In case you missed it, Mookie Betts turned himself into one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball this year, and he did it in a history-making fashion, becoming the first player in baseball history to start at least 140 games at shortstop at age-32 or older after having made fewer than 100 career appearances at the position prior. In light of this, it’s worth looking back at his time in the Red Sox minor leagues, when he was quickly moved off the position after a few poor games in low-A. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
And while we’re on the topic of players traded away by the Red Sox, how did the prospects the Sox traded away at the deadline do in their new environments? Here’s a quick look at that question, highlighted by the 7 homers and .900 OPS posted by James Tibbs III after he was traded for Dustin May. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
You probably haven’t heard of the office of field coordinator, but that’s a role that would have something to do with moving minor leaguers around the diamond, as they’re responsible for coordinating minor league instruction throughout the organization, particularly on the defensive side of the game. Craig Breslow will have to find a new one of those, as the incumbent, Andrew Wright, is joining the former front office personnel following Paul Toboni to Washington, DC. (Alex Speier Boston Globe)
Maybe the Sox can replace Andrew Wright with… Manny Ramirez? The legendary slugger is putting the word out that he wants to get back into the game:
It’s hard for me to see any team giving Manny Ramirez a big league hitting coach job right now, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything to offer. Remember when he played a season of independent ball in minor Japanese league? Maybe that experience could help him aid the transition of Japanese star Munetaka Murakami to the big leagues. The Red Sox are considered one of the teams who could be in the mix for the power hitter. (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)
