2007 Boston Red Sox Prospects

2007 Boston Red Sox Prospects

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Grade B+ (not as much power as Damon but otherwise similar)
   
2. Clay Buchholz, RHP, Grade B+ (good combination of stuff and command)
   
3. Michael Bowden, RHP, Grade B+ (good combination of stuff and command)
   
4. Craig Hansen, RHP B+ (I am still optimistic about him but he was rushed)
   
5. Lars Anderson, 1B, B (I love this guy, enormous power potential)
   
6. Daniel Bard, RHP, B (Best stuff in the system but may need more time than other college arms)
   
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B, B (Another personal favorite)
   
8. George Kottaras , C, B (Should be ready in 2008, solid player but not terrific)
   
9. Justin Masterson, RHP, B (Underrated ground ball artist with great control)
   
10. Bryce Cox, RHP, B- (Great arm but Rice pitchers scare me)
    
11. Jason Place, OF, B- (Toolsy outfielder, is he Francoeur or Assadoorian?)
    
12. Kris Johnson, LHP, C+ (Good recovery from Tommy John)
    
13. Caleb Clay, RHP, C+ (Young raw high school arm)
    
14. David Murphy, OF, C+ (Solid fourth outfielder)
    
15. Carlos Fernandez-Oliva, OF, C+ (A long way from the majors but good hitting potential)
    
16. Edgar Martinez, RHP, C+ (another sound middle relief arm)
    
17. Jed Lowrie, INF, C+ (Somewhat disappointing season but controls the zone well)
    
18. Chad Spann, 3B, C+ (Joe Randa clone?)
    
19. Jeff Natale, 2B, C+ (who the hell is this guy? .950 career OPS out of a 5-8 body)
    
20. Aaron Bates, 1B, C+ (Interesting power bat from '06 draft)

Others of Note: Jeff Corsaletti, OF; Jordan Craft, RHP; Felix Doubront, LHP; Jon Egan, C; Devern Hansack, RHP; Tommy Hottovy, LHP; Kyle Jackson, RHP; Ryan Kalish, OF; Brandon Moss; OF; Kris Negron, SS: Josh Papelbon, RHP, Dustin Richardson, LHP; Mike Rozier, LHP; Mark Wagner, C; Ty Weeden, C.

The Red Sox in One Sentence: The huge windfall of the 2006 draft recharged this system quickly.

There is a lot to like here, including a nice assortment of power arms and hitters with both polish and upside.

ALL GRADES ARE PRELIMINARY. If you hate a grade, feel free to make a case for me to change it, though remember that cases phrased respectfully using logic and facts are more likely to be viewed positively than those featuring insults and invective.

There is a lot of slack in the B-/C+/C range and players may move up and down depending on how my thinking progresses. Feel free to make comments, point out sleepers I may have missed, etc. Note that there is only a limited amount of space in the book, and the max I can do is 35-36 players per team.

And, as always, there is the helpful reminder to Buy My Book, which will lay out reports for all these guys (and more) in detail.