When the Boston Red Sox lost Jason Bay and Billy Wagner in free agency, it didn’t really hurt that much that they were Type-A Free Agents. This meant the Red Sox would pick up a couple of extra draft picks.
They picked up the Braves first round pick, which they used earlier on Monday night to take Kolbrin Vitek. They also received the Mets second round pick which is number 57. They also received a two supplemental picks as compensation for losing Wagner and Bay.
The Red Sox used the first compensation pick, No. 36 overall, to take left fielder Bryce Brentz from Middle Tennessee State. They then used their second compensation pick, No. 39 overall, to take right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo from LSU.
We’ll see what MLB.com and Scouts, Inc have to say about both of them after the jump.
Here’s what MLB.com had to say about Brentz:
Hitting ability: Brentz has a short, compact stroke and could become an above-average hitter.
Power: He should have solid average-to-plus power and has it to all fields.
Running speed: He’s shown average speed.
Base running: He’s a solid base runner, though it likely won’t be a big part of his game.
Arm strength: Clocked as high as 93 mph from the mound, he has plenty of arm strength from the outfield.
Fielding: He’s an average defender in the outfield now and should be solid-average in a corner spot in the future.
Range: He has average range, but enough to handle playing a corner OF spot.
Physical Description: Brentz has an athletic and well-defined, strong, medium frame. He has a build somewhat like Chad Curtis.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: Excellent offensive skills, with hitting ability and plenty of power. He has an outstanding arm from the outfield.
Weaknesses: He can be overly aggressive at the plate and is occasionally top-hand dominant with his swing.
Summary: A year after having one of the best offensive seasons in college baseball, Brentz entered his Draft year as one of the top pure college hitters. He’s done nothing to alter that impression. He has a short, compact stroke and plenty of power to all fields. A two-way player in the past, the arm that worked well for him on the mound is more than enough from the outfield. He could be one of the top college bats to come off the board.
And here’s what Scouts, Inc had to say about Brentz:
Brentz came into the year with a chance to be a top-ten pick, and there’s still a small chance he goes somewhere between six and ten, but overall it hasn’t been a great spring for the Blue Raider star as he’s worked around a stress fracture in his right ankle.
Brentz is an advanced college hitter with a good idea of the strike zone,a very easy, simple swing and some natural power. His hips often drift forward and open up early, but it’s minor enough to be corrected in pro ball; more of a concern is his tendency to lengthen his swing to try to hit every pitch 500 feet.
He’s played mostly center in college but will end up a right fielder in pro ball, and his arm is plus — he was in MTSU’s rotation last year and would top out around 90 mph. He’s an adequate runner on two good feet, but has been hobbled the last two months of the spring by the injury, missing a few weeks and then only playing at DH right after his return.
He’s not a potential star but is a safe bet to be an average everyday player with the potential to be above-average/fringe star for several years at his peak, hitting for average with 25+ home runs and playing good defense in right.
Here’s what MLB.com has to say about Ranaudo:
Fastball: Ranaudo struggled in a big matchup against Ole Miss’ Drew Pomeranz, but his fastball was up to 93 mph.
Fastball movement: When he’s on, he’ll keep the ball down in the zone, but he’s got below-average life on the fastball.
Curve: He throws a spike curve, over the top with downward action, 78-80 mph. It’s an average pitch.
Changeup: It’s an average offering, thrown 80-81 mph. He’s still working on it, and it’s behind the other two pitches.
Control: He should have average command in the future, but he’s been struggling with keeping the ball down in the zone.
Poise: Showed decent mound presence, with average aggressiveness on the mound.
Physical Description: Ranaudo is a big specimen but is fairly athletic on the mound.
Medical Update: A stress reaction in his elbow knocked him out of action early this year. Reports are that it’s not an issue now, but he hasn’t returned to form since.
Strengths: Has shown very good fastball-curve combination in past, with decent changeup. Pitching for a top college program, he has thrown in a lot of big games.
Weaknesses: The injury, and the ensuing struggles, have many concerned.
Summary: Entering the spring as perhaps the top college arm in the country, Ranaudo missed a chunk of time with an elbow issue. Brought back slowly, he has struggled to regain the form that made him such an elite prospect in the first place. More than anything, he’s struggled to find a feel for the strike zone, and for keeping the ball down in it like he had in the past. How he finishes his season will go a long way toward determing his Draft stock, but the injury, together with being advised by Scott Boras, make him very difficult to place.
And here’s what Scouts, Inc. had to say about Ranaudo:
Ranaudo suffered a minor, non-structural elbow injury in late February and skipped three starts to recover, but wasn’t his usual self until the SEC tournament, where the old Ranaudo showed up for a few innings of a successful start.
When he’s right, Ranaudo will work at 90-93 and dial up to 94-95 as needed, and the pitch plays up because hitters see the ball so late out of his hand. His curveball is inconsistent but flashes plus, 79-83, and he’ll backfoot it to a left-handed hitter. He has a solid-average changeup at 79-84 with good arm speed.
When he was struggling earlier in the spring, Ranaudo was leading with his elbow and couldn’t extend his arm out in front as he finished his delivery, but he looked cleaner and freer on Wednesday, getting on top of the ball better and repeating his arm action in back well. The hitch with Ranaudo will be with his medicals, as it’s never been entirely clear what was bothering him; even if it’s no longer an issue, teams will still want to know the full history before giving him a major-league deal and a large bonus, but they’re not likely to get it.
