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)

2009 Red Sox: RIP

What an utter disappointment. The Red Sox actually showed some signs of life today, but could only watch as the Los Angeles Angels chipped away with two outs in the 9th off closer Jonathan Papelbon. First, it was Willy Aybar with an 0-2 single, then it was a Chone Figgins walk followed by a Bobby Abreu double. Terry Francona elected to put Torii Hunter on, and finally, it was Vladimir Guerrero that sank Boston’s postseason.

2009 ALDS Game 1: Offense, defense flounder 0-5

Anytime you get shut out in the playoffs, it isn’t good. The Angels got their first playoff shutout ever last night on the strength of a 7.1 inning, 4-hit start by John Lackey. The 6-6 horse came out looking good, and it wasn’t until the 6th inning until we got a chance to do something against him. When he allowed a two-out single to Dustin Pedroia and walked Victor Martinez on four pitches, I was sure that he was falling apart; give him credit, he came back and got Kevin Youkilis to end the threat.

UPDATE: Credit home plate umpire Joe West, rather. That was clearly a walk. I was actually getting from my car to my TV during that at-bat, and I just reviewed the GameDay data.

2009 ALDS Preview: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Now that we’ve clinched our playoff berth as the AL wild card, it’s time to scout our competition. First up, the LAAoA. If that ain’t a mouthful. The Red Sox have owned them in the postseason, but they are not as weak as they were last year. Here’s a quick look at how we stack up side by side.

2008 Offseason: SP Vazquez as a trade target

The Red Sox rotation features three potential aces, but could benefit from a little bump in terms of stability and performance, I think we can all agree. Instead of sinking tons of money into CC Sabathia or A.J. Burnett, what if we look at trading for someone like Javier Vazquez? The White Sox have basically said that they will be looking to trade his salary elsewhere this offseason, and I propose that we nab him while the nabbing’s good.

2008 ALDS: Game 4 and Wrap

It was a great game, it was a great series. I had a great view of home plate, and I totally lost my voice, cheering our Sox on to victory. I want to give the Angels credit for their pitching, which was excellent for the most part. A few bad plays in the field, on the basepaths, and at the plate basically cost them this series. I almost feel kind of bad for them, and wonder if they’ll be able to be this good again any time soon. I say “almost” because they’re such sore losers. But on to the game:

15-7: Ellsbury, Pedroia lead in comeback win against the Halos, 7-6

On the first warm night in Fenway, David Pauley was called in to make an emergency start for Josh Beckett, who was pulled for “neck stiffness”. There isn’t much detail about how serious the injury is, but it is being said that Beckett has the flu bug that’s been going around. On a night when the Sox offense generated 7 runs on 16 hits and a walk, he was good enough that the Sox pulled it out yet again for their 6th straight win, 7-6.

Todd Jones picks the Angels to win it all

Wow, I’m having trouble finding people who will say that they’ll take the ALDS, much less the World Series. If they manage to plow through Boston and the Yankees with an ailing roster, they deserve to win it all. But Mr. Jones’ reasons aren’t terribly convincing, in my book:

My pick to win the pennant, however, is the Angels. They have the best team. Notice I said team. They hit, pitch and play defense. They’re like an N.L. team with a DH. Two of their speedier guys, Reggie Willits and Chone Figgins, are like David Eckstein times two. They get on base for the aircraft carrier who is Vlad Guerrero. This guy can hit when he’s sleeping. Their bullpen is deep, and K-Rod already has a ring.

Every time he mentions the Angels, you could substitute Red Sox in there and it would be true, maybe even more true. As the saying goes, “Anything you can do, we can do better.” We actually have three speedy guys in Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo. They have a combined 70 SB this season; Figgins and Willits’ total? 68. Our team leads the AL in OBP, and our #1 and #2 guys, Dustin Pedroia (.380) and Kevin Youkilis (.390), get on base more than Chone Figgins (.393) and Orlando Cabrera (.345). And if Vladimir Guerrero is an aircraft carrier, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are the whole North Atlantic Fleet. The key for them is they hit when they’re awake, not just in their dreams. And as deep as their bullpen is, ours is deeper and better, and Jonathan Papelbon is the top closer in the AL. Paps may not have a ring yet, but he’s itching to get one.

Look, the Angels are a good ballclub, and I still don’t think we can sweep them. But with the injuries they’re dealing with and down 0-1 with the way it went on Wednesday, it’s going to take a mammoth effort just to reach game 5.