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As we close out the regular season, it’s time again to look at the top prospects in the Red Sox farm system.

Much like the case at mid-season, the system is as strong as it has been since early 2007, when the farm included Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson, Jed Lowrie, David Murphy, George Kottaras and Brandon Moss.

As Jose Iglesias had already graduated from prospect status by mid-season, the primary difference is that Rubby De La Rosa graduated from prospect status, a few prospects made greater second-half strides to display their potential future value, and second baseman Mookie Betts continued his march to the top 10.

Here's a look at the top 10 prospects in the system at the end of the regular season, as ranked by SoxProspects.com:

1. Xander Bogaerts (20)
SS, Boston
How acquired: Signed as an international free agent out of Aruba in August 2009. $410,000 bonus.
2013 Stats: .250/.320/.364 with 1 home run in 44 at-bats for Boston
.297/388/.477 with 15 home runs in 444 at-bats between Triple-A Pawtucket and Double-A Portland
Scouting Report: Bogaerts remains one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Despite the fact that he’s generally been playing against competition three to four years his senior for the past few seasons, the Aruban shortstop has shown an improved plate approach while maintaining solid power production. Bogaerts has an athletic frame with a lean body type, and couples those attributes with a high baseball IQ, good work ethic, and maturity beyond his years. On offense, his smooth, fluid swing generates a lot of lift on the ball, and he’s able to hit to all fields. The 20-year-old has strong and explosive wrists with good separation during his hitting stride. The ball explodes off his bat, leading to projections that he’ll be an above-average-to-better power hitter with high home-run and run-producing potential. Bogaerts has also made strides in the areas of pitch recognition and strike-zone judgment, and is generally about average in those areas at this point. On defense, he has a slightly above-average arm with short action, solid range, and fringe-average footwork. He’s been able to slow down his game at shortstop, and he's shown that he will have the ability to stick there for the next few years. However, he still may need to move to third base or left field over the long term, depending on his physical growth.
Projection: All-Star
Ceiling: Franchise player
Floor: Average major league regular
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Starting shortstop for Boston

2. Jackie Bradley, Jr. (23)
OF, Boston
How acquired: Drafted in the supplemental first round, 2011. $1,100,000 bonus.
2013 Stats: .189/.280/.337 with 3 home runs in 95 at-bats for Boston.
.275/.374/.469 with 10 home runs in 320 at-bats for Pawtucket
Scouting Report: Bradley’s 2013 season should be viewed in the context that he was originally projected to start the season in Double-A. Assigned to major league camp in spring training, he outplayed every player in camp and made the big club out of the gate, but later went on to spend a majority of the season in Triple-A. It’s not as if Bradley came out of nowhere -- he was considered a mid-to-high first-round pick in college, but fell to the supplemental round in 2011 due to a wrist injury. Hitting from an open stance, he closes down well on pitch approach to keep himself balanced. Overall, Bradley is an above-average contact hitter with quick hands, fluid mechanics, an upward swing plane, solid bat control, and a disciplined approach. However, he can overextend on occasion and struggle with balls on the inner third of the plate. Bradley’s power projection is slightly below-average at this point, but it’s possible he fills out and adds more strength. He has average speed, and perhaps below-average speed compared with other major league center fielders, but he’s a smart runner on the base paths and should steal 10 bases a year or so. On defense, he’s a very polished outfielder who projects to stay in center field over the long haul. He has shown strong instincts, solid range, a plus arm, and a reliable glove. Despite struggles in early stints with the big club this season, Bradley is still in line to replace Jacoby Ellsbury if he leaves via free agency this off-season.
Projection: Above-average major league regular
Ceiling: Occasional All-Star center fielder
Floor: Solid fourth outfielder
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Starting center fielder for Boston

3. Garin Cecchini (22)
3B, Portland
How acquired: Drafted in the fourth round, 2010. $1,310,000 bonus.
2013 Stats: .322/.443/.471 with 7 home runs in 243 at-bats between Portland and High-A Salem
Scouting Report: A tall, athletic third baseman with strong all-around tools, Cecchini has a sweet swing with outstanding bat speed. He’s a plus contact hitter with outstanding plate discipline and the ability to hit the ball to all fields with gap power. He has below-average present power with the potential to develop into a lightly above-average power hitter. At 22, he has decent speed and excellent baseball instincts. But while Cecchini has already stolen 86 bases over his 254 game minor league career, he doesn’t project to be a major stolen base threat at the major league level -- his speed has the potential to decline as his size and power increase. On defense, he can use some refinement with his reactions and footwork, but he has a nice glove with a plus arm. He’s also a smart player with the ability to learn quickly and make proper adjustments. At best, he’ll be an average major league defender at third base, but it will take some continued improvement to get there.
Projection: Above-average major league regular
Ceiling: All-Star third baseman
Floor: Bench player
2014 Opening Day Prediction: On the bubble between Portland and Pawtucket

4. Henry Owens (21)
LHP, Portland
How acquired: Drafted in the supplemental first round, 2011. $1,550,000 bonus.
2013 Stats: 11-6, 2.67 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 169 strikeouts, 68 walks in 135.0 innings for Portland and Salem
Scouting Report: Owens is a tall, lanky lefty who has a lot of room to fill out and add strength. He has a smooth, deceptive delivery and a mature demeanor on the hill. His fastball presently sits in the 88-92 mph range with decent movement, and inconsistently tops out at 94 mph. He should be able to add sitting velocity if and when he fills out. He currently throws his fastball with below-average command, which is another area of developmental need. Owens’ best secondary pitch is an excellent mid-70s deep breaking curveball, a potential plus offering that he can also loop in the mid-60s to keep hitters off balance. The left-hander also mixes in a steadily improving above-average low-80s changeup with subpar command. Overall, while he was dominant at age-advanced levels in 2013, he will need to add some strength and stamina, improve his command, and continue to refine his changeup if he’s to post anything akin to those numbers at the major league level. At this stage, he profiles as a No. 3 or No. 4 type starter for a first-division club like Boston, but the ceiling is still there to develop into a No. 2 starter if he makes significant improvements with his velocity and command.
Projection: No. 3 or No. 4 Starter
Ceiling: No. 2 starter
Floor: Minor leaguer
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Opening day starter for Portland

5. Matt Barnes (23)
RHP, Pawtucket
How acquired: Drafted in the first round, 2011. $1,500,000 bonus.
2013 Stats: 6-10, 4.13 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 142 strikeouts, 28 walks in 113.1 innings between Portland and Pawtucket
Scouting Report: A tall right-hander with a projectable body and a repeatable delivery, Boston picked up Barnes out of the University of Connecticut with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He was considered a potential top-10 pick after an excellent summer in 2010 with Team USA, but his stock fell due to the impressive pitching depth in the 2011 draft class. In 2012 -- his first professional season -- he was outstanding for the first half, but hit a wall in the second half of the year with Salem. While his stats weren’t eye-popping in 2013, he made advances in his developmental areas, including refinement of his secondary pitches and increased stamina. Barnes’ fastball currently sits in the 91-95 mph range and tops out at 98 mph. His command and control were identified as negatives coming out of college, showed improvement in 2012, but were inconsistent in 2013. His 74-77 mph curveball is his best secondary pitch, grading out as average to solid-average with plus potential. He also mixes in a fringe-average to average mid-80s changeup. It seems feasible that Barnes could add another pitch such as a slider or a cutter to his repertoire in 2014, which would increase the likelihood that he hits his ceiling. Fans should be encouraged by the fact that he showed improvement in July and August, a contrast to his 2012 season.
Projection: No. 4 Starter
Ceiling: No. 3 Starter
Floor: Long reliever
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Pawtucket starting rotation

6. Anthony Ranaudo (24)
RHP, Pawtucket
How acquired: Drafted in the supplemental first round, 2010. $2,550,000 bonus.
2013 Stats: 11-5, 2.96 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 127 strikeouts, 47 walks in 140.0 innings between Portland and Pawtucket
Scouting Report: Will the real Anthony Ranaudo please stand up? The tall right-hander has mixed periods of absolute dominance with extended periods of mediocrity since he led LSU to a national championship as a sophomore in 2009. He dropped from a Top 3 pick to the supplemental round after a subpar junior season, followed that up with a dominant performance in the Cape Cod League in 2010, a solid first half with Low-A Greenville in 2011, a mediocre stint with Salem in the second half of that season, a poor showing in 2012 with Portland, and then went on to have an outstanding campaign in 2013 with Portland and Pawtucket. That inconsistency is likely the result of mechanical and confidence issues, but the hope is that the 24-year-old finally put it all together this season. At 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, Ranaudo has a perfect pitcher’s frame. His fastball sits in the 92-94 mph range and topped out around 96 mph in 2013. He has thrown at higher velocities in the past, but he’s been able to hone his command a bit in this range. He also features a plus 78-82-mph hammer curveball and a fringe-average low-80s changeup. His developmental needs include keeping a consistent delivery point, working on getting past bad innings and bad outings, and refining his changeup. With polish in those areas, he has the potential to be a very good major league starter. However, the confidence issues could be an area of concern in the Boston market.
Projection: No. 4 Starter
Ceiling: No. 3 Starter
Floor: Long reliever
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Pawtucket starting rotation

7. Allen Webster (23)
RHP, Boston
How acquired: Acquired from the L.A. Dodgers with James Loney, Ivan De Jesus, Rubby De La Rosa, and Jerry Sands for Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, and cash considerations (Aug. 2012).
2013 Stats: 1-2, 8.60 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 23 strikeouts, 18 walks in 30.1 innings for Boston
8-4, 3.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 116 strikeouts, 43 walks in 105.0 innings for Pawtucket
Scouting Report: Webster is a ground-ball pitcher with a lean, projectable frame and excellent athleticism. His delivery is smooth, but he can short-arm the ball on occasion, losing his release point. The 23-year-old’s fastball sits in the 92-95-mph range and tops out at 98 mph, showing strong sinking movement and late life. Webster throws the pitch with below-average command and control. While he has outstanding stuff, he really needs to improve his ability to limit walks and keep the ball down in the zone to solidify himself as a major league starter. His mid-80s changeup has good movement and deception, grading out as a plus pitch. He also features an above-average 83-87-mph slider with tight rotation and late bite. He’s able to generate a lot of swings and misses with his secondary pitches. From a makeup standpoint, Webster is aggressive on the mound, but has had some struggles with confidence and composure in 2013. His ability to put bad outings behind him had previously been a strong suit.
Projection: No. 4 or No. 5 Starter
Ceiling: No. 3 Starter
Floor: Long reliever
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Pawtucket starting rotation

8. Blake Swihart (21)
C, Salem
How acquired: Drafted in the first round, 2011. $2,500,000 bonus.
2013 Stats: .298/.366/.428 with 2 home runs in 376 at-bats for Salem
Scouting Report: Swihart is an athletic, switch-hitting catcher with a fluid swing from both sides of the plate. While he hasn't posted eye-popping stats during his time in the system, scouts are still very impressed with his skill set and potential. He profiles as an above-average contact hitter with plus bat speed and explosive hands. He’s still young, and needs work on his plate approach and pitch recognition. While he’s a bit undersized for a catcher and shows below-average present power, Swihart has solid-to-average home-run power potential. On defense, he’s fluid and agile, and has excellent reflexes, a plus arm, and a smooth release. He made major strides in 2013, taking home the Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Year. He absolutely has the tools to work as backstop for the long term, but it’s still not totally clear that Swihart has the frame to endure the rigors of catching every day. He should have the athleticism and the bat to move to second base if necessary.
Projection: Average major league regular
Ceiling: All-Star catcher
Floor: Minor leaguer
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Portland starting catcher

9. Trey Ball (19)
LHP, Rookie-Level GCL Red Sox
How acquired: Drafted in the first round (No. 7 overall) in 2013. Reportedly signed to a $2,750,000 bonus on June 19.
2013 Stats: 0-1, 6.43 ERA, 2.29 WHIP, 5 strikeouts, 6 walks in 7.0 innings with the GCL Red Sox
Scouting Report: At 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds, Ball has tons of projection in his frame. The 19-year-old southpaw's fastball already gets up to 92-94 mph, and he has the potential to add a good deal of sitting velocity as he physically matures in the coming years. He also throws a developing mid-70s deep-breaking curveball with plus potential -- a pitch that his father did not let him throw until he was a junior in high school in order to limit injury risk. His third pitch is a solid 78-82-mph changeup, which is still a work-in-progress but has above-average major league potential. He throws all of his pitches with an easy, repeatable delivery and a clean arm action. An outstanding athlete, Ball was committed to the University of Texas as both a pitcher and center fielder before signing with Boston. While he sits at No. 9 in the rankings right now, he's the type of high-ceiling prospect that could be in the top three within a year. The spread is very wide between his floor and ceiling.
Projection: Middle-to-back-of-the-rotation starter
Ceiling: No. 1 Starter
Floor: Minor leaguer
2014 Opening Day Prediction: Greenville starting rotation

10. Mookie Betts (20)
2B, Salem
How acquired: Drafted in the fifth round, 2011. $750,000 bonus.
2012 Stats: .314/.417/.506 with 15 home runs and 38 stolen bases in 462 at-bats for Salem and Greenville
Scouting Report: Betts entered the season as an fringy prospect with high upside. After a phenomenal showing in 2013, he's now on most scouts' radars as a potential impact major league contributor. Back in 2011, Betts was a four-sport star committed to playing at Tennessee, but the Sox were able to scoop him up with a generous bonus for a fifth-round pick. The small-framed infielder has plus speed and the ability to impact the game with his legs, a compact and level swing, and a solid-average hit tool. He has also displayed a disciplined approach for his age, with the ability to work counts, use excellent strike zone judgment, and not get overly aggressive. While he flashed some power in 2013, his power still projects as below-average, but that’s certainly an area where he can prove doubters wrong. A former shortstop, Betts is a plus defensive player with an above-average arm, fluid footwork, a soft glove, and good instincts. He can still use some work on charging infield grounders. Likely blocked at second base in the Red Sox organization, he'll be given the opportunity to play shortstop and outfield at the higher levels of the system.
Projection: Utility infielder
Ceiling: Average first division starter
Floor: Minor leaguer

ABERDEEN, Md. -- To the outside observer, the last two MLB drafts might seem to have been nothing if not frustrating for Boston’s 2013 second-round pick, Teddy Stankiewicz.

In 2012, the Mets took Stankiewicz as a high school draftee with the 75th overall pick, only to offer him less than slot money and ultimately not sign him. After he compiled a 4-5 record with a 2.52 ERA last year at Seminole State (Junior) College in Oklahoma, the Red Sox selected Stankiewicz in the second round in 2013, 45th overall, but ultimately cut his bonus from a reported $1.1 million to $915,000 because of an issue that arose in his physical.

Even so, the humble, gracious young Texan is able to see the positives in the detours on the way to his goal of the major leagues. The pitcher Boston drafted this June, he said, was much different from the one the Mets could have signed.

“College was a very smart choice for me because I got to mature a lot more in that year,” Stankiewicz said last week in Aberdeen, Md. as his Lowell Spinners wrapped up their season. “It also helped me see a lifestyle of living away from home, living in a dorm room, making sure I have my own meals -- doing all my stuff on my own instead of having my parents there.”

Stankiewicz chose Seminole State not only because it allowed him to be redrafted in a year, but because the program is run with professional baseball in mind. Seminole State’s manager, Lloyd Simmons, spent six years coaching rookie ball in the Royals organization, and spent stints as an area scout for the Royals and Yankees. Since he knows what the next level looks like, Simmons said he and his staff “spent a majority of our time getting guys ready for the next level.”

“There’s not a whole lot of difference between junior college and rookie ball because of the fact that they’re 17-, 18-year-old kids who think they know how to play the game, but they don’t,” Simmons said. “I pretty well manage my whole system after what I did in pro ball as far as time management on the field. A lot of these young men come in here, they’ve never had a set schedule. That’s why a lot of kids get in trouble in pro ball, because they don’t know [time management.”

Simmons said Stankiewicz “was a pretty mature young man” when he arrived in Seminole, and committed to the program’s conditioning regimen to help him on the mound.

“I think the biggest thing we did for him here was ... we got him in great shape,” Simmons said. “He’s a good athlete, there’s no doubt about that, and he’s got a great arm, but the biggest thing is we put strength on him, trimmed him down and put good, lean muscle on him.”

When he arrived, Simmons said the book on Stankiewicz was that he was a hard thrower who lost his velocity as games went on. At the end of the season, Simmons said Stankiewicz was still hitting 95 mph in the ninth inning.

Stankiewicz also ironed out his delivery, Simmons said. Stankiewicz said his unique motion to the plate, which begins with a high leg kick and includes a pronounced tilt backward, was honed through years of coaching and tweaking. But Simmons found that Stankiewicz could rush through his motion at times, and the manager sought to slow down his delivery to allow Stankiewicz to stay over the rubber longer and allow him to get better “tilt.”

Stankiewicz debuted for Lowell on July 21 and enjoyed an extended spell of success, though the organization limited his usage. He carried a 1.08 ERA in 16 2/3 innings into his final start Sept. 3 at Aberdeen, when the IronBirds tagged him for three first-inning runs that raised his ERA to 2.29 at season’s end. Still, Stankiewicz allowed earned runs in just three of his nine short outings, striking out 15 batters and walking just two in 19 2/3 innings in his first taste of the pros.

In his final outing, Stankiewicz featured a 92-94 mph fastball in the first inning, along with a mid-80s changeup and a mid-70s curveball. His fastball settled into the low 90s as his outing progressed, but despite the dip in velocity, Stankiewicz was easily able to repeat his methodical delivery throughout.

Simmons said Stankiewicz returned to Seminole after the season ended to work with his old team. Though Stankiewicz had been gone for just a few months, Simmons saw a pitcher who had improved.

“I think his off-speed stuff was much better than it was back in the spring,” Simmons said. “He got a little bit better over the summer, and his off-speed pitches are a lot longer. He’s not trying to rush through those or overthrow them. He’s slowed down a bit with his arm.”

The next step for Stankiewicz will be the fall instructional league, where he will continue to hone his arsenal and build toward a full season next year, likely starting in Class A Greenville. Going forward, his college coach expects the improvements to continue.

“He’s an exceptional young man,” Simmons said. “He’s got a burning desire to be successful, and I think that’s why he’s going to be successful. He’s got a deep desire to succeed, and I think he’s going to do that.”

Jon Meoli is a Senior Columnist for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @JonMeoli.

Now that the 2013 minor league regular season is over, here’s a look at the statistical leaders from the Red Sox system. Stats are cumulative for all minor league levels within the organization, but do not include major league stats. Minimums for rate stats are 250 plate appearances or 80 innings pitched.

With roster expansion less than a week away, let’s take a look at the players that the Red Sox may promote from the minors and add to the active major league roster in September.

In the past six years, the club has added somewhere between seven and 12 minor leaguers to its active roster each September, in varying capacities. Some have come aboard as impact role players, while others have joined the club just to get their first taste of a major league clubhouse atmosphere. Similarly, some are added immediately on Sept. 1 when the active roster expands from 25 to 40, others are not promoted until Triple-A Pawtucket’s season ends (which is Sept. 2 this season, but could be later as the PawSox have a very good chance at making the playoffs), and still others are only promoted for a cup of coffee during the final week of the season.

Here’s the pool of players Boston will look to when considering who will be added this September.

DEFINITE CALL-UPS

C Ryan Lavarnway -- The 26-year-old backstop has already spent a decent portion of the season with the big club. It seems highly likely that he’ll get the call on Sept. 1 to serve as a pinch hitter and third catcher.

IF Brock Holt -- Seeing that Boston is currently utilizing Will Middlebrooks as its backup second baseman, it’s a safe bet that Holt will be added to the Red Sox roster on Sept. 1 as well. The 25-year-old infielder is capable of playing second base, shortstop, and third base. He’s hitting .265/.329/.322 with Pawtucket.

OF Jackie Bradley Jr. -- Bradley could provide a spark off the bench and a bench option in center field behind Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino. He could be up on Sept. 1, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in Triple-A until the end of the PawSox season. In 2012, the PawSox season went all the way through Sept. 13, when they won the Governors’ Cup.

RHP Rubby De La Rosa -- The Dominican right-hander has appeared in five games with Boston this season, and already has 67 major league innings under his belt. He was moved to the Pawtucket bullpen upon his most recent option to Triple-A. He should get some situational relief innings with Boston in September, with an eye toward possibly making the big club out of the gate in 2014.

RHP Jose De La Torre -- the 27-year-old righty hasn’t had great success with Boston in 2012 (6.35 ERA in 7 appearances), but he’s posted a 2.94 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and struck out 55 batters in 49 innings with Pawtucket. It’s expected he’ll get the call to Boston in early September. He’ll most likely be utilized when the team needs another arm in extra innings affairs or in mop-up duty. He should be back with Pawtucket in 2014.

RHP Allen Webster -- Webster has had a tough run since May, lacking consistency at both the major league and Triple-A levels. He’s shown flashes of brilliance every few starts, but he’s had too many poor showings over the past few months. He’ll likely stick with Pawtucket until the end of the Triple-A season, but Boston may be best served to call him up to the big club and let him loose in some low-leverage situations to help rebuild his consistency and confidence. He obviously factors into the team’s plans for rotation depth in 2014.

ON THE BUBBLE

RHP Alex Wilson -- Wilson is technically in Pawtucket rehabbing a sprained right thumb, but he has not pitched since Aug. 5 when he re-aggravated the injury. He’ll seemingly be activated when he’s healthy.

RHP Pedro Beato, RHP Steven Wright, and RHP Brayan Villarreal -- All three pitchers are currently on the club’s 40-man roster, and all have been with Boston at some point this season. None of the three would seemingly be called up to pitch in high-leverage situations, but it’s always good to have extra arms available in emergency situations. Any of the three could get the call at the end of the PawSox season.

OF Alex Hassan -- Hassan, hitting .315/.429/.459 with Pawtucket, was seemingly in line for a September call-up, especially given that he’s already on the team’s 40-man roster. But he suffered a fractured middle finger on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch during a bunt attempt on Aug. 15, and the timetable for his return is unclear. The 25-year-old Massachusetts native is capable of playing left field, right field, and first base.

C Dan Butler and C Christian Vazquez -- The two catchers are each having excellent seasons with Pawtucket and Double-A Portland, respectively. Both are presently on the 40-man roster and both could be in the club’s long-term plans, at least as backups. Vazquez is an elite defensive backstop who would provide another option as a late-inning replacement. Butler, also a solid defender, is hitting .266/.355/.487 with 14 home runs for Pawtucket.

RHP Brock Huntzinger and LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith -- The two pitchers have excelled out of the Pawtucket bullpen this season -- coincidentally both have a 1.57 ERA. Both are set to be minor league free agents this offseason if not re-signed or added to the 40-man roster. It’s the latter point that could create issues, as the team would have to get creative to open up spots on the 40-man roster this season. That said, Alex Wilson could be transferred to the 60-day DL if he’s not on track to return. After that, IF Brandon Snyder is a candidate to be outrighted to Pawtucket. Even if promoted to Boston, the pitchers would presumably be behind De La Rosa, De La Torre, Webster, and Beato on the depth chart.

RHP Daniel Bard -- Currently assigned to Portland, Bard was placed on the minor league disabled list on June 9 with an abdominal strain. He had been shut down since May 15 after struggling with his control with the Sea Dogs (6.39 ERA in 13 appearances). He was placed in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League on a rehab assignment on Aug. 26. Even if healthy, it’s still questionable whether the team would promote Bard to Boston in September.

DOUBTFUL

Former major leaguers -- Barring a major roster overhaul or a rash of injuries, a number of PawSox and Sea Dogs with previous major-league experience are unlikely to get the call to Boston this September. This list includes pitchers Alfredo Aceves, Clayton Mortensen, Chris Carpenter, Charlie Haeger, Rafael Perez and Matt Maloney; infielders Drew Sutton and Jonathan Diaz, and outfielder Mitch Maier.

Rule 5 eligible players -- A handful of prospects might receive limited consideration for a call-up if the front office has already determined that it will add them to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. This group includes pitchers Anthony Carter (a potential minor league free agent), Anthony Ranaudo, and Chris Hernandez; third basemen Garin Cecchini and Michael Almanzar; and outfielders Jeremy Hazelbaker, Bryce Brentz, and J.C. Linares. All seem highly unlikely to be called up, with the possible exception of Hazelbaker, who could be utilized as a dedicated pinch runner. Boston previously used speedy outfielder Joey Gathright in that role in September 2009 and September 2011.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- In his McCoy Stadium debut Thursday night, Anthony Ranaudo hardly blew hitters away. He gave up nine hits in his 5⅔ innings of work, including a triple to lead off the game to speedster Billy Hamilton, who later scored.

Perhaps more significantly, though, that was the only run to score all night against Ranaudo, who found a way to grind through the outing without his best stuff.

"You have to find a way to get outs," Pawtucket manager Gary DiSarcina said. "I know to give up nine hits, he's probably not happy with that, but he got to five-plus innings, and he did what he's supposed to do."

"He was grinding that whole game today," elaborated catcher Dan Butler, who has been behind the dish for all of Ranaudo’s Triple-A starts. "He made his adjustments as the game went on. His breaking ball got better and it was more down in the zone."

Thursday marked Ranaudo's third start with the PawSox since being promoted from Double-A Portland, with which he had a 2.95 ERA in 19 starts. This one was more of a struggle for him than the first two, though he gave up four runs in the start prior.

"Other than that he didn't have his curveball command tonight, they've all been similar in that his first inning is up with his fastball, and as he progresses it comes down in the zone," DiSarcina said. "And that's really his out pitch -- the fastball down, especially to lefties down and away. He threw a couple good ones tonight to get some guys out with, but it was inconsistent. His first two outings were very similar. Out of all of his outings, I thought tonight was maybe the one he could have been more consistent."

The curveball command and effectiveness went in and out throughout the game for the 2010 first-round draft pick. Ranaudo said that he was feeling the pitch well in the bullpen before the game, then threw some OK ones in the first and second before losing it completely in the middle innings. However, DiSarcina said the most impressive part of the outing was that Ranaudo kept trying to throw it and didn't give up, and it paid off as the pitcher felt he threw his best breaking balls in the final two innings.

"I felt like I made some really good adjustments and bounced back with [the curveball]," Ranaudo said.

Though his first start with the team was statistically the best one so far -- he went six scoreless innings with more strikeouts (five) than hits and walks allowed (four) -- Ranaudo feels like he is beginning to understand the differences in facing Triple-A hitters and adapting.

"[The hitters here are] not going to bail you out too often," he said. "Like in the stretch of the game tonight where I didn't have my curveball, you could tell that they weren't going to swing at any curveballs. They were just going to wait for me to throw the fastball, and that's it. And they swung at it when I did [throw it], and they made some good contact on it throughout the game."

Before earning the promotion to Pawtucket, Ranaudo had dominated for most of the season in Double-A Portland, a far cry from his disastrous 2012 season with the Sea Dogs. After pitching just 37⅔ innings last season due to multiple injuries, he repeated the level to begin the season. But after a trip to the Futures Game and Double-A All-Star Game, it's safe to say this has been a bounce-back season for him.

"Overall, the first thing is my health," the 23-year-old righty said about the differences for him this season. "I'm not dealing with nagging injuries or any little things in between starts. Now I can focus on in-game situations. Like tonight, when I had a guy on third with less than two outs, I know what I have to do and what pitches I have to make, and I can do them aggressively without having to worry about anything else.

"The command of my fastball is back. The life on my fastball is back. And being able to throw the curveball for strikes as an out pitch has been key, too."

Though he feels the command of his fastball has been a strength for him this season, in his outing Thursday it lacked the typical low-to-mid 90s velocity it has at its best, sitting more in the 89-91 mph range. Having already pitched close to 100 more innings this season than last, it is natural to wonder if the tall righty is beginning to feel fatigued.

"Honestly, I feel really good out there. When I have the ball in my hand every fifth day, I feel strong," he said.

"I've tried not to pay attention to it the last month, but I think my velocity might have ticked down a little bit from where it was at the beginning of the year," he continued. "But coming off of 35 innings or whatever it was last year, I think that's understandable. Even though my velocity might be dropping right now a little bit, I think my command's picked up. I feel so much more confident being able to throw the ball where I want right now. I'm out there pitching right now: throwing all my pitches, mixing speeds and using my location to my advantage."

Although it seems unlikely that Ranaudo will make it to the majors this season, he knows he's just one stop away. Next season, he will likely start with Pawtucket again, but if he continues to perform as he did in Portland for most of this summer, Boston will soon want to find a spot for him on its roster.

In each of the last three years, we've taken a detailed look at New England natives playing in Major League Baseball. We New Englanders undoubtedly enjoy watching our homegrown players succeed -- as long as it’s not in Yankees pinstripes. Here's a list of 32 players from New England high schools or colleges who have appeared in the majors in 2013 (sorted by career Wins Above Replacement).

1. Carlos Pena, 1B, Tampa Bay
Haverhill High School, 1995 (Haverhill, Mass.)
Northeastern University, 1998 (Boston, Mass.)
Pena moved to Massachusetts from the Dominican Republic at the age of 12, and spent the next six years living in Haverhill. The 36-year-old also has a few other New England ties, being a Northeastern University alumnus, having played for the Cape Cod League in 1996 and 1997, and having played for both Boston and Pawtucket in 2006. Pena has 285 career home runs and a .465 career slugging percentage.

2. Erik Bedard, LHP, Houston
Norwalk Community College, 1999 (Norwalk, Conn.)
Bedard spent a short stint with the Red Sox in 2011. Prior to joining the professional ranks in 1999, he was a junior college All-American at Norwalk, leading his team to a junior college national championship. In his major league career, the 34-year-old left-hander is 66-72 with a 3.89 ERA.

3. Chris Iannetta, C, Los Angeles (AL)
Saint Raphael Academy, 2001 (Pawtucket, R.I.)
Now in his eighth major league season, the 30-year-old backstop has 78 career home runs and a .771 career OPS. He’s also a solid defender behind the plate. Iannetta platooned as the starting catcher for Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, together with Atlanta catcher Brian McCann. He still lists Providence as his hometown.

4. Chris Capuano, LHP, Los Angeles (NL)
Cathedral High School, 1996 (Springfield, Mass.)
A Springfield native and a noted scholar-athlete, Capuano was the valedictorian of his high school class before heading off to pitch for Duke University. Now in his ninth year in the majors, Capuano has posted a 4-6 record with a 4.50 ERA for the Dodgers in 2013. He was a National League All-Star in 2006, and also pitched for Team USA in the 2001 World Cup.

5. Chris Denorfia, OF, San Diego
Choate Rosemary Hall, 1998 (Wallingford, Conn.)
Wheaton College, 2002 (Norton, Mass.)
Born in Bristol, Conn., Denorfia graduated from Wheaton in 2002. An everyday regular in the outfield for the Padres, Denorfia’s value comes in his versatility, hustle and solid fundamentals. Over his eight-year career with Oakland, Cincinnati and San Diego, Denorfia has posted a career .277/.338/.409 line.

6. Matt Harvey, RHP, New York (NL)
Fitch Senior High School, 2007 (Groton, Conn.)
Harvey was considered one of the top prep prospects in the country in 2007, but chose the University of North Carolina after being selected in the third round by the Angels. Three years later, he was drafted by the Mets with the 7th overall pick of the 2010 draft. He’s been one of the top pitchers in the majors over the past year, earning the starting nod for the National League in the 2013 All-Star Game. Harvey is currently 9-3 with a 2.09 ERA for New York.

7. Ryan Hanigan, C, Cincinnati
Andover High School, 1999 (Andover, Mass.)
Hanigan grew up playing American Legion Baseball for American Legion Post 8 in Andover, and was a three-year varsity starter and an Eastern Massachusetts All-Star at Andover High School. He also played for Lowell in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and for Orleans in the Cape Cod League. A platoon catcher with the Reds for the past seven seasons, his career line is .265/.362/.349.

8. Craig Breslow, LHP, Boston
Trumbull High School, 1998 (Trumbull, Conn.)
Yale University , 2002 (New Haven, Conn.)
Widely considered the most intelligent player in major league baseball, Breslow graduated from Yale with a B.A. in molecular physics and biochemistry. Primarily utilized as a middle reliever throughout his career, Breslow is currently 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA for the Red Sox. He’s been with seven different organizations in his professional career, this being his second stint in the Boston system. He boasts a career 2.93 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

9. Rajai Davis, OF, Toronto
New London High School, 1999 (New London, Conn.)
University of Connecticut-Avery Point, 2001 (Groton, Conn.)
Davis was a Little League phenom and a multisport athlete growing up in New London. After he spent two years at UConn-Avery Point, the Pirates took a flier on him in the 38th round of the 2001 draft. Including Pittsburgh, the speedy center fielder has been through four organizations, compiling a career .270 /.317/.375 line with 257 stolen bases.

10. John McDonald, IF, Philadelphia
East Lyme High School, 1992 (East Lyme, Conn.)
Providence College, 1996 (Providence, R.I.)
“Johnny Mac” was a member of one of Providence College’s last teams before its baseball program was discontinued in 1999. A valuable utility player, McDonald is capable of playing shortstop, second base, third base and left field. He has a career line of .236/.274/.328 between stops in Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto, Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.

11. Brian Wilson, RHP, Los Angeles (NL)
Londonderry High School, 2000 (Londonderry, N.H.)
Wilson came up through the Londonderry High School ranks as a quirky teenager, leaving many of his coaches and teammates unsurprised that he has turned out to be one of the most unique personalities in the major leagues. Baseball-wise, Wilson was on the mound and took home the save when San Francisco won the World Series in 2010, leading to even more fame for the black-bearded closer. A three-time All-Star, Wilson has 171 career saves. He’s rehabbing from April 2012 Tommy John surgery, but is set to return to the mound for the Dodgers as early as this week.

12. Rich Hill, LHP, Cleveland
Milton High School, 1999 (Milton, Mass.)
Like many New Englanders his age, Hill grew up rooting for the likes of Wade Boggs and Mo Vaughn in the '80s and '90s. A fourth-round pick in 2002, he pitched in 78 major league games with the Cubs and Orioles before catching on with Boston in 2010. He pitched impressively for Boston when healthy; unfortunately he spent a significant portion of his tenure with the club on the disabled list. The Boston-born pitcher still has a large family presence in Milton. He has appeared in 47 games for the Indians in 2013.

13. Steve Cishek, RHP, Miami
Falmouth High School, 2004 (Falmouth, Mass.)
Cishek, a fourth-year reliever with the Marlins, has posted a 2.96 ERA and earned 24 saves for the Marlines in 2013. A fifth-round pick in 2007, Cishek made his major league debut on Sept. 27, 2010, appearing in three games with Miami before the end of the 2010 season. He got the call to the major leagues while driving from Jacksonville -- where his minor league season had just ended -- back to his hometown of Falmouth. He made it to Savannah, Ga., but after the call he made a U-turn to head down to Miami to join the Marlins.

14. Sam Fuld, OF, Tampa Bay
Phillips Exeter Academy, 2000 (Exeter, N.H.)
Fuld was born in Durham, N.H., in 1981, the son of a UNH professor and New Hampshire state senator. Diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic at the age of 10, he has battled the ailment throughout his career, but nonetheless plays the game with a reckless abandon, making him a perennial fan favorite. Now in his sixth season, the 5-foot-9 Fuld has spent most of his career as a third/fourth outfielder.

15. Jeff Locke, LHP, Pittsburgh
Kennett High School, 2006 (North Conway, N.H.)
Locke is the all-time leader in wins at his high school, where he was also a four-time All-Star and two-time New Hampshire Player of the Year. Drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 2006, he was traded to Pittsburgh in June 2009. Over his major-league career, which has spanned 33 starts and 2 relief appearances over three seasons for the Pirates, he's 10-9 with a 3.35 ERA.

16. A.J. Pollock, OF, Arizona
RHAM High School, 2006 (Hebron, Conn.)
Born in Connecticut, Pollock led his high school team to a state championship in 2004. He was a first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2009, and went on to hit .305 in three seasons in the minors. Pollock made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks on April 18, 2012. He’s spent the 2013 season as a platoon outfielder with Arizona.

17. Tim Collins, LHP, Kansas City
Worcester Technical High School, 2007 (Worcester, Mass.)
Former Toronto general manager (and Massachusetts native) J.P. Ricciardi signed Collins as an undrafted free agent in late July 2007, after Collins’ mid-90s fastball caught Ricciardi’s eye during an American Legion game. As a 5-foot-7 undrafted free agent, Collins’ rise to the majors has been quite improbable. He was traded to Atlanta in a multiplayer deal on July 14, 2010, and then sent to Kansas City on July 31, 2010, in another multiplayer deal. In 192 career games with the Royals, Collins has posted a 3.63 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Raised as a Red Sox fan, Collins made his Fenway Park debut on July 25, 2011.

18. Evan Scribner, RHP, Oakland
Shepaug Valley High School, 2003 (Washington, Conn.)
Central Connecticut State, 2007 (New Britain, Conn.)
Scribner has pitched in 53 major league games with San Diego and Oakland, posting a 4.17 ERA for his career. Like Collins, Scribner got to fulfill one of his childhood dreams when he pitched at Fenway Park for the first time as a pro on June 20, 2011. Presently pitching in Triple-A Sacramento, he’s likely to see more major league time with Oakland at some point this season.

19. Adam Ottavino, RHP, Colorado
Northeastern University, 2006
In his three-year career with the Huskies, Ottavino went 13-13 with a 3.09 ERA, striking out 290 batters in 253.1 innings. He was drafted by St. Louis in the first round in 2006 and was later claimed off waivers by the Rockies. In 92 career major league games, the 6-foot-5 reliever is 5-5 with a 4.53 ERA.

20. Ed Lucas, IF, Miami
Dartmouth College, 2004 (Hanover, N.H.)
Lucas was drafted out of Dartmouth in 2004 by Kansas City. After spending 10 years in the minors, he made his major league debut with Miami on May 29, 2013. He has hit .243 in 56 games.

21. Charlie Furbush, LHP, Seattle
South Portland High School, 2004 (Portland, Maine)
A native Mainer, Furbush also attended St. Joseph’s College of Maine before transferring to college baseball powerhouse Louisiana State in 2007. Following an impressive season with LSU, he was drafted in the fourth round by Detroit. He got his first call to the big leagues on May 21, 2011. Furbush is now working out of the Mariners’ bullpen, posting a 3.30 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 50 games this season.

22. Chris Colabello, OF/1B, Minnesota
Milford High School, 2001 (Milford, Mass.)
Assumption College, 2005 (Worcester, Mass.)
Born in Framingham, Mass., Colabello was never drafted despite having impressive showings in both high school and college. He then spent seven years in the Can-Am League with the Worcester Tornadoes and Nashua Pride before catching on with the Twins organization in February 2012. The 29-year-old made his major league debut with the Twins on May 22, 2013, and is now serving as a utility man for the club.

23. Ryan Reid, RHP, Pittsburgh
Deering High School, 2004 (Portland, Maine)
Reid was a three-time state champion while pitching for Deering. He went on to pitch for James Madison, where he was drafted in the seventh round in 2006. The 28-year-old made his major league debut with Pittsburgh on June 3, 2013, appearing in seven games before being optioned back to Triple-A Indianapolis.

24. Ryan Flaherty, UT, Baltimore
Deering High School, 2005 (Portland, Maine)
Another native Mainer, Flaherty won the state’s Mr. Baseball award and the Gatorade High School Player of the Year award in 2005. After three seasons at Vanderbilt, he was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2008 draft. The Orioles then picked Flaherty in the Rule 5 draft from Chicago in December 2011. He made his major league debut on April 7, 2012, and is presently hitting .214 in a reserve utility role for Baltimore.

25. Scott Barnes, LHP, Cleveland
Cathedral High School, 2005 (Springfield, Mass.)
A native of Chicopee, Mass., Barnes posted eye-popping numbers during his senior year at Cathedral, going 9-0 with a 0.13 ERA and 120 strikeouts, while also hitting .588 with six home runs. He played his college ball at St. John’s and was picked up by the Giants in the eighth round in 2008. In July 2009, San Francisco traded Barnes to Cleveland for Ryan Garko. Barnes made his major league debut on May 30, 2012, but has been up-and-down between Triple-A Columbus since that time.

26. Josh Zeid, RHP, Houston
Hamden Hall Country Day School, 2005 (Hamden, Conn.)
Born in New Haven, Conn., Zeid struck out 400 batters over his high school career and was named the state’s Player of the Year in 2005. He went on to pitch for Vanderbilt, Tulane, and Harwich of the Cape Cod League before being drafted by Philadelphia in 2009. Zeid was traded to Houston as part of a five-player trade at the 2011 trade deadline. He made his major league debut on July 30, 2013, and has already appeared in seven games for the Astros, including on Aug. 6 against Boston.

27. Tony Sanchez, C, Pittsburgh
Boston College, 2009 (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
One of the most prolific hitters in Boston College history, Sanchez hit .327 with 24 home runs in 161 career games as an Eagle. The backstop was ultimately drafted fourth overall by Pittsburgh in the 2009 draft. He recently made his major league debut on June 23, 2013. While the 25-year-old is currently working as the Pirates’ backup catcher, he is seen as a future starter at the position.

28. Brandon Gomes, RHP, Tampa Bay
Durfee High School, 2002 (Fall River, Mass.)
Gomes made his major league debut for the Rays on May 3, 2011. He presently boasts a 5.40 ERA in 14 appearances out of the Tampa Bay bullpen. He was acquired from San Diego in December 2010 with three other players in exchange for shortstop Jason Bartlett. Gomes still calls Fall River his hometown, and achieved a lifelong dream when he came to Fenway Park as a big leaguer for the first time on Aug. 16, 2011. He left 20 tickets for friends and family.

29. Nate Freiman, 1B, Oakland
Wellesley High School, 2005 (Wellesley, Mass.)
Growing up in Wellesley, Freiman was both a pitcher and a hard-hitting catcher in high school. He won his conference MVP award as a junior and senior, the Division 2 Baseball Player of the Year Award as a junior and senior, and was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. Freiman went on to play for Duke and was later drafted in the eighth round by San Diego in 2009. Oakland picked him up from the Padres in the 2012 Rule 5 Draft. Now a first baseman, the 6-foot-8 Freiman made his major league debut on April 3, 2013. He’s hitting .268 with 2 home runs for the Athletics.

30. Joe Martinez, RHP, Cleveland
Boston College, 2005
Martinez went 11-7 with a 2.42 ERA in 40 career games for Boston College, and was drafted by San Francisco in 2005. The reliever has been up-and-down between Triple-A and the majors since 2009, and is presently pitching for Triple-A Columbus. He has a 5.82 ERA in 21 career major league appearances.

31. Ryan Lavarnway, C, Boston
Yale University , 2008
Lavarnway played three seasons at Yale before the Red Sox drafted him in 2008. He hit .384/.482/.725 over his Bulldog career, leading the NCAA in batting average and slugging percentage in 2007. He also played for the Manchester (Conn.) Silkworms of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 2007. Lavarnway had a very impressive minor league career in the Red Sox system, and is currently hitting .268/.311/.375 as Boston’s backup catcher.

32. Charlie Morton, RHP, Pittsburgh
Barlow High School, 2002 (Redding, Conn.)
Atlanta drafted Morton right out of high school in 2002, and the Braves traded him to Pittsburgh in June 2009 with two other players in exchange for Nate McLouth. In 100 career major league appearances, 99 of which have been starts, the 29-year-old is 27-48 with a 4.91 ERA.

Here's a look at how the top prospects in the Red Sox system performed over the past month (statistics through July 31), including some rising and falling prospects and other miscellaneous notes (SoxProspects.com prospect ranking in parenthesis).

Top Position Prospects

(1) Xander Bogaerts, SS, Pawtucket -- .304/.423/.511 with 4 HRs
(2) Jackie Bradley, OF, Pawtucket -- .224/.344/.447 with 4 HRs
(3) Garin Cecchini, 3B, Portland -- .300/.397/.440 with 2 HRs and 5 SBs
(10) Blake Swihart, C, Salem -- .241/.310/.291 with 0 HRs
(13) Bryce Brentz, OF, Pawtucket -- .294/.294/.529 with 1 HR
(14) Deven Marrero, SS, Salem -- .242/.339/.284 with 0 HR and 6 SBs
(16) Jon Denney, C, GCL Red Sox -- .200/.368/.267 with 0 HR
(19) Christian Vazquez, C, Portland -- .306/.390/.375 with 1 HR
(20) Manuel Margot, OF, Lowell -- .261/.369/.333 with 0 HR and 10 SBs

Bogaerts has now played in 5 games at third base for Triple-A Pawtucket; honing his skills at the hot corner may be the sole developmental area remaining before he's promoted to Boston.... Bradley also appeared in 2 games with Boston in July, going 1-for-6.... Cecchini has impressed since his June 21 promotion to Double-A, and at 22 is one of the youngest players in the Eastern League.... Brentz had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on July 16, and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.... 2013 third-round pick Denney made his professional debut on July 4.... Vazquez is setting himself to be a September call-up, especially given his exceptional defensive skills.... Margot was placed on the disabled list on July 25 with a lower body injury.

Top Pitching Prospects

(4) Henry Owens, LHP, Salem -- 2-2 W-L, 2.96 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 33/19 K/BB in 27.1 IP
(5) Allen Webster, RHP, Pawtucket -- 0-3, 6.75, 1.50, 27/10 K/BB in 20.0 IP
(6) Rubby De La Rosa, RHP, Pawtucket -- 1-2, 9.28, 2.11, 18/17 K/BB in 21.1 IP
(7) Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, Portland -- 0-2, 3.86, 1.25, 15/11 K/BB in 25.2 IP
(8) Trey Ball, RHP, GCL Red Sox -- 0-0, 0.00, 3.00, 1/1 K/BB in 0.2 IP
(9) Matt Barnes, RHP, Portland -- 1-3, 1.74, 1.21, 30/12 K/BB in 20.2 IP
(11) Brandon Workman, RHP, Portland -- 0-0, 0.00, 1.11, 5/2 K/BB in 6.1 IP
(12) Drake Britton, LHP, Pawtucket/Portland -- 1-1, 3.65, 1.70, 9/4 K/BB in 12.1 IP
(15) Teddy Stankiewicz, RHP, Lowell -- 0-0, 0.00, 0.00, 0/0 K/BB in 3.0 IP
(17) Brian Johnson, LHP, Greenville/GCL -- 0-0, 0.00, 0.43, 16/4 K/BB in 14.0 IP
(18) Alex Wilson, RHP, Pawtucket -- 1-0, 9.00, 3.00, 1/1 K/BB in 1.0 IP

Owens tossed 19.1 consecutive no-hit innings over three starts at the tail end of the month, earning a promotion to Double-A Portland on August 1.... Webster also made 2 starts for Boston in July, posting a 9.72 ERA.... De La Rosa has hit a rough patch over the past month, delaying what seemed to be an inevitable promotion to Boston to help the Red Sox bullpen.... 2013 first-round draft pick Ball made his professional debut on July 29, but was limited to just 2/3 of an inning.... Barnes continues to improve as the season goes on, a contrast to 2012 in which he seemed to hit a wall by mid-season.... Workman also had 4 solid appearances with the big club in July, going 1-1 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.... Britton has shown outstanding composure on the mound after a July 14 promotion to Boston, posting a 0.00 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP over 5 appearances.... 2013 second-rounder Stankiewicz made his professional debut with Short-A Lowell on July 21.... Johnson returned from a six-week stint on the disabled list on July 21.... Wilson is in Pawtucket rehabbing from a thumb injury suffered on July 8.

Risers

(21) Ty Buttrey, SP, Lowell -- 2-0, 1.57, 1.22, 15/8 K/BB in 23.0 IP
(23) Alex Hassan, OF, Pawtucket -- .322/.440/.511 with 3 HRs
(32) Wendell Rijo, 2B, GCL Red Sox -- .319/.442/.449 with 0 HRs and 8 SBs

Buttrey, a 2012 fourth-rounder who received a $1.3 million signing bonus, has pitched up to expectations with Lowell, while his fastball velocity has sat at a controlled 89-93 mph.... Hassan, already on Boston's 40-man roster, will likely be a September call-up after posting solid numbers since joining Pawtucket on June 12.... Rijo has been a force as a 17-year-old in the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League -- he signed as an international free agent for a $575,000 bonus in July 2012.

Fallers

(39) Jose Vinicio, SS, Greenville -- .239/.245/.250 with 0 HRs an 10 SBs
(49) Travis Shaw, 1B, Portland -- .186/.268/.477 with 6 home runs
(NR) Chris Hernandez, P, Pawtucket -- 0-5, 8.34, 2.03, 13/14 K/BB in 22.2 IP
Vinicio is still just 20, but he hasn't shown much improvement after repeating Low-A Greenville in 2013.... Shaw got by on laying off bad pitches at the A-Ball level, but he is rejiggering his approach at Double-A, where opposing pitchers have pitched to contact.... Hernandez's subpar control and velocity have led to poor results in Triple-A.

Monthly notes

As of July 1, here are your batting and pitching leaders in the Red Sox minor league system (cumulative stats, min. 250 plate appearances or 75 innings pitched).

Batting average: Cecchini at .337, Bogaerts at .298, Greenville OF Drew Turocy at .297, Salem 2B Mookie Betts at .284, and Salem OF Keury De La Cruz at .284.
OPS: Cecchini at .957, Bogaerts at .891, Bradley at .868, Betts at .862, and Pawtucket 1B Mark Hamilton at .841.

Home runs: Brentz at 16, Bogaerts at 14, Salem 1B David Chester at 13, Shaw at 13, Portland 3B/1B Michael Almanzar at 12, and Salem OF Henry Ramos at 12.

Stolen bases: Betts at 26, Pawtucket OF Jeremy Hazelbaker at 26, Greenville OF Felix Sanchez at 26, Greenville OF Aneury Tavarez at 21, Cecchini at 20, and Vinicio at 20.

ERA: Owens at 2.92, Ranaudo at 2.95, Workman at 3.21, Greenville LHP Cody Kukuk at 3.65, and Britton at 3.77.

Strikeouts: Owens with 123, Barnes with 113, Workman with 108, Ranaudo with 106, and (former) Greenville RHP Francellis Montas with 96.

WHIP: Ranaudo at 1.09, Owens at 1.14, Workman at 1.19, De La Rosa at 1.36, and Britton at 1.37.

Saves: Pawtucket RHP Anthony Carter with 15, Pawtucket RHP Brock Huntzinger with 13 (saves with Portland), (former) Greenville RHP JB Wendelken with 10, and DSL Red Sox RHP Victor Ramirez with 9.

Eight players got the call to Boston from the minor leagues in July -- IF Brock Holt, RHP Jose De La Torre, LHP Drake Britton, RHP Steven Wright, RHP Pedro Beato, OF Jackie Bradley, RHP Brandon Workman, and RHP Alfredo Aceves.

The Red Sox made four minor-league signings over the past month in RHP Jose Contreras, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Bobby Lanigan, and LHP Eric Niesen. The team also signed seven 2013 draft picks in July in RHP Myles Smith, OF Nick Longhi, IF Mauricio Dubon, RHP Pat Goetze, IF Rafael Oliveras, RHP K.J. Trader, and OF Jeff Driskel, and two undrafted free agents in LHP Rob Smorol an C Simon Gravel.
There were several minor-league level promotions in July: RHP Charlie Haeger from Portland to Pawtucket; OF Brandon Jacobs from Salem to Portland (and later traded for Matt Thornton); Betts, LHP Manny Rivera, and RHP Kyle Kraus from Greenville to Salem; IF Reed Gragnani, RHP Jack McGeary, OF Kendrick Perkins, and RHP Kyle Martin from Lowell to Greenville; RHP Carlos Pinales, RHP Daniel McGrath, RHP Joe Gunkel, C Danny Bethea, 1B Nathan Minnich, IF Deiner Lopez, IF Jantzen Witte, OF Aaron King, and OF Jose Colorado from the GCL to Lowell; and RHP Enfember Martinez from the DSL to the GCL.

On the injury front, Boston had Alex Wilson, Franklin Morales, and Stephen Drew all in the minor leagues on rehab assignment at various points in July. Minor leaguers on the disabled list at the close of the month included Aceves, Brentz, RHP Daniel Bard, RHP Chris Balcom-Miller, 3B Kolbrin Vitek, OF Peter Hissey, 2B Sean Coyle, RHP Kyle Stroup, 1B David Renfroe, RHP Nefi Ogando, IF Mike Miller, RHP Pat Light, Turocy, C Jordan Weems, OF Jeremy Kapstein, and Margot.

Here's a look at the three prospects that the Red Sox traded to the White Sox in the three-team deal that also sent SS Jose Iglesias to Detroit, RF Avisail Garcia from Detroit to Chicago, and brought RHP Jake Peavy and RHP Brayan Villarreal to Boston.

RHP Francellis Montas, 20, was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent in December 2009. Ranked as the No. 36 prospect on SoxProspects.com, he was 2-9 with a 5.70 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 96 strikeouts, and 32 walks in 85.1 innings with Low-A Greenville.

Scouting Report: Sturdy pitching frame with strong lower body. Throws from a 3/4 arm slot. Exceptional arm strength. Four-seam fastball operates at 96-100 mph. Fastball shows late tail in lower reaches of velocity and rides high in the zone at higher velocities. Can be straight at times. Below-average command and control. Tends to jerk his head off target and is a bit long in the back with arm action. Also throws mid-80s slider, but it presently lacks tilt and depth. Slider is flat on approach to the plate. He has the potential to refine the pitch into an average-to-better offering. In the development stages of learning a changeup, which presently sits at 87-88 mph with minimal deception. Slows arm down when throwing. Very rough and raw on the mound. Just learning how to pitch. Late-inning reliever with high-leverage potential, but also has the potential to never make it past Double-A. Lottery ticket type prospect.

RHP J.B. Wendelken, 20, was drafted out of Middle Georgia College in the 13th round in 2012, and signed for a $100,000 bonus. He was 2-0 with 10 saves, a 2.77 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 54 strikeouts and 20 walks in 65.0 innings for Greenville. He was not ranked in Boston’s top 60 prospects on SoxProspects.com.

Scouting Report: Right-hander with an average frame. Good athlete was also a solid hitter as a prep player. Attended the same high school and junior college as former Red Sox prospect Josh Reddick. Fastball sits at 90-93 mph, has touched 95 mph. Solid-average control. Also mixes in a high-70s breaking ball. Has only pitched out of bullpen as a pro. Dominated GCL competition in 2012, and continued success in A-Ball at the age of 20 in 2013. Profiles as a possible middle reliever, but will need to prove himself at each level.

IF Cleuluis Rondon, 19, was signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in November 2010. Also not in the SoxProspects.com top 60, Rondon posted a line of .276/.326/.350 with 1 home run and 6 stolen bases for Short-A Lowell. He primarily played second base for the Spinners due to the presence of more highly-regarded shortstop prospect Tzu-Wei Lin.

Scouting Report: Excellent defensive shortstop with a projectable body. Also capable of playing second base more than adequately. Offense is far behind his defense. Decent bat speed. Has shown flashes of gap power in batting practice, but hasn't made consistent contact or shown much in game power at lower levels. Utility player ceiling.

ESPN.com’s Keith Law unveiled his midseason top 50 prospects (insider access) list today and the Red Sox are well represented with four players appearing.

Leading the way is SS Xander Bogaerts (No. 3). Other Red Sox on Law’s list: 3B Garin Cecchini (No. 21), OF Jackie Bradley Jr. (No. 24) and LP Henry Owens (No. 31).

Click HERE to read Law’s full analysis on each of the Sox prospects and the rest of his Top 50.

Bogaerts is also the subject of a feature by Jerry Crasnick, who wonders if the 20-year old can help the Sox this season. Writes Crasnick:

Beyond his talent on the field, Boston Red Sox shortstop prospect Xander Bogaerts rates aTorii Hunter-like grade on the 20-80 player congeniality scale. He displayed his people skills during the All-Star Futures Game, when he stood near the third-base dugout at Citi Field in New York and gave one media interview after another on a day so hot it could melt a Cliff Lee death stare.

Bogaerts, 20, answered questions about his position preference (open-minded), his linguistic skills (he speaks fluent English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento) and his feelings about spending last August and this spring with Boston's Double-A affiliate in Portland, Maine.

"Cold," Bogaerts said, laughing. "Last year was such beautiful weather, and I came into Portland this year and it was a hard time -- especially being from Aruba. It was a good learning experience. It's definitely challenging. Hopefully next year, wherever I am, I'm accustomed to the cold."

Apparently Bogaerts' swing is weather-resistant. He hit .311 with a .909 OPS for the Seadogs to earn a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he has seven home runs in his first 29 games. For Red Sox fans and die-hard prospect watchers wondering when he might break through and earn a promotion to the big club in Boston, here's a hint: He's getting warmer.

Click HERE to read the rest of Crasnick's piece.

The non-waiver trade deadline is just two weeks away, and as is the case every year, I’ve been getting lots of questions about what prospects the Red Sox may be willing to part with in a potential deadline deal. The club is certainly in an interesting position: While the front office may have gone into this season considering it to be a rebuilding year, the team has the most wins in the league as of the All-Star break. On top of that, the farm system is as stocked as it has been in several years, in terms of both top-level talent and depth.

On the one hand, Boston may be poised for a playoff run, especially if Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester can return to early-season form. On the other hand, the team has the potential to be loaded with young, cost-effective talent for years to come if it stands pat and refuses to unload its top prospects.

Ultimately, the front office will have a lot of options heading into the deadline. Here’s a list of potential trade commodities, broken down into five categories.

Blue chippers

Over the years, the Red Sox have been careful not to trade blue-chip prospects unless a proven All-Star like Adrian Gonzalez, Victor Martinez or Josh Beckett is coming back in return. That pattern is not likely to change this year. The only difference is that there are more blue-chippers in the system since 2007.

This year’s blue-chippers are SS Xander Bogaerts, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., 3B Garin Cecchini, RHP Allen Webster, RHP Rubby De La Rosa, RHP Anthony Ranaudo, LHP Henry Owens and RHP Matt Barnes. Each of these players profile as major league impact players -- and each has some potential to develop into an All-Star talent.

I’m not saying these players won’t be traded, but they probably won’t be traded at the deadline unless the Red Sox are getting a top-line starting pitcher or possibly a proven closer in return. Even then, a trade is much more likely to involve a group of players in the below categories than one of these prospects.

One interesting consideration, however, is the potential logjam at third base in the future. Bogaerts and Jose Iglesias can’t both play shortstop at the same time. Will Middlebrooks is expected to come back around. Meanwhile, at .349, Cecchini is leading the organization in batting average by more than 50 points over the next batter in line.

Solid B prospects

There are a handful of solid B-type prospects in the system that Boston might be willing to make available in order to fetch impact major league talent for the playoff stretch. The Red Sox front office has shown a willingness to take chances on trading these types of prospects in the past. Some examples over the last four years include OF Josh Reddick, 1B/3B Miles Head, RHP Kyle Weiland, IF Yamaico Navarro, 1B Chris McGuiness, RHP Stolmy Pimentel and OF Reymond Fuentes. These types of prospects are more likely to bust then blue-chip prospects, but often they end up developing into cost-effective major leaguers.

Prospects who fall in this category this year are C Blake Swihart, SS Deven Marrero, OF Bryce Brentz, RHP Brandon Workman, LHP Drake Britton, RHP Alex Wilson, C Christian Vazquez and 2B Mookie Betts. These players might be the most valuable assets that the Red Sox are willing to deal at the deadline.

Swihart and Marrero, both former first-round picks, have the highest ceilings of the group, but they’re also a few years away from being major-league ready.

Brentz, Workman, Britton and Wilson are all close to major league ready (Wilson has already thrown 27.2 major league innings, but he’s still a work in progress as a bullpen arm). Brentz has the potential to have a major impact in peak seasons -- think Reddick’s 2012 campaign with Oakland. But he’s also the type of player that would likely come back to earth and show inconsistency early in his career, as has been the case with Reddick in 2013.

Vazquez has the makings of a solid platoon catcher for a second-division team, but it’s believed that the Red Sox see the defensive-minded 22-year-old as a potential long-term backup catcher. Betts, 20, is in the midst of a breakout season, hitting .299/.414/.472 with 8 home runs and 22 stolen bases between Low-A Greenville and High-A Salem. He’s also an outstanding defender.

Rule 5-eligible players

There is a pending 40-man roster crunch on the horizon this offseason, with upwards of eight prospects who reasonably might need to be protected for the Rule 5 Draft -- and nowhere near the space to add eight players. The club has been in this position before, and has not shied away from unloading soon-to-be Rule 5-eligible players who are on the bubble for a roster spot the following season. A prime example was in 2011, when the Red Sox traded OF Chih-Hsien Chiang, C Tim Federowicz and RHP Stephen Fife in the three-team deal that brought LHP Erik Bedard to Boston. Another example is the recent trade of OF Brandon Jacobs to Chicago for LHP Matt Thornton.

Of the players who are Rule 5-eligible this offseason, Bogaerts, Brentz, Cecchini and Ranaudo are locks to be added to the 40-man roster either this season or prior to the Nov. 20 deadline. After that, the bubble players that could be most interesting to other teams are 3B Michael Almanzar, OF Keury De La Cruz and OF Jeremy Hazelbaker.

Almanzar possesses plus batting practice power and has demonstrated the ability to hit for average contact over the past two seasons, but he’s also had some maturity issues and his defensive skills are limited. De La Cruz and Hazelbaker both have outstanding power-and-speed combinations, but probably won’t hit enough to be first-division regulars.

Others who might stir up some interest are LHP Chris Hernandez, RHP Brock Huntzinger, RHP Chris Balcom-Miller, RHP Keith Couch, RHP Luis Diaz, IF Heiker Meneses and RHP Mathew Price. It's not likely that these players will fetch a tremendous amount in return on their own, but each could be a viable second or third chip in a larger trade.

Lottery ticket pitchers

In the relatively recent past, the Red Sox front office has been more than willing to trade high-ceiling, high-bust-potential prospects from the lower levels of the minor leagues. Some past examples include RHP Raul Alcantara (part of the Andrew Bailey trade), RHP Juan Rodriguez (Erik Bedard deal), RHP Roman Mendez (part of the Jarod Saltalamacchia trade) and OF Engel Beltre (Eric Gagne deal).

Red Sox minor leaguers who fit this mold in 2013 include RHP Francellis Montas, RHP Simon Mercedes, LHP Cody Kukuk and RHP Sergio Gomez. Montas is the prototype. The 20-year-old Dominican right-hander can dial his fastball up to the high-90s, but he's very raw in terms of command, deception and secondary stuff. Mercedes and Gomez, both younger Dominican pitchers, are posting solid numbers with Short-A Lowell this season. Kukuk has very impressive stuff but has had control problems, walking 58 batters in 69 innings with Greenville so far this year.

40-man roster surplus

The Red Sox also have a handful of players currently on the 40-man roster that could be more valuable to other clubs or who could benefit from not being blocked at the major league level. Sometimes these players can be packaged as part of a larger deal, or sometimes they are dealt for a C-level prospect between July 31 and Aug. 31.

Red Sox players in this category this season include OF Alex Hassan, IF Brandon Snyder, RHP Jose De La Torre, RHP Pedro Beato, C Dan Butler and RHP Steven Wright. That said, some of these players may bring more value as stretch-run depth than they would fetch in return in a trade.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Red Sox top prospect Xander Bogaerts put up sparkling numbers in 56 games with Portland to start the season before receiving a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket. In 28 games since that promotion, he has somehow continued to impress and surprise, as the 20-year old shortstop has already hit more home runs than he did in more than twice as many plate appearances in Double-A.

How exactly does Bogaerts explain this power surge? "I don't know, man," he said chuckling. "In Portland, I hit a lot of doubles that would have been home runs I would say. I guess maybe it's that."

This isn't the first time Bogaerts has gotten off to a slow start in the power department, only to erupt as the weather got warmer. Last season, he had just four home runs over the first two months of the season in Salem, and then proceeded to hit 11 more in June and July before receiving a promotion to Portland.

"[I've started slow] every year, I guess I'm a slow starter," he explained. "I guess I heat up when the weather heats up."

He admitted that the weather was a major factor for him in Portland to start the season. Growing up in Aruba, then coming up through the system with the southern affiliates in Greenville and Salem -- he skipped over short-season Lowell -- he had never experienced anything like trying to play baseball in the cold of April in Maine.

"Oh man, Portland was bad," he said smiling. "It was a great learning experience, so next year hopefully I'll have an idea how cold it will be, but it was way different than Salem."

As the youngest player in all of Triple-A, Bogaerts is more than holding his own as he transitions to the new level. Hitting for average has been a challenge for him so far, but he might be getting the hang of it, a six-game hitting streak raising his average from .234 to its current .267 after he hit .315 over two half-seasons in Portland. While most teams would certainly take the .832 OPS Bogaerts currently sports from their shortstop, he is capable of hitting more consistently.

"The power's been as advertised," said PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina. "I don't think the average is where it should be or where he expected it to be, as far as coming from Portland hitting .300. He's making the adjustment to older pitchers pitching him backwards when he gets in good counts. He's put some balls in play weakly with two strikes, but he's been doing a good job battling to get through that.

"Really the home runs have been on mistake pitches -- tonight was a changeup middle-away, centercut. So the power's been there, he's just been battling with getting the average up there due to experience and older pitchers pitching backwards to him."

Bogaerts expressed similar sentiments on the differences at Triple-A, saying, "[The pitching is better and] more consistent. A lot of these guys have played in the big leagues, so it's a challenge."

Defensively, there was much debate as he has come up through the system about whether or not Bogaerts would ultimately stick at shortstop. He has managed to show he can handle the position so far, and the organization has no plans to move him in the immediate future.

"He's 20 years old and he's playing a leadership position out there, and it's a tough position," said DiSarcina, former major league shortstop himself. "Most younger players are inconsistent for stretches. You know, they'll make a great play one time, then the next routine grounder hit to them they'll boot, or they'll throw away a ball or try to make something out of nothing. They just don't have the experience yet. That's the one area we have to be patient with him, we're trying to develop a 20-year-old shortstop at the Triple-A level and get him to the big leagues."

Bogaerts showed exactly the inconsistency DiSarcina was referring to in Pawtucket's game on Thursday. Early in the game, on a play when he had to range up the middle, then spin and throw on the run, Bogaerts rushed and let the throw fly well over the head of the first baseman for an error despite having time to get himself under control. But later in the game, he made a great leaping catch on a line drive, fully extending to catch the ball at the top of his jump.

Another new adjustment for Bogaerts has involved increasing his versatility by getting some experience at third base. Bogaerts played some third base for the Netherlands during the World Baseball Classic, and has been taking ground balls there with Will Middlebrooks before games. He has started two games at the hot corner for the PawSox, and DiSarcina said the plan is for him to play there once a week to give Middlebrooks a break, among other reasons.

"He's actually maybe had one or two groundballs hit to him over there in two days, so he hasn't got a lot of action, but he will," said DiSarcina. "We'll get him over there some more.

"He's a true shortstop, and we want him to play shortstop, but it's important for him to have some experience over there so that if he does get called up and [Red Sox manager] John [Farrell] needs to put him at third, he's not going to be uncomfortable over there."

Bogaerts has no complaints, jokingly saying that third base is "very easy. I haven't had a ground ball in two games, so it's very easy. I don't know why, maybe the balls don't want to come to me or something."

Though it has not been perfect, the transition to Triple-A has been a resounding success overall for the young shortstop so far. With continued adjustments, Bogaerts could find himself in the majors before he can legally drink, if need arises.

ESPN.com caught up with Red Sox prospect Anthony Ranaudo at the Doulbe-A All-Star game in New Britain, CT. Ranaudo, ranked the No. 6 Sox prospect by Soxprospects.com, talks about growing up a Yankees fan in New Jersey, what he's looking forward to in the Futures Game (Sunday at 2 ET on ESPN2), and how Pedro Martinez has helped him along the way.

The Red Sox drafted 40 players over the course of last month's amateur draft. The club has already signed 23 of those players (three of whom are not yet official). The deadline to sign any remaining draftees is Friday, July 12, at 5:00 p.m. ET -- and Boston has roughly $1.3 million left to do so.

Last year, the 2012-2016 collective bargaining agreement established a signing bonus cap for each team to sign its draft picks. The cap sets an aggregate limit for a team to spend on its selections in the first 10 rounds and also limits teams from spending more than $100,000 on players taken after the 10th round (the excess on any late-round bonuses will count against the bonus cap).

Boston's cap is $6,830,200 this year. If the club exceeds its pool: (1) by 0-5 percent, it will be charged a 75 percent tax on the excess; (2) by 5-10 percent, it will pay the same tax and will also lose its first-round pick next season; (3) by 10-15 percent, it will be charged a 100 percent tax on the excess and lose its first- and second-round picks next season; and (4) by more than 15 percent, 100 percent tax on the excess and lose its next two first-round picks.

These are obviously harsh penalties, which make it highly unlikely that the Red Sox will go more than five percent over the pool limit. However, the team is likely willing to pay the requisite tax and go up to five percent over the cap, which would place the team's spending limit at about $7,171,710. The first $100,000 spent on any single bonus after Round 10 will not count against that cap. One other wrinkle to remember is that if Boston fails to sign any of its picks from the top 10 rounds, the team's bonus pool will be reduced by the amount of the slot amount for the unsigned player's draft position.

At present, the only unsigned player among Boston's top 10 rounds of draft picks is fourth-rounder Myles Smith, a 21-year-old right-hander out of Lee University. The bonus slot allotment for Smith's draft position is $454,800. If the Red Sox sign Smith, the club's bonus pool will remain as outlined above. However, if the team fails to sign Smith, its bonus pool will be decreased by $454,800. Moreover, for any amount that Boston is able to sign Smith below slot, its available funds will increase by that amount. For example, if Smith signs for $400,000, Boston will have an extra $54,800 to spend on other picks, bringing the available amount to roughly $1.35 million.

Here's a look at Boston's remaining unsigned draft picks:

The top targets

Fourth Round. Myles Smith, RHP, Lee University. A righty with a mid-90s fastball and a decent changeup, Smith has the option of returning to Lee for his senior season if he's unable to sign. There have been conflicting reports that Smith backed out of a pre-draft deal with the Sox, a contention which he refutes. The hope is that he will sign for slightly under slot to give the club some extra money to sign additional picks. A $400,000 deal seems like it would be reasonable for both sides. Smith was considered the 108th best player in the 2013 draft, according to Baseball America.

13. Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Tullahoma High School (Tenn.). Sheffield is the top remaining talent who has not publicly declared he won't be signing. The 18-year-old pitcher is committed to Vanderbilt in the fall but remains actively engaged in negotiations with the Red Sox. The nephew of former major leaguer Gary Sheffield, he underwent Tommy John surgery in April, which put his draft status in flux. Prior to surgery, he threw his fastball in the 94-95 mph range and topped out at 98 mph. He also mixes in a decent curveball and a workable changeup. He was considered the 88th-best player in the draft class by Baseball America, and the slot recommendation for the No. 88 overall pick is in the $550,000-$600,000 range. Might a bonus of $800,000 buy him out of his commitment to Vanderbilt?

(Read full post)

On the evening of June 6, 2011, the first night of the MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected a slight New Mexico prep star named Blake Swihart with the 26th overall pick and called him a catcher. Midway through his second full season behind the dish, Swihart is showing a skill set that, if maximized, could help change what all of baseball calls a catcher.

The 21-year-old, switch-hitting Swihart has shown strides both at and behind the plate this year with High A Salem. His steady offensive production earned him a starting spot on the Carolina League all-star team last month, but what the slash lines don't show is that his defense is developing on par with his bat -- which is Swihart's main concern.

"You have to be a catcher first, and if you get a hit, it's pretty much a plus right now," Swihart said. "That's how our catching coordinator [Chad Epperson] tells us to look at it, and that's how we have to look at it. Our job right now is to be one with the pitcher and get the win for him, so you focus on catching first and if you come up and get a hit, that's just a bonus."

Pitcher Michael McCarthy, who worked with Swihart last year in Greenville and this year in Salem before a promotion last month to Double-A Portland, said his former roommate and batterymate has improved markedly.

"I think his composure in general [has improved], the way he handles the game behind the dish is night and day," McCarthy said. "His pitch calling has been great -- he's really worked with the pitchers to get familiar with that, and he's starting to think more like a catcher and a pitcher. That's been a huge attribute that has made him a far better catcher -- and an all-star."

Swihart, a fierce competitor who grew up playing football and basketball along with baseball, admitted it was difficult adjusting to the idea that his achievements at the plate -- to that point, the one true way to measure success -- weren't terribly important.

"I was definitely more upset when I didn't get hits last year, but now I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with every aspect of the game, and my hitting has improved because of that," he said.

The comfort is showing in his first Carolina League campaign, to the tune of a .276/.358/.433 batting line with a pair of home runs and 26 RBIs. That line is even a bit misleading: After a 2-for-18 start to the year, he has hit .292/.376/.453 since April 13, a line that was brought down by a recent 0-for-10 skid. The power-suppressing Carolina League will likely keep him below last year's pace of seven home runs, but he has shown improvement in nearly all other aspects of his game. While adjusting to catching on a two-days-on, two-days-off schedule with Greenville last season, Swihart hit .262/.307/.395.

However, the good but not great statistics hide what makes scouts and evaluators fascinated with Swihart. A natural right-handed batter, Swihart hits just as well statistically, if not better, from the left side as he does from the right. This season, he is hitting .275 from the left side, .279 from the right, with 20 of his 23 extra-base hits coming as a lefty.

"I don't have too many at bats right-handed, but right now I feel comfortable both ways," he said. "Switch-hitting is just a bonus, if you can get that lefty-on-righty matchup or righty-on-lefty, it just helps you and gives you a natural advantage."

His swings differ on each side -- his hands are a bit higher from the right side -- but Swihart's quick hands, compact swing and ability to get backspin on the ball point to a hitter whose line-drive singles and doubles could turn into home runs if he adds bulk to his frame.

Both Swihart's switch-hitting and his experimentation with catching stemmed from a willingness to elevate his game and expand his potential. Swihart was mostly a shortstop in high school, though he practiced as a catcher at the urging of his summer coach. That same coach suggested he try switch-hitting as well.

Swihart said that at the time, he realized those skills could take him higher than he ever expected going -- though his future skill set always gave him a bright future.

Having an athletic, right-handed hitting shortstop, which Swihart to that point was, is a blessing. But under perfect circumstances, that talent can be maximized into even more. Florida State found a way to turn one -- Giants catcher Buster Posey -- into a franchise backstop at the big league level.

But even with Posey's success, there seems to be no mold for Swihart. He initially didn't know where to turn for examples when he began working behind the plate full-time.

"I didn't know who to watch when I first started catching," he said. "I just learned what they were telling me to do. I just do my own thing."

Jon Meoli is a senior columnist at SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @JonMeoli.

His star may have shone the brightest coming into the season, but as the All-Star break approaches, Portland's youngest pitcher, right-hander Matt Barnes, has been overshadowed by some of his more experienced compatriots in the rotation.

Brandon Workman earned a quick promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket, while left-hander Drake Britton and right-hander Anthony Ranaudo have dominated at times through the first half of the season.

But in his July 23 start at Trenton, Portland right-hander Matt Barnes showed off some of his development in what has been a challenging Double-A campaign by pitching to his game plan and using his heavy fastball to cruise through the outing.

Barnes and catcher Matt Spring exploited a light-hitting Trenton lineup, and attacked hitters with his fastball -- 84 of his 96 pitches were fastballs -- on his way to five three-hit, shutout innings in which he fanned eight but walked a career-high five batters. Barnes exited the game with a 2-0 lead after five innings, but the Portland bats turned the game into an 11-0 laugher in the late innings.

"He competed extremely well today," Portland pitching coach Bob Kipper said after the game. "He responded to all the game challenges and, quite frankly, some of the self-induced challenges. He went out there and walked five guys today, which is probably a little bit uncharacteristic of Matt Barnes, but there was always a response, an adjustment, an ability to re-establish and reclaim the strike zone. He made some big pitches in some challenging situations today."

Such descriptors -- sticking with the pregame plan for hitters, making pitches in big situations, responding to game challenges -- aren't typically used for pitchers of Barnes' pedigree. But in a season when Barnes has been hurt by the big inning, his effectiveness with runners on base Sunday showed strides that will be useful as he climbs to Boston.

Barnes threw exclusively fastballs in the first inning, and got into his first high-leverage situation after a one-out walk, a stolen base, and a bloop single put runners on first and third with one down. But Barnes found his fastball command and fanned the next two batters.

Another one-out walk in the second inning was erased by a 6-4-3 double play, and Barnes issued his third one-out free pass of the game in the third inning. But for all of his control issues, Barnes was always able to regain control of his fastball and get out of the inning.

"He did a really good job getting ahead of guys and we were trying too hard to put guys away, but he calmed down and made some good pitches. He pitched really well today," Spring said.

In the third inning, Barnes began to introduce his breaking ball. The pitch flashed above-average potential, with tight two-plane break. The offering was inconsistent, but Barnes didn't need it against Trenton.

"Nobody in that lineup proved that they could hit (the fastball) today, so until they can prove that they can hit it, it just doesn't make sense (to throw something else)," Barnes said.

Manager Kevin Boles said Barnes has struggled with "not giving in to certain hitters if their bat speed is a little bit suspect, and giving them the off-speed, that can be more of a gift at times."

But as the outing progressed, Barnes was able to steal early strikes with his breaking ball, and he snuck one in the back door for a key strikeout with a man on base in the fourth. His seven other strikeouts came on his fastball, which sat between 92-94 mph and topped out at 95 mph. Its late life confounded Trenton hitters when it was in the strike zone, and Barnes was able to both locate the pitch on the corners and elevate it in the zone with two strikes.

Overall, the outing was consistent with what Boles said before the game was his impression of Barnes throughout the season.

"He's got a quality arm," Boles said. "One thing I do think is the execution has to be a little bit better with the fastball. Sometimes he has good leverage to the fastball; he's down in the zone, but (there are) other times where he misses -- that's with all young pitchers. I think the breaking ball needs to get a little better shape, that's coming along nicely, and he's going to have a feel for a changeup."

Overall, the 2011 first-round pick out of UConn lowered his ERA from 5.49 to 5.03 with the effort in Trenton and evened his record at 4-4 with the win, but he says the numbers don't tell the full story.

"Numbers are very misleading unless you see somebody pitch; unless you watch them perform you really don't know anything," he said. "The numbers aren't the best, but I feel great, I'm stringing a couple good ones, decent ones together and going from there."

Jon Meoli is a Senior Columnist at SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @JonMeoli.