On Friday, Baseball America ran their inaugural 2009 Prospect Hot Sheet. At the top of the list was San Francisco Giants' C Buster Posey. He is a player that has been the talk of fantasy circles for a while. The second name is not quite as familar.
It is Boston Red Sox OF Josh Reddick, who is currently tearing up the Eastern League. Like 1B Lars Anderson, there doesn't appear to be a clear path to playing time with the Red Sox assuming either Jason Bay is resigned or the team uses the free agent market to sign a left fielder.
Team: Double-A Portland (Eastern)
Age: 22
Why He's Here: .345/.406/.862 (10-for-29), 4 HR, 3 2B, 4 RBIs, 3 BB, 8 SO
The Scoop: What a difference a year makes. Reddick struggled to a .214/.290/.436 line in a 34-game cameo with the Sea Dogs last summer, but he's shaken off the offseason rust to get off to a fast start in the Eastern League the second time around. His four home runs are second most in the minors—and first among non Cal Leaguers—a testament to the hard contact he makes on a regular basis. While Reddick's aggressive nature sometimes undercuts his productivity, his smooth lefty stroke, athleticism and unnaturally-strong hand-eye coordination are more than enough to compensate. If everything clicks, he's a five-tool player in the making, with a cannon arm and passable range in center field.
Here's hoping for his continued success and no rain on Wednesday in New Britain where I will be attending the Sea Dogs road game against the Twins AA affiliate.
From my own personal list of minor leaguers, four have been hot enough to make the Sheet. Fortunately, none of my minor leaguers are in the "Not-So Hot Sheet" section.
4. 3B Mat Gamel, Milwaukee Brewers: .500/.563/.923 (13-for-26), 9 R, 2 HR, 5 2B, 10 RBIs, 4 BB, 5 SO10. 2B Brett Lawrie, Milwaukee Brewers: .300/.385/.750 (6-for-20), 4 R, 1 HR, 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBIs, 4 BB, 4 SO, 2-for-3 SB
11. OF Gerardo Parra, Arizona Diamondbacks: 409/.606/.682 (9-for-22), 7 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 11 BB, 2 SO, 3/5 SB
In Team Photo: OF Matt LaPorta, Cleveland Indians: .375/.423/.833 with six of his nine hits going for extra bases: three doubles, two homers and even a triple