Managed by Carlos Febles, it seems Greenville is having the same problem that the Salem Red Sox have, poor fielding and pitching. This is not good for Ben Cherrington because these are the last picks of the Theo Epstein era and truly the start of his own era. If Ben wants to prove he's just as good at scouting amateur talent as Theo was, then his next couple of drafts better go well.
As for the Grenville lineup, let's get a quick run-down. We'll begin with catcher Jordan Weems.
1. Jordan Weems - C
Weems was the Sox third round pick in 2011 and is just 20 years old. He's batting just .209 this season for the Drive but due to his young age, he has all the time in the world to develop. He doesn't have much power but his reputation is being a defensive catcher.
Next on the list is second basemen Mookie Betts
2. Mookie Betts - 2B
Mention the name "Mookie" to old time Sox fans and you may get a kick in the pants. This Mookie, however, could be the heir apparent to Dustin Pedroia. The 20 year old is the team's best hitter. Currently .297 with 8 homers 21 rbi's and 15 steals (in 16 tries). The one drawback is he has 11 errors on the season so far. Still, glove work can be corrected and at 20 he has plenty of time to develop.
3rd on the list is short-stop Jose Vinicio
3. Jose Vinicio -SS
Now this is interesting. Jose is leading the team in the wrong category with SEVENTEEN errors on the season and is hitting just .202. Why hasn't he been cut yet? He's only 19 years old. In fact, he was drafted 3 days after turning SIXTEEN. He was ranked 19th out of the Sox top 20 prospects and as with the others, he has plenty of time to develop. Still, when you can't hit or field that's not the way to get promoted.
Batting cleanup is designated hitter David Chester
4. David Chester - DH
Unlike the 3 previous prospects, Chester is a bit older. The 23 year old was drafted in the 33rd round back in 2011 so team management doesn't consider him a can't miss prospect anyway. He does have some power stroke with 11 home runs and 59 rbi's but is hitting just .264 with 73 strikeouts. If he can learn patience at the plate, maybe he could earn a promotion to Salem soon.
Up next is left fielder Aneury Tavarez
5. Aneury Tavarez - LF
The 21 year old has the same problem Chester has, only worse. Tavarez leads the team with 80 strikeouts and is hitting just .247. He's a riverboat gambler on the base paths with 11 steals and 7 times caught. With the crop of outfielders such as Jackie Bradley Jr, Bryce Brentz and who knows what comes in free agency, Tavarez may want to think about finding some other organization down the line, unless he turns it around at the plate.
Batting 6th is 3rd basemen Keaton Briscoe
6. Keaton Briscoe - 3B
After Nick Moore was demoted to Lowell, the 22 year old Briscoe took over at third and hasn't been much better. He's hitting just .196 with 21 strikeouts in 16 games. The problem with college players that struggle out of the gate is that they run out of time to develop quicker, especially when someone 2 or 3 years younger is hitting 100 points higher like a Mookie Betts. Still, anything's possible.
Up next is center fielder Felix Sanchez
7. Felix Sanchez - CF
Salem and Greenville swapped their center fielders when Sanchez was demoted and Cody Koback was promoted. The 23 year old ran into a brick wall in Salem but has a chance to regain his form in Greenville. He's hitting .267 but has only played 10 games. Like I said before, guys who are 23-24 and are struggling to get by Single A pitching don't have the brightest futures. Getting demoted is either going to fire him up or convince him to find another profession.
Batting 8th is first basemen Boss Moanaroa
8. Boss Moanroa
The 21 year old Australian is really struggling this season. He's played in forty five games and has just 28 hits. Batting .185 in Single A is really not going to cut it. Maybe he needs a demotion to Lowell like Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Mager to get him on track. Otherwise this may be as far as he goes.
Batting 9th is right fielder Drew Turocy
9. Drew Turocy - RF
Age is not on the side of the 24 year old but at least he's batting consistantly, hitting .284 with 62 hits in 57 games. He has no homers on the season, he deserves a call up to Salem and pretty quick because most stars aren't stuck in Low A ball when they're 24. Jackie Bradley Jr is 22 and he already has tasted the majors.
Switching gears to the pitchers mound, let's take a look at some of the starters on the Drive, beginning with Francellis Montas
1. Francellis Montas - SP
The 20 year old has struggled this season for the Drive. He's just 1-6 with a hideous 6.34 ERA. The silver lining is that he's only 20 and the Drive as a unit has been awful this year. The problem isn't control, he's walked just 20 in 55 1/3 innings, he just can't get any movement on his pitches. Still, at 20 he's got time to develop and hopefully can turn into a decent starter.
Next up is Justin Haley
2. Justin Haley - SP
Unlike Montas, Haley's problem is definitely control. The 22 year old is 3-7 with a 4.37 ERA. He's walked 45 batters in 59 2/3 innings. Control issues can be worked on, especially in Low-A ball. The silver lining is he's struck out 63 batters so far. If he can locate better and go deeper into ballgames, he could be a dependable starter down the road.
3rd on the list is Cody Kukuk
3. Cody Kukuk - SP
Suffering from the same lack of control as Haley, the 20 year old lefty is 4-7 with a 4.21 ERA. He's walked FIFTY batters in 51 1/3 innings. He does have 52 strikeouts so once again, learn better control and become a dependable starter. Another lefty had the same problem early in his career, Jon Lester.
Next up is Brian Johnson
4. Brian Johnson - SP
Unlike the others, the 22 year old's problem isn't control or long balls. He's struck out 39 batters in 38 innings and has walked just 17 plus given up just 3 homers. His 1-4, 4.03 ERA could be deceiving due to the poor fielding and average hitting of his team. Put him on a team that can hit and field, maybe his record would be better. I'd say call him up to Salem but they're just as miserable defensively as Greenville. Stay tuned on this guy.
Last is Pat Light.
5. Pat Light - SP
The 22 year old is struggling the most. He's 1-3 with a hideous 8.06 ERA. He's given up 4 homers and 27 runs in 25 2/3's innings. When you struggle to get batters out in Low-A ball, something's wrong. Let's see how this goes.
Looking at some relief pitchers and we're out of here.
1. Jeffrey Wendelken - RP
With the team winning just 22 games in the season's first half, saves were hard to come by. The 20 year old has settled as the team's long reliever with 5 saves, a 3.12 ERA and 42 punch outs in 52 innings. A durable arm and strikeout power on a better fielding and hitting team would normally mean a call up. We'll see how he turns out.
Next is Kyle Kraus
2. Kyle Kraus - RP
The 23 year old was recently demoted from Salem and has responded by going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA. He's given up 4 earned runs in 21 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts and just 2 walks allowed. Time is already beginning to run out but if he keeps pitching like this, he could be back in Salem soon.
Last is Austin Maddox
3. Austin Maddox - SP/RP
It doesn't matter if he's starting or relieving, the 22 year old righty has struggled all-season. He's 0-5 with a 7.71 ERA. His problem is the longball, serving up 12 of them so far this season. Control isn't really an issue so if he can learn how to keep the ball down, he may eventually earn a call up to Salem.
That about wraps it up for this edition of Down on the Farm. The next off-day is a week from now and we'll take our final look at the Farm in the form of the Lowell Spinners who just began their season. The big club returns to action tomorrow as the Colorado Rockies are in town for the first time since the 2007 World Series, Ryan Dempster will be there to greet him.
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