Sleepers: Boston Red Sox
By Adam Forsyth
The Shallow
Jed Lowrie – Shortstop/Third Base
An injury to Julio Lugo has opened the door to Jed Lowrie being designated the opening day starting shortstop. Rest assured, if he has anything to say about staying in such a position, Lowrie is banking on his performance keeping him in the full-time slot, once Lugo is back in good health.
Without power or speed, many may wonder why he is considered a sleeper? Hitting anywhere in the potent Red Sox line-up offers something that not many teams can brag about. Whether Lowrie is penciled in the bottom third of the line-up, or sneaks his way up to the top of the order, he is going to see some pitches, with the opposing pitchers wanting to avoid the big sticks of Pedroia, Youk, Big Papi and J-Bay.
In a line-up that is loaded with offensive dynamos, Lowrie may be able to see enough quality pitches to bring back some of the great numbers from his college career. After averaging 48-.338-10-55-5 numbers at Stanford (average 60 game schedules), Lowrie has lost a little luster with the bat. What he lacks in pop, he makes up with his glove, as he is a very versatile and shifty defender, who won’t miss a beat playing either at short or at the hot corner in Beantown.
Another similar sized middle infielder that had limited success at the minor league levels, with statistics that are eerily similar to that of Lowries’ up to this point, made his way to Boston in recent years, and things seemed to have turned out alright as he was just awarded an A.L. MVP award. I’m not going to go out on a limb and say that Lowrie is the second coming of Dustin Pedroia; however, I will say that the table has been set for Lowrie to become a regular fantasy contributor.
With a patient presence at the plate, as expressed in his career K/BB ratio of 1.28/1 in 1530 career minor and major league at bats, to go along with the ability to get into scoring position, it’s clear that Lowrie will most likely contribute to your fantasy roster with a solid BA, dependable run-scoring totals and a high OBP, which is always a plus. Keep an eye on his early season production, and on both Lugo and Lowell’s rehab, to see if the former first round (supplemental round) draft pick will be a full season, 600+ AB contributor.
The Deep
Michael Bowden – Starting Pitcher
The Red Sox have certainly been producing some nice looking starting pitching talent in recent years. From no-hit kids Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, to Justin Masterson, to prospects with a promising future, such as right-hander Stolmy Pimental, and lefty Nick Hagadone. Add Bowden to the top of the list as the leader to climb on the mound regularly at Fenway, as he already has a start in Boston under his belt, in an impressive late season start against the White Sox, as reflected by his line of 5.0IP-7H-2ER-3K-1BB for his first major league win.
Bowden has top-of-the-rotation goods with three big league ready pitches. He has a dependable four-seam fastball that tops out in the mid-90’s, and has tremendous movement, followed up with a big breaking curve that seemingly handcuffs batters thinking it is out of the strike zone, with a big 12-to-6 break. He compliments those two with a mildly used circle change-up.
With excellent command of the zone, Bowden has been a K/IP type pitcher that walks 2.35/9IP. A full season in Pawtucket is more than likely the course, with the Sox having a log-jam for the fifth starters' position, which will allow Bowden to work on his secondary stuff. I’m certain that they will work him on his mechanics, and have him use the core of his body a bit more, so that he is not relying solely on his arm strength, which could improve his velocity and effectiveness to go deep into games.
Bowden doesn’t have too much to prove at this point in his minor league career. The Sox will probably want him to fine tune some of the aforementioned things. Once some of the final-year deals work themselves out, and older arms prove unworthy, he will suit up and be part of the rotation.
