A Minor Review of 2013: Red Sox

There is always a bit of a lull between the end of the minor league playoffs in September and the start of the annual top prospects lists in early November. Because of that gap, I’m breathing new life into an old feature that I wrote for the site in FanGraphs’ infancy back in 2008 and 2009.

The series ‘A Minor Review of 2013’ will look back on some of the major happenings in each MLB organization since the beginning of April as a primer for the upcoming FanGraphs Top 10+5 prospects lists. This series will run throughout September and October. I hope you enjoy the series and are eagerly anticipating the start of ‘Prospect List Season.’

The player listed in the sleeper section was featured in a pre-season series that looked at one fringe prospect in each organization that was expected to take a big step forward during 2013, chosen by myself, a scout or a front office talent evaluator.

The Graduate: Jose Iglesias, SS: The Sox knew that Iglesias possessed two plus tools in his strong arm and overall defensive game but no one expected him to hit as well as he did. The increase in value made him extremely attractive to the playoff-bound Tigers who lost starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta to an ill-timed suspension.

The Riser: Anthony Ranuado, RHP: Ranaudo’s talent has never been in question but his career has been waylaid by a litany of injuries. Finally healthy in 2013, he took off and earned a late season promotion to Triple-A after spending most of the year in Double-A. His name popped up in a number of trade rumors.

The Tumbler: Bryce Brentz, OF: The Sox system saw a lot of prospects take steps forward in 2013 and Brentz was more or less left in their dust. The outfielder clearly thrives while living out of a suitcase and had one of the most extreme home/road splits in Triple-A with a .591 OPS in Pawtucket and .996 on the road.

The 2013 Draft Pick: Teddy Stankiewicz, RHP: The right-hander could move quickly as a reliever, although there was a minor issue during his post-draft physical that caused his bonus to be reduced. With a potentially-plus fastball and slider, the further development of his changeup could convince the organization to stick with him as a starter, which could slow down his development path.

The Sleeper: Ty Buttrey, RHP: Buttrey is a bit of a forgotten talent in the system thanks to some impressive arms that reside higher up on the depth chart. However, the 20-year-old hurler held his own against older competition in the New York Penn League. With a little more experience, he should see his strikeout rate improve. He also needs to improve against left-handed hitters who batted .100 points higher against him than righties.