CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Baseball America announces Boston Red Sox Top 10 prospects list

Published on November 11, 2004 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE--- The 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox Top 10 prospects list was unveiled by Baseball America on its website, www.baseballamerica.com, on Wednesday. Several prospects on the Top 10 list may play with the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2005.

The Boston Red Sox scouts and front office personnel contributed to the Top 10 prospects list. The 2005 prospect list is comprised of five position players and five pitchers.

"I think the list is a reflection of the growth we have seen in our farm system over the past couple of years," said Ben Cherington, the Boston Red Sox Director of Player Development." "Building a good farm system is never the responsibility of one person or select group of people, but rather the result of hard work from a lot of people; scouts, minor league staff, and most importantly the players themselves. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our scouting staff we have had very good drafts and have acquired some of the best available talent from the International market."

Hanley Ramirez, a shortstop out of Samana in the Dominican Republic, was touted as the organization's top minor league prospect for the third straight year. Ramirez, who was signed by the Red Sox as non-drafted free agent in July of 2000, combined to hit .310 with 27 extra-base hits, 39 RBI, and 24 stolen bases with Sarasota (Florida State League) and the Portland Sea Dogs (Eastern League) in 2004. The 20-year-old was touted as the third-best prospect in the Florida State League by Baseball America after the 2004 season.

Brandon Moss was tabbed as the second-best prospect in the Red Sox organization. Moss, 21, led all Red Sox minor leaguers with a .353 batting average between Augusta (South Atlantic League) and Sarasota (FSL) in 2004. He finished the 2004 season with 182 hits, second most in all of minor league baseball. The Monroe, GA native was selected as the South Atlantic League's Most Valuable Player and SAL Topps Player of the Month for July. The Red Sox selected him in the eighth round of the 2002 June Free Agent draft.

Jon Papelbon, a right-handed starting pitcher, was selected as the Red Sox top pitching prospect and third-best overall. The 23-year-old led all Red Sox minor league pitchers with 153 strikeouts in 2004. Papelbon went 12-7 with a 2.64 ERA in 24 starts with Sarasota (FSL) and was selected as the league's 14th-best prospect after the 2004 season. The Red Sox selected the Baton Rouge, LA native in the fourth round of the 2003 June Free Agent draft.

Pitcher's Jon Lester and Anibal Sanchez round were selected as prospects No. 4 and No. 5 for the Red Sox. Lester, 21, went 7-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) with Sarasota (FSL) in 2004. The Tacoma, WA native was selected by Boston in the second round of the 2002 June Free Agent draft. Sanchez, 21, went 3-4 with a 1.77 ERA in 15 starts with the Lowell Spinners (NY-Penn League) in 2004 and was considered as the second-best prospect in the league.

The Red Sox first pick (65th overall) in the 2004 June Free Agent draft, Dustin Pedroia, is considered the sixth-best prospect in the organization. The Arizona State University product made his professional debut with Augusta (SAL) and was promoted to Sarasota (FSL) after only 12 games in the South Atlantic League. Pedroia did not commit an error in his first 42 games as a professional. He is playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 2004 Arizona Fall League.

Luis Soto was touted as Boston's seventh-best prospect. Soto was selected as the top prospect in the Gulf Coast League after hitting .261 with 16 extra-base hits in 36 games at the rookie level in 2004. The switch-hitting shortstop could move to third base in the future with both Ramirez and Pedroia in front of him, according to Baseball America.

Kelly Shoppach is considered as the Red Sox eighth-best prospect and is the only catcher in the Top 10. Shoppach was a post-season all-star with Triple-A Pawtucket and was voted as the 18th-best prospect in the International League following the 2004 season.

Left-handed hurler Abe Alvarez is considered as the Red Sox ninth-best pitching prospect after compiling a 10-9 record with a 3.66 ERA in 26 starts with Portland (Eastern) in 2004. Alvarez, who made his major league debut with Boston in 2004, was selected in the second round of the 2003 June Free Agent draft by Boston.

Rouding out the list at No. 10 is right-hander pitcher Manny Delcarmen, who was also considered as the 10th-best prospect last off-season. Delcarmen, who was selected in the second round of the 2000 June Free Agent draft out of high school, went 3-6 with a 4.68 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) with Sarasota (FSL) in 2004. The 22-year-old is currently playing for the Peoria Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.

"The composition of the list (three players from Latin America, three from U.S. high schools and four from college) reflects the organization's commitment to identify and pursue the best available players from each available talent pool," said Cherington. "Although this list certainly identifies some of the players in our system that have a chance to be good Major League players."

The six Boston minor league affiliates combined to go 349-346 (.502) in 2004. Pawtucket, Sarasota, and the GCL Red Sox all finished with records above the .500 mark.

Below is the complete list of the Top 10 Prospects for the Boston Red Sox Organization

Rank Name Position 2004 Team(s)
1. Hanley Ramirez SS Sarasota Portland
2. Brandon Moss OF Augusta Sarasota
3. Jon Papelbon RHP Sarasota
4. Jon Lester LHP Sarasota
5. Anibal Sanchez RHP Lowell
6. Dustin Pedroia SS Augusta Sarasota
7. Luis Soto SS Gulf Coast League
8. Kelly Shoppach C Pawtucket
9. Abe Alvarez LHP Portland
10. Manny Delcarmen RHP Sarasota

The Blue Rocks open their 13th season in the Carolina League with eight in a row away from home, beginning on Tuesday, April 7 with the first of four against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Atlanta). Wilmington returns home after four games in Kinston (Cleveland) and opens the home portion of its schedule on Friday, April 15 against the Salem Avalanche (Houston).

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Carolina League Stories from November 11, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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