Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings are after the jump.
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BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Red Sox today signed the club's top selection in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, infielder Kolbrin Vitek out of Ball State University. The club also signed its second overall selection, outfielder Bryce Brentz of Middle Tennessee State University.
The announcement was made by Red Sox Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein and Director of Amateur Scouting Amiel Sawdaye.
Both Vitek and Brentz have been assigned to the Short-Season A Lowell Spinners.
The 20th overall selection in the draft, Vitek was named 2010 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound infielder led the league with 73 runs, tied for second with 17 homers and ranked third with 68 RBI and 161 total bases. The junior also earned Louisville Slugger First-Team All-American honors, pacing the Cardinals with a .361 (84-for-233) batting average, .691 slugging percentage, 20 doubles and three triples (tied) in 58 games. He stole 16 bases in 20 attempts and walked 33 times with a .445 on-base percentage. The 21-year-old also made 17 pitching appearances, including 13 starts, and finished second in the MAC with a 3.28 ERA (29 ER/79.2 IP). He was 3-4 with three saves, 60 strikeouts and just 20 walks. The right-handed hitter was one of 30 finalists for 2010 Golden Spikes Award and last summer won the Triple Crown in the Great Lakes League, batting .400 (54-for-135) with six home runs and 38 RBI. Vitek was rated by Baseball America as the top second baseman in this year's draft as well as the third-best pure hitter among college players.
Brentz, 21, was selected 36th overall in the supplemental first round after hitting .348 (64-for-184) with 51 runs, eight doubles, 15 homers and 49 RBI in 46 games as a junior for the Blue Raiders this season. He posted a .636 slugging percentage and walked 29 times with a .440 on-base percentage. In 2009, the right-handed hitter was the NCAA leader in batting average (.465), home runs (28), slugging (.930) and total bases (214) and was named Sun Belt Player of the Year. He also hit .366 (26-for-71) in 23 games during the 2009 Team USA season. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound native of Knoxville, Tennessee was rated by Baseball America as the third-best power hitter among college players in this year's draft. He was selected out of high school by Cleveland in the 30th round of the 2007 draft but did not sign.
Also agreeing to terms with the club were 12th-round selection, right-handed pitcher Garrett Rau from California Baptist University; 13th-round selection, right-handed pitcher Keith Couch from Adelphi University; 34th-round selection, right-handed pitcher Michael Gleason from California State University-Chico; 39th-round selection, shortstop Nick Robinson from North Central College; 40th-round selection, outfielder Luke Yoder from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo; 41st-round selection, catcher Jayson Hernandez from Rutgers University; 45th-round selection, shortstop James Kang from Pomona-Pitzer College; and 49th-round selection, first baseman Trygg Larsson-Danforth from Yale University. Rau, Couch, Robinson and Hernandez have been assigned to Lowell while Gleason, Yoder, Kang and Larsson-Danforth have been assigned to the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League Red Sox.
With the signing, Boston has 10 selections from this year's draft under contract. Attached is a complete look at the club's 2010 picks.
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Arizona Diamondbacks @ Boston Red Sox |
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I apologize for skipping the Red Sox News & Notes post as well as the Afternoon Delight post. I had some last minute personal business come up and just returned home. I do apologize for the inconvenience and will be back on track tomorrow.
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UConn Football links
DC answered a few questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner - Hartford Courant]
Robert McClain signs with Panthers [Neill Ostrout - CT Post]
UConn vs Michigan Football Ticket and Travel information [UConnHuskies.com]
Spotlight on Dahna Deleston [Hartford Courant]
EA Sports releases UConn's roster for NCAA Football 11 [The UConn Blog]
UConn Men's Basketball linksPaper or Plastic? [David Borges - New Haven Register]
Scared straight [Neill Ostrout - CT Post]
Calhoun: No assistant coach news this week [CT Post]
Spotlight on Robert Garrison [Hartford Courant]
UConn's assistant search may carry into next week [New Haven Register]
USC ruling should scare UConn, Kentucky hoops fans [Athletic Business]
Other UConn related links
Women's Volleyball: Connecticut Native Joins University of Connecticut Volleyball Team [UConnHuskies.com]
Women's Ice Hockey: Six Women's Ice Hockey Players Earn All-Academic Honors from Hockey East [UConnHuskies.com]
Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings are after the jump.
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Arizona Diamondbacks @ Boston Red Sox |
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Afternoon Red Sox Delight - 6/15 [SOX & Dawgs]
no commentsUp, up, and Ellsway!?
Now let me get this straight. There's 'talk' that the Boston Red Sox want to trade away Jacoby Ellsbury this offseason?
And I write 'talk' because this isn't exactly a rumor being concocted. Actually, it's more of a prediction, literally.
This past week, all ignited by The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, Ellsbury's name has been swirling around, along with Jonathan Papelbon, in what appears to be some sort of scare tactic by Red Sox management.
Some people are claiming that Boston's center fielder (sorry Mike Cameron, you are not Boston's true center fielder) isn't as achy as he says to be, which is posing some problems.
Let's see. Cracked ribs?
Now I have no experience whatsoever with cracked ribs, let alone a broken bone (knock on wood), but can we cut the kid some slack?
Yes, it was a blow when he finally came back off the disabled list on May 25, then five games later was put back on it. But to throw out there, trade Ellsbury away to send him a message is asinine.
He is what the Boston organization has been dreaming of in a long time. Speed (70 steals in 2009), defense, and small ball seems to be a rare find in Beantown and you want to oust him? What seems to be the issue lately with Red Sox management and their players? Is this the second coming of George Steinbrenner?
Pre-Madonna Red Sox or messed up management?
Unless you've been living underneath a rock, there have been no question, a lot of issues this season. The Ellsbury deal is now the sixth.
It all started with Mike Lowell trying to be traded away and we all know how that turned out.
The Texas Rangers wanted him to have his physical and it turned out Lowell had a broken thumb. So Lowell returns to the Sox and ends up on the 25-man roster on Opening Day.
Next was who to play more in the designated hitter role, Lowell or David Ortiz?
Apparently Lowell doesn't like to DH very much, he'd rather play in the field, then of course you get Ortiz who literally had hissy fits when he wasn't getting enough of at-bats. Then all of a sudden Papi started popping home runs left and right leaving Mikey in a predicament.
If that wasn't enough, when Daisuke Matsuzaka returned after being placed on the 15-day DL to start the season, someone has to be kicked into the bullpen.
Well hello Tim Wakefield.
Even though you've been pitching great we really got no choice. I mean we can't demote Josh Beckett to the pen who we just signed to a four-year, $68 million contract extension. And Clay Buchholz is finally becoming the pitcher we all thought of him to be in 2007 when he dished that no-hitter to the Baltimore Orioles.
And what's up with Jonathan Papelbon?
The base of Cafardo's Sunday notebook was about Daniel Bard being the next Red Sox closer.
Well, we all heard that before...last season...spring training...now. What's the difference?
And it's Nava here!
At least there is some happy news to report about.
His name?
Daniel Nava.
You weren't alone being mind boggled on Saturday. 'Who the hell is Daniel Nava?'
Ron Chimelis of The Springfield Republican has the background story on this 27-year-old who didn't even make his college team as a walk-on and had to settle being the equipment manager at Santa Clara.
Nava joined Bill Duggleby Jeremy Hermida, and Kevin Kouzmanoff as the only other players in the big league to smash a grand slam in their first career at-bat. Nava is the second to do it on the first pitch as Kouzmanoff did it in 2006 for the Cleveland Indians.
That makes two great stories for rookies this season for the Sox. First it was Darnell McDonald and now Nava.
Hhhmmm, I guess the Ellsbury and Cameron injuries have been blessings in disguise after all.
Amanda Bruno is a freelance sportswriter for The Springfield Republican. She also writes over at Batter-up with Bruno where she shares her thoughts about the Boston Red Sox and the Boston sports media. You can follow her on Twitter @batterupbruno and can reach Amanda through email at brunosportshawk[at]gmail.com.
STORRS, Conn. - The University of Connecticut football games on September 11 against Texas Southern and on September 18 against Temple will both kickoff at noon it was announced on Tuesday. The Texas Southern game will be the 2010 home opener at Rentschler Field while the Temple game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kickoff times have now been finalized for three of UConn six games at Rentschler Field with the Texas Southern game, the West Virginia game on Friday, October 29 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2 and the Pittsburgh game on Thursday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. Game times are still to be announced for the Buffalo (September 25), Vanderbilt (October 2) and Cincinnati games (November 27).
In terms of road games, three of those kickoff times have been set with the Temple game, the season opener at Michigan on September 4 at 3:30 p.m. on ABC and the Rutgers game on Friday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. Still to be announced are times for at Louisville on October 23, at Syracuse on November 20 and at USF on December 4. The USF game will be televised either on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.
Information on additional television appearances will be announced at a later date. no comments
After a day off on Monday, J.D. Drew and the Boston Red Sox will welcome Stephen Drew and the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 3-game interleague set at Fenway Park.
Tonight's game will start at 7:10 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Diamondbacks television market, you can catch the game on FOX Sports Arizona. If you can't catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.
Clay Buchholz looks to continue his recent string of good outings in his 13th start of 2010. In his previous 12 starts, he is 8-4 with a 2.52 ERA. Buchholz has never faced the Diamondbacks in his career.
Ian Kennedy, the former Yankees prospect, has made 13 starts for the Diamondbacks this season. In those 13 starts, Kennedy is 3-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Kennedy has never faced the Red Sox in his career.Keep reading for lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and pregame links.
With 40% of the season done, the Boston Red Sox find themselves with a 37-28 record and are sitting four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. At this time last year, the Red Sox had a 38-25 record and were in first place over the Yankees by two games.
At some point you have to figure the Yankees and Rays will hit a little lull but with their talent it may not happen. And with the trade deadline just over seven weeks away, you have to figure both teams will be players in the market as well as the Red Sox.
For the most part, the Red Sox have been playing good baseball as of late despite all the injuries they've suffered. The catalyst at the top of the lineup, Jacoby Ellsbury, has spent most of the season on the disabled list with the rib injury suffered in the collision with Adrian Beltre. Mike Cameron has battled an abdominal injury all season and Jeremy Hermida is on the DL with a rib injury suffered in a different collision with Beltre.
And that's not including the pitchers. Currently two starters are on the DL in Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Dustin Pedroia had been struggling due to a knee injury, Marco Scutaro's been battling a neck issue and Kevin Youkilis has had back spasms.
But throughout that, the Red Sox have one of the best records in MLB since May due to the strong starting pitching they've gotten. Plus the defense has gotten better and has started to look like what Theo Epstein promised. Even the offense, which by some pundits wasn't supposed to be strong this year for the Red Sox, has performed.
So what do the Red Sox need to do right now. Just get healthy. A healthy Red Sox team is a team that will give problems to everyone. I would expect the Red Sox to be looking at relief pitchers as we get towards the trade deadline.
Before we go, please take a few moments and vote 25 times for the Red Sox in the AL All-Star voting. Lord knows they need it.
We'll be back later today with the lineups for tonight's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, batter/pitcher matchups, news and any links from the day.
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
.jpg&w=244&h=193&zc=1 "Video: Davis Powers Orioles to 6-3 Win Over Red Sox")
