Back to The Future

Over the last 10 years in Boston, our heads have been filled with the hype of many young prospects coming up through the Boston Red Sox farm system. With the likes of Lars Anderson ,  Casey Kelley, Craig Hansen , and Henry Owens who was said to be the next “Clayton Kershaw” Those prospects are either retired with making no major impact, or are playing independent ball somewhere.

​To be fair, Owens and Kelley may find a spot on a major league roster this year. So, Boston has their share of disappointments, just like any other club. When the Yankees stole Mark Teixeira away from us in 2008, I was completely content, because I knew we had Lars Anderson waiting in the wings (Good thing I’m not a scout.) We always seem to let ourselves down when the next big thing doesn’t work out, or we trade the next big thing away, such as perennial all-star slugger Anthony Rizzo.

In Boston, things seem to always have a way with working themselves out. Yes, Dave Dombrowski unloaded the farm system over the last 2 years. Will it all be worth it? That is yet to be seen, but I have a good feeling it will. The reality is, our farm system is our team. We have Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and Christian Vasquez all on the major-league roster. Why not unload the plethora of arms and bats in the minors to add to an already excellent ball club. In baseball, you will drive yourself crazy with playing the “What if?” game. Yoan Moncada could be a first ballot hall of famer, but we don’t know that, what we do know is he is still very immature and can’t hit a breaking ball. Michael Kopech, the guy is a stud, with a model of a girlfriend and fastball that could go through a brick wall. At the end of the day, he is a hot head who punched a teammate and broke his hand. He could be great, but I’m sure there was some question within the organization regarding his character.  Even with all that being said I’d welcome both of those guys on our Major-League Club, but it’s not up to me. At the end of the day, Red Sox fans must feel well about having Chris Sale in the rotation to go along with Rick Porcello and David Price. This team will be exciting to watch for years to come.


                  Five Players to look out for in the Minor Leagues (Scouting reports) *MLB.com

·         Rafael Devers (3B) “Devers has a huge offensive ceiling. His well-above-average raw power was his most obvious tool as an amateur, and he generates it with electric bat speed and impressive strength. Devers is a more advanced hitter than expected, exhibiting a mature approach, and letting his power come naturally”

·         Jason Groome (SP) “Groome has all of the physical ingredients to become an ace. He pitches at 90-94 mph with arm side run on his fastball and can reach back for 97, with the promise of more velocity as he gets stronger. He has power and depth on his curveball, which is at least a plus offering and might have been the best breaking ball in the Draft. “He has the talent to become the best pitcher drafted and developed by the Red Sox since Roger Clemens”

·         Michael Chavis (3B) “A high school shortstop, Chavis became a full-time third baseman in instructional league following his pro debut. He's not particularly quick and is still learning, but has the strong arm, enough range and the work ethic to get the job done at the hot corner. Some scouts wonder if he could become a Dan Uggla-style second baseman, while others think he'll wind up in the outfield”

·         Brian Johnson (SP) “Johnson's stuff regressed a bit in 2015, leaving him with just one above-average offering. His sharp curveball is his best offering and can be a plus pitch at its best. His lively fastball sat in the upper 80s last year but had previously resided in the low 90s. His sinking changeup wasn't quite as deceptive as it had been, while his cutter mainly served to give batters a different look.”

·         Sam Travis (1B) “Travis is a gifted hitter who makes consistent hard contact to all fields and manages the strike zone well. He hit just nine homers in 2015 despite possessing the bat speed and strength to at least double that total if he were more aggressive at the plate. Travis doesn't swing for the fences, but he may need to do so more often to fit the power profile at first base” “Kyle Schwarber and Travis powered Indiana's baseball program to its greatest heights, leading the Hoosiers to their first College World Series in 2013

​I fully expect Brian Johnson and Sam Travis to make an impact on the 2017 Boston Red Sox on the big-league roster. The rest of these young guys need a few more years to be groomed in the minors before they dive into the crazy atmosphere of Red Sox nation. Just to put this out there, I am very confident Mookie Betts will resign with the Boston Red Sox when the time comes. Unfortunately, I believe Xander Bogaerts will go elsewhere when all is said and done. There is no way the Red Sox will hold two Scott Boras contracts on the club, it will decimate the payroll. Like I said, they are clients of Boras, so contract extensions will not be done in the season. They will field all offers before signing anything.

Make sure to follow @GuyBostonSports on twitter and follow my account @Shawnpalmer93. Keep an ear out for my podcast titled “The PalmCast” to hear much more about your Boston Red Sox and new England sports.



Shawn Palmer
@ShawnPalmer93 ​
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Photo: (RedSox)