How's that for some updates? It's easier to read on the site:Youthful farmhands making hay
By Bob Hohler, Globe Staff | June 20, 2004
For all the hype surrounding "Moneyball" and the notion that the Red Sox share Oakland general manager Billy Beane's disdain for major investments in high school players, consider Scott White and Mickey Hall.
Two years ago, White and Hall were teammates at Walton High in Marietta, Ga. White was a senior infielder and Hall a junior right fielder and closer. They each turned down scholarships to Georgia Tech to accept signing bonuses of about $800,000 with the Sox. Now, they are playing together again for Single A Augusta.
White, 20, the team's second pick in the 2002 draft, struggled badly at the plate in his first pro season with the rookie team in the Gulf Coast League, batting .168 with only one extra-base hit (a double) in 131 at-bats. But he committed only one error in 38 games splitting time between third base and first.
White has improved considerably this year against tougher pitching, batting .273 with 14 doubles, 1 homer, 17 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases in 58 games for Augusta. His fielding percentage has dipped, though, as he has committed 15 errors playing mostly third base.
General manager Theo Epstein attributed White's progress at the plate in part to his physical maturation.
"He has a big frame and it's taken him a while to get the strength on his frame," Epstein said. "He's worked very hard."
Hall, who turned 19 last month, is the third-best outfield prospect in the Sox system behind the team's top picks from last year's draft, David Murphy and Matt Murton, according to Baseball America. The 54th selection overall in last year's draft, Hall was the only high school player the Sox signed among their first 20 picks.
A highly athletic outfielder who mostly has played center field for Augusta, Hall, like White, needs time to grow into his frame, though he already has flashed some power. He homered in consecutive games Tuesday and Wednesday after hitting for the cycle the week before. After batting .227 with a .400 on-base percentage last year for short-season Single A Lowell, Hall has hit .228 with 5 homers and 27 RBIs for Augusta and has heated up in June, batting .333 with 3 homers and 12 RBIs.
"They're both having good seasons for their age," Epstein said.
Injury bug
The Hanley Ramirez watch remains on hold while the system's top prospect recovers from a sprained wrist. Ramirez has plenty of company on Single A Sarasota's injured list, including Murphy and third baseman Chad Spann, a fourth-rounder in '02 who hit .312 last year as Augusta's player of the year. The list also includes lefthander Jon Lester, the team's top pick in '02, among others. "It seems like half the Sarasota team is hurt," Epstein said. "We're getting crushed by injuries." . . . The way Sarasota's Jon Papelbon seems to have toyed with hitters in the Florida State League, it may have seemed as if he were due for a promotion after the All-Star break. The hard-throwing righthander, who was a reliever at Mississippi State before the Sox selected him in the fourth round last year and converted him to a starter, is 6-3 with a 2.89 ERA and has fanned 81 batters in 62 innings. The Sox want him to stay in Sarasota to work with pitching coach Al Nipper on his off-speed stuff. "The numbers don't always dictate when a guy should move," Epstein said. "A lot of times it's where he is in the development process. Right now, he's working on his secondary pitches and we want to make sure he continues with Nip until those come around." . . . Murton won the home run derby last weekend at the FSL All-Star Game and has impressed the organization in his second pro season. He has hit .500 (12 for 24) with seven RBIs over his last seven games. "He's showing a great combination of patience and power," Epstein said, "and he's playing pretty good defense in left field." . . . Sarasota lefty Juan Cedeno has won his last four starts, posting a 1.59 ERA over that span . . . Portland knuckleballer Charlie Zink, who was knocked out of a game Friday when struck in the leg by a ball, leads the Eastern League with 55 walks. Lefthanded reliever Juan Perez has logged an 0.52 ERA over his last nine appearances, collecting three saves for Portland . . . Entering Friday, Boston's top catching prospect, Kelly Shoppach, had reached base safely in 17 straight games for Triple A Pawtucket . . . Augusta righthander Jarrett Gardner was named the South Atlantic League's player of the month for May. He leads the league in wins (8-2) and ERA (1.66) and has walked only six batters in 70 innings. His rotation mate, righthander Beau Vaughn, is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA over his last five starts . . . Arizona State shortstop Dustin Pedroia, the team's top pick in this year's draft, has yet to sign as both sides wait for other second-rounders to sign to determine a market value. Early signs indicate Pedroia could command about $600,000 . . . More than half the 20 players the Sox signed after the June draft began their professional careers Friday with short-season Single A Lowell. They include third-round lefthander Andrew Dobies from the University of Virginia, fourth-round lefthander Tommy Hottovy from Wichita State, and fifth-round righthander Ryan Schroyer from San Diego State. Lowell's opener marked the professional managerial debut of former Sox second baseman Luis Alicea.
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/reds...nds_making_hay/
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