It’s not hard to find a list of any MLB team’s top prospects, but will any of those prospects be ready to contribute in 2012? We’re here to help you prepare for the unexpected by ranking each team’s top five minor league prospects from a fantasy perspective. While they may not be the team’s brightest stars (though many of them will be) they’re the names you’ll need to know when the unexpected happens. Make sure to check out our other top minor league prospects posts for each of the 30 teams.
Potential roster vacancies: SP, RP, OF, C, SS
The Red Sox are the reigning run scoring champions. Their 875 runs, 1,600 hits and .810 team OPS all led the majors. With everyone but J.D. Drew returning to the starting lineup, there won’t be much opportunity for a minor leaguer to step in and produce with two possible exceptions: outfield and catcher. Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford will be everyday starters, but Ryan Sweeney and Darnell McDonald are currently tasked with manning right field. McDonald struggled last year, and who knows what you’ll get from Sweeney in his first year in the Boston spotlight. Behind the plate, Jarrod Saltalamacchia did a serviceable job for Boston last year. The Red Sox signed Kelly Shoppach, who initially began his career with Boston, to replace Jason Varitek as the team’s backup catcher. Marco Scutaro is the team’s shortstop, but if he gets hurt they lack a definite replacement.
Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz are the stars of the rotation, but who starts after them is anyone’s guess. Daniel Bard will begin the season in the rotation, likely as the team’s fourth starter, but he’s been a power reliever for years now. It remains to be seen how the transition goes. The last rotation spot is a battle between any of a number of veterans which, right now, includes Alfredo Aceves, Carlos Silva and Aaron Cook. Andrew Bailey will be closing games in Boston, but he’s an injury waiting to happen. Who takes over ninth inning duties when it does? Probably Mark Melancon, but a single injury to the Boston bullpen will throw the whole team in flux. There’s opportunity for someone to step up here, but probably not in a fantasy impactful way.
Boston Red Sox Top 5 Fantasy Minor League Prospects
1. Ryan Kalish, OF
For a few years, Kalish and Josh Reddick were battling each other for the right to be Boston’s primary injury replacement. With Reddick now in Oakland, that honor falls upon Kalish. He had shoulder surgery in November and won’t be ready to play until June or so, but Sweeney and McDonald are his only obstacles once he gets back. Of the three, Kalish is the guy they want to take the job. He has solid power and speed with a 20/20 season a distinct possibility.
2. Ryan Lavarnway, C
The book on Lavarnway has been all bat, no glove, but last season he developed well behind the plate. In late September games, important games when Tampa Bay was charging up behind the Red Sox, Lavarnway was getting starts at DH and behind the plate. That’s how much they love his bat. If Saltalamacchia gets hurt, Lavarnway will get called up and split time with Shoppach. Considering he hit 32 homers in 116 minor league games last season, that’s an exciting bat to have in your catcher’s spot.
3. Jose Iglesias, SS
Iglesias is the Red Sox’s shortstop of 2013. He has a big time glove but a very weak bat. If Scutaro goes down, the team lacks a true backup option (Nick Punto and Mike Aviles can play the position in a pinch but aren’t true solutions) so maybe the team turns to Iglesias. My thought is they’ll wait until September to call him up, but even if he gets a chance, he’s not someone I’d add.
4. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
If/when Youkilis gets hurt, the Red Sox have a couple replacement options on their major league roster: Punto and Aviles. It will take a lot for Middlebrooks to get a chance, but he’s regarded as one of the teams top two or three prospects and he’s nearing major league ready. Last season he rose all the way to Triple-A, batting .161 with two homers and three steals in 16 games. Middlebrooks strikes out a good amount, over 25 percent of the time, so he’s probably not ready, but he has the skills to be a force in small sample sizes.
5. Alex Wilson, SP
The Red Sox have a lot of washed up veterans vying for rotation spots. After the three definite starters, Bard, Aceves, Silva, Cook and Andrew Miller, Wilson could be the team’s ninth starting pitcher. That seems like a long shot, but more often than not, team’s exhaust their pitching depth and are forced to rely on arms that aren’t ready. This happened just last season in Boston when Kyle Weiland made more starts than Red Sox fans would have liked. Wilson started four games at Triple-A last season, posting a 3.43 ERA with a nice 10.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. He won’t strike out that many batters at the pro level (it was a small sample size), but he could be effective if given the chance.
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