SB Nation - Junichi Tazawa

Should Aroldis Chapman be donning Red Sox anytime soon?

wolf9309 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:26:09 -0000

More photos » by Peter Morgan - AP

about 1 month ago: Aroldis Chapman is seen during an interview by the Associated Press in New York, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. Chapman defected from Cuba in July 2009 during a tournament in the Netherlands. Separated from his parents, sisters, girlfriend and infant daughter, the 21-year-old left-hander with a 100 mph fastball embarked for a career in the major leaguers. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

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Certainly one of the most hyped-up members of this free agent class, 21-year old Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman has seen his share of media coverage since he first defected earlier this year, during the much maligned World Baseball Classic.

The 6'4" lefty has been a kind of enigma since, though he is one of the hardest throwing lefties around (he's supposedly been clocked at around 102 mph), he's known to have some control and mechanical issues. Despite this, he's managed to excite people into proclaiming him the best pitcher Cuba has ever seen and inspire thoughts of him getting a contract upwards of $40 million earlier this year. Those speculations have since dropped down to earth a bit, but a lot of teams are still very excited by the prospect of him, including the Red Sox.

Is Chapman's potential ceiling enough to offset his risk to the club? After the jump we'll talk a little more about him and then watch some videos.

A few weeks ago, Chapman did the rounds of a few teams and stopped off in Fenway. He was supposedly going to throw off of the mound, but the weather was bad and I haven't found any reports of whether he actually ended up throwing. In any case, all reports are that the Sox were impressed enough with him that he walked away with a $15.5 million contract offer- so far I haven't seen offers from any other teams publicly declared, so it's possible it's the only one he's had to date.

Tuesday, however, he had his first public workout and bullpen session, in Houston. Scouts and GMs from about 14 different teams including, of course, a scout from the Red Sox, who are growing to become the main players in the IFA market between such signings as Daisuke Matsuzaka, Junichi Tazawa, and Jose Iglesias (another Cuban defector and former teammate of Chapman's).

So far the reports of todays session are few, but very positive. According to ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr., he was very impressive, seeming in shape and ready to pitch and showing no obvious issues with his makeup on the mound, having made some mechanical changes from his pitching in the past. His fastballs generally were around 92-93 mph and topped out at 96, as well as demonstrating a slider and a changeup. All of this, of course, was without a batter, which can always change everything.

But enough of what he's done today. Let's watch a couple of videos and discuss what we can see from him.

This first one is the longest. It's basically him, at age 19, striking out a variety of batters from the 2007 Baseball World Cup. Keep in mind that in this video, he is 19 years old.

Video number 1:

Personally, I love what I see in this video more than I expected. His Fastball tends to be sitting low in the zone and generally seems to be hitting between 93-96 mph.

The pitch that surprised me the most was his slider, which looks like it has some pretty nasty motion as it gets the the plate when he throws it right. It's nowhere near the velocity of his fastball.

His changeup looks surprisingly effective in this video, but is shockingly slow, one time clocking in at just 69 mph, which seems a little excessive to me.

In these videos, he doesn't show the wildness I expected, but it may be just the particular at bats they chose to show here.

His delivery frightens me a little bit, it looks like a throwing style that would be very rough on the arm after a long time, but I'm certainly no expert on pitching mechanics. It also looks to me like he is releasing his fastball at a lower arm slot than his other pitches, which may not bode well for him in the big leagues.

Let's move on to video number 2:

This is the shortest one. It's one pitch from 2009 in the World Baseball Classic at Petco Park and really shows nothing useful except how wildly unpopular the WBC is in this country. Just look at how many empty seats there are around.

And video number 3:

This one is a longer one, also from the 2009 WBC, and also, incidentally, on my birthday. It is Cuba against Australia.

In this, to me, the 21 year old Chapman looks much worse than his 19-year-old self did in the very limited clips I've had available. He is throwing harder- throwing mostly around 94-97, and topping out at 100 mph, but looks much more wild, having serious issues finding the zone. His changeup is higher velocity than in the first video, sitting usually around 78-80 (the slowest one I noticed was 75), so maybe he found it was too hittable when it was so slow and adapted it.

Frankly if this is more like what Chapman tends to pitch like, he has a long, long way to go before he has a real possibility of being anything more than a reliever- he's just far too wild and throwing far too many pitches to look like he could effectively perform as a Major League starter.

I think if he joined the Sox, he could probably start in AA- especially if his former teammate Iglesias is there- and possibly work his way up to a September callup as a mop-up reliever- like Tazawa did in the end of last year- but I wouldn't project him as really being ready to really join the big league club before late 2011- probably about the same time-frame as Kelly if he performs optimally. He will have serious issues to work out, however. Apart from his probable control and possible delivery issues, he would have to adjust to performing in a whole new climate than he is used to- pitching in Cuba is not much like April or October in New England. This would certainly take at least a solid year to adapt to.

I would probably say (if the money is still available after this extravagant week) that if he was willing to accept the $15.5 for say a 3-year contract, I think it would be worth the risk. Probably if the price gets higher, it is not worth bidding for him, because there's a very big chance that he just won't be able to adapt properly to be an MLB starter. There are still a lot of question marks about him, since still no one has seen how he pitches against the level of competition in MLB.

These are my rambling thoughts. Any discussions? Thoughts? Things in my analysis you completely disagree with?

Poll

Is Chapman worth the Red Sox taking a chance on?

Boston Red Sox Top 20 Prospects for 2010

John Sickels — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:52:45 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

3 months ago: Boston Red Sox's Josh Reddick fouls off a pitch during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, in Baltimore. The Red Sox won 3-1. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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Boston Red Sox Top 20 Prospects for 2010.

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get beyond the Top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize. Complete reports on these and over 1,000 other players will be in the 2010 Baseball Prospect Book, now available for pre-order, shipping on February 2^nd!

1) Ryan Westmoreland, OF, Grade B+: I love this guy: Five Tool/Seven Skill player who can do everything. I expect more power will come. Just needs to stay healthy.

2) Casey Kelly, RHP, Grade B+: He's not a shortstop, but he's a very good pitching prospect who could advance quickly. Possible number two/three starter.

3) Ryan Kalish, OF, Grade B: Another guy with a broad skill base. I like him slightly better than Reddick due to his superior plate discipline and he's one year younger.

4) Josh Reddick, OF, Grade B: He was rushed. Most people would rank Reddick ahead of Kalish since Reddick has more power. My instinct says Kalish but it's close.

5) Michael Bowden, RHP, Grade B: His component ratios deteriorated in Triple-A, but I still like him. Very similar minor league components to Jeff Suppan, not an ace but if Bowden ends up throwing 2411 average major league innings it counts as a success.

6) Junichi Tazawa, RHP, Grade B-: Bowden ranks a bit ahead because he's younger, but Tazawa is another guy who can be a good inning-eater. Deserves another chance despite poor pitching in Boston.

7) Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Grade B-: Great human interest story and a very solid hitter, but needs to show more power at first base. I think it will come.

8) Lars Anderson, 1B, Grade B-: A difficult grade, but I'm going to give him an injury mulligan and see what he can do with a fresh start. Like Rizzo, will he have the home run power you want in a first baseman?

9) Reymond Fuentes, OF, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Great tools, will he develop skills?

10) Stolmy Pimentel, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Still projectable, throws strikes.

11) Jose Iglesias, SS, Grade C+: Amazing glove, but I won't rank him higher than this until he shows that he can be an adequate hitter. Could be an Omar Vizquel type if he does.

12) Derrik Gibson, INF, Grade C+: Very athletic, controls the strike zone, steals bases, will he develop some pop?

13) Luis Exposito, C, Grade C+: Deserves more attention than he's received both on offense and defense.

14) David Renfroe, SS-3B, Grade C+: Great scouting reports about bat and athleticism, but need some data.

15) Alex Wilson, RHP, Grade C+: Good fastball/slider combination with sharp command, could rise through system quickly.

16) Roman Mendez, RHP, Grade C+: Breakthrough candidate with a lively arm, need to see what he can do outside the Gulf Coast League, but very intriguing.

17) Pete Hissey, OF, Grade C+: No power yet, but very athletic and projectable.

18) Yamaico Navarro, SS, Grade C+: Injury mulligan. Tools are still here but will he refine them?

19) Madison Younginer, RHP, Grade C+: Raw high school arm with immense potential.

20) Stephen Fife, RHP, Grade C+: Strike-thrower who could develop into an inning-eater type.

21) Kyle Weiland, RHP, Grade C+: Another inning-eating possiblity.

OTHERS (Grade C): Michael Almanzar, 3B; Drake Britton, LHP; Ryan Dent, INF; Felix Doubront, LHP: Tim Federowicz, C; Alex Hassan, OF; Brandon Jacobs, OF; Ryan Lavarnway, C; Che-Hsuan Lin, OF; Will Middlebrooks, 3B; Adam Mills, RHP; Daniel Nava, OF: Eammon Portice, RHP; Jason Rice, RHP; Dustin Richardson, LHP; Manuel Rivera, LHP; Oscar Tejeda, SS; Mark Wagner, C; Fabian Williamson, LHP.

Since the trade isn't final yet, I decided to put off writing about Max Ramirez until I get to the Rangers. I haven't decided on a grade for him yet, but he's somewhere in the B- range I think.

As with the Cardinals, it was really hard to knock this down to 40 players; there were at least another 10 guys I could have written up. I tried to provide a mixture of upside players, role players closer to the majors, and guys I just like for one reason or another. Other guys you could write about include Randy Conseugra, Jason Place, Jose Vinicio, and Zach Daeges, and Aaron Bates. I have to draw the line somewhere however. There just isn't room to include everyone and I could spend a week just trying to make decisions between Grade C guys.

This is a very deep system, though trades and difficult 2009 seasons for some prospects (Anderson, Navarro, Bowden to a lesser extent) reduced what the overall ranking at the top might otherwise look like. They have a good mixture of tools and skills players, polish and upside. The plan to spend money on high-upside guys with difficult signability seems to be working, although not everyone has panned out exactly as expected. A year from now things could look even better: Westmoreland and Kelly are both potential Grade A/A- prospects, and several of the C+ guys have higher grade potential.

All in all, there is a lot here for Red Sox fans to be happy about.,

Minor League Update -- 11/23/09

Ben Buchanan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:17:48 -0000

First, a weekly reminder to join in on voting for the OTM Top Prospects list here.

Arizona Fall League

Luis Exposito: 3-7, 2B, BB, 2 K -- .314/.364/.431

-A solid showing for Luis Exposito, if not quite as good as he did in Portland. Expo kept his strikeouts down and earned as many walks as he did in AA in about half as many ABs. Not a big step forward, but also not a step back.

Jose Iglesias: 1-8, 3 K -- .275/.324/.420, 3/3 SB

-Iglesias ends on a down note, but once again the story is that he wasn't completely overwhelmed in the small sample size (73 plate appearances) against higher-level minor league competition. This showing may have cleared the way for Iglesias to start in AA next year, which would be nice if only to keep him with buddy/interpreter Exposito. Also of note is the 2 home runs, which hopefully indicate some unpredicted power potential.

Ryan Kalish: 3-11, 2B, BB, 4 K -- .301/.384/.384, 6/7 SB

-While Kalish didn't exactly carry his hot streak from late in the year over to the AFL, he put on another good OBP performance. The power was a bit lacking, but this is coming on the tail end of a year in which he hit 18 home runs during the regular season—far more than he ever had before. Kalish also put on a good show on the basepaths, as he has done in years past (for instance, stealing 12 bases in 13 attempts in the 2008 winter leagues while getting under 100 plate appearances).

Casey Kelly: 0-12, 6 K -- .171/.261/.244, 1/1 SB

-Kelly keeps moving towards full time pitching. While the level of competition was predictably way over his head, he struck out in nearly half of his at bats, which is a bit too much no matter how advanced the opposition. This performance may have cleared the way to full-time pitching in 2010.

Randor Bierd: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – 6.04 ERA, 17:12 K:BB, 1.47 WHIP

-An uninspiring performance by an uninspiring pitcher.

Richie Lentz: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 K – 4.11 ERA, 16:3 K:BB, 1.04 WHIP

-Lentz ended the year very poorly, giving up 6 ER over his last 2 appearances to squander a great start to the AFL. But the huge improvement in K:BB shouldn't be overlooked, and if nothing else maybe this will help him be ignored in the Rule 5 Draft.

Chris Province: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 3.46 ERA, 9:5 K:BB, 1.08 WHIP

-Not too bad for Province, if not as good as his year in Portland. Would have liked to have seen some K:BB improvement.

Dustin Richardson: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 5.40 ERA, 18:10 K:BB, 1.97 WHIP

-Certainly not as good as his regular season performance, which brought Richardson back into the picture as a prospect. Should still get a shot for a bullpen spot during spring training, though.

Columbian Winter League

Reynaldo Rodriguez: .255/.360/.394

-The CWL does not have the best record keepers in the world, let it be known.

Dominican Winter League

Neither Navarro nor Wagner have played in a long while. I'm guessing their years are over.

Jose Capellan: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 4 K – 3.86 ERA, 8:19 K:BB, 1.67 WHIP

-Well, if ever there's been an example of unsustainable results, it's Capellan. Even if he has a 3.86 ERA, this has been an awful winter league for him. 8 strikeouts to 19 walks? Awful!

Mexican Winter League

Robert Coello: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K – 2.70 ERA, 30:16 K:BB, 1.35 WHIP

-This is Coello's first real chance against competition that's close to being age appropriate since he became a pitcher, and he's actually done a pretty good job of it. This last outing sort of sucked, but still, something to be said for the righty getting his first shot at starting (he's gone 5 or more innings 4 times so far).

Puerto Rican Winter League

Reymond Fuentes: 1-5, 2 K -- .200/.200/.200

-I can't imagine this is going to be a good stint for Fuentes. He played in the GCL last year and is playing in the same league as Jimenez and Bates. I don't exactly know what level this league is supposed to be at, but it's certainly over his head.

Jorge Jimenez: 2-3, 2B, BB -- .400/.538/.800

Ken Roque: 2-6 -- .333/.333/.33

-Roque very quietly put up a .317/.400/.520 line in his 3^rd year in the GCL, finally breaking through into the A-levels where he put up 32 nice ABs in Lowell without looking too overwhelmed. Roque falls into that "sleeper middle infielder" crowd with guys like Derrik Gibson.

Andrew Dobies: 2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 13.50 ERA, 2:0 K:BB, 3.00 WHIP

-After missing 2008 due to injuries, Dobies put up a fair 2009 in Portland. This, so far, has not been an extension of that...

Sydney Winter League

Boss Moanaroa: 0-3, BB, K -- .393/.485/.571

Moko Moanaroa: 2-4 -- .308/.419/.385

Venezuelan Winter League

Yeiper Castillo: .2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 5.14 ERA, 5:6 K:BB, 2.00 WHIP

Leandro Marin: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – 2.25 ERA, 4:1 K:BB, 1.25 WHIP

40-Man Roster Finalized, Rule 5 Draft

MLB teams had to finalize their 40-man rosters on Friday, leaving some tough decisions for teams as to which minor leaguers to protect. For the Red Sox, Jose Iglesias, Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa, Dustin Richardson, Mark Wagner, Aaron Bates, and Dusty Brown comprise the Minor League contingent. The most notable unprotected players available in the upcoming draft are Kris Johnson and Richie Lentz.

Over the Monster Top 20 Prospects Voting: #1

Ben Buchanan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:03:20 -0000

Lars Anderson, last year's consensus #1, has likely fallen. Who will take over in his place? via

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It's that time of year again, folks. This year, we're going to be compiling the top 20 prospects in the farm system according to you, the Over the Monster readers, and it will likely be somewhat less cut and dry this time around given the rather seismic nature of the minors this year. We're trying out a new Google Docs based system to make the voting more open. I've provided write ups of 15 of the Sox' best prospects, but voting is not limited to them by any means. Just type in a name and submit.

Lars Anderson

Age: 22 | Position: 1B | Level: AA

2008: .317/.408/.513 (A+) | .316/.436/.526 (AA)

2009: .233/.328/.345

Considered by most to be the Red Sox' top prospect at the beginning of the year, Lars Anderson's stock has dropped significantly following a dismal 2009 campaign. Still, Anderson remains a top name in the farm system. He has huge power potential which he had displayed in earlier years, which combined with great plate patience should be the recipe for a top offensive player.

Michael Bowden

Age: 23 | Position: SP | Level: AAA

2008: 2.33 ERA, 101:24 K:BB, .92 WHIP (AA) | 3.38 ERA, 29:5 K:BB, 1.13 WHIP (AAA)

2009: 3.13 ERA, 88:47 K:BB, 1.21 WHIP

If Lars was first last year, Michael Bowden was almost always second. Like Lars, Bowden has also had something of a discouraging year, but unlike Lars, Bowden's problems came at the major league level, where he was pounded, giving up 17 runs in 16 innings. Still, Bowden is young and impressed at AAA, where for much of the year he was outshining Clay Buchholz. The righty has a low-90s four-seamer, a high-80s two-seamer, a curve with a lot of movement, a very good circle change, and a recently added mid-80s slider which has yet to come along.

Felix Doubront

Age: 22 | Position: SP | Level: AA

2008: 3.67 ERA, 118:24 K:BB, 1.21 WHIP (A)

2009: 3.35 ERA, 101:52 K:BB, 1.41 WHIP

After a breakout 2008, Prince Felix has been rocketing through the Sox system at an impressive pace. Almost entirely skipping advanced-A and making a seemingly seamless transition into AA, Doubront is poised to start 2010 at AAA—something nobody could've predicted when he posted an 8.93 ERA in Greenville in 2007. Doubront is a 3-pitch pitcher with a fastball that sits in the high 80s, a good change, and a curveball. Though his fastball is nothing special, his unique delivery can fool batters.

Luis Exposito

Age: 22 | Position: C | Level: AA

2008: .283/.328/.508 (A) | .301/.331/.509 (A+)

2009: .274/.332/.427 (A+) | .337/.371/.489

Providing much needed hope for the Red Sox behind the plate, Exposito has displayed a great deal of talent both at and behind the plate. At the plate, Expo is an above average power threat for his position, with a good power swing. He makes a fair deal of contact, but doesn't have the speed to make too much use of it. Instead, Expo would likely be better off working on his discipline, which has netted him only 48 walks in over 800 plate appearances over the last two years. Behind the plate, Luis has great defensive catching skills, but needs to work a bit on the mechanics of his throw to translate arm strength into caught baserunners. Exposito is a clubhouse favorite, notably acting as combination best friend and interpreter to fellow prospect Jose Iglesias.

Reymond Fuentes

Age: 18 | Position: CF | Level: Rookie (GCL)

2009: .290/.391/.379

The new kid on the block, it's hard to mention Fuentes without drawing comparisons to Jacoby Ellsbury. Lots of speed, little pop, not much of an arm, with a tendency for the spectacular. Fuentes is currently lacking in discipline both on the basepaths, where he stole 9 bases in 14 attempts, and at the plate, where he managed only 7 walks in over 150 appearances. Still, both are areas that are likely to improve with professional experience, and Fuentes already has one key advantage over Jacoby: his ability to make good reads.

Derrik Gibson

Age: 19 | Position: SS | Level: Short Season

2008: .309/.411/.394 (Rookie) | .086/.233/.086 (Short Season)

2009: .290/.395/.380

A hidden gem of the Sox system, Derrik Gibson is an absolute on base machine. His plus speed nets him a high average along with a very good number of stolen bases (28 in 33 attempts last year), and his discipline keeps him on the basepaths. Gibson is a plus defender in the middle, and projects to remain at short or second throughout his career. The one obvious knock on Gibson is that he seriously lacks power, and may well not hit more than 2 or 3 home runs in an average year—he has yet to hit one in the minors.

Jose Iglesias

Age: 19 | Position: SS | Level: ? (A-AA)

The newer kid on the block, Jose Iglesias is already drawing attention in Arizona, where observers say there's a lot to the hype Iglesias had coming in as a top defender. Descriptions like "MLB ready" "plus" and even "Ozzie Smith like" have done nothing to lower expectations. The question with Iglesias remains if he will be able to perform offensively. While there is no doubt he is still raw, so far Jose has performed surprisingly well in a limited sample size against the elite Arizona Fall League competition, where he's currently batting .286/.344/.446 with two homers. While speed is not the reason why Iglesias is such a remarkable defender, he does bring a bit to the table, and is 3-for-3 in attempts so far.

Ryan Kalish

Age: 21 | Position: CF | Level: AA

2008: .281/.376/.356 (A) | .233/.305/.397 (A+)

2009: .304/.434/.504 (A+) | .271/.341/.440

One half of 2009's pair of breakout outfielders, Kalish started the year on fire as his power emerged for the first time. Kalish hit 5 homers in 115 at bats in Salem before being promoted to Portland, where he experienced a decent post-promotion slump. Kalish was not to be kept down, though, and ended the season making AA look as easy as A+, even if the season totals seem unremarkable. Kalish has great patience at the plate, consistently managing high OBPs, and is an above average fielder, showing a good arm, range, and glove. Kalish could pan out as either a center fielder or right fielder. One underrated aspect of Ryan's game is his speed, which has regularly netted him about 20 stolen bases a year with a high success rate.

Casey Kelly

Age: 20 | Position: SP/SS | Level: A+

2008: .173/.229/.255 (Rookie) | .344/.344/.563 (Short Season)

2009: .214/.290/.464 (Rookie) | .224/.305/.313 (A)

2009: 1.12 ERA, 39:9 K:BB, .85 WHIP (A) | 3.09 ERA, 35:7 K:BB, .87 WHIP

Perhaps the greatest source for angst in the Sox' farm system is Casey Kelly's position decision: shortstop, or pitcher? It would seem an obvious choice through 2 years, as Kelly is already pushing AA as a starter, but is clearly not ready to leave A-ball as a shortstop. Unfortunately, Kelly has stated his personal preference for shortstop a few times, and so the angst continues. As a pitcher Kelly mixes in a plus curveball and good changeup with his low-90s fastball. He's got great control over all his pitches and is not going to give up a lot of free passes or high meatballs as a result. As a shortstop, Kelly is a plus defender who has shown some potential for good power, but has yet to consistently get on base.

Yamaico Navarro

Age: 22 | Position: SS | Level: AA

2008: .280/.341/.412 (A) | .348/.393/.508 (A+)

2009: .319/.373/.543 (A+) | .185/.270/.304 (AA)

A solid defender with a potentially big bat, Navarro makes solid contact with regularity and has enough power to make a few of them leave the park. Not a hugely disciplined hitter, Navarro is going to have to continue to hit the ball or refine his approach if he wants to be productive at higher level, as his average speed will not bail him out. Navarro is not a plus defender, but will not make you uncomfortable if slotted in at second, short, or third.

Stolmy Pimentel

Age: 19 | Position: SP | Level: A

2008: 3.14 ERA, 61:17 K:BB, 1.08 WHIP (Short Season)

2009: 3.82 ERA, 103:29 K:BB, 1.39 WHIP

With a signing bonus of just $25,000, Stolmy Pimentel is looking like one of the Sox' best international bargains. The tall righty has a fastball that can reach the mid 90s with a potentially plus curve and change. Pimentel has the ability to generate swings and misses without offering up a lot of walks, which should serve him well as he moves up through the organization

Josh Reddick

Age: 22 | Position: CF | Level: AAA

2008: .340/.397/.491 (A) | .343/.375/.593 (A+) | .214/.290/.436 (AA)

2009: .277/.352/.520 (AA) | .127/.190/.183

The Sox' most MLB-ready position prospect, Reddick has cut through the Sox' farm system in a mere 3 years' time. Reddick is a versatile outfielder likely to end up in either center or right depending on who you ask. In center, Reddick would likely have around MLB average range—maybe less, given the recent rise of the position defensively speaking—but would be capable none-the-less. Reddick also has a cannon arm with great accuracy. At the plate, Reddick makes good contact and brings a good deal of power to the table with the potential for more as he matures. Josh has struggled with discipline in the past, but seems to be coming around some, improving to a BB% of around 10 last year.

Anthony Rizzo

Age: 20 | Position: 1B | Level: A+

2009: .298/.365/.494 (A) | .295/.371/.420 (A+)

After missing much of 2008 following a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Rizzo has stormed back from his illness and established himself in the upper echelon of Sox prospects. Rizzo brings an advanced approach to the plate and combines it with a strong bat that, while currently being more of a doubles threat, has shown the potential to be a home run threat. Rizzo is a plus defender at first, with a great feel for the game and good range. Given his strong arm, it's not inconceivable that Rizzo could move to third down the line, though for now he projects much better as a first baseman.

Junichi Tazawa

Age: 23 | Position: SP | Level: AAA

2009: 2.57 ERA, 88:26 K:BB, 1.08 WHIP (AA)

Red Sox fans got to see a lot more of Tazawa than they expected to this year. After being predicted to start anywhere from high A to the MLB, Tazawa settled in at AA Portland and pitched very well. Shortly after being called up to AAA (where he pitched 2 games looking much like he had in Portland), Tazawa was rushed to the majors as injuries and mediocrity took their toll on the Sox' rotation. Things did not go well for him there, where he was pounded for 23 runs (21 earned) in 25.1 innings. So he's not ready for the MLB yet. Tazawa still looks every bit like he's got what it takes to be an MLB starter. His fastball sits around 90 MPH with some plus potential, but it's his wide assortment of off-speed pitches that makes Tazawa special. His curveball, slider, and forkball are all above-average pitches, the last 2 with plus potential. Unlike his Japanese compatriot Daisuke, Tazawa has a tendency to attack the zone and as a result does not walk a lot of guys. Future success in the majors will depend on if he can generate swings-and-misses on his secondary stuff.

Ryan Westmoreland

Age: 19 | Position: CF | Level: Short Season

2009: .296/.401/.484

The official Wunderkind of the Red Sox system, Westmoreland is an amazing all-around player. Offensively he brings an advanced approach to the plate resulting in a BB% of over 15, a power bat good for 7 home runs this year with potential for a good few more, and intelligence and speed (perhaps the fastest player in the entire system) on the basepaths that allowed him to steal 19 bases without being caught once. That speed is also a big part of what makes him a great defensive center fielder. So far Westmoreland has had some injury troubles—a torn Labrum last year, and a broken collarbone this year—but neither are the sort of injury that makes you think he's inherently fragile.

Race for Japanese phenom intensifies

Eli Greenspan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:41:56 -0000

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The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the race for top Japanese amateur Yusei Kikuchi has picked up steam in the past few days, just a week away from Nippon Professional Baseball draft.

The Rangers are among nearly a dozen teams to have contacted Kikuchi, but no offers have been made just yet. The other teams include the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Indians, and Dodgers.

"We want to be fair to all the clubs," said Sasaki. "It's important to choose the place that's right for him to become the best he can be."

The Rangers, who pursued Red Sox pitcher Junichi Tazawa last offseason, sent young pitcher Derek Holland with Rangers executives to meet with Kikuchi in hopes that communicating the day-to-day grind of a minor league pitcher is ultimately (and obviously) worth it in the end. The paper writes the Kikuchi spoke with Holland and was very curious about the minor leagues.

Kikuchi possesses a fastball that tops out at 96 mph, with a hard slider and curveball. A decision from Kikuchi isn't expected for the next couple of weeks.

Junichi Tazawa's season is over

Randy Booth — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:37:25 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

3 months ago: Boston Red Sox starter Junichi Tazawa delivers a pitch to the New York Yankees in the first inning of their baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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Per Amy Nelson from ESPN, Junichi Tazawa has hit the 60-day disabled list, meaning his season is over:

Tazawa on the 60-day dl season over nick green still in Boston for tests, may be a disc problem in his back, and inf Chris woodard recalled

No word on what the deal with Tazawa actually is. He wasn't going to see time in the postseason, though. So it's just a few games that he'll miss on the bench in September.

As far as Nick Green goes, the shortstop depth now looks like this: Alex Gonzalez > Jed Lowrie > Chris Woodward. It'll be interesting to see if Green is OK in a couple of days. If he is, and the Sox make the postseason (don't count your chickens...), I wonder what that shortstop position will look like...

Game Story: This is Byrdland.

Allen Chace — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:38:21 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

Woonsocket's own... (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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Well if that isn't a relief.

In his first start in the bigs since late last season, Paul Byrd threw six shutout innings and needed only 83 pitches to do so. It was quite encouraging considering the issues Junichi Tazawa had last time out and Tim Wakefield's continuing back problems. If two nights ago was the real Clay Buchholz then we should be in pretty good shape.

The rest of the staff pitched 3 scoreless innings following Byrd to finish the shutout. Manny Delcarmen, Billy Wagner (3 Ks!), and Takashi Saito (2 Ks!) combined on some excellent work.

Did those names look like some of the least important members of the bullpen? Good. Cause they kind of are. And how was it that we were able to use them instead of say, Daniel Bard or Hideki Okajima? A well-balance offensive attack, that's how.

Everyone but ['Empty] reached base. Kevin Youkilis went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs, Rocco Baldelli hit a HR and Alex Gonzalez was 2 for 3.

On Roy Halladay day, it was quite encouraging to put up such a good effort on offense to go along with Byrd's big day. We can only hope the momentum can be carried with us to Tampa.

Don't Count on Matsuzaka

Ben Buchanan — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:54:59 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Daisuke might not be walking through that door. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Scheduled to start on September 9th, Daisuke Matsuzaka is currently spending his Sunday afternoon getting rocked in the first inning of a AA rehab start against the New Hampshire Fishercats--one of the league's worst offensive teams.

Matsuzaka has allowed 5 runs on 3 walks and 4 hits including a home run in the first inning, and doesn't seem to be headed for two. It's worth noting that this is Daisuke's first start in months, but if he doesn't show marked improvement in his next rehab start, it seems doubtful the Sox would take a chance on letting Matsuzaka start again down the stretch before he's shown success.

UPDATE: Matsuzaka did come out for the second recording a short perfect inning including a pop up and strikeout. He appears to be done.

If Dice-K cannot return, the Sox would yet again be struggling to put together a rotation. Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz now seem locked into their roles. Paul Byrd pitched well today and will hopefully continue to be the reliable 5th starter he was last year for the Sox, but Tim Wakefield's health is questionable, which could leave an open spot.

The Sox would have relatively limited choices. The 2 obvious names are Junichi Tazawa and Michael Bowden, but both were shelled in their short MLB stints (as good as Tazawa's results were in a few games, he was hit hard). Another possible option would be Randor Bierd, who was recently converted from a reliever into a starter. He's had some limited and unimpressive major league experience in Baltimore out of the pen, and has been similarly mediocre in the minors, but it might be worth it to take a shot on a new face, and in the process avoid ruining Tazawa and Bowden.

Game 127: Nick Green is a God, but still can't beat the White Sox

Randy Booth — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:32:04 -0000

More photos » by Mary Schwalm - AP

3 months ago: Boston Red Sox's Nick Green pitches during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

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Final - 8.27.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox	0	4	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	9	14	0
Boston Red Sox	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	1	5	9	1
WP: John Danks (12 - 8) LP: Junichi Tazawa (2 - 3)

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Move over, Jonathan Papelbon. There's a new closer in town.

In what turned into a very ugly game early, super-utility man Nick Green came in to pitch in the 8th inning and turned in two scoreless innings.

OK, I'm not ready to go all the way with this, but at this point, I am ready to give Green the setup job. Jonathan Papelbon has been shakey, but I'm still not ready to put Green in that position yet.

Yet.

Oh, the Red Sox lost 9-5.

The Red Sox made a charge five unanswered runs, but the sucktitude of Junichi Tazawa was just too much. He gave up 9 runs in four innings of work. It was not pretty.

The Red Sox offense was pretty good, but it wasn't good enough. J.D. Drew hit two home runs and Alex Gonzalez hit a solo shot in the fifth. Drew's first home run was hit back-to-back with Gonzo's. David Ortiz also doubled-in a run in the 8th.

Another good note: Manny Delcarmen pitched the fifth and sixth and surrendered just one hit. A good outing from a reliever who has struggled this season (I say that, but he still hasn't been that bad).

Tazawa found a lot of trouble in the top of the second. After retiring the side 1-2-3 in the first, he gave up four runs in the following frame. Mark Kotsay had a sac fly, Jayson Nix doubled in two and Scott Podsednik had an RBI single.

The third wasn't much better. After a Jim Thome sac fly, he surrendered a two-run home run to Carlos Quentin to make it 7-0 for the ChiSox. Alexie Ramirez scored on a single to make it 8-0.

Sox start a series with Toronto Friday. Maybe they can pull of a sweep then ... maybe.

How the other side lives: long ball kills Yanks in 7-2 headscratcher

CrazyYankeeChick — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:58:41 -0000

The Yankees lose 2-7 on August 27 on Game 127. Should have seen that one coming.

But it's difficult to predict these types of things when your starter whiffs 12 in 6 and lets up only 2 hits, while the opposing hurler walks 7. My buddy texted me "Why isn't Texas better? They're [expletive] good. They should be running away with the division." Baseball's a funny game.

And now cue the frantic talks about the Yanks' records against playoffs teams despite our 5-game division lead.

The Yanks aren't used to losing series, and I'm not used to watching them do so. But since Game 1 of this set, they were killed, above all else, by 2-out hits--a stat that overshadowed any pitching implosions or offensive explosions. The Rangers did what the Yanks have had trouble doing all year: hit with 2 outs.

And yet at the same time, they won the Yankee way: by going deep.

My sister texted me sometime during the 4th inning to inform me she was eating Chinese food and watching Desperate Housewives with her cats.

CYC: "Why aren't you watching the Yankee game? AJ's dealing, Jeter's engaged, and the Tex pitcher is an anagram of Pinstriped Nut."

CYC's sis: "Jeter's engaged?!"

5 minutes later, with 2 outs and after 4 innings of half-serious perfecto thoughts, AJ walked one. Ok, no-hitter still in tact. Another walk. No problem. Just needs one more out.

CYC's sis: "I just put on the game and someone hit a 3-run homerun. AJ ≠ dealing."

CYC: "Shut the tv off. You're a jinx."

In fairness to my sister, the only reason she can be tagged such with such ignominious fame is because it may be the ONLY way to explain how the Yanks managed to lose this one. Because I'd like to think that I live in a world where a balanced 6-hit game on each side, coupled with a grossly imbalanced defense (in the loser's favior) doesn't amount to such an aggressively imbalanced loss.

But there were, of course, some other issues to consider beyond my sis's brief departure from Eva Longoria:

Texas left 2 runners on base. 2. The whole game. The Yanks stranded 600% more than that.

The Rangers were 3-4 with RISP. The Yanks: 2-12. What's sadder, the fact we had runners in scoring position 12 times to the Rangers' 4 or the fact that 4 of Texas' runs came with 2 outs?

Ian Kinsler went yard 2x, including a 3-run blast off AJ that made our paltry Mark Teixeira RBI a lot less significant. Chris Davis chipped in his own 3-run ding off Phil Coke which was when the air officially started seeping out of our tires.

On the subject of Phil Coke, and since I haven't second-guessed Girardi's bullpen moves in about a month, what's the reasoning behind putting in a shaky, comparatively less dependable, and ultimately unpredictable reliever when our tried and true golden boy is currently dusting cobwebs off his arm on account of a total of 9 August appearances? The "protecting our youth's pitch count" defense doesn't hold as much water when Phil Hughes' has played a whopping 6.6 innings this month.

Alfredo Aceves was the only pitcher brave enough to depart from the "Let's All Give Up At Least One Homerun" bandwagon. Even our boy David Robertson was taken deep (after striking out the first two batters of the inning, of course. Unbelievable.)

In terms of our bats, we should have known it wasn't our day when Jeter struck out to open up the game. I'm not kidding when I say that if he goes hitless tomorrow, I will 100% off ~~Memo Paris~~ Minka Kelly and not skip a beat.

Even Gameday was completely confused about the strike zone. I'm trying to imagine how the control room conversations went there. "Um, we need a strike check on monitor one! Yeah, so is this blue or red? It was a foot outside, called strike. Yes, again. Ok, and wait, so now it's called ball 4 on a fastball down the pipe...I still have to make it red? Um, alright."

The bottom of our lineup, the one I claimed was so terrifying and scary, was useless for us today. Way to make a liar out of me, batters #5-9. You know who you are. Melky, still starved for some Brett Gardner to bring him back to June-July form, did manage to get off 1 hit.

At least we ran well! 3 SBs from Damon, Melky, and Jeter. Annnnnd, that's where the offense bright spots ended.

A 5 game lead is still respectable. And hey, maybe Junichi Tazawa will remember he's not that great, and the White Sox will forget to get swept. But regardless of how the Sox-es perform tonight, the depressing fact remains that a day loss means 27 hours of marinating in it.

Until football season starts, I'd like to avoid the discomfort that is the Next Game Waiting Period. Here's to sweeping Chicago and righting the ship tomorrow.

-CYC