Prospects can come from many places. Right now in the Red Sox system, there are the first and last named Henry’s; Justin Henry and Henry Owens.
Justin Henry
picture from MiLB.com
First the story of Justin Henry…. soon 28, Justin is hitting .356 for AAA Pawtucket. The Tigers drafted him in 2008 and Boston traded their Rule-5 pick for him last December. This kid can play third, second, or outfield. Maybe he would help the Red Sox more than Pedro Ciriaco right now.
Then there is Henry Owens, a 20-year-old who won his first Carolina League game on April 23, throwing six scoreless innings, giving up three hits, walking one, and striking out six. Look for this six-foot six-inch lefty rising fast through the Boston system. He’ll be a Carolina League All-Star for sure, and be ought to be pitching in AA by the time he turns 21 on July 21.
Another name to watch is Brandon Snyder. He was let go by Texas just a week before this season started. Boston picked him up and gave him a shot in Pawtucket. He is currently hitting .357 with an OPS of 1.097, which ranks among the leaders in AAA. Maybe this 26-year-old first or third baseman could be called up at some time this year.
Terry Doyle
picture from EagleTribune.com
The guy to root for the most though is Terry Doyle, who once was a substitute teacher in Warwick, Rhode Island. Now he is the leading pitcher for Pawtucket just a few miles away.
Doyle has hitters in AAA batting .127 against him with a WHIP of 0.82. Here is a New England guy that pitched at Boston College from 2006-2008, pitched in Japan for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, then for the White Sox in AAA. Boston signed him last November, and he might get a start in Boston if he continues his AAA success.
Boston also still has Jackie Bradley Junior, who has only played four AAA games, but is batting .400. He will be back in Boston this year.
The one player that deserves the call up the most is Jose Iglesias. He is proving he can hit, as he stands at .262 in AAA with two home runs, two more than Stephen Drew.
And don’t forget Iglesias’ glove. Everyone that saw the winning hit by Kansas City on Sunday thought the same thing,…. if Iglesias was playing shortstop, he would have caught that line drive.
When you have people comparing him to Ozzie Smith, it is too bad he is not in Boston right now.
Most fans would agree this 2013 Red Sox team has a better chance of winning with Jose Iglesias over Stephen Drew at shortstop.
The top prize for Boston hopes this year is Allen Webster. How could they think to send this kid back to AAA after the way he pitched in Boston on Sunday night?
When you rate arms by talent in the whole organization, this gift from Magic Johnson is at the top of the list.
Can’t you just imagine him throwing three innings stints out of the Red Sox pen now?
Or maybe he should just move into the rotation right now. Compared to Aceves, Webster would have to be the better option at this point.
Do you think Boston should insert Webster into their starting rotation right now?