Sox begin their draft on Sunday. McDaniel thinks they go for more infielders at pick 14 and 50..At least these are more mature college guys.
Kiley McDaniel's latest mock:
14. Boston Red Sox
Matt Shaw, 2B, Maryland
I'll keep Shaw here as the Red Sox are mostly tied to safer position-player types at this pick with bolder choices coming down the board. One of the wildest rumors I've heard all spring is that Arizona State 2B Luke Keaschall could be a Nick Yorke-esque pick here. I buy that Boston likes him, is worried he won't get to their next pick, and is thinking about it, but it's just a little too farfetched to project right now. I've given Keaschall to them in the second round.
50. Boston Red Sox: Luke Keaschall, 2B, Arizona State
We have a top notch prospect in Nick Yorke for our future second baseman and Marcello Mayer as our future shortstop. We don't have to keep drafting players playing the same positions as our best prospects. WE NEED PITCHING DAMN IT Bloom, you stupid son of a bitch.
Fred, the pitchers are out there. Unfortunately three good ones will be gone by pick 5 or 6. The one I've seen Boston associated with is Hurston Waldrep at U of Florida. Keith Law thinks he goes 24 to Atlanta. Baseball America rates him as the 18th ranked pick in the draft.
"Four college righthanders should be selected in the first round, including Skenes, Tennessee’s Chase Dollander, Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder and Florida’s Hurston Waldrep. There’s a bit of a talent drop off after that group of arms and the college class is notably light on lefthandersâ€"with Kent State’s Joe Whitman and Vanderbilt’s Hunter Owen the most likely targets to go in the first round and keep alive a 44-year draft streak.
There is a lot to like about Waldrep who began his career at Southern Mississippi before transferring to Florida. He started 19 games in 2023 and posted a 4.16 ERA while racking up 156 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings. Baseball America ranks him as their 18th best draft prospect in their updated Top 500.
" Waldrep's fastball sits 95-96 and has been up to as much as 99 mph. His split changeup might be one of the best offspeed pitches in the draft. He also throws a 12-to-6 curveball and a hard slider in the mid-80s. The downside is his control. He had a 12.7% walk-rate in 2023 and that brings some reliever risk into his profile. Still, he looks like an intriguing arm.
I'm with Fred on the MI position depth. If there is a stud Catcher or OF'er in play, sure. Other wise, I'd rather see us go heavy on some of the top college pitchers earlier in the draft. Especially if we have an opportunity at a stud.
I don't keep up with the draft at all. I know nothing about any of the players.
Last Year's draft is starting to show signs of life. Chase Meidroth(AA) and Roman Anthony (A+) leading the way. A few of the mid round college pitchers have either gotten to Portland already of are getting close to being promoted there. It's nice to be able to say that for a change. Brannon looks like he's gonna be big on power and is doing decently after his promotion to Salem a couple of weeks ago. I really can't remember this many picks doing well in their first full year after the draft.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on July 09, 2023, 07:58:43 AM
I'm with Fred on the MI position depth. If there is a stud Catcher or OF'er in play, sure. Other wise, I'd rather see us go heavy on some of the top college pitchers earlier in the draft. Especially if we have an opportunity at a stud.
I don't keep up with the draft at all. I know nothing about any of the players.
Last Year's draft is starting to show signs of life. Chase Meidroth(AA) and Roman Anthony (A+) leading the way. A few of the mid round college pitchers have either gotten to Portland already of are getting close to being promoted there. It's nice to be able to say that for a change. Brannon looks like he's gonna be big on power and is doing decently after his promotion to Salem a couple of weeks ago. I really can't remember this many picks doing well in their first full year after the draft.
As far as the standouts available in the draft, the players in the College World Series were on display. In particular in the final four clubs. The champion LSU had a couple of the projected top picks in Dylan Crews, who is a great hitter and incredible athlete in the OF. The top pick they say. Also pitcher Paul Skenes, who has been recorded at throwing 48 pitches at 100 mph+ in each of his games. They have described how he can withstand that kind of wear and tear, in that he started pitching at an older age.
Pitcher Dollander of Tennessee was in Omaha, as well as pitcher Lowder of Wake Forest. The other great field player at Omaha was Wyatt Langford of Florida, who is right up there with Crews as a great all-around ball player with most of the five tools the scouts are looking for..
At #14 Sox pick catcher Kyle Teel. University Virginia. Born in New Jersey, Named the nation's top college catcher. player of the year in Atlantic Coast Conference.i Supposedly fell to the Sox from predicted 7 to 8 pick. Throws right, bats left. 6-1, 190.
Teel was a solid high school prospect in 2020 but removed his name from the Draft so he could head to Virginia. Three years later, he played his way into the top 15. He’s a super-athletic backstop who has the chance to stick behind the plate with an arm that’s easily plus. He’s a left-handed hitter with an advanced approach who seemed to find a good balance between hitting for average and power in 2023. This breaks a streak of four straight high school hitters taken by the Red Sox with their first-round picks.
Extremely athletic, Teel has seen time in the outfield and probably could handle playing second or third, but he has every chance to stick behind the plate. He has an easily plus arm and his athleticism helps his overall receiving. He gets high marks for his baseball IQ and leadership skills, and with his bat showing up more consistently,
He was a First-Team All-American by five different college baseball publications and a First-Team All-ACC selection. In 2023 Teel hit .407 with a .475 OBP with 13 home runs, 69 RBIs, 105 hits, 67 runs scored and 25 doubles this spring, and ends his college career as a .343 hitter with 28 home runs, 155 RBIs, 236 hits and 170 runs scored.
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on July 09, 2023, 07:30:21 PM
At #14 Sox pick catcher Kyle Teel. University Virginia. Born in New Jersey, Named the nation's top college catcher. player of the year in Atlantic Coast Conference.i Supposedly fell to the Sox from predicted 7 to 8 pick. Throws right, bats left. 6-1, 190.
Teel was a solid high school prospect in 2020 but removed his name from the Draft so he could head to Virginia. Three years later, he played his way into the top 15. He’s a super-athletic backstop who has the chance to stick behind the plate with an arm that’s easily plus. He’s a left-handed hitter with an advanced approach who seemed to find a good balance between hitting for average and power in 2023. This breaks a streak of four straight high school hitters taken by the Red Sox with their first-round picks.
Extremely athletic, Teel has seen time in the outfield and probably could handle playing second or third, but he has every chance to stick behind the plate. He has an easily plus arm and his athleticism helps his overall receiving. He gets high marks for his baseball IQ and leadership skills, and with his bat showing up more consistently,
He was a First-Team All-American by five different college baseball publications and a First-Team All-ACC selection. In 2023 Teel hit .407 with a .475 OBP with 13 home runs, 69 RBIs, 105 hits, 67 runs scored and 25 doubles this spring, and ends his college career as a .343 hitter with 28 home runs, 155 RBIs, 236 hits and 170 runs scored.
Sounds like we have hit upon a pretty good young prospect. His performances have been good at Virginia and that school has been a hot bed of good college players and pro prospects for so me time now. The only problem is that he hits left handed and we already have an overload of them already. We need some good RIGHTHANDED HITTERS.
Good, I was hoping for a top Catcher somewhere in all of this. We've got Hickey in AA and the very new Brannon in Salam. I hope this is a good addition.
This time the Sox did not pick the best available player available, as they did with Mayer last year. They picked for need in getting a great catcher. The last great Sox catcher was Varitek, who was also drafted #14 (by Seattle). The only glitch I read about Kyle Teel, he is an emotional, twitchy catcher, who is usually busy behind the plate. Doesn't always offer a smooth mood for the pitcher and the infielders.
We do not have much in the way of catchers in the minors. As Mongo pointed out Nathan Hickey is in AA. He is the 21st rated Sox prospect, projected to arrive in MLB in 2025. Steven Scott is now at AAA, but the #38 prospect. And Brannon is a good one, but he is down in Low A, and several years away.
In the 2nd round #50 Sox picked Nazzan Zanetello, a high schooler from St Louis. He reminds some people of an EARLY Mookie with his swing. Nationals wanted him at #41, but he turned down their under slot offer. Plays SS, but he projects as 3B or OF. A true athlete in the field.
Zanetello has a wiry 6-foot-2 frame with room to add more muscle, and his strong hands and wrists produce plenty of bat speed and 25-homer potential. He doesn't have the prettiest right-handed swing but makes a lot of hard contact. He also shows good control of the strike zone and produced against quality pitching throughout the summer.
While Zanetello has clocked run times that earn grades from anywhere from 45 to 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale, the consensus is that he'll probably have solid speed once he's physically mature. His athleticism and strong arm help him make plays at shortstop, where he projects as an average defender. The Arkansas commit has looked solid in stints in center field and should provide similar glovework if he shifts to third base.
After taking a high school infielder in the 3rd, Antonio Anderson, Sox pick pitcher Matt Duffy of Canisius College in the 4th. Duffy is pick #115, whereas he was rated from 240-270. Sox are evidently going under slot, to create enough money to sign their over slots in rounds 1-3 and cover their two supplement draft picks, also in round 4.
"Duffy is a metric-darling with a three-pitch mix including a fastball, a slider and a changeup. The fastball catches the headlines, up to 95 with considerable ride through the zone, missing a ton of bats in 2023. Duffy's three-quarter slot is said to create deception for hitters, and he'll manipulate the shape of his slider to either tunnel his fastball or sweep away from righties. The changeup lags behind his two primary weapons, but does fade off his fastball tunnel as has been considerably effective against lefty bats. Duffy is loose and explosive, though he lacks much projection and a team that buys him in the draft will by buying his *now* stuff."
Thanks for the updates. Are you happy with any of the guys after the Catcher?
In the 5th the Sox pick Kyler Teel's teammate at UVA, L/H pitcher Connely Early. We didn't keep the Navy pilot we signed, but Early is a transfer from West Point !
"Early is a pitchability lefty with a low-90s heater that does possesses some hop late through the zone, though his command of the pitch has been inconsistent. Still, considering his deception and feel for secondary offerings, one might characterize his arsenal as effectively wild. The slider is a low-80s sweeper and the curveball is a fringier upper-70s breaker that melts off the slider a bit. He mixes in a changeup that might be his best offering, a pitch that's induced plenty of bad swings. For now, he's not an overpowering arm, but his feel for pitching and keeping runners off the bases makes him an intriguing profile to follow."
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on July 10, 2023, 02:28:10 PMZ
Thanks for the updates. Are you happy with any of the guys after the Catcher?
After Teel the catcher, the Sox seemed to go back to infielders again. However the baseball ratings people really like the hitting technique and overall great athletes of those picks. The infielders do project as good outfielders as positions they have played. The two supplement picks were infielders from Georgia Tech and Wright State for example. Their pluses are a history of good contact, low strikeout rates, and good BB rates.
Sox have supposedly come to an agreement with the second pick Zanetello. aroun $2.5m. Teel is expected to ask for a $4.5mil bonus.
The three pitchers come from big college baseball programs. We'll have to spend some to keep Duffy, as he just transferred to Univ of South Carolina. They say Univ of Virginia may offer some NIL money to keep Early. in the 6th round Sox got their third pitcher, C.J. Weins , a RH from Western KY, pitched last year at U.South Carolina.
Through 10 rounds, it looks as if Boston is getting three great players at the top, and they will pay a lot for them over slot, and throw in the pitcher Matt Duffy, who Univ of South Carolina values highly as a transfer.
As I recall Sox drafted 6 pitchers in the first 10 rounds. They were all junior-senior college guys, which favors their signing, unlike high schoolers, who are not getting their big bonus and going off to college. They drafted like that in 2022. Of the last three pitchers, two were big guys, 6-7, 240 or so., then Ammons of Clemson, a 6-0 pitcher, more of a reliever. The puzzle is why the two big guys do not throw over 95 fast balls.
The Sox are finishing up their draft So far 12 pitchers to 10 field players. All the draft picks have been college players, with the exception of three high schoolers. With all thcollege pitchers selected in 2022, there should be about 18 new pitchers in the system, not counting the international guys signed. Now can the Sox develop those guys better than we've seen the last decade?
After all the hand wringing, Boston's best player out of the draft may be 3rd round pick, high schooler Antonio Anderson of metro-Atlanta. Committed to Georgia Tech. He can play IF or corner OF. The kid is a phenomenal talent. Really nice swing technique. Already 6-3, 205 at 18 yo. Reminds me of a young Raffy Devers. The top pick Kyle Teel is signing under slot, so that leaves money to over slot Anderson (#3) and Nazzan Zanetello (#2) Those top three are all really good picks, and they stand out from the others, although Matt Duffy at #4 is a really fine pitcher from this draft.
I checked out the slew of pitchers they snagged last year while sort of watching the AS game last night. I've seen a few of them pitch already. There are a couple guys who still have not made it out of Rookie ball and a few guys who've hit their short term ceilings either in A, A+ or AA. An expected mixed bag. He hit nicely with a few early round position players, though, and that's without a couple of the bigger names not making their moves yet.
The highest pitching pick was Dalton Rogers. I've not seen pitch yet, but he's the opposite of a strike throwing machine. His college numbers show the same. Makes me wonder if he would have been selected by the Sox at all this year, given that singular approach to pitcher drafting.
I'm puzzled frustrated at the myopic, yet bewilderingly inconsistent nature of our organization. Every year it's something different that we covet and something different that we overlook. It's like a 5 year long game of Buzz-Word Bingo.
One constant in the Bloom era has been the lack of any sort of plan or program or stated goals. It's poor management 101. We have no idea what they define as success. I define it as being competitive every year and if your roster stays relatively healthy you should be in the hunt. If the goal is to be uncompetitive for a long time and hope we win one, I'll start following the Braves or something who seem to be keen on building a winning team. There seems to be no sort of plan at all - where do they really hope to be this year and what are the steps to get there? Whatever they decide there turns into a plan of action for the next 6 months. But the problem is they should have done that years ago, instead of just dumping the All Stars. Then comes the next year and presumably you've built for it. Do you need a farm system to be part of that? Yes, but it's more than just picking good guys. Most guys need a lot of coaching and development to turn from raw talent into major leaguer. They don't appear to have that infrastructure in place. They have a number of key prospects at the top of the organization. Where and when do they slot in and how do you fill in accordingly, i.e. don't build a team with 10 outfielders and no SS or 1B.
The shame is they have a fairly talented team, could have had a better one if they didn't decide to go after geriatrics on the pitching side. But they put themselves in a bad spot right off the bat because even though Story had surgery in January, they never managed to get a SS. There are just so many incompetent tactical moves that you can't imagine what a disaster a strategic Bloom plan would be.
Hopefully the next Baseball Ops guy or whatever they call him will be able to sort all of this out but I'm afraid when that happens he'll be starting from Ground Zero.
Let's hope the guys on the field today can pull it together in the meantime.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on July 12, 2023, 07:47:54 AM
I checked out the slew of pitchers they snagged last year while sort of watching the AS game last night. I've seen a few of them pitch already. There are a couple guys who still have not made it out of Rookie ball and a few guys who've hit their short term ceilings either in A, A+ or AA. An expected mixed bag. He hit nicely with a few early round position players, though, and that's without a couple of the bigger names not making their moves yet.
The highest pitching pick was Dalton Rogers. I've not seen pitch yet, but he's the opposite of a strike throwing machine. His college numbers show the same. Makes me wonder if he would have been selected by the Sox at all this year, given that singular approach to pitcher drafting.
I'm puzzled frustrated at the myopic, yet bewilderingly inconsistent nature of our organization. Every year it's something different that we covet and something different that we overlook. It's like a 5 year long game of Buzz-Word Bingo.
Mongo, I saw this observation on soxprospects.com from one of the mods. It seems to explain what Boston Mgt. is doing as to drafting the good hitters on top, and then the pitchers who fit their needs later. It is what it is!
"And as for "is there a real prospect," let's get these guys in the system and see what happens. It's pretty clear that this point that whether it's intentional or just how their valuation works, they get their stud hitters early and trust their pitching development program to work with guys with specific traits they select later on. Just look at the 2021 draft, for example and the lack of rankings after guys people are excited about here like Dobbins, Troye, and Guerrero. Maybe they're not aces but there are only so many of those guys and they're not getting to, say, the 7th round."
Sea Dog, that's about as reasonable of a take on their MO as you can imagine. I guess some sort of strategy is better than no strategy? We'll see if it works.
I looked through the Red Sox year to year drafts recently. There was been quite a long drought of decent drafts starting in 2012 and lasting maybe 5 years or so, until Trader Joes's last couple of drafts. 5 years of almost no talent is tough, especially considering we got our hands slapped at the cookie jar and had some restricted foreign free agent signing years. We're starting to see some of the 2017-2019 guys come up and are close to establishing themselves in Boston. Trader Joe's last few drafts.
As a barometer, I can't help but think of a prospect named CJ Chatham. He spent several years in our top-30 rankings. Almost no power, but hit .280-.300. It would have gotten him a look big league look 40 years ago, but not in today's OPS game. Fasg forward a few years and we have a 24 year old AA OF'er named Phillip Sikes. He's fast as hell with a little bit of pop, but looks like a .250 hitter so far. SoxProspects has him rated #39. Just a few years ago, he would have easily been in our top-30 along side Chatham. That's not a knock on him nor SoxProspects.com. That's a statement of what's ranked above him up and down the minors. It's not an empty well any longer. This might be as deep as I've ever seen it for us.
The pro-Bloom contingent will be quick to point out this is under his charge. They would have a point to some extent. The whole baseball world scoffed at the Blaze Jordan and Nick Yorke draft picks a few years ago. Me thinks there's some slow-cook Crow recipes simmering away and getting ready served up by the guys & galls in charge of those selections.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on July 14, 2023, 10:44:12 AM
Sea Dog, that's about as reasonable of a take on their MO as you can imagine. I guess some sort of strategy is better than no strategy? We'll see if it works.
I looked through the Red Sox year to year drafts recently. There was been quite a long drought of decent drafts starting in 2012 and lasting maybe 5 years or so, until Trader Joes's last couple of drafts. 5 years of almost no talent is tough, especially considering we got our hands slapped at the cookie jar and had some restricted foreign free agent signing years. We're starting to see some of the 2017-2019 guys come up and are close to establishing themselves in Boston. Trader Joe's last few drafts.
As a barometer, I can't help but think of a prospect named CJ Chatham. He spent several years in our top-30 rankings. Almost no power, but hit .280-.300. It would have gotten him a look big league look 40 years ago, but not in today's OPS game. Fasg forward a few years and we have a 24 year old AA OF'er named Phillip Sikes. He's fast as hell with a little bit of pop, but looks like a .250 hitter so far. SoxProspects has him rated #39. Just a few years ago, he would have easily been in our top-30 along side Chatham. That's not a knock on him nor SoxProspects.com. That's a statement of what's ranked above him up and down the minors. It's not an empty well any longer. This might be as deep as I've ever seen it for us.
The pro-Bloom contingent will be quick to point out this is under his charge. They would have a point to some extent. The whole baseball world scoffed at the Blaze Jordan and Nick Yorke draft picks a few years ago. Me thinks there's some slow-cook Crow recipes simmering away and getting ready served up by the guys & galls in charge of those selections.
Been hearing some good reports about Blaze Jordan and hope he will get a good look as a RH power hitter who could emerge as a hitter who could also hit for a high average. Surprising I hadn't heard much about him before this season but will keep my out to see how he develops the rest of this season and next. One thing is certain to me and that is our front office must not pick the wrong prospects to bring up. We must hit the right keys with the right prospects if we are to be a dominant team by the latter 2020's.
There were a few moves over the All-Star break.
The bigger one I didn't know about until Friday was was Niko Kavadas getting promoted to Worcester. I thought was a bit premature given a massive K-Rate in a down season. Blaze Jordan went to Portland, which was due to happen and probably became a factor in Niko's promotion due to Worcester needing bodies and a bit of a bottleneck in Portland.
So Portland is now sporting an infield of Binelas, Mayer, Yorke, Meidroth and Jordan. One extra with Meidroth filling in wherever, probably. He was drafted as a SS, fwiw. Between those 5 guys and Hickey at Catcher and Rosier in RF, that's a team to watch these days. Pitching is up and down due to promotions and such, but it's not void of talent. I think 3 of the starters have been promoted in the past few weeks.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on July 15, 2023, 07:23:38 AM
There were a few moves over the All-Star break.
The bigger one I didn't know about until Friday was was Niko Kavadas getting promoted to Worcester. I thought was a bit premature given a massive K-Rate in a down season. Blaze Jordan went to Portland, which was due to happen and probably became a factor in Niko's promotion due to Worcester needing bodies and a bit of a bottleneck in Portland.
So Portland is now sporting an infield of Binelas, Mayer, Yorke, Meidroth and Jordan. One extra with Meidroth filling in wherever, probably. He was drafted as a SS, fwiw. Between those 5 guys and Hickey at Catcher and Rosier in RF, that's a team to watch these days. Pitching is up and down due to promotions and such, but it's not void of talent. I think 3 of the starters have been promoted in the past few weeks.
Mongo, I'm not sure how many of those guys at Portland will ever see Fenway. My lizard brain tells me the Sox are looking for a pitcher at the deadline. It could be Detroit's ERod, our old friend. I would imagine the Tigers, if it's them, would be asking for at least two of our young pups at Portland or Greenville high-A. The next couple of weeks will be tantalizing. Olney can't stand himself, pondering the Angels trade of Ohtani to NYY. They probably won't happen, but you know every viable trade scenario always has to go through Cashman.
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on July 15, 2023, 09:15:00 AM
Mongo, I'm not sure how many of those guys at Portland will ever see Fenway. My lizard brain tells me the Sox are looking for a pitcher at the deadline. It could be Detroit's ERod, our old friend. I would imagine the Tigers, if it's them, would be asking for at least two of our young pups at Portland or Greenville high-A. The next couple of weeks will be tantalizing. Olney can't stand himself, pondering the Angels trade of Ohtani to NYY. They probably won't happen, but you know every viable trade scenario always has to go through Cashman.
I've not paid a great deal of attention to the Ohtani thing. That would be a perfect fit for NY. They're always an injury away from disaster. If Ohtani goes down, you lose your top LH bat and 2nd best pitcher.
Meidroth is an extra piece. Something could be up with him. I think he's been pressing since coming back from the break. 5K's in two games. I've only seen one of the AB's, but it looked bad. The whole team hasn't clicked yet, but it's onlt been two days.
Mayer got lifted late in the game. I hope that's nothing. It's almost impossible to get news.
With the 12 pitchers the Sox signed in the July draft, they seemed to replicate that pattern with the IL draft. One of their top signings was an 18 yo Cuban Jose Martinez, and a 19 yo kid named Salcedo, who stands 6-1 190 and is already 19 yo. Four other pitchers taken and they have made an offer to a high school pitcher in Korea, Chan Sol-Lee, but he must survive the KBA draft to come available. How many of these guys can emerge and become a Bello or a Wilkelman Gonzalez?
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on July 16, 2023, 08:13:54 AM
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on July 15, 2023, 09:15:00 AM
Mongo, I'm not sure how many of those guys at Portland will ever see Fenway. My lizard brain tells me the Sox are looking for a pitcher at the deadline. It could be Detroit's ERod, our old friend. I would imagine the Tigers, if it's them, would be asking for at least two of our young pups at Portland or Greenville high-A. The next couple of weeks will be tantalizing. Olney can't stand himself, pondering the Angels trade of Ohtani to NYY. They probably won't happen, but you know every viable trade scenario always has to go through Cashman.
I've not paid a great deal of attention to the Ohtani thing. That would be a perfect fit for NY. They're always an injury away from disaster. If Ohtani goes down, you lose your top LH bat and 2nd best pitcher.
Meidroth is an extra piece. Something could be up with him. I think he's been pressing since coming back from the break. 5K's in two games. I've only seen one of the AB's, but it looked bad. The whole team hasn't clicked yet, but it's onlt been two days.
Mayer got lifted late in the game. I hope that's nothing. It's almost impossible to get news.
That's an interesting take Mongo, I hadn't thought about it that way but you are right, that's a lot of cards in one hand. And if he's in NY he's guaranteed to go down! I really have to wonder what could happen. He's such a great player, but at what cost.
The Korean pitcher , 6' - 1" Chan-Sol Lee did agree to terms on a contract with the Sox for $300,000. It goes against Boston's international signings pool. His high school coaches timed his fast ball at 97+, although he needs to work on his command. He's not as big as Ohtani, no chance, but about the size of Kikuchi of Jays.
Boston inked right-handed pitching prospect Chansol Lee to a minor league contract Monday, according to Major League Baseball’s official transaction log. Lee, 18, was expected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming KBO League draft but will forego his eligibility overseas to join the Red Sox.
The 1st Rounder, Teel, played all of 3 games in the Florida Complex League and got sent to A+ Greenville. They decided to bypass A- Salem. He made his A+ debut last night with a 3-5 night and 2RBI. Even had a Caught Stealing.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on August 09, 2023, 08:00:21 AM
The 1st Rounder, Teel, played all of 3 games in the Florida Complex League and got sent to A+ Greenville. They decided to bypass A- Salem. He made his A+ debut last night with a 3-5 night and 2RBI. Even had a Caught Stealing.
Teel played three years at Univ of Virginia. This past season he was the conference MVP, and recognized as the top college catcher. Has the skills to play outfield, as he did for UVA as a frosh. So he is well seasoned to get into A ball. He just might have the potential of Rutchman of the O's, who got all the way to Baltimore in just 2+ years from the draft.
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on August 09, 2023, 08:58:50 AM
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on August 09, 2023, 08:00:21 AM
The 1st Rounder, Teel, played all of 3 games in the Florida Complex League and got sent to A+ Greenville. They decided to bypass A- Salem. He made his A+ debut last night with a 3-5 night and 2RBI. Even had a Caught Stealing.
Teel played three years at Univ of Virginia. This past season he was the conference MVP, and recognized as the top college catcher. Has the skills to play outfield, as he did for UVA as a frosh. So he is well seasoned to get into A ball. He just might have the potential of Rutchman of the O's, who got all the way to Baltimore in just 2+ years from the draft.
That is very good news Sea Dog. I think we have struck gold with this draftee and hope we can see him at Fenway within two or three years.
Quote from: SeaBeachFred on August 09, 2023, 03:29:45 PM
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on August 09, 2023, 08:58:50 AM
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on August 09, 2023, 08:00:21 AM
The 1st Rounder, Teel, played all of 3 games in the Florida Complex League and got sent to A+ Greenville. They decided to bypass A- Salem. He made his A+ debut last night with a 3-5 night and 2RBI. Even had a Caught Stealing.
Teel played three years at Univ of Virginia. This past season he was the conference MVP, and recognized as the top college catcher. Has the skills to play outfield, as he did for UVA as a frosh. So he is well seasoned to get into A ball. He just might have the potential of Rutchman of the O's, who got all the way to Baltimore in just 2+ years from the draft.
That is very good news Sea Dog. I think we have struck gold with this draftee and hope we can see him at Fenway within two or three years.
Hopefully they're smart enough to recognize how hard it is to develop a quality catcher. If he's anything like Rutchman he's a keeper.
There's a link to a tweeter tweet thingy from the Soxprospects.com site in the Teel part. Looks like a quick-hitch type of throw to 2nd. He's the 5th player down the list in the main section.
https://www.soxprospects.com/index.html (https://www.soxprospects.com/index.html)
I watched last few innings of the Greenville game on the laptop last night as the Sox were closing out theirs against the Royals. I saw two Kyle Teel's AB's. He went 3 for 5 with a walk and 3 RBI. I saw the walk and a decently hit grounder to first. The walk was definitely worked for and well earned. His swings looked hard, but not too long. Looked good behind the plate, but it was only 3 innings.
His energy and enthusiasm looked like an easy compare to Adley Rutschman as some have mentioned.
The indescribable thing is that he did not look like a Rookie getting into his first couple of games with a new team, even after skipping a level. To the contrary, the way he carried himself made it look like it was HIS team. Roman Anthony had the night off, but seeing him and Teel leading the lineup in Greenville is going to be fun to watch for the next month or so.
Mongo have you ever made it down to Greenville for a game? I keep saying I need to head down. Then again I haven't even caught a Charlotte Knights game this year!
Quote from: longgame on August 11, 2023, 11:59:42 AM
Mongo have you ever made it down to Greenville for a game? I keep saying I need to head down. Then again I haven't even caught a Charlotte Knights game this year!
I've never even been to Greenville. We've the Durham Bulls and Carolina Mudcats each about 1/2 hour away, but have not been to either in quite some time. I wish I had known the Savanna Bananas were in Durham last Month, though.
Good fun was the old Durham Bulls A-ball when they were in the old park where the movie was shot. That was a real treat. My wife and I went a couple times a month when we moved to NC. I played there once long after they moved to the new park when I played Sr League. The City of Durham kept it up a little bit, barely enough to play on. I've been told they do a better job with it these days. I hope so. It's a real treasure.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on August 11, 2023, 12:42:19 PM
Quote from: longgame on August 11, 2023, 11:59:42 AM
Mongo have you ever made it down to Greenville for a game? I keep saying I need to head down. Then again I haven't even caught a Charlotte Knights game this year!
I've never even been to Greenville. We've the Durham Bulls and Carolina Mudcats each about 1/2 hour away, but have not been to either in quite some time. I wish I had known the Savanna Bananas were in Durham last Month, though.
Good fun was the old Durham Bulls A-ball when they were in the old park where the movie was shot. That was a real treat. My wife and I went a couple times a month when we moved to NC. I played there once long after they moved to the new park when I played Sr League. The City of Durham kept it up a little bit, barely enough to play on. I've been told they do a better job with it these days. I hope so. It's a real treasure.
It's the opposite here. We had the Knights in South Carolina, just over the line but it was a haul from the northern side where I live. They built a great stadium uptown near the football stadium and it's a great place to watch a ball game. A couple of years ago my daughter and I went to the new Kannapolis Cannonballers stadium which is also quite nice and an improvement over the old Intimidators ballpark. AAA schedules are really weird post-Covid where they play one team at home for an entire week then go on the road the next week.
I grew up in the Charlotte area. The old ballpark was over in SouthEnd. It was a Twins org. and one team had Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison and Tony Olivo.
There's a blog today about possible Brewers' move to Charlotte or Nashville, as early as this season. Some problems with the stadium rights/ and or revenues.
Teel had a day off and then followed that up with a 3-hit night going 3-4 with a walk. BA is now .643 and OPS of 1.402. Gotta love hot start statistics. thumb_u
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on August 12, 2023, 03:20:39 PM
There's a blog today about possible Brewers' move to Charlotte or Nashville, as early as this season. Some problems with the stadium rights/ and or revenues.
I can't believe that stadium has been there 22 years. Time is flying. They are caught up on a political battle that will hopefully get resolved. They ain't no Rays/A's that needed to move years ago. I still can't believe the A's thing isn't official yet.
I don't think MLB will ever put a team in Charlotte and maybe not even all of the Carolinas. The Braves would surely bitch and moan that idea off the table. Look what happened to Baltimore after they put a team in DC. Nashville I can see happening, though.
Quote from: MongoLikeSox on August 13, 2023, 08:53:33 AM
Teel had a day off and then followed that up with a 3-hit night going 3-4 with a walk. BA is now .643 and OPS of 1.402. Gotta love hot start statistics. thumb_u
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on August 12, 2023, 03:20:39 PM
There's a blog today about possible Brewers' move to Charlotte or Nashville, as early as this season. Some problems with the stadium rights/ and or revenues.
I can't believe that stadium has been there 22 years. Time is flying. They are caught up on a political battle that will hopefully get resolved. They ain't no Rays/A's that needed to move years ago. I still can't believe the A's thing isn't official yet.
I don't think MLB will ever put a team in Charlotte and maybe not even all of the Carolinas. The Braves would surely bitch and moan that idea off the table. Look what happened to Baltimore after they put a team in DC. Nashville I can see happening, though.
I know, I think of that as a new stadium.
Of course I'd love a Charlotte team (NL please, I have an AL team!) but I've said for years, I can't see a lot of people showing up for a Tuesday night game when it's 85 and humid and they're playing the equivalent of this year's Oakland A's. It's easy to fill a football stadium 10 times a year, but 80 homes games would be tough. Plus I wonder what cities really are interested in pouring $1B or so into a stadium and improvements to move someone. Charlotte's new stadium is bounded by streets, the only way to expand it would be build over existing streets, so would they build a new one and leave the other as a white elephant? I just don't see it happening.
On the Teel front, I am still digging this pick.
I watched a few innings of the Greenville game last night with Teel behind the plate. He made an exceptional play on a bunted ball down the 3rd base line for a big out with runners on 2nd and 3rd and no outs. He also threw 2 of 3 base-stealers out, but I only saw the one he did not get and it was stole off the pitcher with a massive jump.
The only AB I saw was in the 10th inning with 3 runs in already, 1 out and a runner on 3rd. They pitched carefully to him and were ahead in the count early, but he managed to get a walk out of it. A very old school Red Sox style AB. Darned impressive AB for anyone, let alone a kid who had gone 0-3 on the day with an easy RBI opportunity after his teammates had laced 3 doubles in a row earlier in the inning. He was aggressive, too. If they threw a pitch to hit, he went after it. If not, he laid off. Nothing tentative. Just good smart baseball.
Portland is the free MILB-TV game starting at 6:00PM. The just posted the lineup. Teel will not be catching, but is DH'ing. Hitting .348 for Portland in his short stint so far.