Boston Sports Then and Now

It was a rough week for Red Sox minor league affiliates.

Pawtucket Red Sox (19-18, 3rd in North East)

The Pawtucket Red Sox had a good week any way you slice it. Kris Johnson, who struggled mightily after being a supplemental first round pick years back, was released from the organization. As far as games go, not so good. They started the week with a loss to the Gwinett Braves on Thursday and then Friday, only to lose two more to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees over the weekend. They got over the hump with a win over the Yanks before the last game was postponed.

Trending Up- Brandon Duckworth 3.27/1.21/.250/.632 (ERA, WHIP, AVG, OPS)

The name may not be as flashy or known to Boston fans, but Duckworth has been one of the most solid pitchers for Pawtucket. With Felix Doubront hurt and Michael Bowden now in Boston, Duckworth is arguably the best pitcher on the staff. You can make the case for Matt Fox but Duckworth’s numbers are just a little better. With Matsuzaka and Lackey out for the foreseeable future, we might see this guy sometime soon.

Trending Down- Matt Sheely .185/.290/.185/.476 (AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS)

Sheely was not promoted to the PawSox until Jose Iglesias was to Boston, but this guy is just terrible. In Portland he did nothing and he cannot be expected to do more at a higher level. I question why Alex Hassan was not recalled instead. He is the better prospect and will get more out this promotion than the non-prospect Sheely. A weak hitting outfielder with little skills, he won’t be around for long.

Portland Sea Dogs (12-13, 6th in Eastern)

Read the rest of this entry →

Yamaico Navarro has potentially a bright future, but it won't be with the Red Sox.

It seemed like every game was rained out this week, which is typical of New England this time of year. What games got in, and who played well?

Pawtucket Red Sox (11-7, 2nd in Northeast)

The PawSox started off the week on the wrong foot with a loss to the Rochester Red Wings. They went on to win the next game of the series versus the Wings, but the final game of the series was postponed.

Trending Up: Yamiaco Navarro .323/.455/.500/.955

Unfortunately, Navarro may be destined to rot in the minors a few years before being traded. With Jose Iglesias and Jed Lowrie in the way, it’s too bad this kid doesn’t have a likely future in Boston. He struggled in his Red Sox appearances but has been a top prospect in the system the last few seasons. He is a good SS, 2B and 3B and has the ability to play corner outfield. He has an MLB future, but most likely not in Boston.

Trending Down: Ryan Kalish .236/.300/.309/.609

Kalish suffered an injury to his shoulder this week in which he will be sidelined at least a month. He has struggled thus far this season with the PawSox and this is no doubt a setback. He will likely sit a month but his long term future should be a huge concern. For the short term don’t be shocked to see Navarro in LF and Daniel Nava in RF.

Portland Sea Dogs (5-6, Last in Eastern)

Read the rest of this entry →

Top pitching prospect Anthony Ranaudo has given up just one run in 15 innings for the Drive.

The Red Sox minor league affiliates are off to a better start than the big club this season. Alex Hassan, Tony Thomas, and Josh Reddick are three of the hottest hitters in the minors right now. The organizations affiliates as a whole are taking minor league baseball by storm.

Pawtucket Red Sox (8-6, 2nd in North Division)

It seems the PawSox cannot get a regularly scheduled game in. This week Pawtucket played mostly in upstate New York as they took on the Syracuse Chiefs and Buffalo Bisons. The PawSox held a double-header on Thursday, losing both games to the Chiefs. The next day was a win as they concluded their series with Syracuse. After a double-header sweep of the Bisons on the Sunday, Pawtucket began a new series with the Chiefs, defeating them 5-1 on Monday.

Trending Up

Josh Reddick .311/.404/.556/.959 (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS)

Reddick had his struggles last season, especially in Boston. After he got sent back down to AAA he found more success, but his OBP has always been a problem for the outfielder,  but his .400 clip is a terrific sign early on. At 22 years old he has plenty of time to develop, but one has to wonder about his future in Boston.

Honorable mention: Yamiaco Navarro

Trending Down

Kyle Weiland 4.26/1.74/.286 (ERA/WHIP/BAA)

Kris Johnson would have been the easy choice to list here, but we’ll go with Kyle Weiland. Weiland is a guy I got to see pitch last season in Portland, and I was impressed.  His fastball was mid-nineties and his curve ball was an out pitch. I was excited to see how he would do a step above Portland, and so far I am disappointed. His numbers are by no means terrible, but I just expected more. It is a small sample size, so hopefully he can continue to progress as the season goes on.

Read the rest of this entry →

Boston Red Sox season preview.

Happy Opening Day Red Sox Nation! After a lost season in which the Red Sox finished third in the AL East and were haunted by injuries, Theo Eptein and the team’s brain trust were not content. Upgrades were made and the Sox brought superstars Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.

This 2011 season will one for the ages and BST&N has and will continue to have you covered. Starting in late February, your hard-working Sox bloggers have compiled Red Sox player previews, Red Sox minor league previews, and American League East previews. Below is a compilation of everything you possibly need to know heading into this highly anticipated season. It starts with the previews and hopefully ends on a brisk October night.

Player Previews:

David Ortiz

Kevin Youkilis

Adrian Gonzalez

Dustin Pedroia

Carl Crawford

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Jacoby Ellsbury

JD Drew

Marco Scutaro

Mike Cameron

Jon Lester

Clay Buchholz

Josh Beckett

John Lackey

Daisuke Matsuzaka

The Bullpen

Minor League Previews:

Lowell Spinners

Salem Red Sox

Greenville Drive

Portland Sea Dogs

Pawtucket Red Sox

AL East Previews:

New York Yankees

Baltimore Orioles

Tampa Bay Rays

Toronto Blue Jays

Salem Red Sox season preview.

Last season the Salem Red Sox’s season ended with a loss to southern division leader Winston-Salem Dash. The Salem Sox did finish with the second best record and this season will have plenty more prospects to develop as they look to take the title.

Last year they certainly did a good job, with prospects like Ryan Lavarnway and Anthony Rizzo move up. Rizzo became one of the prime pieces that sent Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox. Lavarnway has become one of the Red Sox best hitting prospects in the organization and is expected to start the season as the Portland Sea Dogs catcher.

Third baseman Will Middlebrooks will also move up to the Double-A affiliate after hitting .276 on the season with 12 home runs. Salems’s downfall throughout the season, however, was pitching. They did not have one regular with an ERA under 4.00, the lowest being Stolmy Pimentel’s 4.06.

This season they look to have one of the best pitching staffs in the Carolina League, with prospects loading the rotation one through five. The staff will be led by Drake Britton, a left handed pitcher who broke out with the Greenville Drive last season. Britton missed the 2009 season with Tommy John surgery, and really bounced back last season with a 2.97 ERA.

Also joining the staff will be top pitching prospect Anthony Ranaudo. Ranaudo has had elbow issues that caused him to struggle with LSU, and he dropped to the Red Sox in the supplemental round. At 6-7, he is a tall kid with a dominating fastball and elite secondary pitches.

Other draftees in the rotation are Chris Hernandez and Brandon Workman. Workman was the second round pick for Boston. Workman’s style fits his name, as he works deep into the game with a good fastball and a dominating cutter that could be his best pitch. Hernandez is a lefty that pitched for Miami in college. His fastball is below average, so he needs to develop his secondary pitches.

Read the rest of this entry →