Jun 24, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox take batting practice prior to a game against the Baltimore Orioles. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Is there potential prospect help for the 2016 Boston Red Sox? This is a glance at some possibilities.
In the spring of 2015, the Boston Red Sox prospect list had both quality and depth. Quality, of course, is difficult to define until there is a measurement at the major league level, but three certainly came to the front of the prospect pack – Henry Owens, Blake Swihart, and Eduardo Rodriguez. All three have certainly energized the fan base as long-term contributions are expected. Just the lust of other GM’s in discussing deals quantifies the talent.
The Red Sox also benefited from a prospect or two that suddenly surprised – Jackie Bradley and Travis Shaw are entrenched into that category and both do have some question marks swirling around their 2015 performance. For Bradley was the real player the one who faded in September or the one that was dazzling for almost two months. Just Bradley’s defense is enough to give some measure of continued positives.
For Shaw, the discrepancy in certain stats is mystifying. The home (.319) and road (.224) averages are a stark reminder that Fenway can be very friendly indeed. But another statistic jumps out: Shaw, a left-handed hitter, batted .329 against lefties and .243 against righties. An unusual figure considering a young player being exposed to the rigors of MLB pitching.
There were other Pawtucket players who arrived in Boston and contributed, but to a relatively small degree as compared to the five mentioned – with Bradley being essentially a non-rookie. So will there be any surprises in 2016? Yes – there will be since there always is – so I will go and wander out to my prognostication limb and put down some possibilities.