Iggy Update: Where to Play?

WEEI.com - FORT MYERS, Fla. — According to team sources, the Red Sox are still debating whether to have top prospect Jose Iglesias open the 2011 season in Double-A Portland or Triple-A Pawtucket. The team wants to assign Iglesias to a level that will maximize the likelihood of his being big league ready for the 2012 campaign."
 
"Because the shortstop -- already considered a defensive star -- lost a couple months of his 2010 season with Portland due to a broken finger, the team might want him to get more at-bats in Double-A before an early season promotion to Triple-A. That said, the team might also decide that Iglesias is better served by a challenge at a more advanced level."


While I see both sides to this story, I find one thing particularly interesting.  This is one of our top prospects right?  The shortstop of our future?  The next Ozzie Guillen? The guy that in fantasy baseball, I'll likely end up trading half my team for just so I can have an extra obsession with his play?

Then why don't we have this plan hammered out yet?  Theo and company are predominately meticulous with their player development game planning.  This one seems odd to me.

By all accounts, Iggy has no issues with his broken finger from last year, and performed quite well in the fall league and spring training thus far.  Knowing that, it makes me think that the argument of "they wanted to see where he was coming into the season" seem a bit far fetched. 

I'm in favor of starting him in Portland for a month or two, and, so long as he's healthy and performing reasonably well, pull him up to Pawtucket. It seems like it would fall in line with Boston's way of building a bit of confidence followed by a challenge. Depending on Boston's performance and needs, as well as Iggy's, there are some rumors that he could be a September call up.

Random ITM note:  if this Pawtucket team doesn't contend for the league championship, something is wrong with Rhode Island's water....the team is pretty stacked. 

My Main Man: Iggy Being Iggy

As if you needed another reason to be excited for Spring Training and the future of the Red Sox....let's not forget about Iggy.  One of the best parts of landing AGon was that we didn't have to give up Iggy...aka, Boston's future shortstop (projected starter in 2012).

I'm not even sure what happened around the 13 second mark, all I know is I'm amazed.  The glove work alone has me excited to see what this kid can do at the big league level.  This video is actually from November after he poured all over the Arizona Fall League (earning a spot as one of the top performers in the league).

Also, Dice-K...listen up, the man already speaks better English than you do, and word on the street is that's he's doing more and more interviews in English, hoping to fully transition.  He's also studying US history.

Great work again Theo....now sign some quality bullpen arms would ya?

Theo on the Cape, Scouting Anthony Ranaudo

This is an absolute "get me over fastball" type post as I get ready for another business trip across the pond. I've been tied up with moving and traveling of late, hence the lack of posts. However, I was told yesterday that our friend T Murph will be coming off the bench over the next few days to pinch hit while I'm gone...we'll see how that goes. Current odds are 2 to 1 that I come home to a lawsuit.

Anyways, I got this picture from my cousin who was celebrating the 4th of July at a Bourne Braves Cape Cod League baseball game. Our good friend Theo was on the Cape celebrating America's birthday by scouting one of his top draft picks - RHP Anthony Ranaudo.

Now that's a dedicated owner. If I was Theo I would have been on a yacht somewhere lighting off fireworks, but I guess that's why he's the GM and I'm not.

Aside from having an awesome name, Ranaudo has a bright career ahead of him. He stands at 6-7 and weighs 230 pounds. The right hander throws in the mid 90's and has dominated thus far in the Cape League. Remember that name folks, you're likely to hear more of it over the next few years.

Kid is a stud.

For more info on Ranaudo and his night in Bourne with Theo watching, check out the full count blog over at WEEI.

In Game Post: Sox Sign Cuban Shortstop

The Sox have jumped out early on the O's tonight, but a bigger story in my mind is the breaking announcement of the signing of Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias to a four-year Major-League contract. The contract is set to begin in 2010, and the Sox added the shortstop to the 40-man roster. The deal is reportedly for $8.25 million.

Iglesias is considered an elite defender, having drawn some scouting comparisons to Ozzie Smith, perhaps minus the back flips. In typical Red Sox fashion, there are questions about his offensive ability.

This following information and quotes are from a Full Count post on the Red Sox’ international amateur shortstop signees in July:

(Iglesias) is considered a very athletic player with good speed who plays dazzling dazzling defense. Even so, there are questions about his ability to hit enough to justify an investment along the lines of the Sox’ rumored offer. He has shown little power in his Cuban career, though he was very young for the competition while playing in the Cuban National Series.

Dayan Viciedo, a 19-year-old power hitting third baseman whom the White Sox signed to a four-year, $11 million deal out of Cuba this offseason, played in several international tournaments with Iglesias. At the Futures Game in St. Louis, Viciedo offered the following scouting report on his former teammate and countryman:

“He’s a very good fielder in particular. You can put him anywhere,” said Viciedo. “He can play third, short and second. He’s a very good player.”

Asked about Iglesias’ hitting, Viciedo paused to consider his answer. “He defends himself,” said Viciedo.

Iglesias defected while playing at a tournament in Canada last August.

That said, one international scout for an American League club suggested that his team, like the Sox, believed that Iglesias might have legitimate offensive ability. The scout suggested that Iglesias has the hand-eye coordination that could project to make him a viable No. 2 hitter.

Iglesias, 19, is slated to play for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League beginning in October. He played 75 games for los Vaqueros de La Habana of Cuba’s major league Serie Nacional during the 2007-08 season, batting .322 (101-for-314) with 11 doubles, four triples, 39 RBI, 51 runs scored and 17 walks. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Iglesias was 17 years old when that season began. A right-handed hitter, he posted a .329 (81-for-246) average against right-handed pitching. A native of Havana, Cuba, Iglesias established residency in the Dominican Republic before signing with the Red Sox.

Just another reason to be excited about the future of the Boston Red Sox. Here's hoping they can keep me excited about the 2009 playoffs with a win tonight.

Lars Anderson: Coming to a Left Field Near You?

Currently, Lars Anderson only has a first baseman's glove, but that could all change soon. Rumors are flying around the organization that Boston's number one prospect could be moving to the outfield in order to increase future position flexibility.

According to Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen “Right now he’s a first baseman. We feel like he’s going to be good at that position,” ........“But if he’s the best guy available (in the minors) and his only way onto the team is to play left field, even to stand in left field, I have a hard time thinking we’re not going to run him out there for a few games to see what he looks like.”
Anderson has never played anything but first base in the pros, but admits to occasionally manning the outfield in high school (along with pitching at times). He is still learning the nuances of the first base position, but some believe the organization will experiment with him in the outfield once he reaches Pawtucket (which in all likelihood will be this year). There remains a lot to be hammered out on the big league club before finding a place for Lars, as Jason Bay and others will have upcoming contract negotiations, perhaps this is the Red Sox merely being proactive.

Personally, I understand many players are shifted around once they reach Triple A, in part to align their skills with the big league club's positional needs, but I don't think tossing Anderson in left is the best idea here. Let's be honest, everyone is extremely excited to see this kid come up to the bigs, he's one of the most hyped prospects within the Red Sox system in sometime, and certainly the best power-hitting option to come up through the minor league ranks in years.....but forcing a young kid into a new position may prove damaging. If this was Pittsburgh; with no media spotlight and an easy left field to handle, that would be one thing, but running a 21 year old out to play left field at Fenway, an extremely difficult position to play, and under the extreme pressure that is baseball in Boston, that's a totally different world. So much of young player's success is contributed to overall confidence and comfort levels, why challenge that at this point?

For now, I'm perfectly fine with Lars continuing to build on his skills and test his talent against upper minor league players. The 6'4", sweet-swinging lefty has been performing well thus far, and could provide a much needed, long term power solution for the Red Sox lineup....let's keep running with that and see where it takes us over the next year or two, and as Tito says "things will fall into place".

Lars Anderson: So Who is This Guy?

Many of us have read a lot about some guy named Lars Anderson this offseason. From expectations to be the next Mark Teixeira to admissions he is still just a young prospect, there are varying degrees of excitement for this guy. The issue is, not many of us have actually seen him play or have even heard him speak. He is perhaps the biggest jewel in a Red Sox farm system chalk full of talented prospects.

Personally, given the right situation, I'm usually in favor of taking the proven player over prospects. However, after doing some additional research on Anderson, this is one guy I may deem untouchable...too many memories of the Jeff Bagwell come to mind. Here is a summary of some of the information I've dug up over the last few days:

ITM Spotlight: Lars Anderson
Born: Sept. 25th, 1987, Oakland California
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 210lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Drafted: 18th round, 2006

Attitude:
Anderson is a California surfer guy through and through. At such a young age and with so much pressure on his shoulders, he retains the "i'm just having fun attitude". He understands he has the skills to be special and according to his coaches, puts in extra work to make sure he reaches his really high potential. Work ethic is certainly not an issue here.

Hitting:
According to Soxprospects.com, he has a great hitter's fram with an "elite power ceiling"...I love typing the phrase. The Red Sox have had many good prospects come up through their system lately, but none have had the same level of power of Anderson. Many fear an upcoming lack of lineup power over the next few years for the Red Sox, but Anderson could change all that. His smooth and fluid swing is said to be "tailor-made" for Fenway Park as he has great opposite field power. Anderson has great plate discipline and high OBP numbers, something Boston management surely loves. He swings and misses a little too much, especially against off-speed pitches, but that is something the Sox can both deal with and try to fix as he matures.

Fielding:
At 6'4", he's a big target at firstbase, but has limited range as a result of his size. Overall position presence is solid with good hands and the ability to digg out many low throws coming across the diamond. While he has played firstbase throughout his short time in the Sox farm sytsem, he played the bulk of his high school baseball in left field, so while unlikely, that has not been ruled out as a possible location should firstbase be blocked in the long term.

Future:
Most basball scouts compare Anderson to Justin Morneau, nothing wrong with that. Most expect to see Anderson up with the big league club this season when the rosters expand in September. That said, injuries or an explosive year from Anderson in double A could push things along faster than expected.

After writing this I have to remind myself that he is still just potential, that's all, nothing proven, nothing etched in stone....but it's tough not to get excited about this guy.