Answers:

1. What is Babe Ruth's birthday?- February 6

2. Which Red Sox prospect won the Cape Cod Home Run derby?- Aaron Bates

3. What city are the Red Sox origanally from when the AL began in 1901?- Buffalo

4. What year was JD Drew drafted and what pick in the first round?- 1998 2nd overall

5. What team origanally drafted Daniel Bard?- Yankees

6. Who was the Red Sox first round pick in 1998?- Adam Everett

7. Wo was called up when Javier Lopez was DFAd in the May of 2009?- Daniel Bard

8. What team was Jeff Bailey drafted by?- Florida Marlins

Round 2----

1. Which Red Sox player played in the Alaskan baseball league?

2. What college did two Red Sox in the past 20 years attened? (Hint; Both played here before 2004 and only one after)

3. How many managers in Red Sox history have had the last name Collins?

4. On what team did JD Drew have his career high in BAA?

5. What college did Jed Lowrie attened?

6. What team did the Red Sox acquire George Kottaras from?

7. Who was the Red Sox first round pick in 1993?

8. How high has Dustin Pedroia been ranked in the Red Sox system, prospect wise?

Been working on this for a few weeks. No player descriptions right now, but I may do that down the road. Enjoy!

 

1. Jeremy Hellickson

2. Aroldis Chapman

3. Julio Tehren

4. Matt Moore

5. Jesus Montero

6. Desmond Jennings

7. Manny Machado

8. Eric Hosmer

9. Mike Trout

10. Zach Britton

11. Dustin Ackley

Mike Moustakas

12. Bryce Harper

13. Freddie Freeman

14. Grant Green

15. Lonnie Cheisenhall

16. Mike Montgomery

17. Chris Carter

18. Brett Lawrie

19. Casey Kelly

20. Jenry Mejia

21. Aaron Hicks

22. Martin Perez

23. Micheal Pineda

24. Brett jackson

25. Randell Delgado

26. Micheal Taylor

27. Kyle Drabek

28. Tanner Schepers

29. Ryan Kalish

Simon Castro

30. Yonder Alonso

31. Hank Conger

32. Kyle Gibson

33. Dee Gordon

34. Wil Ramos

35. Nick Franklin

36. Jonathan Singleton

37. Wil Myers

38. Miguel Sano

39. Wilmor Flores

40. Jarrod Parker

41. Zach Stewart

42. Brett Wallace

43. Arodys Vinciano

44. Christian Fredrich

45. Shelby Miller

46. Jacob Turner

47. Aaron Crow

48. JP Arencibia

49. Jose Iglesias

50. Zach Wheeler

51. Alex White

52. Matt Dominguez

54. Tony Sanchez

55. Jameson Taillon

56. Todd Fraizer

57. Manuel Banuerlos

58. Chris Sale

59. Anthony Rizzo

60. Chris Winthrow

61. Brandon Belt

62. Nick Hagadone

63. Jake McGee

64.Jiovanni Mier

65. Ben Revere

66. Alex Colome

67. Anthony Raunado

68. Danny Duffy

69. Tyler Flowers

70. Austin Romine

71. Coery Leubke

72. Jerry Sands

73. Jared Cosart

74. Lorenzo Cain

75. Gary Sanchez

76. Jared Mitchell

77. Wilin Rosiaro

78. Peter Bourjos

79. Jordon Lyles

80. Matt Harvey

81. Alex Wimmers

82. Devin Mesoraco

83. Danny Espinosa

84. Brent Morel

85. Zack Cox

86. Brandon Beachy

87. Drew Pomeranz

88. Jason Knapp

89. Derek Norris

90. Yasmani Grandel

91. Stetson Allie

92. Jaff Decker

93. Ryan Westmoreland

94. Thomas Neal

95. Deck McGwire

96. Matt Davidson

97. Jason Kipnis

98. Jake Ordozzi

99. Nick Castellenos

For more on this list and more baseball, watch the Internet Sport Show on YouTube this afternoon.

Well, we had only two participants last round, so the World Series contenders will be Rouge Nine and Superferret. Same rules as before. But this round has a clean slate, points wise. Who will win the World Series? How Many Games? Who is the MVP? Who led the series in ERA? Who led the series in AVG? Series is 2 points, players are one point, and games is half of a point. Good luck to both contenders!

Before I say anything more, understand what Rick Rypein did Tuesday night in Minnesota was unacceptable and very much suspension worthy.

 What he did grabbing the jersey of a cheering fan for no apparent reason other than his own frustration is a strict violation of NHL policy.

 However, one thing keeps sticking in my mind. Rypein was suspended indefinitely in a situation when no one was injured. But Matt Cooke and Mike Richards are still playing hockey, and were after their devastating hits last year.

 Again, what Rypein did was wrong, but I think head shots are no doubt worse. Suspended indefinitely for an incident when no one is injured, but a guy like Cooke isn't while Savard is still struggling with PCS. Richards isn't when he probably ruined a good player in David Booth. It doesn't really add up to me.

 In the first week of the NHL season,  James Wisniewski was suspended two games for making an obscene gesture to Seam Avery. Are you telling me these things don't happen all the time on the ice? Of course. This was just captured on camera. But the real sad part was Niklas Hjarmalsson was also suspended two games for hitting Jason Pominville, who had to be taken out on a stretcher.

 NHL: get your priorities straight.

I am going to be doing a list at some point counting down baseball's top 300 prospects.

 But as I mentioned in the Orioles post I made, I am having some trouble finding updated lists for players who were drafted this year.

 I have already half-started this project, but I need a few more sources. Does anybody have a top 100 anywhere from BA or anywhere else that is updated since the 2010 draft? That would be really usefull.

 Also, if you have any ideas please feel free to post them so I can get a basic idea.

Thank you.

Havn't done one in a while, but it is another edition of BBS's Red Sox trivia!

 

1. What is Babe Ruth's birthday?

2. Which Red Sox prospect won the Cape Cod Home Run derby?

3. What city are the Red Sox origanally from when the AL began in 1901?

4. What year was JD Drew drafted and what pick in the first round?

5. What team origanally drafted Daniel Bard?

6. Whowas the Red Sox first round pick in 1998?

7. Wo was called up when Javier Lopez was DFAd in the May of 2009?

8. What team was Jeff Bailey drafted by?

 

No looking up questions, that is cheating.

Here we go...

1. Zach Britton- One of the best prospects in the game. Britton's best pitch is his sinker.

2. Manny Mahcando- One of the best young players in the game.

3.  Brandon Erbe- Has improved every year, dominating in AAA a year before.

4. Caleb Joseph- Hits for power and average, plate discipline has improved.

5. Matt Hobgood- Walks too many, but has a plus curve and fastball.

6. LJ Hoes- On Base machine.

7. Micheal Givens- Great defensively, terrific arm.

8. Jesse Beal- Terrific command, looks to have a harder fastball.

9. Xavier Avery- OK in the field throwing. Very, very fast, good baserunner.

10. Ryan Berry- His curveball is his out pitch.

11. Oliver Drake- Terrific slider.

 

12. Brandon Coony- Future closer, potentially. Great fastball.

13. Luis LeBron- Missed the whole year with Tommy John.

14. Jake Cowen- Projects as a #2 starter with three plus pitches.

15. Garabez Rosa- Not as good in the field, should move from SS to 3B.

16. Brandon Snyder- Losing stock every day.

17. Troy Patton- Probably better off as a bullpen pitcher.

18. Brandon Waring- Looks like a Jack Cust or Carlos Pena type right now, but not nearly as good.

19. Cameron Coffey- Plus fastball.

20. Kam Mickolio- Struggling, could drop out of this list soon.

Tomorrow's list will be the Cubs.

The easy answer would be the Rangers, as they are up 2-1 right now. But the Yankees are unlike any other team in baseball, so i feel it would be inaccurate to say that. I am going to look at the key events of this series, and say who I believe has the edge.

Pitching

The Rangers have gotton three terrific pitching performances from Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson, and Colby Lewis. CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes did not have good outings for New York, but I believe Andy Pettitte stepped up big last night, though it was a loss. It showed the Yankees they do have pitching to beat Texas.

 The Rangers have to feel good knowing they can hit Sabathia and Hughes. But in all honesty, is Sabathia going to be hit that was again? I doubt it. I think Hughes might be a concern, as he always seems to allow that one big inning after the third. But with Pettitte looking good, and Sabathia still a rock, the Yankees can feel good.

 This is a must win game for the Yankees tonight, as they have an oppertunity vs Tommy Hunter. With AJ Burnett going as well, the Rangers probably want to jump on him. But Burnett can have great outings, and has a good playoff history.

I give the advantage here to the Rangers for now, but that may very well change.

 

Hitting

I have to give this to the Yankees right now. To comeback down five runs in the sixth is incredible, and that is one reason I cannot give the Rangers the edge in this series. The Yankees comeback better than anyone I have ever seen.

 The Rangers have hit well in this series, but what you might not know is Josh Hamilton is batting under .200 this series.

Advantage: Yankees

Bullpen

It's another obvious advantage for the Yankees here. They did not pitch well last night, but that was mainly David Robertson.

 The Rangers bullpen imploded to surrender a five run lead. That is inexcusable, so Yankees advantage again.

 

I don't believe one team has an edge in this series. If the Rangers win tonight, they obviously will. Even though it would be tied, if the Yankees win, do they have an advantage? It should be interesting to see what happens tonight.

Here is the fourth edition in the series.

1. Desmond Jennings

2. Jeremy Hellickson

3. Tim Beckham

4.  Matt Moore

5 Alexander Colome

6. Alex Torres

7. Jake Mcgee

8. Nick Barnese

9. Matt Sweeny

10. Kyle Lobstein

11. Todd Glaesman

12. Wilking Rodriguez

13. Tyler Botnick

14. Jeff Malm

15. Alex Cobb

16. Hecter Guevera

17. Jason McEachern

18. Ty Mossison

19. Joseph Cruz

20. Shawn O'Malley

Wtach tomorrow for the Orioles edition.

My offseason top 20 Red Sox prospects

1. Casey Kelly SP

2. Ryan Kalish OF

3. Anthony Rizzo 1B

4. Jose iglesias SS

5. Drake Britton SP

6. Lars Anderson 1B

7. Stolmy Pimetel SP

8. Josh Reddick OF

9. Felix Doubront SP

10. Anthony Ruandao SP

11. Ryan Lavarnway C

12. Will Middlebrroks 3B

13. Yamiaco Navarro 3B

14. Reymond Fuetes CF

15. Oscar Tejada 2B

16. Kolbrin Vitek 3B

17. Che-Hsuan Lin CF

18. Brandon Workman SP

19. Kyle Weiland SP

20. Luis Exposito C

 

This a series I am doing for every team at Minor League Ball and my blog Total Bases, leading up to my top 300 prospects in baseball.

I posted this at Minor League Ball in a series of top 20 prospects in each organization. I was recomended to post it here as well.

 

1. Jesus Montero

2. Austin Romine

3. Manny Banuelos

4. Dellin Betances

5. Gary Sanchez

6. Andrew Brackman

7. Slade Heathcott

8. JR Murphy

9. Ivan Nova

10. Brandon Laird

11. David Adams

12.  David Phelps

13. Adam Warren

14. Cito Culver

15. Hector Noesi

16. Melky Mesa

17. Kelvin De Leon

18. Grahm Stoneburner

19. Kevin Russo

20. DJ Mitchell

The third in my series....

1. Jesus Montero

2. Austin Romine

3. Manny Banuelos

4. Dellin Betances

5. Gary Sanchez

6. Andrew Brackman

7. Slade Heathcott

8. JR Murphy

9. Ivan Nova

10. Brandon Laird

11. David Adams

12.  David Phelps

13. Adam Warren

14. Cito Culver

15. Hector Noesi

16. Melky Mesa

17. Kelvin De Leon

18. Grahm Stoneburner

19. Kevin Russo

20.

So that is my Yankees prospect list, I'll do my Tampa Bay Rays one tomorrow.

My offseason top 20 Red Sox prospects

1. Casey Kelly SP

2. Ryan Kalish OF

3. Anthony Rizzo 1B

4. Jose iglesias SS

5. Drake Britton SP

6. Lars Anderson 1B

7. Stolmy Pimetel SP

8. Josh Reddick OF

9. Felix Doubront SP

10. Anthony Ruandao SP

11. Ryan Lavarnway C

12. Will Middlebrroks 3B

13. Yamiaco Navarro 3B

14. Reymond Fuetes CF

15. Oscar Tejada 2B

16. Kolbrin Vitek 3B

17. Che-Hsuan Lin CF

18. Brandon Workman SP

19. Kyle Weiland SP

20. Luis Exposito C

I am not a Royals fan, but their system intrigues me, so here you go.

1. Eric Hosmer

2. Mike Moustakas

3. Mike Montgomery

4. Wil Myers

5. Danny Duffy

6. John Lamb

7. Christian Colon

8. Chris Dwyer

9. Aaron Crow

10. Chesler Cuthbert

11. Brett Eibner

12. Johnny Giavotella

13. Clint Robinson

14. Tim Melville

15. David Lough

16. Salvador Perez

17. Everett Tefield

18. Tim Collins

19. Will Smith

20. Jarod Dyson

Here are the standings from last round.

Dustins #1 Fan= 6 points

Superferret= 4 1/2 points

Rouge Nine= 2 points

Bold and Brash= 1 point

The only memebers allowed to participate in this round are Dustins #1 Fan, Supperferret, and Rouge Nine. Here is how it will work.

Points do carry over to the next round. Predicting a series length is half a point. Picking a team is one point. Predicting a player is two points.

Who wins- Rangers or Yankees?

Giants or Phillies?

Who leads in average in the AL and NL?

Who leads in ERA in the AL and NL?

Something I've always kinda wanted to do. Give me your playoff predictions for the first round. There will be a playoff in this as well; The top ten correct answers will be allowed to predict in the LCS. The top two in the world series for the champion.

Predicting the right team is one points. Predicting the series length is half a point. Predicting the right player is two points.

Who will win, Yankees or Twins, in how many games?

Rays or Rangers in how many games?

Giants and Braves in how many games?

Phillies or Reds in how many games?

AL batting avergae leader after round one

NL BAA leader after round one

AL ERA leader after round one

NL ERA leader after round one

THIS IS NOW CLOSED NO MORE PREDICTIONS The eligable participants of this round are Dustin's #1 Fan, Rouge Nine, Superferret, and Bold and Brash. No one else can pick for the next round, only these four. The top three will move on.

 I give the Red Sox a lot of credit. They had three all star players out of their lineup, and seemed dead in mid-August. But as much as everyone was on their case, they did stay in contention until the last week of the season. And when you have pretty much the Pawtucket Red Sox playing in the AL East, what more could of they done?

 Well..... A lot. They could have done a bit more, and maybe still be in the hunt. But I do not necessarily blame the Red Sox for that. I do blame individuals, but not the team. Here are the top three reasons they did not make the playoffs, the top three reasons why we should be proud of this team.

Why did they miss the playoffs?

1. Jonathan Papelbon

This may be surprising for anyone thinking it is John Lackey. I will get to him, but right now it has to be Papelbon. Papelbon has eight blown saves, and the eleventh save percentage out of the twelve eligable pitchers in the AL. His ERA, WHIP, walks, and HR% are higher than any other year.

 I will admit I jump on Papelbon a bit too often at times. But this is not one of them. If you cut Papelbon's saves in half, the Red Sox are 2.5 games back right now. There is no way getting around that. I understand he has to be thje closer, but that is only because of his own weaknesses. Daniel Bard can come in with guys on base and it's inning over. Can Papelbon do that? No. That is the only reason he is closer of this team.

2. John Lackey and Josh Beckett

I wrote about these two the other day. Lackey has 12 losses. For a guy making $16.5 mm, that is way too many. I am not as much on Beckett becasue he was hurt, but he is not out of the doghouse. With Beckett I guess I am more upset with Theo for signing him to a four year deal, but I do not blame him for signing Lackey. He has just not lived up for who we thought he would be.

3. The Manager

I know everyone loves Terry Francona. He led the Red Sox to two world series and blah blah blah. Really? Did he lead the Red Sox, or was it Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, and David Ortiz? I am not one to believe a manager can win you a game; The players on the field do that. But a manager can lose you a game, and Francona may have lost enough to cause the Red Sox to miss the playoffs. Francona, first off, does not know how to handle his bullpen. Scott Atchison does not come in in the bottom of the tenth in Tropicana field. Just no. He leaves his starting pitchers in way too long. And one other thing; Why isn't Bard pitching? That is the question I kept asking myself, all the way into last night when Hideki Okajima walked in the winning run. While Bard was not even warming up. Oh wait. Now I remember. They are saving his arm. OK Terry, I agree. Let's save Bard's arm in the most important game of the year.

Now some positives.

 

1. The play of Ryan Kalish and Jed Lowrie

You can add in Darnell McDonald and Daniel Nava too, but I look at these guys because they have a future in the organization. Kalish looks like he could be a superstar. He reminds me a bit of Jacoby Ellsbury, but better. Kalish is going to be in this team's future for a long time.

 Lowrie is a very interesting story. He looked like he was going to be a starting shortstop and then the injuries came. We all talk about, where did this power come from? Maybe his wrists are finally healed. Lowrie is coming into next spring training looking to fight for the starting job over Marco Scutaro. Either way, the Red Sox will have a helluva utility player.

2. The emergence of Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard

Two high round draft picks, the Red Sox made sure they got these right. They both have similar stories of professional ball experience, maybe Buchholz's remembered most. We all know he threw the no hitter and was sent down to double A after his immense struggles. But Buchholz came into spring training looking to fight Tim Wakefield for a spot in the rotation. He out pitched Wakefield, and made the rotation, but maybe that had to do with Daisuke Matsuzaka's injury. But when Matsuzaka returned, it was Buchholz who stayed in the rotation while Wake went to the pen. Buchholz has pitched himself into a Cy Young race this season. He finally is what we thought he would be.

 Bard had his struggles too, but not at the Major League Leval. In Greenville, low single A, Bard was crushed with an ERA around nine, and as a starting pitcher. His mechanics were a mess. It was one of the worst seasons you would ever see. But Bard bounced back, and became a relief pitcher. Bard climbed to the MLB easily after that, and has emerged into the Red Sox closer of the future.

3. They put together a good team

For the most part, Theo and co put together a really good baseball team. You may say, well how can a team out of the playoffs be that good? You have a case there. But are you telling me that Dustin Pedroia, Mike Cameron, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury wouldn't have given you seven more wins? Or even Buchholz and Beckett while they were out. The front office did their job. And even deeper than that is organizational depth. This year more than ever we were able to see how well this team drafted.

Well, it didn't happen. But it could have, and will it next year?

 When the Red Sox signed John Lackey I was surprised, but happy. Lackey was coming off dominating the Red Sox in the playoffs, and had had much success in Anaheim. The rotation looked terrific. You had Jon Lester, who many people saw as a Cy Young Canada going into the season. Josh Beckett, coming off an all-star season in a contract year. And Lackey, the Angels' ace.

But it turned out things were not all roses and cherries. The Red Sox decided to sign Beckett to a four year deal. Let me rephrase that. The Red Sox signed an injury prone, aging, prima dona, inconsistent starting pitcher.

Look, Beckett has had two dominating years in his career. 2007, and 2003. In 2008. he was constantly hurt and he faded down the stretch in 2009. And Theo Epstein decided to sign him.

The case for Lackey now. I do not blame Theo for going out and signing the best starting pitcher on the market. Yes, I thought he was overpaid. But you are always going to overpay for pitchers.

Lackey had a disappointing start to the season, as did most of the team. But a lot of people, including myself, thought he was going to bounce back and be the John Lackey we knew. But no. He did not improve as the season went on. His ERA has dropped, but it is hard not to drop an ERA over seven.

The thing about Lackey that gets me is the excuses. After a game vs Anaheim, a game the Red Sox came back to win, Lackey was asked about a three run home run he surrendered to Alberto Callaspo. He bitched and moaned about it, saying that is is not a home run in most other ballparks.

So now you are blaming the ballpark for the hanging curveball you threw. OK. I also do not like his act with the other players. When Ryan Kalish threw a ball away and run scored about a week ago, Lackey stood there, and raised his hands in the air as if to say "What the Hell!?" Now, it was a bad throw by Kalish. But he did not put those men on base. That run scored not because of Kalish, but because Lackey put them on base. So you better think carefully of who is at fault there next time, John.

So, we are pretty much stuck with these contracts for four more years each. Stuck with two pitchers with an ERA above four and closer to five. Prima dona bitchy pitchers, who will continue to make excuses, such as about the ballpark or who is catching that night. Now, I do not think they will be pitching here for four more years, at least not Beckett. I think they will probably eat that contract sometime in the next two years. I don't think they will with Lackey as much. I would not be surprised, but I get the feeling he will bounce back a bit. But he will never be worth that $16.5 mm.

Last week I wrote about some minor league sleepers for next year, players who I felt would step up their game. But how about the players that need a big year? Some other big name prospects need a bounce back year, or they may fall into non-prospect status.

Che-Hsuan Lin: This has been a topic of discussion last week. Lin did not take a step back, but he did not take a step foward. But being in the minor leagues, that is almost as bad as taking a step back. His defense is terrific and his OBP is through the roof, but once pitchers learn he really doesn't hit that well, they won't be as careful with him and that OBP will drop. Lin needs to step up to where he was before this year or it could get dangerous for him.

Alex Wilson: Wilson was one of my sleepers going into this season. He pitched terrific in Salem to get a callup to Portland and imploded. He had bad start after bad start. I must admit I have not seen him pitch, so I don't know where the issue lies. But I do know he is not a starting pitcher going foward. He is a bullpen pitcher, and will likely start off in Portland as that. If he continues to struggle I can see the Red Sox moving on.

Stephen Fife: Now Fife is a guy that I did see. He finished the season strong, but the weeks before he was awful. When I saw him he just didn't locate. His fastball had good life but he wasn't locating it. His curveball and changeup were horrendous. I know Fife was a top prospect, but if this continues they cannot move foward with him.

Mark Wagner: Technically, Wagner is not a prospect. But he was going into this season. Wagner, as a catcher, could fall back into prospect status if he can stay on the field. That's the problem. He was on the disabled list three different times this season. If Wagner can stay on the field he has a shot. But he needs a good season.

Some of you may be thinking that these guys can never fall out of prospect status. Really now? Well, I will give you three players who ranked in the top ten not too long ago. Kris Johnson, Aaron Bates, and Micheal Bowden. (I know Bowden is still ranked, but I do not consider him a prospect)

Johnson was ranked fourth, Bates eigth, and Bowden second all in recent memory. Now they are post prospects. This is where Lin, Wilson, Wagner and Fife will be soon if they don't have good years. Post-prospects.

I wrote a few days ago of some of the top prospects in the Red Sox organization that I saw this summer.

But how about some of those non-prospects? Before you say they are meaningless, listen to this. Would you consider Daniel Nava a prospect? I know SoxProspects have him as a graduated prospect, but is he really? I think he's more of a post prospect.

We talk about Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Post-prospect. Being a post prospect doesn't necessarily mean you are not a prospect. Look at Marco Scutaro. He was not called up until he was 28. So, why leave these guys with the assumption that they are not going to make it? Why not see what they can do; they could surprise you.

 

Blake Maxwell: If nobody takes him in the Rule 5, which I don't expect anybody will, he could be a decent contributor to the Red Sox. I must admit, I didn't know who he was until this year. But I saw him pitch a few times and he really impressed me. He started off in the bullpen for Portland, but when Alex Wilson got hurt he moved into the rotation. Maxwell is likely to start the year in Pawtucket, having nothing else to prove in Portland. Who knows, he could be a psrt of Boston's bullpen next year.

 

Bubba Bell: I have seen Bell a lot and never understood why he hasn't made it further. Then he started getting hurt, again. And now I know. Bell is a tough ballplayer who is versatile in the outfield and has a good bat. But he has the never ending injury bug. He always seems to land 2-3 DL trips every season. If he could ever stay healthy, I see a major league career for him as a fourth outfielder somewhere.

 

David Renfroe: I know he is still technically a prospect, but he had a real bad year and fell far off the rankings. If he has another bad year he will surely be in this category. But I always liked Renfroe, though I've only seen him play a few times. But he really needs to step up this year.

 

Not all sleepers have to be guys who have fallen off. They could be up and coming, lower ranked prospects who make a big name for themselves. Who do I have in mind for a big year?

 

Sean Coyle: I don't what I like about this guy, I just have a good feeling about him. 2B that I could see being a shortstop someday, he kind of reminds me of Dustin Pedroia a little bit. Except I think Coyle may develop more power in the next few years.

 

Chris Balcom-Miller: I have not seen this guy at all I will admit, but everything I hear sounds good. I know he will start in Portland next year, maybe in their rotation, so I'm excited to see what he can do. I will have my eyes on him next season.

 

Brandon Workman: Workman is ranked 29th right now. By the end of next year he will be much higher. Workman to me seems like a prototypical power pitcher, except he has a lot more off-speed stuff than a typical power pitcher.

 

Guys who need to step up next season: Che-Hsaun Lin, Luis Exposito, Alex Wilson, Tim Fedowicz

Baseball is a great game. But, there are some problems with the MLB, and some of them can be esily fixed. And no, I do not mean length of games, that has never been a problem.

The first issue with Major League Baseball is the interleague. I have spewed about this often, so here I go again. The Red Sox play the Cubs, Padres, Brewers, Pirates, Phillies, and Astros in interleague next season. The Rays? They will play the Marlins, Cardinals, Brewers, Nationals, Dodgers, and Astros. They play only two of the teams the Red Sox do. So, when the Red Sox play Phily, the Rays get Washington? Or, vice versa, when the Rays get the Cardinals, the Red Sox get the Pirates? Who makes the interleague schedule? If there is to be interleague, shouldn't a division all play the same teams? Otherwise, it can leave a team with an easier schedule, and those games could lead to a division while the other team is on the outside looking in.

 Also; Why have interleague play? What is the exact point of it? To see other NL teams? I could've understanded this if it were like 1970 or something. Back then, the rules in each league were the same, and you did not get to see NL players that much. In today's world with ESPN and MLB Extra Innings, we can see the NL whenever we want. What is the real point of this? It hurts everyone more than it helps.

Speaking of schedules. I was thinking about this the other day. Why should the Red Sox play Minnesota in only two series all year, both in April, and see Chicago twice, both in September? That's an odd balance of schedule. Every team should play each other the equal amount of time, and throughout the season.

 Something else odd. A team like Texas. They get to play Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim all season long. Where Tampa has to play New York, Boston, and Toronto. Now, I know this is not the case this season, but doesn't a good team like Texas have a better shot of having  better record playing those teams, compared to Tampa? I don't like the fact that the Red Sox face Baltimore and Toronto and all the other AL East teams 18 times. It seems like a bit much, where we see Minnesota only six times? Not a good balance of schedule. I understand you have to face your division more than other teams. I'm fine with that, but maybe reduce it to 14 each and see other AL teams more. And I want a real balance of schdule. Why should the Red Sox go out to Seattle twice and play them at Fenway once? I think there should be two home and away series vs each AL team.

 

I wrote an article at Pinstripe Alley the other day about changing the playoffs. I still have the same mindset, but it has changed slightly. There I wrote I wanted to see six playoff teams. I have now reduced that to five. Here is what I think should happen.

 There should be two wild cards, and not just second place teams. The two best teams that did not win their division. They play a five game series. The winner of that goes to reguler playoff format. This adds more excitment and more ticket sales for the MLB, when a team that should be out of it is actully fighting for a spot. I also think, screw divisions. Why not go back to like it was? Just the AL and NL. The top five teams in each league make it. Cause look at this; A team like Tampa Bay or New York are going to be a wild card. They each have the best record s in baseball. One of them will not have homefield in the playoffs. How fair is that? Why should Texas be rewarded for winning a crappy division. Why not New York, with the second best record in baseball?

Over the course of the Red Sox season, I attended many minor league affiliate games, including Portland, Pawtucket, and Lowell. I would often put up my scouting reports after those games, and often got requests of which players to watch.

Well, the minor league season is over the Red Sox is all but about to be. So here are the final scouting reports of the Red Sox Minor Leagues.

 

Pawtucket:

I know some of these players have been up, but I made these before they were called up.

Lars Anderson: I saw Lars 13 times this year in spring training and Pawtucket, and he got one hit. He made a better impression on me the last game, ripping a 95 mph fastball and singling, and made some good plays at 1B. But as a whole, he just never impressed me. He has a lot of holes in his swing. A big uppercut, he has issues with low and in offspeed pitches and often is late on fastballs. His defense is suspect at best, and has issues making scoops and long stretches at 1B. When he does make contact, however, he can hit it a long way. If he projects to be an MLB starter, I see him as more of a DH.

 

Bubba Bell: I know he is not really a prospect, but I've always liked Bell. He always gives it his all and is a very good outfielder. He has a decent bat, can hit for gap power. Not much contact though, he tends to swing through some balls. I could see him as a 4th OF on some team maybe, but being 27 is not going to help him.

 

Aaron Bates: Technically not a prospect either, he has always played well when I've seen him. If he is going to get to the big leagues it's his power potential and good defense that will get him there. Similar to Anderson, he has some major holes in his swing. He swings and misses way too often, and he strikes out too much as well. He does have on base ability though, as he had an OBP of .338 compared to his .240 average. He gets too streaky, going on long hitless streaks and then short stretches of power surges.

 

Portland:

Anthony Rizzo: Rizzo was the most impressive Red Sox minor leaguer I saw this season. He may be what they thought Anderson was two years ago. He has incredible power to all fields and is one of the best defensive 1B I have seen. He scoops up balls like nothing and has incredible range. I also liked his focus in game. He always seemed like his head was totally in the game. I think this guy is your best potential MLB prospect.

Casey Kelly: I saw Kelly three times this season and I was always stunned. He has great locations on all his pitches and hardly makes mistakes. When he does, it is in later innings and I think that led to his high ERA. He seemed to tire around the fifth inning, which I think is a little concerning. But his stuff is absolutely incredible, I definitely see him as a potential major leaguer.

Ryan Lavarnway: This guy was my surprise prospect of the the year. Lavarnway had one of the best years in the minor league system and left quite an impression on me. What impressed me the most was his power; During batting practice, he was hitting bombs left and right. Every ball he hit was a home run. His defense was not as bad as it was made out to be either. I have certainly seen better, but his was not terrible.

Luis Exposito: I have always been as Expo fan, but I tend to think he took a step back this season. His defense is exceptional, he does not let anything get behind him. But it's his at bats that worry me. He swings at bad pitches, and misses good pitches often. Swings and misses a lot, too much in my opinion. But his hitting is good enough for a catcher. So with that and his defense, he has a future.

 

Lowell:

 

The only real prospect I saw in Lowell with Kolbrin Vitek, so here we go. He played third base that night, and bot was he awful there. Bad hands. He made two bad errors and all his throws to first were shaky. However, his offense was very good. He went 3-4 that night with two doubles. He has pretty good power and a decent eye at the plate.

Well, there you go, the final MILB scouting reports of the year. I hope to do this again next year!

There has been much speculation of late about possible playoff expantion. Baseball, by far, has the least amount of teams that qualify for the playoffs. You have the three division winners in each league, and one wild card. But, however, sometimes a playoff worthy team is left behind. Why? Sometimes the wild card team is not the best non-division winner.

 We all know the best teams in baseball, going into the season at least, were the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees. We all knew one would not make it. It is starting to look like that is the Red Sox. Even through all the injuries, they remain one of the best teams in baseball. Under the current format, the Red Sox will not and should not make the playoffs. The best four teams in the American League are the Rays, Yankees, Rangers and Twins.

 All fair that they make it. Yet, a team like the Rays, with the second best record in baseball, will not have home field in the playoffs at all. They will start on the road vs the Twins, and end up playing either New York ot Texas on the road again. Is that really fair? Just beacuse Texas beat up on Oakland, Anaheim, and Seattle and won that division, they have homefield over the second best team in all of baseball, who constantly plays the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, who all have a better record than the three teams in the Rangers division.

 I have always thought the best four teams should make the playoffs, no more divisions. Like it used to be, American and National league. The best four make the playoffs, and a team like the Rays would have homefield. But an even better idea; Six playoff teams per league. I understand this should not turn inot the NHL where every team but Toronto and the Islanders make it, but wouldn't six playoff teams help the baseball ecomony? A team like the Red Sox, whose ratings are down, would be higher beacuse they'd be in the hunt. Teams like Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and Oakland would draw interest, sell more tickets and merchandise. In the NL, teams like Colorado, St.Louis, and Florida would be playing for something. I think this would make sense for baseball. It would draw higher ratings and sell more tickets, and in the end, isn't that all they want?

With the season near its end, we all know about the decisions the Red Sox will face this offseason. Victor Martinez, Adrian Beltre, and David Ortiz are all free agents. Those three players compile most of the offense on this team. How are they going to balance things out this offseason?

 Well, they have several options. Option one will never happen; Re-sign Beltre to the four year deal he is looking for. Why can't this happen? Well, for one, Beltre is 32 years old and having arguably his career year. Also, last time he signed a big deal after a contract year was with Seattle, where he was contstanly hurt and inconsistent. And probaly the most important fact of all, he blocks too many players. In the farm system, you have three real good 1B/3B players. They are Lars Anderson, Will Middlebrooks, and Anthony Rizzo.  All three guys have had good seasons and are high ranked prospects. You do not want to block that signing a 33 year old with two good seasons.

 

Another situations is Victor Martinez. They have already offered him a two year deal, with Victor laughed at and rightfully so. Victor has been nothing but great since he came over from Cleveland, and I think he is a must sign. The Red Sox continue to see him as a 1B/DH in the future, but who cares? Sign him to whatever he wants, and if he ends up at 1B or DH, you have Ryan Lavarnway and Luis Exposito waiting in the wings anyways. Martinez will get a lot of interest as a catcher in other markets, so why wouldn't the Red Sox just offer him what he wants? I am sure the Yankees will not be in on Martinez, seeing their catching depth, but the teams that poetentially worry me are Detroit, Anaheim, and the Mets.

 

David Ortiz may be the most intrigueing of them all. Ortiz has started slow the last two seasons, but got it going late. That is not a terrific trend, but the Red Sox may have to deal with it. With the likely departure of Beltre, they will still need a bat in the middle of the lineup. The safest option may be Ortiz, a guy you already know what he is going to do. Sure, $12.5 mm is a lot, but if you need that bat, you take it.

 

A few options with what they could do here; NOT Adrian Gonzalez. Everybody loves the guy, and I don't bame them. But do you relize that they will have to give up prospects and then re-sign him to Mark Teixiera money? Sure, he would be a great addition to the team. But not at that price tag. If you really want him, wait until he is a free agent and pay him.

An option I kinda liked was Carlos Pena. For one season, move Youk to third and have Pena as a bridge guy. He is going to be a power threat and not cost too much, with teams preparing for the big first base free agent class the next season. Pena can be the bridge to Rizzo, which I have heard he could be in the MLB next season. Pena can be the bridge while being a productive player.

There are no options when it comes to Victor Martinez. Sign him, or lose all production from that position. But, maybe they could get offense somewhere else. The big names are Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford. Personaly, I love Crawford, but do not see him signing here. Werth, I think, could add some punch in the lineup if Victor does not resign. Both of them together would be nice, but something tells me only one or the other would happen.

The minor league season is coming to an end, so that will leave a new off-season ranking for the prospects. I was wondering to see other people's prospects lists and where they rank certain players. First off, here is mine.

 

1. Casey Kelly

2. Ryan Kalish

3. Anthony Rizzo

4. Jose Iglesias

5. Anthony Raunado

6. Stolmy Piementel

7. Lars Anderson

8. Ryan Lavaranway

9. Felix Doubront

10. Josh Reddick

11. Kolbrin Vitek

12. Oscar Tejada

13. Yamaico Navarro

14. Will Middlebrooks

15. Reymond Fuentes

16. Luis Exposito

17. Brandon Workman

18. Junichi Tazawa

19. Che-Hsaun Lin

20. Micheal Bowden

21. Drake Britton

22. Kyle Wieland

23. Brandon Jacobs

24. Madison Younginer

25. David Renfroe

26. Garrin Cechini

27.  Sean Coyle

28. Bryce Brentz

29. Jason Rice

30. Stephen Fife

31. Tim Fedowicz

32. Jose Vincio

33. Alex Wilson

34. Alex Hassan

35. Jeremy Hazelbaker

36. Dan Butler

37. Alberto Ibarra

38. Aaron Bates

39. Blake Maxwell

40. Jorge Padron

 

Also, a few questions; Who do you think had the best breakout year in the system, and who do you think will next year? Who had the most disapointing year, and who projects to next year?

After the Toronto and Texas games, a lot of people jumped off ship. I didn't, beacuse I knew that over the course of a season those games happen sometimes. They happen to the Red Sox, the Rays, the Yankees, and everyone else.

 But it's time for me to say they don't happen this much. These kind of losses should not happen this much unless one of two things; 1. You are the Kansas City Royals.  2. Your manager is Terry Francona and he doesn't bring in Daniel Bard in the biggest game of the year.

 Last night's loss really stung. At this point, they all do. But this game was in the Red Sox's hands to take. Sure, the error by Buchholz and bonehead play by Drew did not help. But they still had a chance to win the game.

 Victor Martinez continued his 7-9 hitting barrage of the Tampa Bay Rays with his solo homer to give the Red Sox the lead. I had thought, well, maybe we can sweep this series.

 But then Francona made one of the dumbest managing moves since Grady Little in 2003. He left in Clay Buchholz. I understand Buchholz was pitching a helluva game. But he had 107 pitches, and BJ Upton, who came into the game hitting .429 career vs him, hit a solo home run that sunk the Red Sox.

 The Rays kept their momentum going by putting in their best reliver, Rafael Soriano. What do the Red Sox counter with? Scott Atchison.

 The difference in the game was not the players, but the manager. That should never be the case. The Red Sox hade the momentum after Martinez's home run. They should have taken advantage of it by brining in their best relif pitcher, Daniel Bard. The Rays did. They kept their momentum. And they won the game.

 Another issue with this whole thing is that Jonathan Papelbon did not see this game, your biggest game of he year. They allowed the Rays to take the game brining in Atchison. Not using Papelbon in this game is likelosing a close football game and having a timeout left.

 This game is not season ending, I do think that. But it is season altering. And if the Red Sox are on the outside looking in, I will be remembering this loss. Not Texas. Not Toronto.

Tampa Bay. This will be the game we look back at.

I've posted several scouting reports on several minor league teams this season. I attended my last game last night when I saw Portland lose to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. This is my scouting report for last night, and sometime in September I will come out with a final Red Sox MILB scouting report.

 

Anthony Rizzo and Jose Iglesias: Did not play, to my disapointment.

 

Stephen Fife: Fife has struggled his last few outings and I can see why. He missed locacation with his fastball up in the strike zone and his velocity was inconsistent. Early on his fastball was 94 mph, but after the first inning it was 89-92 and was flat and he left it up in the strike zone much too often. His final line does not look bad beacuse of great defensive plays by LInares and Ray Chang. But I did not see much from Fife other than his curveball which he was able to throw for strikes when he needed.

 

Ryan Lavarnway: I got a request to watch Lavarnway's defense, so here it is. I thought it was pretty good, as in, better than Victor Martinez. Luis Exposito is the supierior defensive catcher, though Lavaranway held his ground and was not terrible. On offense, the kid has tremendous power. He hit an absolute bomb, and he is a show to watch in batting practice. I really like Lavaranway and I hink he is one of the premier players in this organization.

 

Luis Exposito: He DH'd tonight, so I can only say about his batting. He was facing a former big league pitcher in Scott Richmond, but he had way to many weak swings at bad pitches. He swumg at a lot of curveballs and was blown away from a few fastballs. Not is best showing.

I go to a lot of Minor League games. I follow every Sea Dogs and PawSox game on GameDay every night. I anticipate the SoxProspects rankings like I do the BCS standings. I have an obsession with the Red Sox minor league system. And why? This is the best minor league system in all of baseball.

A lot of people could say the Texas Rangers. They have some big names; Tanner Scheppers, Martin Perez, Neftali Feliz... All good names. But their system is not as deep as Boston, not close. How about Tampa Bay. They have Tim Beckham, Jeremy Hellickson, and Desmond Jennings. Again, big names. But how much depth? What big time prospects do they have in A ball? Or rookie league? Probaly not as many as the Red Sox.

The Red Sox system was already very good. But they had the draft of the decade this season, a draft that might compare with 2005 where they drafted Luis Exposito, Jed Lowrie, and Clay Buchholz. In 2006 they drafted names that have reached the big leagues such as Daniel Bard, Aaron Bates and Dustin Richardson. 2004? Dustin Pedroia, 2003? Jonathan Papelbon.

This year? Maybe in five years, we will be saying Kolbrin Vitek, Anthony Raunado, Bryce Brentz, and Brandon Workman. This was a draft to remember.

 

Now let's look at the Top 50 Ranking: http://www.soxprospects.com/index.html

Mine obviously differs. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/8/14/1623080/top-50-red-sox-prospects

Any way you slice it, this current farm system will play a huge role into this team's future.

 

A 2015 Starting Lineup (Not assuming Free Agents)

1B Anthony Rizzo

2B Dustin Pedroia

3B Yamico Navarro

SS Jose Iglesias

C Alberto Ibarra

DH Ryan Lavaranway

OF Jacoby Ellsbury

OF Ryan Kalish

OF Josh Reddick

SP:

Jon Lester

Clay Buchholz

John Lackey

Felix Doubront

Casey Kelly

 

Any other ideas? Remember, we are only assuming the prospects, not free agents.

Here is the scouting report on the Pawtucket Red Sox.

 

Yamiaco Navarro: He hit an absolute bomb to straight away center field, a good sign for a hitter who had a power outage before being prooted. It was Navarro's only hit of the night at th DH spot, but he looked real good on that swing. The HR came off Fernando Nieve of Buffalo, who was consitently throwing 95 MPH all night long.

 

Lars Anderson: Lars only hit of the night was a single up the middle on a 91 MPH fastball, which is the only hit I've seen him get in 13 times watching him. He looked better at first than most times I've seen him, he made a great play to scoop a wild throw from Dusty Brown on a pick-off attempt. He also made a great stretch on a double play. A little concerning was he was swining 3-0 and missed a 92 MPH and popped it up.

 

Robert Coello: I was hoping to see him, and he impressed me. He did allow an inherited runner surrendering a double to his first batter, and did hit a batter with a pitch. He was around 92-94 MPH and hit 96 once. I was most impressed with his slider, which left batters off ballance. He was not afraid to use any of his pitches in hitters counts. I want to see them call him up.

 

Jeremy Hermida: Poetential

(This was written by me at BestBostonSports.com as well)

 

The Red Sox have recalled relif pitcher Micheal Bowden and he is on his way to Texas. The corrosponding move is unclear, but it may have to do with the Jacoby Ellsbury injury last night. It may not be though, as Daniel Nava is eligable to be recalled today and you'd think it would be him, so it may be the Red Sox have DL'd Josh Beckett after last night, or possibly Tim Wakfield? All speculation, but it could be reasonable to think that.