Introducing Josh Reddick
Meet the Red Sox’s insurance policy on Jason Bay and J.D. Drew. His name is Josh Reddick and he’s a 22-year-old outfielder who made his majors debut last Friday. The most noticeable thing when looking at Reddick is his eyewear, opting against contacts for whatever reason. The next thing you’ll notice is his impressive athleticism and ridiculous arm strength and accuracy.
A 17th round pick in 2006, Reddick has impressively shoot through the Red Sox system, reaching Double-A in his first pro season, albeit for only a game. Reddick has since recorded 420 plate appearances in Double-A, hitting .257/.332/.492 all the while shifting between right and center field. Reddick has an impressive 41 career assists; it’s not just luck either, his arm is ranked above average by nearly every scouting report.
Reddick has flashed improving pitch recognition skills and walk rates, but be forewarned: he’s going to strike out a bit. If he can stick in center his power (.235 ISO in AA) figures to exceed expectations for the position. Oh, and he’s a left-handed bat, which just makes everything even sweeter for Boston.
With Reddick’s impending inclusion, which current Sox outfielder will be going?
Drew is under contract for an additional two seasons, Bay qualifies for free agency at season’s end, and it seems unlikely the Sox mess with Jacoby Ellsbury. With two lefties already roaming the outfield, it would seem that keeping Reddick around as the fourth outfielder simply hurts lineup flexibility. Letting Bay walk and replacing him with Reddick does the same, but replacing Drew or Ellsbury doesn’t seem realistic either.
So where in the world is he going to play? Beats me, if nothing else I suppose he would make a nice part of a potential trade package.
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Typical overhyped Boston prospect. Did the Red Sox pay you guys to write this?!!
He had an .887 OPS in the minors. That’s 9 points higher than Matt Kemp. The only drawback I see from him is that he’s a hacker that’ll be prone to hot and cold streaks.
In other words, you are dumb. Why would RJ Anderson hype a Red Sox player?
I think he was trying to be funny. See Nick’s second comment below.
I love how I commented on it and was totally oblivious.
If he was being funny, I’m an asshole x 2 this morning (check the Bard post from yesterday’s comments near the bottom)
To substanciate my insane comparison:
Brock: .293/.343/.410
Ellsbury: .296/.348/.413 (no decline here but still)
Brock: 75.34% SB rate
Ellsbury: 84.9%
Okay I feel insane now.
Getting a little ahead of yourself with the Kemp comparison aren’t you? When Kemp was 22 he was putting up a .342/.373/.521 line in the Majors not AA.
It isn’t as if he’s destroying AA, seems like he could use a full season of AAA ball. Says he’s ready for a full time gig in ’11? That’s Drew’s last year, at the worst Boston can afford to just Lugo him on someone to clear space for Reddick. The Drew contract was a sunk cost the moment he signed it, no point in worrying about it once Reddick is ready.
Just making the “let’s not call him overhyped yet” statement.
I’m fully aware some of our recent guys, especially Ellsbury, are horribly overhyped. Most people I know (non-Sox fans alike) think I’m insane for saying I’d do Ellsbury for Shin-Soo Choo straight up.
To be clear I don’t think he’s over-hyped, I guess my point is that his line at Portland as a 22 yr. old doesn’t scream that Boston needs to make room for him this year, or even next year.
I forgot to mention in my previous post that there is approximately a 0.0% chance that Boston will pick up Ortiz’s 12.5M option in ’11 so they could always slide Drew to DH and put Reddick in RF.
I don’t see why the Red Sox wouldn’t move Ellsbury. Reddick adds a bit more power and although he strikes out more he could maintain a similar value in wOBA with the extra power. Their walk rates at Triple-A are similar so that might be a wash. Then add in the defense. Ellsbury is having an awful season in CF this year and we all knew his arm was poor. Given Reddick impresses this Aug/Sept they could move Ellsbury for a much higher return given his major league experience and slide Reddick into CF next year.
The love Troy has for Ellsbury is overwhelming.
Drew has 2 years, and Bay is a free agent. I suspect Bay will be signed in the offseason so I think Reddick gets next year in AAA. Papi has a club option for 2011 and is gone after next year so Ellsbury moves to right (for the Pink hats), Reddick in Center and Drew DH’s for 2011
I love how I’m the only one that’s not in love with Ellsbury in Boston.
Sorry, SB’s and .300 BA’s aren’t autpmatic indicators of a star. They just aren’t. UZR and FRAA are pretty much telling the same story on his defense in 2009, and it’s not pretty. He just doesn’t have the instincts or the arm for CF, from watching, too.
I don’t know why people can’t accept this. Lou Brock is in the Hall of Fame and Ellsbury’s skill set is very Brock-like in a lesser way.
Not sure if Aaron has read my work or is just reading that from these comments, but over at THT I compared Ellsbury to Juan Pierre and the only difference of major notice is the 9-10 homers Ellsbury will hit. That was before his defense fell this year though. I think their overall value is even if Ellsbury continues to be a below average CF.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/fantasy/article/clone-wars-jacoby-ellsbury-and-juan-pierre/
Seriously though, I think it would be bold of them to stick him in right next year and move JD to left after letting Bay walk. He doesn’t have to hit nearly as well as Bay considering how much better defensively he’d be (range to play CF and a cannon) and he’ll be making nothing. But they won’t do it because of the three lefties thing, probably. I don’t think it’s a tragedy if he gets another full year in the minors the work on his plate discipline against more advanced pitching and then eventually is JD Drew’s replacement.
Unfortunately the Red Sox other top outfield prospect whose close to the majors, Kalish, is a lefty as well. And further down, so is Westmoreland!
Small sample size aside, look at Ellsbury’s UZR in CF. Heck, look at his FRAA, too. Then compare it to his UZR/FRAA in LF.
If we don’t resign Bay, and don’t get Holliday, a LF/CF/RF of Ellsbury/Reddick/Drew sounds good to me. Defensively at least, it would be a huge upgrade.
No reason why a team that only has 2 major league OFers under control for next xeason, and one of them is an older, frequently injured type, should worry about moving any of them or making room for a 22 year old with options. Depth is good.
Reddick was actually without the glasses during the day game in Baltimore on Sunday. Maybe he ops for contacts when he needs to wear sunglasses? Odd combination if so.
Or just get a RHH 4th OFer to rest/platoon with all 3 of them, even Baldelli would work if he was healthy enough to play fairly regularly.
Why not just keep Reddick as the 4th outfielder until Drew’s contract expires?
You don’t bring up a top prospect and then sit them on the bench as a 4th outfielder. Stunts the ol’ development. It’d be better for Reddick and for the Red Sox long term to keep him in AAA and have him develop by playing full time there until an opportunity (trade, slump, or injury) presents itself.
I don’t know. It didn’t really stunt Dewey Evans development to get 300 plate appearances or so back when he was 21.
Who btw should’ve gotten into the Hall of Fame way before Jim Rice ever did.
I’m not saying it would be a death sentence fo r Reddick’s career, just that it’s not smart policy. And picking one guy out whom it worked for doesn’t prove anything. In any case, whether you and I agree or not it’s a safe bet the Red Sox won’t do that.
As one who also eschews the conventional contact lenses in favor of glasses, I gotta say what a good looking player he’s going to be!
What if you move Ellsbury, and slide Reddick into center? Just a thought ….Ellsbury to Tampa for Crawford, where Tampa gains four years of control over Ellsbury for a guy who costs 11M in his final year and will be nearly an impossible re-sign. So the Sox then go into 10 with Crawford, Reddick and Drew. And then in a perfect world, Reddick slides to right in 11 and Kalish gets the spot in center.