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Draft Report Cards: Boston Red Sox
By Jim Callis
October 20, 2010
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QUICK TAKE
The Red Sox didn't change their approach in Amiel Sawdaye's first year as scouting director. They looked at talent rather than price tags and aggressively signed far more than their share of prospects.
Bonus Spending: $10.7 million
POSITION PLAYERS
BEST PURE HITTER: The Red Sox landed three high-average hitters in 3B Kolbrin Vitek (1), 2B Sean Coyle (3) and 3B Garin Cecchini (4)—at a combined cost of $4 million. The best may be Coyle, who has an advanced all-fields approach and uncanny hand-eye coordination. » BEST POWER HITTER: OF Bryce Brentz (1s) led NCAA Division I with 28 homers as a sophomore in 2009. He has explosive bat speed but is working to quiet his approach after a .198/.259/.340 debut. » FASTEST RUNNER: OF Lucas LeBlanc (11) has 60-65 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale. Coyle is a half-step behind him. » BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Brentz could be an above-average defender in right field. He moves well and played some center field in college, where he also pitched and showed a low-90s fastball. Coyle, a high school shortstop, has the quickness, range and arm to be an asset at second base.
PITCHERS
BEST FASTBALL: RHPs Anthony Ranaudo (1s) and Brandon Workman (2) work at 91-94 mph and peak at 96. Workman's late life makes his heater more of a swing-and-miss pitch, while Ranaudo uses his 6-foot-7 frame to throw his on a tough angle and induce weak contact. RHP Mathew Price (8) has similar velocity and more projectability, though he's not as consistent. » BEST SECONDARY PITCH: LHP Chris Hernandez's (7) 87-89 cutter will break a lot of bats. Ranaudo's curveball is the best breaking pitch in this crop, and Price has a nifty changeup.
ODDS AND ENDS
BEST PRO DEBUT: Given that baseball was OF Henry Ramos' (5) third sport and he didn't face quality pitching in Puerto Rico, the Red Sox were delighted to see him hit .309/.370/.449 with 12 steals in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. » BEST ATHLETE: Ramos, a member of Puerto Rico's junior national soccer and tennis teams, has solid all-around tools. OF Kendrick Perkins (6) ran for 3,454 yards and 47 touchdowns in his last two seasons as a high school running back and drew interest from college football programs. » MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND: C Zach Kapstein's (44) father Jeremy is a Red Sox senior adviser who was formerly a powerful agent and Padres club president. Unsigned C Shane Rowland's (36) dad Donnie is the Yankees' director of international scouting. » CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS: Ranaudo, who overcame elbow trouble in the spring to dominate in the Cape Cod League before signing for $2.55 million, will start in high Class A. Hernandez could beat him to Boston as a lefty reliever. » BEST LATE-ROUND PICK: Signed at the deadline for $500,000, LeBlanc has solid tools across the board. » THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY: SS Steve Wilkerson (15) is a slick fielder who opted to attend Clemson. RHPs Adam Duke (16) and Eric Jaffe (19), who both flash 95 mph fastballs, are now Pacific-10 Conference rivals at Oregon State and California.
By Jim Callis
October 20, 2010
E-mail Print
QUICK TAKE
The Red Sox didn't change their approach in Amiel Sawdaye's first year as scouting director. They looked at talent rather than price tags and aggressively signed far more than their share of prospects.
Bonus Spending: $10.7 million
POSITION PLAYERS
BEST PURE HITTER: The Red Sox landed three high-average hitters in 3B Kolbrin Vitek (1), 2B Sean Coyle (3) and 3B Garin Cecchini (4)—at a combined cost of $4 million. The best may be Coyle, who has an advanced all-fields approach and uncanny hand-eye coordination. » BEST POWER HITTER: OF Bryce Brentz (1s) led NCAA Division I with 28 homers as a sophomore in 2009. He has explosive bat speed but is working to quiet his approach after a .198/.259/.340 debut. » FASTEST RUNNER: OF Lucas LeBlanc (11) has 60-65 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale. Coyle is a half-step behind him. » BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Brentz could be an above-average defender in right field. He moves well and played some center field in college, where he also pitched and showed a low-90s fastball. Coyle, a high school shortstop, has the quickness, range and arm to be an asset at second base.
PITCHERS
BEST FASTBALL: RHPs Anthony Ranaudo (1s) and Brandon Workman (2) work at 91-94 mph and peak at 96. Workman's late life makes his heater more of a swing-and-miss pitch, while Ranaudo uses his 6-foot-7 frame to throw his on a tough angle and induce weak contact. RHP Mathew Price (8) has similar velocity and more projectability, though he's not as consistent. » BEST SECONDARY PITCH: LHP Chris Hernandez's (7) 87-89 cutter will break a lot of bats. Ranaudo's curveball is the best breaking pitch in this crop, and Price has a nifty changeup.
ODDS AND ENDS
BEST PRO DEBUT: Given that baseball was OF Henry Ramos' (5) third sport and he didn't face quality pitching in Puerto Rico, the Red Sox were delighted to see him hit .309/.370/.449 with 12 steals in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. » BEST ATHLETE: Ramos, a member of Puerto Rico's junior national soccer and tennis teams, has solid all-around tools. OF Kendrick Perkins (6) ran for 3,454 yards and 47 touchdowns in his last two seasons as a high school running back and drew interest from college football programs. » MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND: C Zach Kapstein's (44) father Jeremy is a Red Sox senior adviser who was formerly a powerful agent and Padres club president. Unsigned C Shane Rowland's (36) dad Donnie is the Yankees' director of international scouting. » CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS: Ranaudo, who overcame elbow trouble in the spring to dominate in the Cape Cod League before signing for $2.55 million, will start in high Class A. Hernandez could beat him to Boston as a lefty reliever. » BEST LATE-ROUND PICK: Signed at the deadline for $500,000, LeBlanc has solid tools across the board. » THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY: SS Steve Wilkerson (15) is a slick fielder who opted to attend Clemson. RHPs Adam Duke (16) and Eric Jaffe (19), who both flash 95 mph fastballs, are now Pacific-10 Conference rivals at Oregon State and California.
