Kuzul

The ranking order used for this article was obtained from SoxProspects.com, with statistics via RedSox.com.

As the season rolls on and the losses continue to pile up for the Boston Red Sox, it may not be long before fans’ interest begins to turn towards the future.

With that in mind, here are the top 10 prospects in the Red Sox organization and the greatest strengths and weaknesses of each.

No. 10: Brian Johnson, LHP, Portland (AA)

The 23-year-old was taken by the Red Sox with the 31st pick in the first round of the 2012 draft.  Johnson’s development hit a speed bump when he was struck in the head by a line drive in August of 2012, but he now appears to be back on track.  His biggest asset to this point is his overall ability to confuse batters with a variety of pitches and great location.  Writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal:

“I loved his changeup,” Portland pitching coach Bob Kipper said of a Johnson start in May. “He threw it on some hitters’ counts. He had guys geared to hit the fastball, and he was able to commit himself mentally to throw his changeup, and he had success with it.”

Kipper has been impressed with how Johnson has mixed in his changeup and curveball to go along with his well-commanded fastball, which allows him to keep hitters off balance multiple times through the order.

The knock on Johnson is that his fastball is routinely thrown in the 88-90 mph range, which is well below average compared to some of the organization’s other top young arms.  From Alex Speier and Katie Morrison of WEEI.com: “The lack of premium velocity likely will suppress Johnson’s standings in prospect rankings.”

No. 9: Deven Marrero, SS, Portland (AA)

Boston drafted Marrero out of Arizona State with the 24th selection in the first round in 2012.  Marrero spent some time with the big league club in spring training this year, showing flashes of brilliant defense, which is clearly his greatest strength.  On May 21 Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald wrote:

Last Sunday, he fielded a hard-hit grounder in the hole and leaped, making a strong throw to first for the out. Pitcher Mike Augliera still shakes his head about it.

“The best play I’ve ever seen in person,” Augliera said. “Right off the bat, I thought that’s a hit. Then I remembered Deven was back there. As crazy as that play was, you almost expect it. He makes all those hard plays look easy.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

In addition to his outstanding glove, Marrero also has very good speed.  He’s stolen 11 bases this season in 14 attempts.  But like previous Boston shortstop Jose Iglesias, Marerro’s bat may be what holds him back.  Through 219 career minor league games he’s hit just 6 home runs with a .260 batting average.

No. 8: Christian Vazquez, C, Pawtucket (AAA)

Vazquez has been a member of the Red Sox organization since they drafted him out of high school in the ninth round in 2008.  Long known for his spectacular arm and ability to throw out potential base stealers, Vazquez has made great strides this year in other of areas behind the plate.  Says Britton:

…the coaching and pitching staffs at Pawtucket have noticed how much better Vazquez is at the less heralded aspects of being a backstop. He’s more aggressive when blocking the ball, moving toward the ball to take its spin off the bounce out of play. He’s a craftier framer now, quieter behind the plate having cut down the distance his glove travels to areas of the zone. That’s leading to more strike calls.

While thought by many to be ready for the majors defensively, Vazquez’s power has fallen off considerably during his rise through the minor league ranks.  He hit five home runs in 342 at-bats in Double-A in 2013, and he has managed just one homer in 47 games for Pawtucket this year.  Via Speier, Vazquez went 276 at-bats between long balls spanning both seasons.

No. 7: Garin Cecchini, 3B, Pawtucket (AAA)

Selected by Boston in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, the 23-year-old Cecchini recently made his big league debut with the Red Sox on June 1.  His 1-for-2 performance that day (before being sent back down to Pawtucket) leaves him as a .500 hitter all-time on the major league level.

All jokes aside, despite posting just a .263 average in Triple-A so far this season, Cecchini is batting .304 with a .406 on-base percentage in 335 games career games in the minor leagues.  His 195 walks in that time also suggest he’ll continue to be patient in the batter’s box at the next level.

Like Vazquez, Cecchini‘s power numbers are his greatest weakness at the moment.  He’s gone deep only once in 194 at-bats this year, and he has a total of just 15 home runs in 1217 at-bats as a pro.

No. 6: Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, Pawtucket (AAA)

The Red Sox chose Ranaudo, now 24 years old, with the 39th overall pick in the first round in 2010.  His size and strength make him an encouraging major league prospect—Ranaudo stands 6’7″ and weighs 230 pounds with a fastball clocked upwards of 95 mph.  On May 21, Speier wrote the following regarding Ranaudo‘s start the day before:

…but while he’s not in position to jump into the big league rotation right now, the time isn’t far when he will be in position to do so. He has the arsenal along with the frame to take on a workload (the 6-foot-7 right-hander was strong through the last of his 106 pitches, one start after a career-high 109 pitches); the question is the consistency of execution.

Ranaudo has had control issues in Triple-A this season, walking 36 batters in 71 innings.  He’s also struggled with injuries throughout his career.  Ranaudo missed significant time with elbow problems as a college freshman and junior, and a groin strain forced him out of action for most of 2012.

No. 5: Matt Barnes, RHP, Pawtucket (AAA)

Barnes was taken by Boston 19th overall in Round 1 of the 2011 draft from the University of Connecticut.  His fastball tops out at 98 mph, and he has an above average curveball and changeup as well.  David Borges of the New Haven Register quotes Red Sox farm director Ben Crockett with this recent assessment of Barnes:

He’s been able to upset hitters’ timing. It really plays off his fastball pretty well. And his curveball has picked up right where it left off at the end of last year. He’s gotten swings and misses on it, and he has the ability to throw it in the strike zone when he needs to.

Barnes has shown good control with Pawtucket this season, walking just 15 batters so far.  However, he is allowing opposing hitters to put the ball in play more often than he would like.  His 40 strikeouts in 48 innings (7.5 per 9 IP) doesn’t seem too bad, but it’s a far cry from the 135 punch-outs he registered in 108 innings (11.25 per 9 IP) in Double-A a year ago.      

No. 4: Allen Webster, RHP, Pawtucket (AAA)

The Red Sox acquired Webster from the Los Angeles Dodgers as a focal point of the late season trade in 2012 that sent Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to L.A.  Webster made eight big league appearances for Boston in 2013, posting an 8.60 ERA in 30.1 innings.

Of all the pitching prospects in the Red Sox organization, Webster is likely the most ready for the majors right now.  Britton had this to say after Webster’s outing on June 9:

What Webster possesses can be so obvious at times. His fastball hit 97 on Monday, and he complemented it with a diving slider and a changeup with the late gravitational plunge of a waterfall…

Webster’s effort slides neatly into the tapestry of this consistent season from the right-hander. He’s allowed more than three earned runs just once in 14 starts now; this was only the fourth time he’s allowed even three. In eight starts since the beginning of May, he has struck out 45 and walked only 17. His ERA on the season is 2.94.

The biggest thing working against Webster for the time being may be his lack of success in Boston a year ago.  While his Triple-A numbers are very solid, they’re not significantly better than last season.  Several of Boston’s other pitching prospects are moving up the ranks, and Webster is stuck treading water.

No. 3: Blake Swihart, C, Portland (AA)

The Red Sox took high school third baseman and outfielder Swihart with the 26th pick in the 2011 draft, and they promptly decided to convert him into a catcher.  The move has paid off greatly, as he is putting up very impressive offensive numbers for a 22-year-old switch-hitting backstop at the Double-A level.

Through 49 games with Portland this season, Swihart has 6 home runs, 31 RBI and a .287 batting average.  He’s also stolen three bases—his overall speed is noticeably above average for a catcher.

Being new to his position, the concerns regarding Swihart are for his defensive abilities behind the plate.  And at 6’1″ and 175 pounds, he’s definitely an undersized catcher.  To this point he’s performed admirably however, even throwing out 18 of 35 runners attempting to steal this year.

No. 2: Henry Owens, LHP, Portland (AA)

Owens was selected 36th overall by Boston in round one in 2011, and he has been putting up increasingly better numbers with each promotion through the minor leagues.  Like Ranaudo, the 21-year-old Owens is 6’7″, but he’s not quite as much of a “power pitcher.”  Owens’ most devastating pitch is his changeup.  On June 7 Thomas wrote: 

…in Owens’ last six games, he’s allowed only 12 hits and three runs. In four of those starts he lasted at least seven innings.

His fastball command has improved drastically, his curve is getting better and Owens’ beloved change-up remains practically unhittable at the Double-A level.

Owens has thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings, including eight most recently in the longest start of his career.  For the season, he’s struck out 74 hitters in 72.1 innings while posting a 2.24 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a .170 batting average against.

The weaknesses are hard to come by with Owens, although scouting reports say his curveball is inconsistent.  At the moment the greatest obstacle in Owens’ way could be the abundance of talent in Pawtucket‘s rotation.  Unless there’s an injury or more players get called up to Boston, there may not be a spot available for him in Triple-A.    

No. 1: Mookie Betts, 2B/OF, Pawtucket (AAA)

The Red Sox took Betts in the fifth round in 2011, with the 172nd pick that’s looking like the steal of the draft.  In just his third full professional season, the 21-year-old Betts has all the makings of a five-tool player.

Before being promoted to Pawtucket, Betts recorded 214 at-bats in Double-A this year.  His numbers were staggering: .355 average, .443 OBP, six home runs, 18 doubles, three triples, 34 RBI and 22 steals.

From Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe:

Not even a year ago, he was buried in the Red Sox prospects rankings. But in 14 months, he has leaped through three levels. A 66-game on-base streak captured the attention of seamheads.

While the Sox didn’t intend for Betts’s progression to be this swift, the possibility of him reaching the major leagues this season is real. The way he’s handled every step gives them confidence that he’ll be prepared should that time come.

For those looking to nitpick, Betts is hitting just .269 in the seven games (26 at-bats) since moving up to Triple-A.  But even in that small sample he’s still managed to keep his OBP at .406, identical to his career number.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The world champion Boston Red Sox stumbled out of the gate this year, posting a 13-16 record through May 1.  Since then the Red Sox have won six of their last eight games and all three series they’ve played.

Now 19-18, Boston owns a winning record for the first time in nearly six weeks, and is only 1.5 games back of the division lead.

It is a small sample size, but that doesn’t mean the recent success can’t be attributed to an improving ballclub.  Here are three specific areas in which the Red Sox have gotten better, all of which suggest Boston’s current hot streak could be a sign of things to come:

1. Consistency at the Leadoff Spot

Boston began the season struggling to find a replacement for Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the order. Red Sox hitters are batting just .231 from the leadoff position, with an on-base percentage of .324. Through its first 22 games, Boston used five different players at the beginning of the lineup.

However, it now appears the issue is resolved.

Dustin Pedroia has hit first in each of the Red Sox’s last 15 contests.  Like the rest of the team, Pedroia started slowly, batting only .264 with a .322 OPB and a .349 slugging percentage in April.  But since the calender turned to May, Pedroia has reverted back to his All-Star form, hitting .341 with a .449 OPB and .610 SLG.

From Jason Mastrodonato of Mass Live, Red Sox manager John Farrell said the following about Pedroia bating leadoff full-time:

I just asked if he was open to it. Dustin is all about what we are as a team and doing whatever he can to best our needs and impact the game in a positive way. He’s the ultimate unselfish player. Given our need, he’s more than open to doing it, so there was no time limitation on this.

If Pedroia continues to put up numbers like we expect from his new spot in the order, it will make a world of difference for Boston’s run production going forward.

2. A.J. Pierzynski is Settling in at Catcher

The Red Sox kept the same starting five from the rotation that won a championship a year ago, but they replaced regular catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia with A.J. Pierzynski.  It should come as no surprise that this change might require an adjustment period before things begin to run smoothly.

In late April, the Boston Herald‘s John Tomase wrote:  

Two weeks into the season, the Red Sox had the makings of a catching controversy.

Starter A.J. Pierzynski was struggling to adapt to a new pitching staff, and there appeared to be friction between the headstrong veteran and members of the rotation.

The Red Sox went 2-6 in Pierzynski’s first eight starts while he posted a catcher’s ERA of 4.50. Meanwhile, backup David Ross simultaneously piloted the Red Sox to a 5-1 record and an ERA of 2.00.

Pierzynksi has now started 25 games behind the plate for Boston, and his catcher’s ERA stands at a very respectable 3.76, fifth-best in the American League.  His .992 fielding percentage also ties him for fifth among AL backstops.

Following his 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on May 11, starting pitcher John Lackey had this to say about Pierzynski, via Mastrodonato:

He’s an aggressive game-caller. I think I pitch pretty aggressively. I think I mesh pretty well, in fact. I think he’s right on with the rhythm thing. When things are flowing like that it does help to throw strikes for sure.

The 37-year-old Pierzynski is more than holding his own on offense as well.  After batting .275 in April, he’s hitting .286 in May, and his .277 season average is second to only Pedroia (.289) on the Red Sox. Pierzynski’s 18 RBI are also tied for fourth-most in the AL by a catcher.

3. The Red Sox Are Now Healthy

When 22 percent of your starting lineup is on the DL, simply getting those players back in action can be enough to qualify as an improvement.  Right fielder Shane Victorino missed Boston’s first 22 games of the year, and third baseman Will Middlebrooks was out for 19 contests over the same time period.

Victorino’s return to the No. 2 spot in the order helped facilitate Pedroia’s transition to leading off.

Middlebrooks’ comeback allowed weak-hitting Jonathan Herrera (.184 batting average, .184 slugging percentage) to reclaim his proper position on the bench as a utility infielder.

The Red Sox are 7-4 in the 11 games that both Victorino and Middlebrooks have played in.  The ability to consistently run out its intended starting lineup should give Boston the added boost necessary to continue playing good baseball. 

Statistics courtesy of RedSox.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the second month of the 2014 MLB season gets underway, the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox are a .500 ball club.  While there is still a lot of baseball remaining, Boston has already played roughly 20 percent of the games on its schedule.  That’s enough of a sample size to begin to make some conclusions about this year’s edition of the Red Sox.  Here are the five biggest takeaways based on what we’ve seen so far:

1. Jon Lester is Pitching Like an Ace

Don’t let his 3-4 record fool you.  Lester hasn’t given up more than four earned runs in any of his seven outings, and he’s allowed two or fewer in five of them.  Unfortunately for him the Red Sox are averaging just 2.57 runs per game when he’s on the mound.

Lester has thrown 48.2 innings, the most in the American League for pitchers who have yet to make eight starts.  His 58 strikeouts rank him second in the AL, and his 2.59 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .277 opponent’s on-base percentage are all in the top 10.

After Lester hurled eight scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a victory over the Oakland Athletics on May 3, Tony Lee of ESPN Boston wrote the following:

In a vintage effort that will be placed right up next to his no-hitter in 2008 and his many outstanding postseason performances, Lester struck out a career-high 15 in eight shutout innings of a 6-3 win over Oakland on Saturday. It was the most strikeouts by a Red Sox pitcher since Pedro Martinez more than 13 years ago and the highest total for a Boston lefty in a nine-inning game. Ever.

Lester has anchored a pitching staff with a 3.61 ERA overall, good for third best in the AL.  Boston’s offense is the bigger issue, in large part because…

2. The Red Sox Miss Jacoby Ellsbury

In 2013, Ellsbury batted leadoff in 134 games for Boston, hitting .298 with a .355 on-base percentage.  This season Red Sox leadoff men are batting a combined .221 with an OBP of .309.  Through 34 games Boston has also used five different players at the top of the order—although Dustin Pedroia now appears to be settling into the role, having hit first in the Red Sox’s last 12 contests.

In addition to Ellsbury’s spark at the beginning of the lineup, Boston sorely misses his speed as well.  As a team the Red Sox have stolen 11 bases this year, dead last in the American League and just one more than the 10 Ellsbury has on his own.

In 2013 Boston scored an average of 5.27 runs per game, but this season that number is down to 4.15.  While the departure of Ellsbury is definitely a contributing factor, it’s far from the only reason…

3. Everybody Needs to Start Hitting

The Red Sox led all of baseball in runs scored a season ago, and by a wide margin (853, to the second-place Detroit Tigers‘ 796).  To this point in 2014 Boston is tied for thirteenth.  Last year the Red Sox’s team batting average was .277, currently it stands at .247.

Three regulars are hitting .225 (Jonny Gomes) or below (Will Middlebrooks, .216 and Jackie Bradley Jr., .210), and Daniel Nava was batting just .149 before getting demoted to Triple-A.

Boston’s stars are underperforming as well.  Dustin Pedroia is a career .302 hitter but is only batting .284, while David Ortiz’s .258 average is well below his career mark of .286.

The offense will likely heat up as the season continues, but…

4. It’s not 2013

The Red Sox caught lightning in a bottle last year, turning a 69-93 team from 2012 into World Series winners 12 months later.  It’s unreasonable to expect all the same magic to happen again in 2014.  

Thirty-eight-year-old Koji Uehara, the team’s third option at closer after Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey went down with injuries, became unhittable; posting a 1.09 ERA and 0.57 WHIP while striking out 101 batters in 74.1 innings.

Clay Buchholz went 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA in his first 12 starts before going on the disabled list in June.

Coming off Tommy John surgery, John Lackey (3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) had his best season since 2007.

And David Ortiz, at 37 years old, batted .309 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI before putting forth one of the greatest World Series performances of all time (.688 average, .760 OPB).

Red Sox fans were somewhat spoiled by these and other unexpected surprises that led to 97 wins in 2013, and now we take it for granted and assume they’ll all happen again.  Luckily, they may not have to…

5. The AL East is Extremely Mediocre

As of May 9 Boston is 17-17 and in fourth place in the division.  But it’s only two games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles, who are 18-14.  The New York Yankees (18-15) and Toronto Blue Jays (18-17) are wedged in between, while even the last-place Tampa Bay Rays sit just 4.5 games out at 15-20.

Following a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds that got Boston back to .500 for the first time since it was 2-2, first baseman Mike Napoli had this to say about his squad’s outlook (via ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes):

Everyone’s bunched up in our division. We know that. We’re just trying to play good baseball.

It’s going to be a tough division. I mean, the way we beat each other up, everyone’s good. I expect it to be close, but do I believe in our team? Yeah. Do I believe we can win the division? Yeah. I don’t see anyone going away from everyone. Good division. The players, pitchers, hitters, the way we all play the game. Should be fun.

It’s quite possible the Red Sox won’t need to repeat their greatness of 2013 in order to win the AL East this year.  “Pretty good” may be enough to get the job done.

Statistics courtesy of RedSox.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Boston Red Sox have begun 2014 with Felix Doubront as the No. 3 starter in their rotation.  After holding down the No. 5 spot the past two seasons, the 26-year-old is now entering his third full year in the big leagues.  Is the talented lefty finally ready to make the most of his potential?

In 2012, Doubront posted an ERA of 4.86, and last season, he trimmed that down by over half a run to 4.32.  A similar improvement this year could place him among the more successful starting pitchers in the American League.

Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston recently wrote the following about Doubront:

The left-hander came to camp in far better shape than a year ago, and may be on the cusp, at age 26, of a breakout season. He made some mechanical adjustments to tighten his delivery, and if he develops some greater consistency in his fastball command, he could be a big winner.

Doubront himself shares a similar outlook, via Mass Live’s Jason Mastrodonato:

“This is a big year for me. I know that and I went into the offseason thinking that. I have to be strong, mentally and physically and try to be healthy the whole year. You never know what’s going to happen, but you have to be prepared.”

However, there is an argument to be made that in Doubront‘s case it may actually be very easy to predict what is going to happen in 2014.  With the exception of his ERA, Doubront has put up nearly identical numbers in each of the last two seasons:

Doubront‘s first start this year fell very much in line with what one might expect from looking at the above statistics.  On April 3 in Baltimore, he allowed six hits, a walk and three earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched.  His performance was nothing to write home about, but on that day, it was good enough to earn the victory.

Tuesday, Doubront will take the mound for the second time this season, facing the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park.  A potent lineup that features multiple left-handed hitters, Doubront could easily shut them down, or get lit up—but chances are he’ll give us something somewhere in between.

Even if Doubront doesn’t make any major strides in 2014, in a rotation featuring veterans Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz and Jake Peavy, another campaign as a serviceable No. 5 starter should suit the Red Sox just fine.

Statistics courtesy of RedSox.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com