SS" is not the same as "if he played a power-specific position". I was asking specifically because we'd been over it.

[BSN07]

Oye, we went over this. You know what I mean. If he isn't at a position where offense is at such a premium, he's not top 10. If he were a corner IF or corner OF, no.

 

And we are disagreeing with you.

 

.310/.404/.510 looks good anywhere.

[SoxFanForsyth]

And we are disagreeing with you.

 

.310/.404/.510 looks good anywhere.

 

You just said "he wasn't a top 10 prospect because they weren't sure if he'd stick at SS".

 

I said "he's not a top 10 prospect if he doesn't play a premium position".

 

Regardless, this is the most excited I've been about a prospect in a long, long time. I hope he gets the call to Pawtucket in the coming days, and is with the Red Sox by August.

 

The Sox could very well call him up by this weekend, and then pull a 2010 where they don't do anything at the deadline, but call up a prospect and try to bring life to the Sox. Or they could trade Drew and let Bogaerts take the reins. He'd have ~150-200 PA in AAA by the trade deadline.

[SoxFanForsyth]

One other thing - Think about this -

 

In 2014 and beyond, the Sox could have Middlebrooks and Bogaerts on the left side of their infield.

 

That means the Sox could very easily get 60 HR out of the left side of their infield during a couple years.

 

That's insane.