30 Teams in 30 Days: Boston Red Sox Top 10 Prospects

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Red Sox

Boston Red Sox
1. Casey Kelly, P – Kelly wanted to try his hand at shortstop, but didn’t fare as well as he hoped. The Sox wanted him to be a pitcher, where he has top of the rotation potential. I could see him up by the end of next year, depending on the health of the rotation.

2. Ryan Westmoreland, OF – He’s got the tools to be a star, now we just need to see if his body can hold up. He’s young, so he’s still got time to prove his health and his developing power.

3. Michael Bowden, P – While I don’t expect him to be a star, he’ll be a solid mid-rotation starter. John Sickels makes the Jeff Suppan comparison, but I see him being better than that.

4. Ryan Kalish, OF – Another solid outfielder. He can do pretty much everything that you’d ask for. If he can develop more power, he’ll be one of the top outfield prospects in the game.

5. Josh Reddick, OF – Reddick is much like Kalish, except he has the power. He’s also older and at a higher level. Look for him to get the first call when an outfielder goes down.

6. Junichi Tazawa, P – While he didn’t look good in his call up, Tazawa has the ability to succeed in the majors. I would expect him to see some more bullpen time to get used to major league hitters; his future is in the rotation, if there is ever an opening.

7. Lars Anderson, 1B – Anderson was on everyone’s lists last year, but an unhealthy year has hurt his stock. Add in the lack of power for the position, and Anderson doesn’t match up well to the other top first basemen prospects.

8. Anthony Rizzo, 1B – Much like Anderson, Rizzo lacks power at first base. His advantage is he’s younger, so he’s got time to develop a little more. I don’t see him making it with the Sox, with Anderson and Youkilis ahead of him.

9. Jose Iglesias – Iglesias has the potential to jump up the rankings in the next year, if his bat comes around. He’s a superior defender, which makes his bat less important.

10. Stolmy Pimentel, P – Pimentel has the stuff to be a very good pitcher, especially since he’s added velocity. If he can keep it up against the higher levels, he should have a nice major league career.

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