Justin Masterson was the Red Sox 2nd round pick in the 2006 draft out of San Diego State. Although he was a starter for the Aztecs, he projects as a reliever moving up the system. He showcases a low 90s fastball and a good slider.

According to the Boston Globe, Masterson was signed, along with OF Jason Place, SP Kris Johnson, and C Jon Still.





Masterson was assigned to the Class-A Lowell Spinners of the NY-Penn league.



Here's what Masterson did this year at San Diego State, almost exclusively as a starter.



Masterson spent his 1st two seasons at Bethel College in Indiana, where he was named all-conference and an NCCAA All-American both years there.

Masterson made his pro debut tonight, pitching two scoreless innings, while giving up a single and striking out four.

Masterson pitched another , giving up one hit and striking out three.

Here's his season line:

Masterson continues to work out of the bullpen and dominate NY-Penn hitters, as he's only given up 1 run in 8 innings, with 6 hits, 0 walks, and 12 strikeouts. He's also got a 10 (10/1) G/F through games of the 7th, and has only given up 1 LD in 12 BIP.

Here's his season line



Here are his splits.

Would a promotion, just to Greenville, be asking too much if he keeps up this dominance through the end of the month?

yes considering they are likely going to keep his innings down this year. The sox usually do not promote college pitchers the year they are drafted. They usually keep them at lowell on 1-2 inning stints each appearance they make.

Sorry for not updating this thread in a few weeks - haven't been around very much.

Well, more of the same - Justin takes NY-P hitters to school:

Overall on the season:

17 IP
22/0 K/BB (3 HBP)
5.00 G/F (through Wednesday)

Pure, unadulterated dominance. Honestly, what left does he have to prove at Lowell?

Boo! Justin has walked his first two hitters of the season from the last update.

20 2/3 IP
24/2 K/BB
4.11 G/F (forgot to include pop-ups before)

No idea why he isn't in Greenville at the very least. I think he could hack it in Wilmington now.

I really want to see if they can stretch masterson into a starter next year.

After being called up to Wilmington (from Lowell) for the playoffs, Masterson got his chance to pitch yesterday and provided 3.2 IP of scoreless relief in a one-run game. He gave up no hits.

Culled from Delaware Online:

Reliever Justin Masterson held Frederick hitless for 3 2/3 innings. Promoted from short season Class A for the playoff series, Masterson retired 10 of 11 batters.

Masterson struck out two and walked one. Overall, a pretty impressive outing after skipping a level.

He has flat out dominant stuff. He really should be a starter.

I really like him. At the Futures game I thought he was pretty amazing. He impressed me the most and I think he would do very well in a higher level.

Will he get promoted next year, or are they going to keep him at Lowell? Either way I agree, he NEEDS to be a starter.

He is already gone from Lowell. He is at Wilmington now. Will start the year in Wilmington but I think his talent will get him to Portland by the end of 2007.

Masterson's final numbers from Lowell:

[codebox]W L ERA G SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
3 1 0.85 14 0 31.2 20 4 3 0 2 33[/codebox]
He had a 2.81 groundout/flyout ratio, and batters hit just .174 off of him.

BA ranked Masterson #6 overall in it's list of Top Twenty NYPL prospects. Linky.

Apparently they like it when you pitch in the Sox organization and your last name ends in "son".

Like most of Lancaster's starters, Masterson has had a bit of trouble in his first two starts adjusting to hitter-friendly Clear Channel Stadium and the High-A California League. In two starts, Masterson, 22, has a 7.71 ERA with 5 BBs and 5 Ks in 7 IP.

Through 4 starts, Masterson is still struggling with his introduction to the California League. He pitched well at Visalia on 4/19 but then struggled a bit at home last night (5 runs and 12 hits in 6 IP). He has a 6.50 ERA and batters are hitting .338 against him in 18 IP. He's struck out 12 and walked 9.

Masterson has shown some positivesigns in his last two starts, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits in 12 IP, which is a vast improvement over his early season struggles. For the year, the sinkerballer has a 5.85 ERA (7.71 at home, 4.85 on the road) with just 26 Ks in 40 IP. Batters are hitting .321 off of him, but he has a GO/AO ratio of 1.85.

Masterson capped off an impressive stretch of pitching last night by getting the win in Lancaster's one-game California League playoff to determine the 1st-half division championship. The victory clinches a playoff spot for the Jethawks.

After the game, Masterson was promoted to Double-A Portland.

His last 6 starts -- including his 7 IP, 2 ER last night: 6-0, 2.06 ERA. Amazingly, he had only 1 BB over his last 39.1 IP, while striking out 22. For the season, the sinkerballer has a 2.09 go/ao ratio, a number that rose to 2.67 for the month of June.

Following Michael Bowden, Masterson is the second Sox starting pitching prospect to overcome the extreme hitter-friendly elements in the California League and move on to AA. Kris Johnson appears to be on the same track, as he has been excellent after a frighteningly bad start.

It is good to see Masterson putting it together recently. I remember how high people were on the guy after he was drafted (another classic signability player that slipped). I think Sickels or someone (Keith Law, maybe) had rated him as one of the top 30 players in that draft.

BA had him as a top-25 prospect coming into the draft, but I don't recall signability having anything to do with him dropping to the second round. His bonus ($510,000) was pretty much slot money for where he was taken. More likely, he fell a little because of questions about whether he could stick as a starter. The Red Sox clearly had the same doubts, as they had him working as a reliever from the get-go last year. But he impressed them so much they decided to give him a chance in the rotation and he's erasing some of those doubts so far.

From this morning's Globe:

Amalie Benjamin - Minor League Notebook: Masterson awaits next challenge

LANCASTER, Calif. -- He may have just recently gotten used to the winds here, but Justin Masterson won't have to watch popups drift over his head and routine fly balls turn into home runs. No, the sinkerballer who mastered Clear Channel Stadium, home of the Single A JetHawks, is moving across the country and -- in terms of ballpark conditions -- moving back into known territory.

...

Masterson, a 6-foot-6-inch, 245-pound 22-year-old out of San Diego State -- where he was coached by Tony Gwynn -- had been starting for the JetHawks, though some believe his future is as a reliever. He came out of the bullpen for Single A Lowell last season.

Primarily a slider-sinkerball pitcher -- which accounts for his extreme 2.09 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio -- Masterson is starting to find consistency with his third pitch, a changeup, which he said was "dirty" back when he was in the instructional league. But it hasn't been easy to trust a pitch that, if thrown well, could result in the always unpredictable fly ball in Clear Channel Stadium, rather than the sinker, which produces lots of ground balls.

Masterson made his AA debut today and took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before being pulled. New Hampshire finally got a hit off the Sea Dogs when Lyle Overbay (yes, that Lyle Overbay, on a rehab assignment) singled off Hunter Jones with 2 outs in the 9th.

Masterson's final line for his 1st Eastern League start: 6.2 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 BBs, 9 Ks and 8/3 go/ao.

Eh, Buchholz would have done better.

...

But seriously, an amazing debut in AA.

From today's Union Leader:

John Habib - Portland sinkerballer's Double-A debut is brilliant

MANCHESTER – Two weeks ago Boston's No. 1 pitching prospect, Clay Buchholz, walked off the mound to a standing ovation at Merchantsauto.com Stadium.

Yesterday Buchholz' heir apparent, 22-year-old righthander Justin Masterson, made his Double-A debut with Portland a memorable one. The sinkerballer spun a no-hitter through 6 2/3 innings against the Fisher Cats before departing to a loud applause, many of the 5,612 fans standing in appreciation of his performance.

...

Still, Masterson's outing yesterday was eerily similar to Buchholz' start two weeks ago against the Fisher Cats. In that game Buchholz threw 91 pitches (66 strikes, 25 balls), allowing four hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 6 1/3 innings. He departed with a 5-0 lead.

Yesterday in 6 2/3 innings, Masterson, drafted by the Red Sox in the second round (71st overall) last year, delivered 85 pitches (59 strikes, 26 balls), fanning nine batters with two walks. When Portland manager Arnie Beyeler emerged from the dugout to pull Masterson with a 5-0 lead after he got Aaron Mathews to fly out for the second out in the seventh inning, many of the fans booed the Portland manager.

Masterson at AA on Saturday.

6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Stats since being promoted:

12.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 16 K

Clay who?

Masterson Named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

The 22 year-old, Masterson was promoted to the Sea Dogs from Single-A Lancaster on July 7th. He made his Double-A debut on July 9th at New Hampshire tossing 6.2 innings of no-hit ball with a season high nine strikeouts. In his second Double-A start on July 14th at Hadlock Field, Masterson tossed six scoreless innings allowing three hits and striking out seven. For the week, Masterson was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA allowing three hits and three walks, while striking out 16. Masterson has now won eight straight decisions between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Portland. He leads all Red Sox farmhands with ten combined wins.


In 17 starts for the JetHawks this season, Masterson posted an 8-5 record with a 4.33 ERA. He was the winning pitcher on July 4th when the JetHawks captured the first half Southern Division title in the California League. He was 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA in June and was honored as the Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month. Masterson was selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the June 2006 draft. He is the 13th ranked prospect in the Red Sox organization according to Baseball America.

Lots of Masterson stuff was lost in the recent purge, but a quick recap: After dominating AA for his first 6 starts (1.38 ERA in 39 IP), Masterson had two bad starts then went on the DL with a calf strain.

He returned from the DL on Sunday and allowed 2 ER in 5 IP.

His totals in AA: 3.83 ERA with 56 Ks and 15 BBs in 54 IP. Eastern League batters are hitting .210 against him and he has a 3.48 go/ao ratio.

From The Daily Aztec, San Diego State's daily newspaper:

David Biderman - A diamond discovered in San Diego; Justin Masterson is ready to bring his nasty sinker to the big leagues with Boston

He shouldn't start worrying any time soon, either. Quickly promoted to Double-A from the lower Class-A level - the jump perceived as the hardest in the minor leagues - Masterson is currently blowing away hitters for the Portland, Maine Sea Dogs, an affiliate of the Red Sox in the Eastern League.

Now, on pace to land in the big show sooner than later, Masterson looks back at his baseball upbringing and recognizes the advantages he gleaned from such a humble start.

"I think being the underdog always gives you an advantage in anything," Masterson said. "People always underestimate you, so when you do well it's a pleasant surprise instead of something expected."

Nor does the obscure ascent to baseball prominence hurt from a technical standpoint.

"As you move up (in the minors), guys get more selective and the game becomes more mental than physical," Masterson said. "That's where a lot of guys lose it, (but) my start kept me humble. I know I have to battle every time I go out and, starting at a lower level, I really learned how to get guys out with my mental capacity."

From the Feb. 18, 2008 Herald:

Rob Bradford - Using the buddy system; Generosity marks Sox’ Masterson

Masterson’s continued development on the road to the majors will depend largely on his ability to develop both a secondary pitch, which right now is a combination slider and curveball, and an offering that can put away hitters.

Until then he will continue to utilize his sinking fastball, which Lancaster JetHawks pitching coach Bob Kipper encouraged Masterson to rely on as long as hitters weren’t coming back with an answer.

“The thing that clearly stands out is the action of his fastball and the heaviness of the sinker that he throws for strikes,” said Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell.

Part of the problem with his slider is his delivery, he's a side arming pitcher and he tends to overthrow the slider a bit. They should have him work on a change up instead. What's the plan for usage of him this season? AAA, then a call up if they need him in the pen or the rotation if Wakefield falters?

Kevin Thomas, Portland Press Herald - Masterful in a loss; Justin Masterson, up from Portland, impresses in his Boston debut, but the bullpen costs him a win

Very impressive," Boston catcher Kevin Cash said. "I might have been more nervous for him. When he warmed up in the (bullpen), he looked like he'd been doing this for 10 years."

Wearing No. 63 and working quickly, Masterson struck out four and gave up four walks, never allowing more than one base runner an inning. Besides Napoli's homer, no runner reached third and only one got to second -- Maicer Izturis on a stolen base.

Masterson pitched in a minor league game at Fenway in 2006 and said that experience helped his nervousness.

"As I walked out there with the screaming fans, I thought, 'This is where I'm supposed to be,'" Masterson said.

Masterson had the Angels hitting the ball on the ground against his sinker. He got 11 ground-ball outs, three fly-ball outs.

"He was pretty funky," said Napoli, who also struck out against Masterson. "He had a good sinker and a pretty good slider and some good change-ups. He threw well."

Kyle Knust - No minor achievement; Masterson masterful in spot start for Boston


Masterson looked right at home on the Fenway Park mound.

He went six strong innings, gave up two hits and one earned run -- a fifth-inning home run to Mike Napoli. He walked four, struck out four and left with a 3-1 lead before the Angels struck against the Red Sox bullpen to win 7-5 and deprive Masterson the chance at a win in his debut.

And all of that without the benefit of any sort of detailed scouting report.

"They didn't really want to overload the rookie, I think," Masterson said. "I just went along with (Boston catcher) Kevin (Cash) and (pitching coach) John Farrell.

"They did tell me how I should handle (Angels slugger) Vlad (Guerrero). Farrell told me 'Pitch him either a foot inside or a foot outside and hope he doesn't hit it.' "

...

Masterson's road to Fenway was littered with stops along the way. He was born in Jamaica, where at the time his father was working as the dean of students at the Jamaican Theological Seminary. When he was 2 years old, his family settled in Beavercreek, Ohio.

Initially recruited by Notre Dame, an illness derailed his visit and ultimately ended his recruitment.

"I got sick and couldn't make the visit," he said. "After that, they sort of stopped recruiting me. I had some family who had gone to Bethel, so I looked at it and they had a really good program."

Masterson spent two years at Bethel and posted a 20-8 record with a 1.95 ERA. He spent the summer of 2005 in the Cape Cod League, where he went 3-1 with 10 saves and a 1.15 ERA.

Joe McDonald, ProJo - Masterson likes the tried and true

This time, Masterson was assigned to Pawtucket and was set to make his Triple-A debut when he was told he would miss a start to give him some rest. Not exactly what he was expecting, but he wasn’t surprised, either.

“They know what they’re doing,” said Masterson of the Red Sox’ philosophy. “You have to buy in and know what they’re doing is to help you. The competitive drive in me wants to be out there, but I understand enough to know they have a plan. They have a future plan, and as a young kid you don’t always have the ability to see it. I’m excited about what has happened already, and I can’t wait to see what happens from here on.”

Shalise Manza Young, ProJo - Masterson makes a sweet debut with PawSox

Though he hadn’t pitched in nine days, Masterson was sharp off the bat. He retired the first three Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hitters he faced on only 13 pitches. Johnson said Masterson would be on a 90-pitch count, and that’s exactly what he needed to go six full innings.

In that span, he allowed four hits, two runs (one earned), struck out four, and walked one. He also had a hit batsman and wild pitch. Fifty-nine of his 90 pitches were for strikes.

"I felt great; I’m glad we could get a victory," Masterson said. "I just wanted to do what I usually do — throw sinkerballs, get ground balls, and I got exactly what I wanted. [Catcher] George [Kottaras] called a great game, and I had a great defense behind me."

Johnson felt Masterson’s performance looked even better coming against the Yankees, who lead the International League North.

"He got six innings against probably the best team in the league. To me, that magnifies the outing," Johnson said. "I liked the way he pitched around the error."