Sox Top 20 Prospects

[Britt Burns]

I've been meaning to do this since the minor league season ended, and since I'm too antsy waiting for the game tomorrow to do anything productive, here it goes.

First off, only two rookies made an impact at the Major League level for the Sox: Alexei Ramirez and Clayton Richard. While that isn't a ton of help from the minors, Ramirez should be at least the runner-up ROY, and Richard came out of nowhere to have a few nice outings. It should also be noted that none of the prospects the Sox traded in the offseason did much at the majors: Gio Gonzalez got raked (although he should still be good), Ryan Sweeney had a good average but less punch than, say, Dewayne Wise, Fautino De Los Santos was out with a career-threatening injury and Chris Carter had a nice if not spectacular season in Hi A.

Despite what appears at first glance to be a strong 2008 draft, the Sox still have to rank pretty low among talent compared to the rest of the majors. That being said, the top three hitters drafted (Beckham, Morel, and Danks) have potential and several arms (Nevin Griffith, Nathan Jones, Daniel Hudson, Dexter Carter) who could breakthrough in 2009.

1. Gordon Beckham, SS - the Sox best middle infield prospect since...Bucky Dent? Luke Appling? He should start at High A next year, and I am dying to see him and Alexei up the middle for years to come.
2. Aaron Poreda, LHP - Had a good season, although he did not dominate as it may be expected from someone with his size and stuff. At a bare minimum he should have a nice career as a LOOGY, with a #3 or #4 starter as his ceiling.
3. Brandon Allen, 1B/DH - Big dropoff here from the top two. Allen hit well in two pitcher's parks, was fairly young for AA, and even stole 17 bases. Next year should tell if he continues to improve or keeps his track as a AAAA/platoon type player. I think of Dan Pasqua when I see Allen, which admittedly is an imperfect comparison.
4. Chris Getz, SS/2B - He's gotten better every year and should be a solid bench player. Another lefty bat. His injury late in the season shouldn't affect him in 2009.
5. Brent Morel, 3B - Was seen as a bit of a reach at the 86th overall pick in the 2008 draft, but turned in a solid performance at Great Falls and Kanny. He got stronger as the season went on, finding his power stroke in the last few weeks of the season and displaying a good eye at the plate. Strong fielder.
6. Garrett Johnson, LHP - Stands 6-10 and is lefthanded. Hmmmm, who does that remind you of? Unfortunately he projects more as a left-handed Jon Rauch than a Big Unit, which still ain't too bad.
7. Dexter Carter, RHP - see below.
8. Dan Hudson, RHP - see above.
(seriously, Carter and Hudson both came from Old Dominion, were born six weeks apart, and are hard-throwing rightys. Thier stat lines at Great Falls: 6-1, 2.23, 68 IPs 25 BB 89 K; 5-4, 3.36, 69 IPs 22 BB 90 K. Carter is considered the better, although more raw prospect. No word if they room together on the road. Weird.)
9. John Shelby, OF - His stock dropped when his glove forced a move from 2B to the outfield. Did have a good season at W-S: .295/15/80 37 2B, 33 SB.
10. Nevin Griffith, RHP - The Sox 2nd round pick in 2007 has been brought along slowly but has a big league arm. Could rocket up this list in 2009, as could the next three players.
11. Jaun Silverio, SS - A terrible year, but his first and he was only 17 (cough, cough). He may have to move out of short.
12. Jordan Danks, OF - Could have been drafted in the first two or three rounds of the 2005 draft, but went to UT instead where he had a solid career, although his power never came around. Had a strong few weeks at Kanny to end the season. Good batting eye, speed, and solid D in CF in college. Brother of John Danks.
13. Jose Martinez, OF - Six-five, will be 20 at the start of next season. Hit .306 in limited action at Kanny.
14. Kanekoa Teixeria - Pitched well at W-S and B-ham. Middle reliever type.
15. John Ely, RHP - Good arm, poor results so far.
16. Leroy Hunt, RHP - If he gets control he could be a poor (and slightly thinner) man's Bobby Jenks.
17. Jack Egbert, RHP - Always lightly regarded despite impressive stats, injuries slowed him down this year. His peripherals were still good.
18. Gregory Infante, RHP - Great at Bristol, got lit up in Kanny.
19. Mike Grace, C - The closest the Sox have to a catching prospect. Don't get hurt AJ!
20. Tyler Kuhn, SS - Owned the Pioneer League to the tune of .375/.424/.570. Bats lefty.

I'd have to believe that John Shelby is higher than our 9th best prospect. But that's just me. I am intrigued by Kuhn, Carter, Hudson, and Allen, though.

PS Where's Jon Link?

Nice job Britt.

[gr8mexico]

Can we hurry and trade them for something good

[Craig Grebeck]

My top ten:

Beckham
Poreda
Allen
Getz
Richard
Danks
Egbert
Harrell
Shelby
Carter

Others I like: Hudson, Teixeira, Rasner, Morel, Link, Johnson, Hunt.

Really, really down on Silverio. First reports on him were awful. Plus the uncertainty regarding his age.

[Britt Burns]

Originally Posted by btrain929

I'd have to believe that John Shelby is higher than our 9th best prospect. But that's just me. I am intrigued by Kuhn, Carter, Hudson, and Allen, though.

PS Where's Jon Link?

Nice job Britt.

Shelby's relatively poor BB/K ratio has me worried he can keep improving as he progresses, and as mentioned him moving to left field puts a serious dent in his prospect status. That being said, I don't think it would be out of line to put him in the 5 or 6 range, before Carter and Hudson but after Getz.

As for Link, you are absolutely correct, I overlooked him. I'd put him after Teixiera maybe, who is younger but less polished.

[Bucky F. Dent]

Originally Posted by Britt Burns

I've been meaning to do this since the minor league season ended, and since I'm too antsy waiting for the game tomorrow to do anything productive, here it goes.

Don't be ridiculous, Britt. This is extremely productive. Thanks for the effort!

[Bucky F. Dent]

Originally Posted by Craig Grebeck

Really, really down on Silverio. First reports on him were awful. Plus the uncertainty regarding his age.

Is this the first product of the Wilder scandal?

[Craig Grebeck]

Originally Posted by Bucky F. Dent

Is this the first product of the Wilder scandal?

Nothing's confirmed. I've read tidbits online that aren't worth much, but judging by the Wilder scandal as well as Silverio's lack of publicity this season, I think there may be something to it.

Originally Posted by Craig Grebeck

Nothing's confirmed. I've read tidbits online that aren't worth much, but judging by the Wilder scandal as well as Silverio's lack of publicity this season, I think there may be something to it.

Keep in mind............HE'S 17. It's not like he was expected to be ready for the big league roster in '09. We have him, so might as well see what he can do. It'd be foolish to cast him off already as a bust.

[Craig Grebeck]

Originally Posted by btrain929

Keep in mind............HE'S 17. It's not like he was expected to be ready for the big league roster in '09. We have him, so might as well see what he can do. It'd be foolish to cast him off already as a bust.

What I'm saying is that I'm not totally convinced he is in fact seventeen years old.

Originally Posted by Craig Grebeck

What I'm saying is that I'm not totally convinced he is in fact seventeen years old.

Besides him being from the Dominican (or wherever he's from), what gives you that impression? I met him in Spring Training, and while he's tall, he looked very young.

[Optipessimism]

Originally Posted by btrain929

Besides him being from the Dominican (or wherever he's from), what gives you that impression? I met him in Spring Training, and while he's tall, he looked very young.

Does Alexei Ramirez look 26? He looks like he's about 20 to me. Appearances can be deceiving.

Two bits of info came out in regards to Silverio:

First Phil Rogers calls him a 16-year-old man-child in a little blurb where he explains a few international FA signings. The source of this info is either Wilder, who was fired, or his man Regier, who was re-assigned. So you have corrupt baseball people passing word along to a hack reporter who doesn't see the kid play, and we're supposed to believe any of that is true?

The next bit of info came from an ex-poster at Soxtalk who claimed to be a newly hired player development staff member and somehow knew intimate details of the entire scandal WELL before anyone in the public did, and this guy said he was 20 years old.

For me personally, the poster at Soxtalk is the more credible of the two. While he may be lying, he knew way too much for him to not be involved with the Sox organization somehow. I think either he works for the team, works for another organization, or is closely related to someone who does. Whoever provided the info is a legit source, much more legit IMO than Phil Rogers who prints what gets passed along to him.

Silverio hasn't done anything this year and as another poster mentioned, the talk around him has definitely died down. Silverio may in fact be a prospect for all we know, but anytime a SS who can't play defense signs for $600K and puts up a .228/.265/.361/.586 line in Bristol it looks like a huge waste of cash. 56 K's to 8 BB's, 12 XBH's in 215 AB's is absolutely pathetic, 17 years old or not.

Keep in mind, Jordan Danks, a legit prospect who could've gone in the supplemental first or second round on talent alone, signed for about $500K. There are undrafted 18-year-old high school kids that could hit better than that at Bristol, and for $600K you'd expect the type of kid that, if he'd been in the draft, would've been listed as one of the top-100 prospects in the nation and possibly taken in the first three rounds if his agent isn't a factor. Silverio sure doesn't sound like a player with that kind of talent.

That $600K didn't prevent us from signing a certain draft pick or signing a FA. Every foreign prospect won't turn into a stud. I'll still give him time. If he's a bust, he's a bust. Oh well.

[Optipessimism]

Originally Posted by Britt Burns

I've been meaning to do this since the minor league season ended, and since I'm too antsy waiting for the game tomorrow to do anything productive, here it goes.

First off, only two rookies made an impact at the Major League level for the Sox: Alexei Ramirez and Clayton Richard. While that isn't a ton of help from the minors, Ramirez should be at least the runner-up ROY, and Richard came out of nowhere to have a few nice outings. It should also be noted that none of the prospects the Sox traded in the offseason did much at the majors: Gio Gonzalez got raked (although he should still be good), Ryan Sweeney had a good average but less punch than, say, Dewayne Wise, Fautino De Los Santos was out with a career-threatening injury and Chris Carter had a nice if not spectacular season in Hi A.

Despite what appears at first glance to be a strong 2008 draft, the Sox still have to rank pretty low among talent compared to the rest of the majors. That being said, the top three hitters drafted (Beckham, Morel, and Danks) have potential and several arms (Nevin Griffith, Nathan Jones, Daniel Hudson, Dexter Carter) who could breakthrough in 2009.

1. Gordon Beckham, SS - the Sox best middle infield prospect since...Bucky Dent? Luke Appling? He should start at High A next year, and I am dying to see him and Alexei up the middle for years to come.
2. Aaron Poreda, LHP - Had a good season, although he did not dominate as it may be expected from someone with his size and stuff. At a bare minimum he should have a nice career as a LOOGY, with a #3 or #4 starter as his ceiling.
3. Brandon Allen, 1B/DH - Big dropoff here from the top two. Allen hit well in two pitcher's parks, was fairly young for AA, and even stole 17 bases. Next year should tell if he continues to improve or keeps his track as a AAAA/platoon type player. I think of Dan Pasqua when I see Allen, which admittedly is an imperfect comparison.
4. Chris Getz, SS/2B - He's gotten better every year and should be a solid bench player. Another lefty bat. His injury late in the season shouldn't affect him in 2009.
5. Brent Morel, 3B - Was seen as a bit of a reach at the 86th overall pick in the 2008 draft, but turned in a solid performance at Great Falls and Kanny. He got stronger as the season went on, finding his power stroke in the last few weeks of the season and displaying a good eye at the plate. Strong fielder.
6. Garrett Johnson, LHP - Stands 6-10 and is lefthanded. Hmmmm, who does that remind you of? Unfortunately he projects more as a left-handed Jon Rauch than a Big Unit, which still ain't too bad.
7. Dexter Carter, RHP - see below.
8. Dan Hudson, RHP - see above.
(seriously, Carter and Hudson both came from Old Dominion, were born six weeks apart, and are hard-throwing rightys. Thier stat lines at Great Falls: 6-1, 2.23, 68 IPs 25 BB 89 K; 5-4, 3.36, 69 IPs 22 BB 90 K. Carter is considered the better, although more raw prospect. No word if they room together on the road. Weird.)
9. John Shelby, OF - His stock dropped when his glove forced a move from 2B to the outfield. Did have a good season at W-S: .295/15/80 37 2B, 33 SB.
10. Nevin Griffith, RHP - The Sox 2nd round pick in 2007 has been brought along slowly but has a big league arm. Could rocket up this list in 2009, as could the next three players.
11. Jaun Silverio, SS - A terrible year, but his first and he was only 17 (cough, cough). He may have to move out of short.
12. Jordan Danks, OF - Could have been drafted in the first two or three rounds of the 2005 draft, but went to UT instead where he had a solid career, although his power never came around. Had a strong few weeks at Kanny to end the season. Good batting eye, speed, and solid D in CF in college. Brother of John Danks.
13. Jose Martinez, OF - Six-five, will be 20 at the start of next season. Hit .306 in limited action at Kanny.
14. Kanekoa Teixeria - Pitched well at W-S and B-ham. Middle reliever type.
15. John Ely, RHP - Good arm, poor results so far.
16. Leroy Hunt, RHP - If he gets control he could be a poor (and slightly thinner) man's Bobby Jenks.
17. Jack Egbert, RHP - Always lightly regarded despite impressive stats, injuries slowed him down this year. His peripherals were still good.
18. Gregory Infante, RHP - Great at Bristol, got lit up in Kanny.
19. Mike Grace, C - The closest the Sox have to a catching prospect. Don't get hurt AJ!
20. Tyler Kuhn, SS - Owned the Pioneer League to the tune of .375/.424/.570. Bats lefty.

Charlie Shirek, Anthony Carter, and Jake Rasner would like to be on your list too. I think Rasner has a good shot of breaking out next year, ala Clayton Richard but as a better prospect. It seems we have quite a few decent prospects, but no real ace pitching prospect and only a couple position prospects with All-Star type ceilings (Beckham, Allen, and Martinez unless his injury takes him out of that category).

Don't know anything about Garrett Johnson, what does he throw?

[turners56]

Originally Posted by Craig Grebeck

My top ten:

Beckham
Poreda
Allen
Getz
Richard
Danks
Egbert
Harrell
Shelby
Carter

Others I like: Hudson, Teixeira, Rasner, Morel, Link, Johnson, Hunt.

Really, really down on Silverio. First reports on him were awful. Plus the uncertainty regarding his age.

That's Mark Teixeira's brother right?