scaffolds

Like with Lars Anderson in 2006 is going to take time, probably not before August and perhaps a 2008 contract, but i believe that it will get done, the question is how much will it take it to get it done. Grandal is a much better player than Ryan Kalish and he got 600,000 in 06, a lot better than Jason Place and he got more than a Million in 06 and because of the position he plays he's better than Lars Anderson and Anderson got 800,000. In conclusion I don't believe that Grandal will get what he's asking for (Advisor) but around what Anderson got and a Million.

Yasmany Grandal is the Red Sox 27th RD draft pick and perhaps their best draft pick, it was a well known fact that coming into the 2007 season that Grandal was considered the prospect with the best catching tools from the H.S. ranks with + + receiving, blocking balls on the dirt, arm strength and arm accuracy skills, however there was some questions on his bat. Grandal has more than answer those questions in the 2007 Spring by not only leading the South fla high schoolers in HR but among the top hitting averages and his hitting skills are equally from both sides the plate. The reason Grandal lasted to the 27th round was his asking price to sign or the amount of dollars that it will take for for him to sign a proffesional contract. Grandal did a made a mistake with letting his advisor to price himself out and asking for in a excess of a Million of dollars for Grandal to sign. Grandal was a singable prospect well into the baseball season and this news its fairly new. In conclusion Grandal its very well know and taught by the Red Sox scouts and I believe will be signed, when this takes place he will be the Red Sox top catching prospect.

News from the Red Sox minor league in Spring training. Like I posted in the Sox's minor league transaction thread the Sox have released OF Claudio Arias, catchers Roberto Sosa and Mitch Stachowsky and RHP Ryan Schroyer. Its now official Wily Mota its a pitcher. Mota that has been ranked as the Sox outfielder with the strongest arm for the last 4 years and has had injuries issues and hitting problems is now a pitcher. The only surprising (not expected) faces in the Sox minor league camp are RHPs Anthony Alvarado, Alberto Gil and David Harriott. Alvarado who's the second youngest player (won't be 17 yrs until March 31) in the Sox organization and was rated as third best prospect from a group of 16 yrs that was signed in the early phase of the International signing period last Summer along with Dominicans Engel Beltre and Oscar Tejada (the top two rated) and who are also in camp is a 6-2 175 Venezuelan. Gil is a 6-2 170 21 yrs Domincan who was a catcher for the last 2 1/2 years in the DSL and made the move to become a pitcher in the last part of the 2006 season. Harriott a 17 yrs Australian was signed recently. Jimmy James who was ranked as the Red Sox #20 best prospect at the end of the 2004 season and who has missed the last two season with schoulder issues is back fully healthy and throwing very well. James a 22 yrs Venezuelan may pitch with Greenville. Salvador Paniagua who missed all of the 2006 season after TJ surgery, is also back healthy and should share the catching duties with Mark Wagner in Lancaster for the 2007 season. One final point, Charlie Zink who became a minor league free agent after the 2006 season resigned with the Sox and its also in camp.

The Red Sox have released OF Claudio Arias, catcher Roberto Sosa and Mitch Stachowsky and RHP Ryan Schroyer.

Well, let me put this way if the Sox have found someone that looks like Hansen and goes by the same name, then he didn't pitch, but because i was at the game i can tell you that he did pitch and not very well. Del Carmen claim that he had thumb issues late in the season that didn't allow him to snap his curve ball, if that was the case its very understandable for the problems. P.S. It looks like MLB corrected their mistakes because its now showing Craig Hansen stats from Tuesday game against the Marlins in the REDSOX.com (Stats)

After watching Craig Hanen pitch against the Marlins this afternoon led me to think that his back issues are more seroius than what the Sox make to believe. A pitcher with the arm that Hansen has and ability doesn't lack the movement on his pitches that it show today. Command its one thing and it may be from the lack of activity, but the way he was hit today its a concern. Del Carmen on the other hand while it wasn't as a bad as a couple days ago also its getting hit a lot more than he should have.

Breslow isn't any better than Romero, i know that Breslow is a New Englander, but he's very ordinary pitcher.

If it was that he was pitching poorly its one thing, but the problem its lack of stuff.

I know that its very early in Spring training, but so far Pineiro no only hasn't shown Closer results, but not even set up results, but lets put a sides results for a minute, Pineiro's stuff has been very ordinary.

According to baseball sources the Sox have signed Venezuelan short stop Alejandro Prieto as a minor league free agent. The 30 yrs ex Royal farm hand is listed at 5-11 205 and played in AAA ball in 2006 should compete with Dominican Ed Rogers (also a minor league free agent) for the short stop position in Pawtucket for the 07 season.

If you had read the whole post you would had known why.

Willy Mota was originally signed by the Red Sox from the Dominican as a 16 yrs in the Spring of 2002, a 6-1 160 Center fielder with plus speed and arm and started his profesional carreer in the 2003 DSL. While Mota didn't have a good 03 DSL season, he was promoted (not very common in the industry) to play in the States for the 04 season. Mota had his best season as hitter in the 04 GCL hitting for a 295 average with 2 HR and 9 doubles and got ranked by BA as the Sox's number 20 prospect . In 2005 Mota started playing for Wilmington and because lack of hitting and injuries issues got demoted and finished the year playing in Lowell where he hit for just for a 2005 average, the 2006 was another one with health issues and Mota missed the whole season. Since Wily Mota signed with the Red Sox he has been considered as their CF of the future and his arm has been considered their outfield best from day one, however in the last year a lot of prospects has pass him by as a Cf prospect and his prospect status is in limbo, Mota hasn't hit because lack of strength and top fastball tied him up. People in baseball (not with the Sox) has talked that because of his plus, plus arm his future may be as a pitcher, however i am not aware that those are the red sox plans, in the end it will be interesting where Wily Mota end up.

Does anyone think that to find top right handed hitting its over rated? Think again, out of the top 9 outfielders (H.S. and college) for this June's draft only one hits right handed and two out of the top 13. Stanford's Michael Taylor and Jared Prince from Washington state are the right handed hitting outfielders, however if an organization feels that Todd Frazier a power (projected) RH hitting short stop from Rutgers university who projects as a third baseman would be a better fit for the outfield, because of his bat would project as the fourth ranked outfield prospect.

Two way baseball players in H.S or college are very common in Florida or any where in the country, Merrit island is known as a football school and not as a baseball school that may have something to do with it, my suggestion would be for the kid to transfer to another school which also its very common in Florida.

Talking about third base prospects, but this time from the H.S. ranks the list below are the top prospects for the position as they project. 1- Matt Dominguez Chatsworth H.S. Van Nuys, California 2- Josh Vitters Cypress H.S. Anaheim, California 3- Victor Sanchez Gahr H.S. Norwalk, California 4- Derek Dietrich St Ignatitus H.S. Parma Ohio 5- Jon Gilmore Iowa City H.S. Iowa City, Iowa 6- Travis Mattair Southridge H.S. Kennewick, Washington 7- D.J. LeMahleu Brother Rice H.S. Bloomfield Hills Michigan 8- Jake Smolinski Boylan Catholic H.S. Rockford, Illinois 9- Ryan Mattews Orlando Boone H.S. Orlando, Fla 9- Johnathan Kaskow Coppell H.S. Coppell Texas

I posted earlier that as usual the depth and quality of middle infielders from the college ranks wasn't a strong one, however the prospects from H.S. who projects as a middle infielders isn't a bad one, specially when to keep in mind that usually a H.S. baseball team best athlete is a middle infielder or a short stop, but a lot those of H.S. short stops may outgrow the position or may project in another position as a pro, having said that below is a list of the top 10 H.S. who as a pro prosject as a middle infielders, a key element he re is the strong blood lines. 1- Justin Jackson Roberson H.S. Ashville N.C. 2- Ryan Dent Wilson H.S. Los Angeles California 3- Nick Noonan Parker H.S. San Diego California 4- Chrisitian Colon Canyon H.S. Anahein California 5- Peter Kozma Owasso H.S. Oklahoma 6- John Tolisano Estero H.S. Florida 7- Drew Cumberland Pace H.S. Florida 8- Kevin Ahrens Memorial-Springs branch H.S Houston Texas 9- Carmen Angelini Barbe H.S. Lake Charles louisiana 9- Ryan Acosta Clearwater Central Catholic H.S. Clearwater, Florida

Coming in into the 2007 minor league season it looks like that third base might be the Red Sox weakest position when it comes to prospects, if the Sox will be looking for a third baseman in the June's draft a couple of names that are very interesting and not well known to the public unless some one is a scout or a deep scouting or draft follower are Sacramento State David Flores or Rice's J.P. Padron, neither one is a top two rounds picks but would be very good picks for the fourth or fifth round, both players have very good offense tools and potentially defense.

The H.S. pitching for the 2007 draft is strong and deep, but how deep it will be ,it will depend in injuries like any other years, For now the only one that has been reported is the one of Northern California's Erik Goeddel who has a partial torn ligament in his right elbow, it isn't know yet if he will need a T/J surgery but for sure it will affect his draft status. Goeddel is the best pitching prospect in his area and one of the better H.S. pitching prospect in the country.

The talk coming into the 2007 H.S. baseball season was that the top H.S. LHP abailable for this June's draft was from a group that consisted Mass;s Jack McGeary, Georgia's John Smoker or Nathan Vinyard, Texas's Brake Britton and Uthat's Tanner Robles. Having seem all of them in the 2006 Summer/Fall or early in the 2007 season the best isn't any from this group, but it is North Carolina's Madison Bumgarmer. Bumgarmer is 6-5 220 and has a fastball consistent at 95 with an advanced command, while his off speed pitches aren't as advanced they have improved from last year, at this point Bumgarmer should be off the draft's board before half way threw the first round with a possibility to be taken among the first 10 picks.

A correction on a earlier post LHP Ernesto Reyes isn't Dominican like posted, but Venezuelan.

According to the scouting bureau the state that keeps producing the most and best H.S. pitching talent its Texas and 2007 is another prove of it.

Craig Breslow at #18?????????

Sorry correction, Jonathan Papelbon.

I posted back about a month and half ago that the talk in the baseball scouting community was that Jonathan Papelbon would be the Red Sox closer when the bell rings in April first. That reality may be getting closer.

Scouts.com has as the Sox #20 prospect Chris Smith. Do i need to say anything else about this service?