We have reached the point of the offseason where prospect lists abound.
We start our top 10 prospects for every team with the Boston Red Sox!
Our team top 10 prospect lists at Call to the Pen are spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten prospects for the Boston Red Sox.
This season, we will be going through teams by division, in order of record. The AL East will be first, followed by the AL Central and AL West. Then the focus will shift to the National League in the same order.
The format will be as it was last season for the same lists, with a system review, which will include last season’s list. The top 10 will follow in reverse order, two players per page in order to give adequate space to each player.
Finally, don’t go away after #1 is revealed as each list will also contain a player either signed in the 2017 international free agent class or drafted in 2017 that isn’t part of the top 10 and should be tracked. Last season’s mentions in that area made over half of the top 10s this season, so this is a great way to get to know a player who could be making a big splash in the organization.
System overview
Dave Dombrowski continued to do things that he’s always done, moving half of the top 4 prospects in deals along with moving a number more on the top 10 list and beyond. Of course, any Red Sox fan out there would tell you that Chris Sale was certainly worth it, especially in light of the injuries to David Price and the struggles of essentially the rest of the rotation. However, he also spent a significant amount of assets to acquire Tyler Thornburg, and Thornburg ended up having Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery and missing all of 2017.
while (Dombrowski) traded away a number of prospects…, he always had players that other teams wanted when it came time to trade
However, one of the things that was always underappreciated about Dombrowski’s time in Detroit is that while he traded away a number of prospects and typically the system was not “deep” for the Tigers, he always had players that other teams wanted when it came time to trade. The Tigers system developed excellent players that filled into the major league level or else they were utilized in trade to acquire pieces for the major league level.
The Red Sox drafts the last two seasons have shown exactly the types of guys that Dombrowski specialized in with Detroit – guys with big, big tools. He’s brought in guys with premium velocity but a huge need to work on finding the strike zone. He’s brought in guys who can run at a 70 level on the scouting 20 to 80 scale or have power with a future 65-70 grade. Those big time tools often turn into something with the right type of development department around them.
The Red Sox fans may not like where their team sits in the prospect power rankings while Dombrowski is in the head seat, but he will use the farm system to help to create a winner for the Boston fans.
Next: #9 and #10