Soxprospects.com Podcast

Mike Andrews makes his triumphant return to the podcast to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the website with Chris. We tried our hardest not to make this a back-slapping, hey-remember-when yuk-fest, but did we succeed? Who knows? Stories from the site's inception and growth abound.

Chris, Jon, and Ian (showing some #want by checking in from England) come dangerously close to the two-hour mark as they put a bow on the 2013 minor league season. Nearly no stone is left unturned as the guys go through the SoxProspects.com award winners and All-Stars. And as you might expect with an episode this long, things get a bit punchy. Dropped computers! WWE entrance music! LISTEN NOW!

Chris, Matt, Jon, and Ian got together for a super-size episode, leading off with their reaction to the call-up and usage of Xander Bogaerts in Boston. They also discussed some of the system's hottest players in Mookie Betts, Henry Owens, and Manuel Margot; the announcement of the Arizonal Fall League rosters; the past month's promotions; and who might get the call to Boston in September. Plus Jon tells a visitor that he's on a conference call. Yeah, things kind of fell apart at the end.

The podcast returns, as Chris chats with Matt and Ian about the three-team trade that brought Jake Peavy and Brayan Villarreal in exchange for Jose Iglesias, Frank Montas, Cleuluis Rondon, and JB Wendelken, including the players involved and repercussions going forward for the Red Sox. Plus, the guys gabbed a bit about the promotions of Anthony Ranaudo and Henry Owens.

Chris is joined by Matt Huegel and Ian Cundall to talk about... well... everything that's happened since last episode, and that happens to be a lot of stuff. We hit the draft signing deadline. We hit the opening of the international signing season. We talk about the promotions of Brandon Workman, Drake Britton, and Mookie Betts. We talk about Brandon Jacobs getting traded to Chicago. We talk about the Futures Game. Why? Because we like you.

Well, a little over a year after the "forgot to hit record" incident, Chris screwed up and deleted the audio from part 2 of last week's podcast. However, he made up for it by recording a new episode with Ian Cundall, going over the news--including Will Middlebrooks' demotion, Garin Cecchini's promotion, and Trey Ball's signing--before delving into the players to watch in Lowell and the GCL this year. Also, Chris sneezes really loudly during the middle and leaves it in to show he's a good sport. This week we open with another track from Young London's new EP, Instincts, called "That Feeling." Check them out on iTunes, at facebook.com/younglondonmusic, and on the Spotify stage at this summer's Warped Tour.

With Chris Mellen back from his yearly southern swing, the two unofficial members of SoxProspects South, Chris Hatfield and Jon Meoli, hit him with some questions about the players he saw at the two full-season A-ball affiliates. The guys also talked about Xander Bogaerts's promotion to Pawtucket, Jon Denney signing for way less than we thought he would, and the rest of the news.

After a big week for the Red Sox, Chris Hatfield, Matt Huegel, and Ian Cundall reviewed the results from the Red Sox' 2013 draft. They speculate on which of the highly-ranked high school players might sign, discuss their new draft binkies, and answer reader questions. Plus, the guys got to some news on the farm, including Xander Bogaerts's hot streak and potential to be promoted soon, Brandon Workman's actual promotion to Pawtucket, Jose Iglesias's official graduation to Boston, and the start of the Dominican Summer League. And of course, Chris makes a bunch of references that nobody gets, per usual.

With the Sox's selections of Trey Ball and Teddy Stankiewicz in the books, Chris Hatfield, Jon Meoli, and Ian Cundall evaluated the selections and speculated about the organization's potential strategy in its remaining picks.

DRAFT PREVIEW EDITION! Chris Hatfield, Ian Cundall, and Jon Meoli preview this week's draft. With the Sox picking at number 7 overall, excitement is high for the highest pick the club has had in years. The guys talk about the draft as a whole (not good), the Sox' recent draft history and strategy, and look at the players who may be the pick at number 7. Also, Chris chases a fly around his apartment and Ian watches a shaving commercial.

Back on schedule, Chris Hatfield, Matt Huegel, and Ian Cundall got together to discuss the news of the week, including what depth there is at third base in Pawtucket given Jose Iglesias's move over and why Greenville's lineup is a bit lacking in prospect power. Listener questions included inquiries on Garin Cecchini, Brandon Workman, and Brandon Jacobs. Finally, we hit on what Jackie Bradley, Jr. has been up to since going back to Pawtucket, and discuss whether he'll be back soon.

After a short haitus, the guys are back. Chris, Matt, and Jon talk about the goings on in Pawtucket, Portland, and Salem, discussing players like Rubby De La Rosa, Xander Bogaerts, and Garin Cecchini, and also hit on what Mookie Betts is doing down in Greenville. Also Jon's roommate walks in and can be heard in the background at one point.

After a week off, Chris Hatfield, Matt Huegel, and Ian Cundall gabbed about the players who've had the best starts to the season, and what conclusions we can draw (hint: not many) from one month of data.

The minor league season is just over a week old, and the SoxProspects team is already out there reporting from the field. On this episode, Chris gets on the horn with Jon Meoli, who was at Salem's season-opening series in Frederick, and Chris Mellen, who caught Portland's opener and hadn't been on yet to talk about Spring Training. Per Jon's request, we opened with some Justin Timberlake; forgive us.

On this episode, the guys review what we learned at Spring Training (which you can also catch up on at news.soxprospects.com), and analyze the season-opening rosters at the four full-season affiliates. Also discussed: Jon Meoli's hair.

Chris H. and Matt talk about the big stories of spring training so far, which in a happy coincidence are almost entirely prospect related. Jackie Bradley, Allen Webster, Xander Bogaerts and more are on the agenda. Plus, the fellas talk about battles for major league roster spots and discuss which projected 2013 roster is most intriguing to them.

With some fresh audio from the Jimmy Fund's New Stars for Young Stars event, the guys discuss five players and their upcoming seasons.

Hey, remember when we had a podcast? Well, we actually still do, although it's been a minute since the last episode. Chris Hatfield, Chris Mellen, Matt Huegel, and, eventually, Mike Andrews discussed the rising "new core" of homegrown Sox players, and how that core could be factoring in to the organization's planning. They also discussed their internal debates when ranking the system's top 10 prospects. A special thanks to The Ludlow Thieves, from NYC, for providing this episode's intro track, "All the Money." Check them out at www.theludlowthieves.com.

With the dog days of the season upon us, Chris Hatfield, Chris Mellen, and Matt Huegel chatted about Xander Bogaerts and the exodus of talent from Salem to Portland, touching on what that says about the system on the whole, as well as who fans can expect to see called up to Boston when rosters expand. The guys also took questions from Twitter and discussed Mellen's burgeoning collection of Pauly Shore movies. Intrigued?

Buckle up! We've got a long one here, as Chris Hatfield, Chris Mellen, Matt Huegel and Ian Cundall discuss what's been going on in Pawtucket, Portland, AND Lowell, plus touch briefly on the end of the draft signing period and blow through a "short" 20-minute "lightning round."