moonslav59

Rule 5 this DEC, but many will not be in danger of being selected, so no real need to trade those ones: Karim Ayubi Miguel Bleis Caleb Bolden Jonathan Brand Allan Castro Juan Chacon Isaac Coffey Nathanael Cruz Noah Dean Kelvin Diaz Matt Donlan Shane Drohan Max Ferguson Nathan Hickey Alex Hoppe Blaze Jordan Ahbram Liendo Enderso Lira CJ Liu Tyler McDonough Alvaro Mejias Tyler Miller Yordanny Monegro Juan Montero Hayden Mullins Wyatt Olds Jedixson Paez Eybersson Polanco Dalton Rogers Ronald Rosario Corey Rosier David Sandlin Michael Sansone Phillip Sikes Adam Smith Noah Song Tyler Uberstine Diego Viloria Jacob Webb Jeremy Wu-Yelland In my opinion, I'd not trade any of these prospects for rentals: Anthony, Mayer, Tolle, Arias, Garcia, Perales and probably not Clarke, Valera, Early, Sandlin, Romero, Gonzales, Soto & Delzine (Taylor?) That leaves (SP's rankings) but not for just anybody: 13 Bleis 16 Cespedes 17 Paez 19 Jordan 21 Uberstine, 22 Fajardo, 23 Mullins, 24 Casto, 26 Wehunt Monegro, Drohan. Alcantara, YRod, Anderson, Rogers, Dean, Hoppe, Song

As well as we are playing, and despite the warnings of don't mess with a good thing, I still think the logjam at OF and DH needs to be addressed in July. As much as I want Mayer to play FT, I'm okay with a Romy-Mayer platoon at 2B, but I don't want Toro at 1B v L, so Mayer should be our FT 2B to finish this season. (He can play 3B, when Bregman rests.) I'd prefer to have Duran or Anthony DH over Yoshida, but that seems a waste of value. Ref can DH v L, so that frees up some room for Anthony in the OF. The Yohida at DH question is still near front and center. If he plays vs all RHPs, then one of our 4 OF'ers must sit. (Abreu or Duran vs LHPs does not bother me, but who sits when we face a right hander? That's about 70% of the games. I can't see trading any of them, but clearly one has more value to another team, and we have needs elsewhere. That is the foundation of a trade waiting to happen. Duran and Abreu are mentioned the most, and the way Rafaela is playing, trading him would seem like a kick in the you know what. Anthony might be on the top of the avoid trading list. Brez has a very tough choice to make- maybe choices.

The Sox continue their focus on pitching- even more than last draft: 3 of top 4 picks were pitchers. 8 of top 10, as well. 7 of next 11 were pitchers, too. 15 of 21 total!!! All but one prospect were college players.

As well as we are playing, and despite the warnings of don't mess with a good thing, I still think the logjam at OF and DH needs to be addressed in July. As much as I want Mayer to play FT, I'm okay with a Romy-Mayer platoon at 2B, but I don't want Toro at 1B v L, so Mayer should be our FT 2B to finish this season. (He can play 3B, when Bregman rests.) I'd prefer to have Duran or Anthony DH over Yoshida, but that seems a waste of value. Ref can DH v L, so that frees up some room for Anthony in the OF. The Yohida at DH question is still near front and center. If he plays vs all RHPs, then one of our 4 OF'ers must sit. (Abreu or Duran vs LHPs does not bother me, but who sits when we face a right hander? That's about 70% of the games. I can't see trading any of them, but clearly one has more value to another team, and we have needs elsewhere. That is the foundation of a trade waiting to happen. Duran and Abreu are mentioned the most, and the way Rafaela is playing, trading him would seem like a kick in the you know what. Anthony might be on the top of the avoid trading list. Brez has a very tough choice to make- maybe choices.

So, 4 college draftees- 3 pitchers. I'm liking this, a lot.

With the 87th pick, Brez drafted Anthony Eyanson, RHP LSU. One site has him ranked 40th. Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50 Eyanson served UC San Diego as a solid starter for two seasons before electing to transfer to LSU. He showed top-two-rounds potential last summer by working with a 93-97 mph fastball and a hammer curveball while with the U.S. collegiate national team and in the Cape Cod League. His stuff wasn't as sharp early in his junior season but he came on strong in the final two months to rank third in NCAA Division I in wins (12) and strikeouts (152 in 108 innings) and help the Tigers win the College World Series. Eyanson's slider has become his best pitch during his first season in Baton Rouge, parking at 82-85 mph and eliciting empty swings in and out of the strike zone thanks to its tremendous depth. His upper-70s curveball has been solid but hasn't enticed hitters to chase nearly as much as his slide piece has. His fastball has operated at 92-94 mph and topped out at 98, though its lack of life can make it vulnerable if he doesn't locate it well. Though Eyanson's low-80s changeup can miss bats with its fade and sink, he struggles to throw it for strikes. He's a good athlete with decent control but will nibble around the plate too much at times. He has a ceiling of a No. 3 starter if he can improve his fastball shape but also could wind up as a reliever who relies heavily on his breaking pitches.

With the 75th pick, Brez drafted a SS, as many recent GMs have done. Henry Godbout (Virginia) MiLB: Video scouting report » Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 45 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 50 The University of Virginia has consistently produced solid hitters who end up in the big leagues, most recently Jake McCarthy and Zack Gelof, and in 2024, Griff O’Ferrall and Ethan Anderson went in the top two rounds. The 2025 class has another pair of Cavaliers who could go in the same range in Henry Ford and Godbout, an infielder coming off a sophomore season that saw him finish with an OPS of 1.117 and earn second-team All-American honors from Baseball America. In many ways, Godbout is the prototypical Virginia hitter, a solid all-around baseball player with tools that play up thanks to a high baseball IQ. He makes consistent hard contact from the right side of the plate and doesn’t chase or swing-and-miss much (14 percent miss rate in 2024). He could end up with better than average power when all is said and done, with most of it coming right now to his pull side. Godbout appeared to have added some strength this fall, but looked a little stiffer as a result. He’s a fringy runner and that might be trending in the wrong direction with that added bulk. There was some hope Godbout would get time at shortstop this coming season; not that he’d be able to play there long-term but so scouts could see how athletic he could be, and he did play a few games at the premium position during his brief Cape Cod League stint. But he’s played second base almost exclusively and that added physicality has hampered his range at the keystone, making it unclear where he might profile best defensively long term.

I think he will always K a lot, and likely not ever have a BB% even in the top 66%. I think he can hit 20-25 HRs, steal 20-25 bases and maybe hit around .750 to .775 over much of his career. Maybe he blows this away. Maybe his career OPS will never be over .710 or .725. (Right now it's at .706, before tonight.)

I am certain I said this. I don't think this means I give up on him never hitting near or even over .800 for a season. Hell, JBJ did it over 1.5 seasons.

Sox ASB OPS .946 Romy (28 XBHs in just 141 ABs) .926 Bregman (.380 OBP) .844 Refsnyder .822 Abreu (18 HRs is more than Devers) .797 Rafaela (14 HR 3rd and 13 SB 3rd) .786 Narvaez (steady all year) .777 Anthony (had bad luck, early) .749 Duran (43 XBHs is 15th in MLB and coming on) .730 Toro (slumping) .715 Story (16 SB tied w Duran, but w no CS) .680 Mayer (coming on strong) .664 Campbell (may get another look) .505 DHam (May not get another look) Splits 2025 v R .894 Bregman, .861 Anthony, .844 Duran, ,842 Abreu .786 Rafaela, .781 Toro, ,747 Mayer, .738 Narvaez, .793 Story .694 Romy, .659 KC, .650 Refsnyder .499 DHam vs L 1.201 Romy, 1.019 Bregman, .933 Refsnyder, .902 Narvaez .822 Rafaela .748 Story, .703 Abreu .675 KC, .609 Toro, .606 Anthony .564 Duran, .558 DHam .417 Mayer Maybe, it's time to let Abreu face more LHPs, but we have a very crowded OF, and nobody deserving or less playing time. Ref to DH v L, helps, but we have 4 guys deserving FT play.

Longer than 4 weeks... 0.70 ERA Giolito in last 6 starts (June5th) 2.18 ERA Bello in last 5 starts (June10th) 2.83 last 9 starts (May19th) Bello was at 2.33 after 6 starts, then has the 7 ER games then went 2.83. And we have a guy better than these two!!!

You mean like over the last 4 weeks? 0.83 Giolito 2.18 Bello 2.18 Crochet (not counting today)

Good point. I like this quote: Few college pitchers in this class can match his velocity and physicality.

I've said a lot of things, but I honestly don't remember giving up on him, like that. If I did, I was way wrong. I liked the extension, when it happened. I love his D and always have. I've never been a guy to hate high K guys as long as they can get on base and or show power. Rafaela has never shown the former, and has not shown real consistent power. I have commented on the fact that I was sure the coaches in the Sox system must have spent hours and hours working with him on his approach and pitch selection, and that it hasn't seemed to help, even a little, but I'm not sure I ever said he could never overcome it, and I've often thought some hitters can still hit well enough swinging and hitting balls most other hitters miss (out of the zone.)

I think some of of felt he might come close to .800 by age 26 or 27. He's at .797, now. Let's see where he finished. The kids looks like a whole different guy, and it's not the first time a young player figured things out while in the bigs. There is also a chance, he'll hit a skid and need to adjust, agin.

Maybe they are working towards overslotting someone. Here is one scouting report on Phillips: Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50 Scouts first identified Marcus Phillips when he was a South Dakota high schooler, but injuries and inconsistent strikes limited his opportunities to pitch as a senior as well as during his freshman season at Iowa Western CC. He showcased a live, if erratic, arm as a reliever on Tennessee's 2024 Men's College World Series championship club, then seized the Volunteers' No. 2 starter role this spring. Few college pitchers in this class can match his velocity and physicality. Phillips can blow hitters away with a fastball that sits at 96-98 mph and touches 100, compensating for lackluster shape with deceptively low release height and plenty of carry and extension. His slider parks in the mid-80s and reaches 90 mph with more depth than sweep. He doesn't use his low-90s changeup very often, but it features so much fade that is creates more chases and empty swings than his heater and slide piece. At 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, Phillips has a build reminiscent of Kumar Rocker's and is more athletic than the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 Draft. He's a former two-way player who flashed solid power and speed as an outfielder at Iowa Western. He gets down the mound well and has improved his control as a junior, though he doesn't have the smoothest arm action and may never have more than fringy command.

Next Pick #75.

Marcus Phillips RHP Tennessee taken with 33rd Pick.

First pitcher taken by Sox in round 1 since 2017 (Tanner Houck #24 as Jay Groome was taken at #12 in 2016..) 4 of top 6 picks in 2024 were pitchers. Not sure the last time that happened. Cason was picked 8th and got the 3rd highest signing bonus (about $1M overslot!) 2 IFA pitchers were signed for $350K+ (top 3 bonuses) in 2025. D Reyes got $450K in '24. This was way more than recent years. Trades for Slaten, Fitts, Weissert, Harrison, Holobetz, Fajardo,, J Moran, J Bello, Judice & I Campbell. While the trade for Crochet and the extension was not for a pitching prospect, the guy was young. Maybe one of the best thing Brez did to upgrade our pitching was the trade or a pitching prospect for a catcher: Narvaez.

The soxprospects.com's take: https://news.soxprospects.com/2025/07/red-sox-select-kyson-witherspoon-with.html

Borderline, at best, unless you look at just ERs allowed (4.50 ERA for the game.) His OPS Against that game must have been over 1.000.

with Bregman back, Toro should only start at 1B v R, as Romy plays 1B vs L. If he keeps struggling, Toro will be replaced. (Not many options on the Sox 40 man roster to do it.)

Even when we seem to be getting many breaks and are gelling, Fred remains Fred.

Amazing what an 8 game stretch can do.

I don't see the fit for the Sox, unless a 3rd team gets involved: Duran to SDP De Vries & maybe some of our mid level & blocked prospects to _____? _____?? to BOS (solid Starting Pitcher, maybe a RP'er from SDP + a SP from team C)