My favorites:

 

Braulio Ortiz - Really had a strong last couple months last year.

 

Brandon Brennan - Comming back from TJ.

 

Thaddius Lowry - Young LHP who has some good potential. Will he start in Kannapolis?

 

Brad Goldberg - We'll probably see him in AAA by the end of the season if he does well like last year.

 

Kevin Vance - I'll be interested if he can manage his control better.

 

One name that I'm interested in that you didn't name is JB Wendelken (we acquired in Peavy trade). He had a pretty good year with Winston Salem last year, still young, and I think he can be a good bullpen option too.

Wendelken was one I almost put on there, though I was running out of room. I could have written up another 10 guys easily. The system is just a lot deeper this year.

 

I think Lowry will need another year in rookie ball, probably at Great Falls if I had to guess.

 

Wendelken was one I almost put on there, though I was running out of room. I could have written up another 10 guys easily. The system is just a lot deeper this year.

 

I think Lowry will need another year in rookie ball, probably at Great Falls if I had to guess.

 

Yeah I think Wendelken can be at AA by the end of this next season with a good year.

 

With Lowry, with a good couple of months, you see him at Kannapolis?

Yeah I think Wendelken can be at AA by the end of this next season with a good year.

 

With Lowry, with a good couple of months, you see him at Kannapolis?

Lowry ran out of gas before he even started his pro season. He needs a lot of conditioning work. I think a shorter season is better for him at this point, going straight to 130 IP would probably not go well. I could maybe see, if he opens at GF really well, he finishes at Kanny.

 

Kyle Hansen is a guy I can see making a dark horse move next year. Peripherally speaking he had a very strong year at Kanny last year. He's also a massive guy with a 6' 8" frame so I'd give him a little extra time to sort out his mechanical issues. Probably doesn't have the secondary stuff to hang as a starter but could make some noise is a reliever. Fits the Sox profile as big dude with sinker ball.

 

Ortiz is a guy I really like. His velocity has increased from '12-'13 and as the season went on in '13. Even held up when he moved into a starting role. His stuff passes the vision test and paper test. Great life on fastball, great drop on slider and high K/9 numbers. His slider is of the best pitches in the system. His FB-SL combo is MLB type stuff. Needs to harness his control obviously. Interesting the Sox moved him into a starting role as he seems destined for the pen but maybe they see something in his mechanics they think they can fix.

The Sox moving guys from the bullpen to a starting role doesn't necessarily mean they see a starter. Sometimes it does. But just as often, if they see a guy they like as a reliever, they sometimes have them start for a couple years to work on going form thrower to pitcher. For a guy like Ortiz that makes a ton of sense. And occasionally (i.e. Bassitt) they actually end up improving as starters, and then voila, you found a bonus starter.

 

Kyle Hansen is a guy I can see making a dark horse move next year. Peripherally speaking he had a very strong year at Kanny last year. He's also a massive guy with a 6' 8" frame so I'd give him a little extra time to sort out his mechanical issues. Probably doesn't have the secondary stuff to hang as a starter but could make some noise is a reliever. Fits the Sox profile as big dude with sinker ball.

 

Ortiz is a guy I really like. His velocity has increased from '12-'13 and as the season went on in '13. Even held up when he moved into a starting role. His stuff passes the vision test and paper test. Great life on fastball, great drop on slider and high K/9 numbers. His slider is of the best pitches in the system. His FB-SL combo is MLB type stuff. Needs to harness his control obviously. Interesting the Sox moved him into a starting role as he seems destined for the pen but maybe they see something in his mechanics they think they can fix.

 

The Sox like to get anyone with big stuff into the starting rotation so as to develop their secondary pitches, even if they know will likely be relievers in the future. Both Jones and Reed came through as starters.

The Sox like to get anyone with big stuff into the starting rotation so as to develop their secondary pitches, even if they know will likely be relievers in the future. Both Jones and Reed came through as starters.

Reed never started. Jones did, Petricka did, both were pretty bad at it.

 

I really hope Storm Throne pans out.

I really hope Storm Throne pans out.

Seriously, who wouldn't want to here Gene Honda saying that name as he jogs in from the bullpen?

 

Thanks for the write-ups.

 

Good stuff.

 

I'll go with Goldberg as a pitcher. Did well at three levels and was one of the better pitchers in the Big Ten.

 

position players I'll take Coats. Think he would have been a higher pick without the injury.

Still looking for my favorite, Grabe, to bounce back this year after his injury hampered season last year.

Edited February 8, 201412 yr by floridafan

Still looking for my favorite, Grabe, to bounce back this year after his injury hampered season last year.

Any chance you could extrapolate on that injury? What exactly happened?

 

Any chance you could extrapolate on that injury? What exactly happened?

 

He was on the on deck circle and took a hard line drive, that would have the distance for a home run, in a very painful area without the aid of a cup. Required surgery to remove a body part that was the size of a grape fruit. The rest of the team began wearing cups after that, even the Catcher, lol!

Oh. My.

He was on the on deck circle and took a hard line drive, that would have the distance for a home run, in a very painful area without the aid of a cup. Required surgery to remove a body part that was the size of a grape fruit. The rest of the team began wearing cups after that, even the Catcher, lol!

 

Yikes. Hopefully things are better for him!

Yikes. Hopefully things are better for him!

Thanks guys! Hoping for a good ST so he can regain some momentum!

Carry on with the thread. Don't want to make more of it then there is. Just hoping for 10 more seasons out of him. I enjoy watching my son play.

Thanks guys! Hoping for a good ST so he can regain some momentum!

Carry on with the thread. Don't want to make more of it then there is. Just hoping for 10 more seasons out of him. I enjoy watching my son play.

As you should. Is he 100% now? Slated for Kanny?

As you should. Is he 100% now? Slated for Kanny?

 

Yes he is 100% and we assume that he will be headed to Kannapolis. He has been preparing since he came back from last season. Took about 3 weeks off to fish and relax and then began his training again. He is excited to be heading out to Arizona March 5th.

Just checking out his stats, when did the injury happen? Looks like he played at the end of the season in 2013.

Had a great season in Rookie Ball. Good luck this year.

Just checking out his stats, when did the injury happen? Looks like he played at the end of the season in 2013.

Had a great season in Rookie Ball. Good luck this year.

 

The injury occurred during ST and affected his ability to be comfortable in the box, as we all can imagine! All is good now and expect a season more in keeping with his first. The past season was the first in his life hitting under .300 at any level ever played.

I don't see the Ross Gload comps for Dan Black, they are very different hitters. Black draws a lot walks, Gload never did. Black has a little more power. Gload was a much better contact hitter and line drive guy, and better defensively at 1B, plus could fill in the OF as a backup.

 

Mitchell probably has the highest ceiling of anyone on that list.

 

I'm already writing up the pitchers, and there are more of them than position players, about 16 of them. Lots of interesting arms.

 

 

I enjoy a Ross Gload mention of any kind. For whatever reason, Connor Gillaspie reminds of Gload. The fact that Gillaspie plays 3rd base should make him a worthwhile player/platooner for some time especially in the National League. Gload surprisingly played in the bigs 'till he was 35. And the most surprising fact, Gload hit 30 homers in 2000 across AA and AAA.

Thanks for the updates, floridafan. Yikes, yikes, yikes. Glad he's ready to come back.