Waiting for Godot: The Official 2013 Prospect thread

[AI4]

Xander Cage (Ask Vin Diesel): You think Xander Bogaerts could be top 10 by seasons end?

Kevin Goldstein: He COULD be. That does not mean I'm saying he will be.


Nater1177 (levittown pa): Brandon Jacobs as a top 50 guy is higher than I would have expected. What have you heard/seen that has him so highly regarded?

Kevin Goldstein: Fantastic combination of performance and tools.


LaserShow (SoCal): Percent chance Bogaerts sticks at SS?

Kevin Goldstein: Very, very low. Single digit percentage.


BabyJaypers (Queens): Does Middlebrooks have the chance to hit 3-4-5 in a first division lineup?

Kevin Goldstein: A chance, but more likely No. 6.


Brian (Chicago): Are there guys that missed the list with 80 tools?

Kevin Goldstein: Plenty of 80 runners. Some put an 80 of Jose Iglesias' glove.


Nater1177 (Levittown Pa): Speaking of Iglesias..did he garner any consideration near the bottom of list based on the stellar glove and 'youngest in AAA' standing?

Kevin Goldstein: He did not.


Bill Simmons (Grantland Office): I haven't seen the Red Sox farm system this bad in a long time. Tell me something good to cheer me up!

Kevin Goldstein: I think their system is quite good actually, especially in terms of depth.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ch...php?chatId=899

[avrpatsfan]

#1: Bill Simmons is a dumbass for saying our farm system is bad right now. Do some research man, it's the best it's been since pre-AGon trade.
#2: The fact the KG thinks that Bogaerts could be top 10 in the MLB prospects is very exciting to me. He has such a high ceiling, the sky is the limit. Can't wait to see how he does this year.
#3: Good to see Jacobs get the respect he deserves. I've been following him for a while now and he's a legit player. Potential to be a 3-5 tool guy if he works on his defense. He can hit for power, average, has speed, and has a solid arm. If he works on reading the ball off the bat, he's a 5 tool player. Seems a lot like Ellsbury except obviously not as good and less speed. Not a bad comparison IMO.
#4: Interesting to see Iglesias not even whiff the list. He has an 80 glove, you would think that would give him a big boost. But I guess not. If he can prove that he can hit decently, he'll be on the list easily next year. Let's hope he does.

[-Lavigne43-]

I highly doubt that was actually Bill Simmons, not that I think Simmons knows much about the farm system.

Jacobs shouldn't be in the top 100. It's nice to see him viewed as having that much trade value though.

[AI4]

Jacobs has the tools and those translated to production this year. Let's see how he does against more advanced pitching.

[AI4]

Jim Callis and Speier podcast on Red Sox farm system...

http://audio.weei.com/device/mobile/...arm-system.htm

[-Lavigne43-]

System In 20 Words Or Less: Trades, graduations, and a lot of players going backwards leaves the system deep but not as star-studded as in past years.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Xander Bogaerts, SS
Four-Star Prospects
2. Brandon Jacobs, OF
3. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
4. Ryan Lavarnway, C/DH
Three-Star Prospects
5. Blake Swihart, C
6. Bryce Brentz, OF
7. Matt Barnes, RHP
8. Garin Cecchini, 3B
9. Anthony Ranaudo, RHP
10. Jose Iglesias, SS
11. Sean Coyle, 2B
Nine More:
12. Jose Vinicio, SS: Dominican shortstop has plus glove and line-drive bat but little power and patience.
13. Jackie Bradley, OF: Coming off an ugly junior season; solid tools across the board but nothing star level.
14. Henry Owens, RHP: Supplemental first-round pick is loaded with projection but not a ton of right-now stuff.
15. Alex Wilson, RHP: Short, wide righty has back-end starter potential and could help this year.
16. Brandon Workman, RHP: Posted a solid full-season debut, but it was in Low-A and he's already 23.
17. Drake Britton, RHP: Anticipated breakout never happened; power arsenal from the left side might fit better in the ‘pen.
18. Stolmy Pimentel, RHP: The righty has stagnated at the upper-levels, turning 2012 into a potential make-or-break year.
19. Williams Jerez, OF: 2011 second-round pick is among the best athletes in the system but is very raw.
20. Cody Kukuk, LHP: 2011 seventh-rounder is long-levered with potential for plus fastball/slider combination.

1. Xander Bogaerts, SS
DOB: 10/1/92
Height/Weight: 6’3/175
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Signed: Aruba, 2009
2011 Stats: .260/.324/.509 at A (72 G)
Tools Profile: Hardly one dimensional, but it's the power that stands out.

Year in Review: Last year's Dominican Summer League star forced his way to full-season ball at 18 and put on a show with his power.
The Good: Bogaerts has easy plus-plus raw power, but what makes him special is his ability to tap into it against live pitching at such a young age. He gets his entire body into his torque-loaded swing and does not need to fully square-up a ball to get it to leave the park. He's a good athlete for a slugger with borderline average speed and a very strong arm.
The Bad: Bogaerts lacks the instincts, skills, and speed to be a shortstop and is quickly growing out of the position. He has the tools to fit at third, but there are some concerns that he could grow his way into a corner outfield spot. His swing crosses the border from lofted to uppercut at times, and a high strikeout rate will likely always be a part of his game.
Ephemera: Gene Kingsale, who hit three home runs in 211 big league games spanning 1996-2003, is the only player born in Aruba to go deep in the big leagues.
Perfect World Projection: Cleanup hitter who can compete for home run titles, just not at shortstop.
Fantasy Impact: Will hit plenty of home runs but might not hit for a high average and won't steal bases.
Path to the Big Leagues: Bogaerts was one of the youngest players in the Sally League last year, and he'll be among the youngest again as a 19-year-old in the Carolina League.
ETA: 2015.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...rticleid=16031

Also found Iglesias on ESPN

10. Jose Iglesias, SS

DOB: 1/5/90

Height/Weight: 5’11/175

Bats/Throws: R/R

Drafted/Signed: Cuba, 2009

2011 Stats: .235/.285/.269 at AAA (101 G); .333/.333/.333 at MLB (10 G)

Tools Profile: Drool-worthy defense.

Year in Review: Future Gold Glove candidate ended the year with major concerns about his bat.

The Good: The rarest 80 grade in scouting is that of shortstop defense, but some scouts have put just that on Iglesias's glove. He makes every play look easy with outstanding instincts, perfect fundamentals and a plus arm, while also being capable of highlight-reel plays every night. He makes consistent contact at the plate and hits left-handers well.

The Bad: One scout dubbed Iglesias “Rey Ordonez 2.0” due to his remarkable defense and consistently weak contact at the plate. He has almost no power and will never be a big base-stealer, so a more patient approach would help his cause.

Ephemera: In 624 professional at-bats, Iglesias's lone home run occurred on August 26 of last year when he hit one to left field against Scranton right-hander Adam Warren.

Perfect World Projection: Everyday shortstop with just enough bat to hit ninth.

Fantasy Impact: For masochists only.

Path to the Big Leagues: The Red Sox don't have a shortstop of the future for now, but they hope another year at Triple-A will kick start Iglesisas’s bat, if only a little.

ETA: Late 2012.

The rest of the top ten is behind a pay wall

[avrpatsfan]

Scouting report for Bogaerts by Baseball Prospectus, anybody got a membership so we can get the others?

1. Xander Bogaerts, SS
DOB: 10/1/92
Height/Weight: 6’3/175
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Signed: Aruba, 2009
2011 Stats: .260/.324/.509 at A (72 G)
Tools Profile: Hardly one dimensional, but it's the power that stands out.

Year in Review: Last year's Dominican Summer League star forced his way to full-season ball at 18 and put on a show with his power.
The Good: Bogaerts has easy plus-plus raw power, but what makes him special is his ability to tap into it against live pitching at such a young age. He gets his entire body into his torque-loaded swing and does not need to fully square-up a ball to get it to leave the park. He's a good athlete for a slugger with borderline average speed and a very strong arm.
The Bad: Bogaerts lacks the instincts, skills, and speed to be a shortstop and is quickly growing out of the position. He has the tools to fit at third, but there are some concerns that he could grow his way into a corner outfield spot. His swing crosses the border from lofted to uppercut at times, and a high strikeout rate will likely always be a part of his game.
Ephemera: Gene Kingsale, who hit three home runs in 211 big league games spanning 1996-2003, is the only player born in Aruba to go deep in the big leagues.
Perfect World Projection: Cleanup hitter who can compete for home run titles, just not at shortstop.
Fantasy Impact: Will hit plenty of home runs but might not hit for a high average and won't steal bases.
Path to the Big Leagues: Bogaerts was one of the youngest players in the Sally League last year, and he'll be among the youngest again as a 19-year-old in the Carolina League.
ETA: 2015.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...rticleid=16031

[avrpatsfan]

"Cleanup hitter who can compete for home run titles, just not at shortstop."

Love it.

[AI4]

Would've been awesome had we got the 2 picks from Ortiz and the other pick from Wheeler. 6 picks in the first/supplemental round would've catapulted our farm in my opinion.

[-Lavigne43-]

2012 draft bonus pools: http://ht.ly/9aVJn

[AI4]

Baseball America's Top 100

Middlebrooks, Xander and Swihart made the list

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...2/2612998.html

[corky831]

^ pretty good ****, like what they say about Swihart and Xander...I still wish the Sox tried to get Josh Bell last yr in the draft *sigh*

[AI4]

I was probably the guy who wanted Bell the most in this forum. That being said, even I thought he wouldn't sign. Consider him a steal by the Pirates in the 2nd round.

[SirHizz]

Decent list, 3 Sox in the top 100. But we could really use a Top 10-20 prospect. Boagerts and Swihart with a good chance to crack the top spots within the next 2 years.

Again, the recent draft has made our farm so much better and deeper. Bell would have great, too.
Our top 3 (from BA) doesn't even include Lavarnway. I have yet to read a legit reason why Montero is listed at least 95 spots ahead of him (likely more as Lavarnway wouldn't have been ranked 101 by BA)

[AI4]

Me neither, only reason could be age, even then it doesn't justify the reason of not even making the list with his plus bat, plate approach, power.