Royal Rooters > Sox Minor League News Links, Sun. Aug. 17, 2008

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Royal Rooters > WE'RE TALKIN' BASEBALL > DOWN ON THE FARM

RedSoxAnni

Aug 17 2008, 11:31 AM

Jeff Horrigan - Red Sox Notebook: Ryan Westmoreland deal continues minor trend

Facing a steady diet of 90-plus mph fastballs and breaking pitches that couldn’t be found in Rhode Island high school ball, Westmoreland simply took his game to the next level. He batted an incredible .557 with four homers, while striking out three times the entire summer. He hit .486 with four homers and 31 RBI for Portsmouth High in 2008 and also went 7-0 with a 0.45 ERA in seven games (6 starts) on the mound. That included a perfect game April 30 against Barrington High, when he struck out 19-of-21 batters faced.

“After scouring him over the summer, we came to consider him one of the best players in the draft,” McLeod said. “His bonus was reflective of that. He was too good to let walk without putting our best foot forward.”

So the Sox selected him in the fifth round of June’s draft. And prior to Friday’s signing deadline, Westmoreland received a $2 million signing bonus when he formally agreed to terms, capping the Sox’ astounding success in signing their top picks.

RedSoxAnni

Aug 17 2008, 11:45 AM

The Providence Journal

Joe McDonald - Sox are getting man of character in Westmoreland

A graduate of Portsmouth High School last spring, Westmoreland got involved with the Special Olympics for his senior project. He found the experience so rewarding he continues to work with the organization, while also helping kids with disabilities in the Challenger Division of Little League.

“I absolutely love the Special Olympics program,” he said. “Working with those kids, it just makes me happy to see those kids having a good time. That entire organization is really unbelievable and I really love working with those kids.”

Westmoreland’s parents, Ron and Robin, say they are very proud of their son’s accomplishments on the field and in the classroom, but his work in the community is what has stood out in most peoples’ minds.

“He loves to do it,” said Ron. “There’s no hesitation.”

Westmoreland enjoys country music and the song “Walking in Memphis” plays on his cell phone. There’s a line from the song that asks “Do I really feel the way I feel?”

That basically sums up what Westmoreland’s life has been like for the last few months. He went from being a highly scouted high-school player to a member of the Red Sox organization in three short months, while leaving a college scholarship on the table.

“I feel like a lot of weight is off my shoulders now,” he said. “The entire process from June 5 to Aug. 15 was pretty stressful, but it got done and that’s all that really matters.”

Ron Westmoreland will be the first to admit that the process was a long and difficult one for his 18-year-old son.

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“This is my job right now,” he added. “I have to play baseball for a living. I want to focus, do the best I can and hopefully move up the ranks as fast as I can. It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe it some times, but it’s a dream come true.”

He’ll report to Fort Myers as an outfielder and play 10 games for the GCL Red Sox before reporting to Lowell where he’ll finish out the season with the Spinners.

“It’s awesome,” he said of playing close to home. “A bunch of my friends already said they’re going to come up. It’s going to be amazing, not only playing for the Red Sox organization, but to be playing so close to home is just a bonus.”

He’s already had a firsthand experience of everything Red Sox.

He’s worked out twice at Fenway Park — once during a predraft workout and once after he was drafted — and he was able to rub elbows with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia and spent a good amount of time with Francona.

Dave Ricci - Bisons 1, PawSox 0

Pawtucket starter Michael Bowden (0-3) gave up a first-inning RBI double to Todd Linden, but then went on to retire the next 14 Buffalo Bisons that he faced. Bisons (59-68) starter John Halama (8-4) gave up just two hits over seven innings for the win.

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Michael Bowden is rated by Baseball America as the No.7 prospect in the Red Sox chain. He was making his sixth start for Pawtucket last night and gave up three hits over six innings.

“I like that he’s a 21-year-old kid and he’s up here competing at the Triple-A level. I think that’s very exciting. That and the maturity that he has,” said Johnson. “For a player of that experience level, he gives you a very mature outing. That’s not saying he’s going to go out there and throw the ball exactly where he wants to [every time], but he’s going to go out and give himself an opportunity to win. He’s not going to let his mind get in his way. He’s very intense but he’s mature. I think he’s exactly where he should be as far as his development.”

RedSoxAnni

Aug 17 2008, 12:07 PM

Kevin Thoimas - Sea Dogs survive scary ninth for victory; Harrisburg scores a run in the last inning and leaves the bases loaded while Portland hangs on to win.

Aaron Bates and Josh Reddick hit home runs for the second consecutive night and the Portland pitching staff held on, leading the Sea Dogs to a 6-5 victory over the Harrisburg Senators at Hadlock Field on Saturday night.

T.J. Large earned his first save the hard way. After allowing one run and loading the bases in the ninth, he struck out Marvin Lowrance to end it.

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Portland starter Dustin Richardson (7-7) finished five innings for the first time in a month. He allowed four hits and four runs, three earned. Richardson, a 6-foot-5 left-hander with a fastball that's hard to pick up, struck out six.

"He did a nice job featuring all three pitches," Portland Manager Arnie Beyeler said. "He threw breaking balls and change-ups and finished guys with fastballs."

Richardson gave up back-to-back home runs to Mike Daniel and Seth Bynum in the third, tying the game 3-3.

Bates led off the second with a home run to center field, his 10th. Lars Anderson walked and Reddick sent a drive into the bullpen for his fifth homer in 20 games with Portland.

The Sea Dogs got two more in the third on a walk to Zach Daeges and doubles by Jorge Jimenez and Bryan Pritz. Iggy Suarez doubled home a run in the fifth off Harrisburg starter Bobby Brownlie (8-3).

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Richardson turned a 6-4 lead over to the bullpen. Chad Rhoades went two innings and Daniel Haigwood pitched 11/3, with neither giving up a hit.

Large entered with nobody on and one out in the ninth and gave up a run on two walks and two hits, including an RBI single by Bynum with two outs. Large then went to 3-0 on Lowrance before running the count full. Lowrance fouled off two pitches before missing a cut fastball.

Kevin Thomas - On Baseball: Pretty good team, with good reason

When Charlie Zink made his major league debut on Tuesday, it marked a couple of unique achievements for the 2005 Portland Sea Dogs team.

All the members of that team's starting rotation have reached the majors: Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, David Pauley, Kason Gabbard and Zink.

Plus, Zink became the 19th player from that team to have major league experience, a franchise record.

Among the 19 players the Sea Dogs include in their count are three who had reached the majors before coming to Portland and one pitcher on a rehab assignment.

The 2005 Sea Dogs won the Eastern League Northern Division and advanced to the championship series, although some of those 19 had moved on.

Here are the 19 players (with their current ages):

Kevin Thomas - Paying for the draft

The Red Sox announced Saturday the signing of six more of their draft picks (Friday was the deadline to sign). Boston was able to sign 29 of their picks, including their top 16.

Boston used one of its advantages as a major market team - it payed out big bucks, especially to high school players who demanded whopping signing bonuses to give up their college scholarships.

Boston spent $9-million on its first 12 picks - $6-million of that going to three high school kids - 1st-rounder Casey Kelly ($3-million), a shortstop/pitcher, 5th-rounder Ryan Westmoreland ($2-million), an outfielder; and 4th-rounder Peter Hissey ($1-million), another outfielder.

Other high school kids scored six-figure bonuses, despite being drafted later. 27th-round pick, pitcher Colby Cervenka, received $350,000.

Even the last pick in the draft, 50th-rounder Kyle Stroup, a pitcher, got $150,00 (the same bonus as 7th-round pick, catcher Tim Federowicz, out of the University of North Carolina).

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Lancaster's new outfielder, Ryan Kalish, went 2-for-5. (Prediction: Kalish, 20, will be in Portland before July of next year ... Reliever Cody McCalister got his fourth save with 3 dominant innings (0 H, 0 BB, 6 K). His ERA is at 3.26.

Lowell starter Kyle Weiland (1.37) was a third-round pick in June, out of Notre Dame, receiving a modest $322,000. He went 5 innings Saturday (3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K).

In the Gulf Coast League, infielder Derrick Gibson (.314) went 2-for-3. Gibson was a second-round pick out of high school this year and signed for "only" $600,000. Kelly, the $3-million man, continues to scuffle at the plate (.171), going 0-for-5 (4 K).

RedSoxAnni

Aug 17 2008, 08:19 PM

David Hood - Power pummel Greenville Drive

The West Virginia Power lived up to their name Saturday night, scoring four times on two home runs in the sixth inning and defeating the Greenville Drive 9-1 in front of 5,979 fans at Fluor Field.

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Greenville’s David Mailman extended his hit streak to 10 games with an RBI single in the third that plated Rafael Cabreja, who had singled to lead off the inning, but the Drive were unable to muster anymore runs, despite infielder Carlos Fernandez extending his season-high hitting streak to nine games.

RedSoxAnni

Aug 17 2008, 08:36 PM

The Lowell Sun

Lynn Worthy - Masterpiece by Weiland

Starting pitcher Kyle Weiland continued to handcuff opposing hitters, Lowell came up with clutch hitting, and the Spinners won their fifth straight (one game shy of matching their season-best win streak) as they dropped the Aberdeen IronBirds, 7-2, last night at LeLachuer Park.

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Weiland, who has given up just three earned runs in his last five starts, had another strong outing. He allowed one run and three hits in five innings of work, striking out five batters in the process.

A third round pick in this year's draft out of the University of Notre Dame, Weiland actually saw his ERA inch upward to 1.57 from 1.54.

"Right out of the gate, just try to pitch to contact," Weiland said of his approach. "Make people swing the bat. Try to keep my pitch count down because in the past the first few innings haven't been so good as far as pitch count. I've been running it up a little high. That was the goal to start out with, throw the two-seamer down the middle and let them swing. Get themselves out."
Timely hitting makes for a great companion to solid pitching, and Spinners second baseman Jonathan Hee provided the biggest hit of the game.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Hee broke a 2-2 tie by doubling down the third base line.

RedSoxAnni

Aug 17 2008, 09:20 PM

Kevin Gray's On Baseball: Rookie Richmond having a ball in bigs

Alvirne of Hudson graduate Kyle Jackson was released by the Red Sox last week after serving mostly as a reliever with the Portland Sea Dogs. Jackson, a 32nd round draft pick, eventually earned a spot on Boston's 40-man roster in 2007 but his career took a hit the past two seasons. The slender righty owned a 5-3 record and 6.47 ERA for the Sea Dogs.

Jackson signed with the Worcester Tornadoes and hopes to continue pitching in the Can-Am League playoffs. The Nashua Pride expressed interest in Jackson, who opted to join Worcester.

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