Baseball America came out with their Top 10 Red Sox prospects for 2010 yesterday, with outfield prospect Ryan Westmoreland listed as their number 1 prospect.
Here is what Callis had to say about the choice:
JAYPERS (IL): So, Jim, just how much agonizing did you do between Kelly and Westmoreland when deciding who to rank #1? What ultimately put Westmoreland over the top?
Jim Callis: "Agonizing" might be a little strong, but I did put a lot of thought into it. It was tough because one guy was a hitter and one guy was a pitcher, so I couldn't compare them directly. The easy thing would have been to say that Kelly has proven himself in high Class A and Westmoreland hasn't succeeded beyond short-season ball, but I went with the guy who I thought would be the best player in the long run. Either is a worthy choice. Kelly is probably a safer bet to be good, but I think Westmoreland has a better chance to be great. I'm working on my personal Top 50 Prospects list for the Handbook, and they'll both be in the top half.
Wow. Two Red Sox in the Top 25 prospects in all of baseball??