My favorite prospect is definitely Kelly Shoppach.
He calls a great game, he's superb defensively and scouts say he has the best throwing arm and release point they have ever seen in a catcher. Offensively, he had a hard time making contact, but has adjusted, and is hitting well over .300 this June and his season OBP is .100 points higher than his BA. He has shown a lot of power (8 doubles and dingers) and, of late, he isn't chasing the bad pitches and is adjusting to AAA pitching. He's also second to only Adam Hyzdu on Pawtucket in walks.
At the big league level, I see him hitting .275/.400/.500/.900 with 20-25 homers, 30-35 doubles and 75-100 RBI year in and year out with Gold Glove defense and all of the trust of the pitching staff that 'Tek is known for. Shopp makes 'Tek expendable when we have a cheaper replacement who is 8 years younger with superior defense right out of the box and more offensive upside over the long-haul.
Boras can have his golden-boy catcher go play for someone else; I think the future needs a place in this franchise.
I also like Abe Alvarez, Matt Murton and Jon Papelbon a lot. Jeremy West, Jon Lester and Youk are up there on my personal list as well.
|