Conor’s Top Red Sox Prospects: #15

After several weeks of Conor’s Top Prospects, we find ourselves a quarter of the way finished at the #15 mark. Without further ado, the #15 prospect is Salem Red Sox second baseman Sean Coyle. Coyle has drawn comparisons to Dustin Pedroia in both his body type and his style of play. He is a mere 5’8″ and 175 pounds, but has a muscular build and plays hard. Coyle has had his share of struggles at high-A Salem this year– batting just .211/.283/.351 with 5 home runs– but is only 20 years old and shapes up to become a good player at the major league level.

Since being drafted by the Red Sox in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft, Coyle is yet to really establish himself as a contact hitter. He’s hit for plenty of power so far with 14 home runs and a .464 slugging percentage at A-level Greenville last season. However, he only batted .247 after his senior year of high school that saw him hit .506 with 11 home runs. He still has room to become a player with above average attributes in all five tools as he runs and fields fairly well. As second basemen go, he has a decent arm and a good glove and should develop into a solid major league fielder.

According to SoxProspects (see his profile here), Coyle really only needs a more refined hitting approach. He can hit the ball hard and has a good swing, but he has had trouble so far driving the ball to the opposite field. It appears that Sean Coyle should become a decent major league player, as SoxProspects projects him as a solid everyday player. However, if Red Sox fans are expecting the heir apparent to Dustin Pedroia– they’ll probably be a little bit disappointed in Coyle by the time he cracks the majors.