8-16-2011: Sox have another successful draftee signing deadline

The Red Sox had a number of unsigned draftees the day of the signing deadline, but it was a general trend throughout baseball, as there were a rash of signings last night before midnight. The Sox signed seven more of their top picks, giving them success on nine of their top eleven selections. Only second round pick OF Williams Jerez and 8th rounder OF Senquez Golson did not sign from that group.

Theo Epstein managed to sign both first rounders and both first-round sandwich picks, who we profiled here. RHP Matt Barnes received a $1.5M bonus, while C Blake Swihart signed for $2.5M, LHP Henry Owens got $1.55M and OF Jackie Bradley got $1.1M. Pretty reasonable, since the Pirates had to shell out $13M on their top two picks. 3rd round C Jordan Weems had already signed last month, and 6th round LHP Miguel Pena signed shortly following the draft in June. Also signing with Boston yesterday were the following:

6-8-2011: Red Sox 2011 draftees, part 1

With 4 of the top 40 picks, the Red Sox had quite draft the past two days. Here’s a look at the talent they selected. Now all they have to do is sign them!

Round 1, pick 19: Matt Barnes, 21 yo RHP, University of Connecticut (6-4, 203)

Barnes is as solid as pitching prospects come, with a high baseball IQ and throwing a low- to mid-90s fastball, a plus-curveball and a changeup. Throwing out of a 3/4 arm slot with minimal effort, his size and track record suggest he can be a very durable pitcher. He was seen by many as a top five pick at the beginning of the year. Can’t go wrong with choosing a New England name, even if he is a Yankee fan. Barnes also played for Team USA and in the Cape League. Here are his numbers from UConn:

Year	W	L	ERA	IP	K/9	BB/9
2011	11	4	1.62	116.7	8.56	2.39
2010	8	3	3.92	82.7	8.17	2.72
2009	5	3	5.43	53.0	9.34	3.91

Multiple scouts mention that he’s got some refining to do with his delivery, so he’s probably going to need about two years of seasoning in the minors. Scouting director Amiel Sawdaye said that the Sox view him as a “middle of the rotation guy” with “three plus-pitches”. Given his age and the lack of openings on the Sox staff, we probably won’t see him before late 2013.

Round 1, pick 26: Blake Swihart, 19 yo C (S/R), Cleveland HS (6-1, 175)