2004 GCL Red Sox

From SoSH

1 2004 Gulf Coast League Red Sox Season Ending Report

2004 Gulf Coast League Red Sox Season Ending Report

Final Record: 34-24

How did we do?

By record, quite well. The Red Sox finished with a regular season record of 34-24, winning the Southern Division of the GCL. They then went to the playoffs where they beat the Eastern Division Champion Mets in a one game playoff before losing to the Northern Division Champions in a 2 game sweep.

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Players

As Lee Corso is fond of saying, Not so fast my friends. There is something else that I need to speak on before we can talk about individual players. And, that is, Roster Composition.

One can get a false sense of confidence by looking at the final record and the fact that the Sox went to the playoffs for the second year in a row. That would indicate that the Sox have a good group of young players. Not to put a damper on things... but this may not be the case.

Now, don't get me wrong. There are lots of good looking players. But... the GCL Sox, especially the position players, were made up not of draft picks but of Undrafted Free Agents. And... the one group not mentioned in the opening paragraphs may have had a big effect on the record: Rehabbers.

Did the Red Sox have an overabundence of rehab players? Without following other teams to closely, I can't say for certain. But... at least 20 rehab players from all parts of the system sure seems like a lot.

Fine, all our hopes are dashed. Tell us about these worthless players.

Hey now. I'm just trying to temper expectations. There are still quite a few players who could be very useful.

Before we get to the players, a note of caution...

I haven't seen these players. I have no idea how they look. I can only base my opinions solely on the stats provided.

Before the Players of the Year... Let me get the Rehabbers out of the way:

Pat Boran (A+), Sheldon Fulse (AA), Justin Headley (AA), Jesus Medrano (AA), David Murphy (A+), Hanley Ramirez (A+/AA), Chad Spann (A+), Greg Stone (A), Pedro Astacio (MLB), Matt Beech (AAA), Jesus Delgado, Lenny DiNardo (MLB), Jerome Gamble (AA), Bryan Hebson (AA/AAA), Jon Lester (A+), Greg Montalbano (AA), Shane Rhodes, David Sanders (Lowell), Arthur Santos (A), Phil Seibel (AAA). [I may have missed one or two lower level Rehabbers... it happens.]

Offensive Player of the Year:
Carlos Torres

I want to emphasize one thing here. This is a reward for being the best player on this year's team. It should not be an indication to anyone that Carlos is the best prospect. He isn't.

But, of the players who played most of the year in the GCL, he had the best numbers. Backing up his PoY from the DSL last year, Carlos went .257/.368/.466, leading the team in OBP and was 2nd in SLG. He led the team with 8 HRs. He walked 19 times (2nd on team) (and was hit by 7 pitches (1st on team)) and struck out 38 times. He scored 26 times (2nd on team) and drove in 31 (1st on team). As a first baseman, he committed 9 errors in 38 games.

Now... before I name the pitcher of the year... I need to say something. This was obnoxiously difficult. There are easily 6 players that I could have named... so don't shoot me for picking who I did. If I wrote this post tomorrow... it would have been someone else.

Pitcher of the Year:
Jimmy James

Why Jimmy? Largely because the Sox used him as a starter more than any of the other possible choices. Jimmy started in 9 of his 11 games pitched, throwing 46 1/3rd innings. Jimmy finished with a 5-1 record with a 2.33 ERA (3.69 RA). The Domincan Summer League veteran had a WHIP of 1.42 (51 hits, 15 walks), a K/9 of 6.80 and a 2.33 K/BB ratio.

Now... for the rest of the players. What I am going to do here is split this up into 3 sections: International Players, Drafted Players and Undrafted Free Agents.

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International

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Offensive Players

Christian Lara: The DSL veteran was in a heated battle for SS with "bonus-baby" Luis Soto... but got the quick promotion to Lowell after just 15 games. Christian had a tremendous 2 weeks in Florida, going .433/.493/.633. Despite his short stay, he ended up 2nd on the team in doubles (8) and triples (2), and led the team with 8 Stolen Bases (without being caught even once). Lara walked 7 times and struck out 10 times. Lara committed 5 errors playing a mix of SS and 3B.
Willy Mota: This Outfielder had some decent offensive numbers for the Sox... but not everything was pretty. Willy ended up with a final line of .295/.328/.457 with decent power (9 doubles, 3 triples, 2 HRs) but horrible patience (6 walks, 41 strikeouts).
Luis Soto: The other SS in the Lara/Soto duo, Soto began his Red Sox career with an interesting year. His power is impressive as he ended up with the highest Slugging % of any regular. He had 9 doubles, 2 triples and 5 HRs and ended with a line of .261/.289/.470. The .289 OBP stands out however... Luis walked only 5 times (once intentionally) while striking out only 22 times in 34 games. Soto committed a team high 14 errors in 31 games in the field.
Jose Suarez: This catcher had an OK season, going .265/.321/.347 in 16 games. Suarez had more strikeouts (18) then hits (13) and walks (3) combined.

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Pitchers

James Albury: The Pride of Australia and SoSH, James made a tremendous first impression in the States. The more I look at his numbers... the more I think I should have named him Pitcher of the Year. James started only 2 of his 11 games, but still compiled a 5-0 record with a 1.15 ERA (1.38 RA) in 39 innings of work. James had a 1.08 WHIP, a 4.85 K/9 and a 1.31 K/BB ratio. An Excellent Debut.

Olivo Astacio: Another of the great crop of Dominicans, Olivo started 8 of his 12 games and went 3-4 with a 3.13 ERA (5.28 RA) in 46 innings. Olivo had a 1.39 WHIP, a 6.26 K/9 and a 1.78 K/BB ratio.

Adam Blackley: Another Australian, Adam had 2 games in the GCL before getting his promotion to Augusta.
Junior Frias: A rare GCL-repeater, Junior started 8 of his 10 games, ending with a 1-2 record with a 3.48 ERA (5.08 RA). Junior ended the season with a WHIP of 1.43, an 11.50 K/9 and a 3.07 K/BB ratio.
Jose Martes: The Lefty had a tough time in only 14 1/3 innings (over 9 appearances). Jose ended with a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 6.28 (6.91 RA). Jose was wild, giving up more walks (17) than hits (10 - 1.88 WHIP), More walks than Strikeouts (13 - 8.16 K/9, 0.76 K/BB ratio), throwing 7 Wild Pitches and Hitting 5 batters.
Mario Pena: Last year's DSL Pitcher of the Year, the lefty found the GCL slightly more difficult. Mario finished with a 4-3 record with a 3.94 ERA (5.06 RA) over 48 innings of work. Mario started 6 of the 12 games he played. Pena had a 1.25 WHIP, a 6.38 K/9 and a 5.67 K/BB ratio.
Yader Peralta: The DSL veteran led the team in appearances, throwing 16 times out of the pen for the Sox. Peralta finished with a perfect 3-0 record with a 2.10 ERA (2.62 RA). Yader finished the season with a 1.14 WHIP, a 9.96 K/9 and a 3.80 K/BB ratio. Yader hit a team high 8 batters.

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Drafted

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Offensive Players

Tom Caple: One of only 3 2004 Draftees to spend time in the GCL, Tom had a decent season with a final line of .282/.385/.362. The 46th Round Draft pick out of the University of San Diego, led the team in walks with 22 while only striking out 14 times in 46 games. Tom also was hit by 5 pitches. Tom did not commit an error in 40 games in the outfield.
Austin Easley: A surprise late signing for the Sox, the 47th round draft pick out of Florida blitzed the league in his 13 games late in the season. Austin went .380/.415/.460 with 4 doubles, 3 walks and 18 strikeouts. Easley also went 5/5 on Stolen Base attempts.
Scooter Jordan: A 2003 Draft Pick (33rd Round) who played the entire 2003 season in Lowell, Jordan got a mid-season demotion from Augusta. Scooter tried to resurrect his career by going .301/.437/.313 with more walks (18) than strikeouts (16) in his 24 GCL games. Scooter did not live up to his nickname on the basepaths, going a poor 5/11 in his stolen base attempts.
Dustin Kelly: The 15th Round 2004 Draftee out of Cuesta College (a Junior College), Dustin became the first of the 2004 Draftees to hit AA. However, he started and ended the year in Ft. Myers, going .263/.349/.342 in 43 games. Dustin walked 16 times and struck out 22 times, going 8/11 on SB attempts. Dustin committed 5 errors while playing a mix of infield positions (3B, SS and 2B).
Mitchel Stachowsky: The 50th Round Draft Pick from 2003, Mitchel signed as a Draft and Follow this year out of Southern Idaho Junior College. Stachowsky went .236/.300/.327 in 15 games in Ft. Myers, but also had a few weeks in Augusta late in the season. 5 of Mitchel's 13 hits were for doubles.
Chris Turner: This 2003 Draft Pick (15th Round) went .250/.293/.559 in 16 games in the GCL (and then was promoted to Lowell). 10 of Chris' 17 hits were for extra bases (3 doubles, 3 triples, 4 HRs).

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Pitchers

Willie Newton: The 17th Round Draft Pick of 2003, Willie signed as a Draft and Follow this year out of Salt Lake City Community College. The Lefty only pitched 10 1/3 innings out of the pen, going 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA (6.10 RA). Willie walked more (6) than he struck out (5).
Jon Wilson: This 2003 Draftee (9th Round), Jon was another player who could have been pitcher of the year. Wilson went 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA (3.50 RA). Wilson ended the season with a 1.02 WHIP, a 6.50 K/9 and a 3.55 K/BB ratio in 54 innings.

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Undrafted

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Offensive Players

Tom Bawden: The 2003 Undrafted Free Agent returned to Fort Myers, going .244/.324/.354 in 39 games. Tom walked 15 times (against 19 strikeouts) while playing a fairly strong 2nd base (5 errors).
Jeff Justice: This LeMoyne College Outfielder showed a strong hitting prowess, going .302/.362/.336 in 34 games.
Micheal Leonard: The UConn catcher went .237/.343/.258 in 30 games. Mike walked 12 times against 12 strikeouts.
Bret LeVier: A quick 7 games (@ .333/.467/.417) promoted Bret out of one Florida outpost (Ft. Myers) to another (Sarasota). He was later demoted back to Augusta.
John Otness: This University of Washington product only needed 3 games (@ .400/.538/.500) before earning a promotion to Lowell.
Bryan Pritz: The former University of Richmond Spider player went .267/.313/.356 in 29 games.
Nate Purvis: This Mississippi Valley State Product only played in 7 games, going .200/.304/.250.
Bret Underwood: This Left-Handed Batter from Delaware State played in 18 GCL games, going .189/.224/.189.
Robert Vankirk: A 2003 Undrafted FA, this catcher was a rare-repeater of the GCL. Vankirk went .217/.319/.317 in 21 games for the GCL... and also got a need-base promotion to Augusta in the later part of the year.

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Pitchers

Jacob Glanzmann: Jacob started the year in Lowell before getting demoted to the GCL. Glanzmann only pitched 7 innings in the GCL and had an oversized ERA (10.29, 11.57 RA).
Brad Hoffar: The RHP from Palm Beach Atlantic, Brad is an interesting player to watch in the next few years. Brad was primarily a Basketball player in college before being recruited out to the baseball team this year. Brad's numbers were not strong in 15 1/3 innings of work (2-1, 5.48 ERA, 7.04 RA, 1.57 WHIP, etc.)... but it will be interesting to see if the Red Sox stick with this project next year.
Nolan Moser: The Right-Hander out of Cal-Poly, Nolan had a horrible record (0-4) but otherwise very nice numbers. Nolan ended the season with a 2.57 ERA (3.86 RA), a 1.43 WHIP, a 9.43 K/9 and a 2.44 K/BB ratio.
Randall Newsom: The Right-Hander out of Tufts, Randy ended the season with a 2-2 record and a 2.81 ERA (3.66 RA) in 32 innings out of the pen. Newsom had a 1.28 WHIP, a 7.03 K/9, and a 2.78 K/BB ratio.
Mike Snapp: The Right Hander out of Texas-Arlington, Mike put up a 2.42 ERA/RA in 22 1/3 innings out of the pen. Mike struck out 18 and walked only 4 in his 14 appearances. His WHIP was a team leading 0.94.

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