Results tagged ‘ Kelly Shoppach ’
Mark Prior Released By Red Sox
Late Thursday night, following the PawSox 5-4 loss to the Scranton-Wilkes/Barre Yankees, Mark Prior was informed that he had been released by the Red Sox.
The move was made in order to make room for Pedro Beato, acquired earlier that day from the Mets for catcher Kelly Shoppach.
Prior, 31, made 19 appearances for the PawSox this season, going 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA (11 ER/25.0 IP). With 23 walks, he averaged nearly a walk per inning, and, if you take away the brief one-third of an inning he recently pitched, Prior had walked 13 batters over his last nine outings.
The righty did strikeout 38 batters during his time with the PawSox, and was sitting between 90-92 mph with his fastball.
All the best to Mark, who is still relatively young. Needless to say, if he can make it back to the Major Leagues, it will make for a fantastic story. Unfortunately, it won’t come in a Red Sox uniform.
-AG
@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com
Prior last pitched in the Major Leagues with the Chicago Cubs in 2006 when he went 1-6, 7.21 ERA in nine starts while battling shoulder tendonitis. (Kelly O’Connor)
Baseball Wishes Happy Father’s Day on Twitter
It wouldn’t be Father’s Day without baseball. With thousands of dads spending today at ballparks around the country with their sons and daughters, many throughout the game took a moment this morning to publicly wish a “Happy Father’s Day” on Twitter.
AUDIO: Interview with ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes
Gordon Edes does an outstanding job covering the Red Sox for ESPNBoston.com. The long-time Boston sports reporter was kind enough to let me interview him inside the press box at JetBlue Park Wednesday afternoon. We chatted about his impressions of the Red Sox Spring Training, what he thinks the club will do with Jose Iglesias, and, most importantly, his terrific Spring Training tan.
In addition to joking around with Gordon, I spent the majority of Wednesday around the Red Sox minor league camp. The PawSox had about as exciting of a Spring Training game as you’ll find, edging the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A, Twins) 4-3 thanks to a walk-off home run by left fielder Ronald Bermudez. The 23-year-old, who hit only three homers in 85 games last year, scorched a high-inside pitch deep to left field with one out. All four Pawtucket runs came via the long ball Wednesday, thanks largely to J.C. Linares’ three-run bomb in the eighth inning.
Justin Germano started for the PawSox and pitched four impressive innings. Germano, who appeared in nine games last season with the Indians, showcased a nasty curveball and struck out five batters – three looking. Germano appears to be one of those guys on the bubble right now. He has big league experience and is doing everything he can to hold a spot in the Red Sox bullpen come Opening Day.
Former Pawtucket catcher and recent off-season Red Sox signing Kelly Shoppach played in the Triple-A game Wednesday. He hit second in each of the first four innings and finished 0-for-4. (Funky stuff like this happens sometimes in minor league Spring Training games.)
All three of the Red Wings’ runs were scored off right-hander John Maine who allowed a two-run double and later a wild pitch that allowed the runner at third base to score. Maine is looking to regain some of his form from 2007 when he went 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA as a member of the New York Mets.
Tony Pena, Jr. tossed the final three innings and looked sharp, striking out four and allowing just one hit.
I’ll be back at the minor league complex early Thursday morning to watch batting practice and grab a few more interviews. Later in the afternoon I’ll be putting together our PawSox Insider radio show which will air Saturday, and then at night I’ll be in attendance for the Red Sox vs. Yankees game from JetBlue Park. Be sure to check back for more content throughout the day.
-AG
@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com
Baseball America’s Top-10 Red Sox Prospects
Hot off the digital presses this morning comes the annual Baseball America Red Sox Top Prospects List. Eight of the 10 players are yet to play above the High-A level.
1. Will Middlebrooks, 3B
2. Xander Bogaerts, SS
3. Blake Swihart, C
4. Anthony Ranaudo, RHP
5. Bryce Brentz, OF
6. Brandon Jacobs, OF
7. Garin Cecchini, 3B
8. Matt Barnes, RHP
9. Ryan Lavarnway, C
10. Jackie Bradley, OF
As noted by author Jim Callis, “For the third time in four years, the Red Sox set a new franchise record for draft spending, upping the ante to $11 million in 2011.”
Of that healthy sum went $2.5 million to 19-year-old catcher Blake Swihart. The Bedford, Tx. native played in just two games for the GCL Red Sox last year after being selected No. 26 overall by Boston. The Sox knew he would be one of the most difficult players to sign because he had apparently dreamed of a college career with the Texas Longhorns.
Swihart led Team USA in 2010 by batting .448 with six doubles and five home runs. (Brace Hemmelgarn/ESPN)
The signing bonus was not only enough to convince him to head east instead of south, it was also the largest bonus given out by the Sox to a high school position player under GM Theo Epstein. Because of his potential, Baseball America decided to rank Swihart as Boston’s No. 3 overall prospect and top ranked catcher.
Meanwhile, Ryan Lavarnway comes in as the No. 9 overall prospect for the Red Sox, their No. 2 ranked catcher. The Yale product signed for (a mere) $325,000 in 2008 as a 6th round pick. With Boston’s off-season signing of Kelly Shoppach, Lavarnway will seemingly start 2012 in Pawtucket where he’ll look to improve his defensive skills to compliment his major league-ready bat.
Lavarnway hit .295 in 61 games with the PawSox in 2011. (Kelly O'Connor)
It will will be a number of years before we see Swihart here at McCoy Stadium, and who knows, when it’s all said and done he may end up having the better career. But what I do know is that I can’t wait to see Larvarnway play at McCoy this season.
-AG
