Jacoby Ellsbury Options

[Corsi Combover]

Age: 22
Born: September 11, 1983
Madras, OR
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Drafted: 1st round, 2005
College: Oregon State
High School: Madras (OR)
ETA: 2008

Scouting Report: Ellsbury was on of the best players in the NCAA in 2005. He is very fast, plays excellent defense, and has shown a great ability to get on base. Decent gap power for a centerfielder who projects as a lead-off hitter. Has often been compared to Johnny Damon. Also said to be a team leader.

Ellsbury has few holes in his game and is capable of beating teams in a lot of ways. He has excellent makeup and instincts. His best tool is his speed, and it’s evident both on the bases and in center field, where he catches everything hit his way. He has been clocked in 6.55 seconds over 60 yards. He has become more patient, rarely swings and misses and is comfortable hitting with two strikes. His style of play and physical appearance have drawn comparisons to Johnny Damon at a similar age, but scouts say Ellsbury has a better swing. They question whether he’ll grow into the same power, though.




Other Notes courtesy of David Laurila's excellent Jacoby Ellsbury interview from RedSoxNation.net:
<!--SPOILER BEGIN--><div class="spoilertop" onClick="openClose('f3f71c4a50aed364afbc582681edfcd8')" style="font-weight: bold">» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «</div><div class="spoilermain" id="f3f71c4a50aed364afbc582681edfcd8" style="display:none"><!--SPOILER END-->-Teams look at him as scrappy and hard to get out.
-Walks to strikeouts ratio has been good, so he's patient and makes pretty good contact.
-Is a lead-off hitter, so he wants to get on any way he can, be it a hit, walk, hit-by-pitch, or error.
-Likes to try to extend singles into doubles and doubles into triples.
-Likes to use his legs to his advantage.

-Hasn't bunted as much as a lot of lead-off guys, and doesn't run out of the box like Ichiro.
-Wants to develop some more power and be a well-rounded player.
-Believes in working on his weaknesses more than his strengths.
-Does use his speed, and while seldom asked to bunt at OSU, at this level he'll probably want to do it more.

-Feels he hits breaking pitches pretty well.
-Feels good at recognizing pitches and keeping his hands and weight back.
-Trusts his hands and will drive the ball the other way.

-Strikezone judgment has always come natural.
-Disciplined and trusts his eyes.
-Good at recognizing pitches out of the hand.
-If something is over the outside corner, knows can get his bat on it.
-If he has less than two strikes, he'd rather wait for a ball he can do more with.
-A big part of hitting is having the confidence to hit with two strikes.

-On the bases, he definitely wants the pitcher to know he's there,
-Wants the pitcher to know that he has to go with fastballs if they're going to throw him out.
-Doesn't necessarily take a huge lead.
-Wants his lead to be comfortable so that he's not limiting myself by having his weight in the wrong direction. Taking too big of a lead is usually not beneficial, and there's a fine line between the right lead and one that's too big.
-Want to be is aggressive and force the other team to make plays.

-Feels that he gets pretty good jumps on balls and is willing to sacrifice his body and go hard into the wall if the situation dictates.

-Wore a Red Sox cap to all of his games at Oregon State last year for good luck.
-Named after a name on an advertisement that his mother saw. The advertiser was a company that sold farm equipment, and the specific ad was for a tractor.
-Likes the outdoors, warm weather, and relaxing with his buddies. Also enjoys lake fishing and waffles with applesauce.
-Once chased down a deer when he was in high school.<!--SPOILER DIV--></div><!--SPOILER DIV-->

WIKI LINK Jacoby Ellsbury WIKI LINK

This post has been edited by AlNipper49: Jul 2 2007, 07:59 AM

[Corsi Combover]

"I've worked harder than I ever have to be ready for this," he said. "I don't think I'll make the major league team this year, to be realistic, but you never know.

"I'm the kind of person who wants to be ready. Maybe somebody will get hurt, or maybe they will think I'm ready earlier. I've always set high goals for myself -- a lot of the times I don't reach those goals, but that's all right.

"I can always say I'm giving 100 percent to be ready to play. I may start out in high Class A in Wilmington, N.C. My short-term goal is to make it to Double A (Portland, Maine) by the end of the season."

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer....ll=7&thispage=2

[Corsi Combover]

Ellsbury impresses: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston's first-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, made an impression in the field and at the plate on Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling in Wednesday's Minor League intrasquad game.

Ellsbury, batting leadoff against Wakefield, was not taking full swings because of a wrist injury. In two appearances, he bunted safely in his second at-bat and was a near miss in his first at-bat.

Asked if he knew of Ellsbury, Wakefield replied: "Yeah, after the first inning. He's lucky he didn't get dusted with my 75. I know he's hurt, so he's got to bunt. He's fast. [The second time], I was ready for it, but he still got the second one down. ... He can move.''

In the fourth inning, playing center field behind Schilling, Ellsbury made a diving grab to snare David Murphy's deep drive into the gap in right-center field.

"That was a fantastic catch," Schilling said. "And to someone that's as terrifically slow as I am, it looks even faster."

Source: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/ne...t=.jsp&c_id=bos

[Corsi Combover]

The Wilmington Blue Rocks released their Opening Day roster and as expected, Jacoby was included.

OF Jacoby Ellsbury - The Red Sox top pick in the 2005 draft, Ellsbury was selected 23rd overall and made his pro debut with Lowell in the New York-Penn League. Ellsbury finished the year with a .317 batting average, 19 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Ellsbury also showed good plate discipline as well drawing 24 walks and striking out just 20 times. Ellsbury played at Oregon State University for three seasons and compiled a .368 batting average with 99 RBI, 16 homers and 56 stolen bases. Ellsbury holds the OSU record for career runs scored with 162 and also set the single season hit record with 86 in 2005.

Source: http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/r...ses/?id=3288083

[Skins24]

From Jim Callis ESPN chat:

Adam (Boston): I know this may be a few years off, but J.Ellsbury seems to be a fairly exciting young player...Everytime I look at the box score, he has a stolen base or two, and seems to be hitting for a fair average.(300 something early in the season) So whats the word on him? When do they foresee him moving up to Boston 2007/8? And how would that work with Coco?

Jim Callis: (2:14 PM ET ) I was talking to a scout the other day who was trying to figure out how Ellsbury lasted 23 picks in the 2005 draft. The position players aren't nearly as good this year; if Ellsbury was in the 2006 draft, he could go in the top five or 10 picks. At this rate, he should be ready by Opening Day 2008, if not sooner. Ellsbury is a better defender than Crisp, so Coco would move to right field, probably.

[Corsi Combover]

Nice find, Skins.

That's exactly how I see it happening too. By that time, Ramirez likely won't be in Boston anymore, allowing Crisp to rove around in right field and Wily Mo (hopefully) can slide right over to LF, where he is probably best suited.

Some may argue that Crisp doesn't have the power to justify a corner outfield spot, but the spacious confines of RF in Fenway surely make up for that.

A 2008 outfield of Pena, Ellsbury, and Crisp would be just fine by me.

[templeUsox]

To add onto the Ellsbury splooge, here is the excerpt from BA's first Hot Sheet of the year, where Ellsbury comes in at #7:

Ellsbury is doing it with his bat, his glove and his legs, hitting .373 with a .407 OBP, six steals and managers in the Carolina League are already calling him one of the best defenders they've ever seen.

Link

This post has been edited by templeUsox: Apr 19 2006, 04:19 PM

[Lucen]

From Jim Callis ESPN chat:

Jim Callis: (2:14 PM ET )Ellsbury is a better defender than Crisp, so Coco would move to right field, probably.

Isn't one of the downsides to Crisp his arm? Wouldn't you want him in left, and not right field? I think Pena in right, Ellsbury in center and Crisp in left makes more sense for 2008. Assuming Manny is gone by then.

[Everetts Dinosau...]

Isn't one of the downsides to Crisp his arm?  Wouldn't you want him in left, and not right field?  I think Pena in right, Ellsbury in center and Crisp in left makes more sense for 2008.  Assuming Manny is gone by then.

I agree with that. Crisp was rated as the best defensive left fielder in baseball last year, wasn't he?

[Corsi Combover]

I agree with that.  Crisp was rated as the best defensive left fielder in baseball last year, wasn't he?

He was, but who's to say he couldn't be just as effective in right field? His talent as a possibly great corner outfielder is hurt (a lot) by playing 81 games with the Green Monster to your back.

[Skins24]

He was, but who's to say he couldn't be just as effective in right field? 

The issue is his arm. Could he stop runners from going from first to third on every ball hit to him in RF.

I think we are getting a little ahead of ourselves by talking about a Coco-Ellsbury-Pena OF, but if it did happen, I imagine you would want to shade Coco and JE over to RF to cut down on the space Pena would cover in RF.

[David Laurila]

Jacoby left last night's game after colliding with the catcher in a rundown. Afterwards he had trouble putting weight on his leg, and the injury appears to be
on the front/outside of his right quad. I'm not aware of the severity.

[Crazy Puppy]

Before the game Wilmington placed OF Jacoby Ellsbury on the disabled list with a strained right quadriceps and added C Matt Kent from Extended Spring Training.

BlueRocks.com

This post has been edited by Crazy Puppy: Apr 27 2006, 09:50 PM

[templeUsox]

Lowrie's teammate Jacoby Ellsbury has been out since April 26 with a quadriceps injury, and is still listed as day-to-day. Ellsbury started working out with trainers on Tuesday, however, but will need to complete a running progression program before he is cleared for full baseball activity.

Link

[Corsi Combover]

Year-to-Date stats:

[NDBoston]

Great article on Jacoby. Here's a taste. It would be nice if they got the overall draft number right though.

http://barometer.orst.edu/vnews/display.v/...9/448918e077845

he front of his jersey has sported a variety of names: White Buffalo, Beaver, Spinner, Blue Rock. But the back of the jersey has remained constant because it continues to read Ellsbury.

After helping lead the Beavers to last year’s College World Series, Jacoby Ellsbury is looking to become a great leader and player on the professional level. Last spring, the Boston Red Sox selected Ellsbury as the 33rd overall pick in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. After spending the end of the season with the Short Season Class A Lowell Spinners, Ellsbury was designated to High Class A, the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

“Being a high pick with the Red Sox, there are definitely a lot more eyes on you,” Ellsbury said. “The fans have a lot more expectations but I love that, you go to an away game and you have some fans cheering you on. It’s fun.”

But for Ellsbury, being in the limelight is nothing new.

Hey now, he’ll be an All-Star?

Highly sought after his senior year at Madras High School, Ellsbury turned down a contract from the Tampa Bay Rays in order to continue his baseball career at Oregon State. Playing in the Pac-10 put more eyes on Ellsbury, as he had an instant impact his freshman year in one of the most competitive baseball conferences in the country. After a strong outing his junior year, scouts and MLB teams were eager to snatch him up as the June draft approached.

“Going from college ball to pro ball I think the biggest difference is using the wood bats with a smaller sweet spot,” Ellsbury said. “Then, playing every day you’re not going to go out there feeling 100 percent. It’s a matter of keeping your body healthy, getting rest and just going out there and playing hard.”

Playing every day has taken a small toll on Ellsbury, as he has dealt with leg injury last season as well as this season. The injuries were minor, but as one of the top prospects in the Red Sox organization it was taken with strong precautionary measures. After returning from Ft.. Myers, Fla., for rehabilitation, Ellsbury used his speed to swipe bases for the Blue Rocks

This post has been edited by NDBoston: Jun 10 2006, 03:37 PM

[NDBoston]

CODE

                 Team       From    To    G    AB    R    H    2B    3B    HR    RBI    TB    BB    SO    SB    CS    OBP    SLG    AVG
 Wilmington Blue Rocks    04/06    06/11    37    146    24    50    4    2    4    21    70    14    19    15    6    .411    .479    .342      

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/mil..._pbp&pid=453056

This post has been edited by NDBoston: Jun 12 2006, 02:53 PM

[NDBoston]

The Blue Rocks are off for three days as the Carolina League enjoys its All-Star break. Wilmington closer Mike James, third baseman Andrew Pinckney, and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury will represent the Rocks on the Carolina League squad against the best of the California League on Tuesday at Salem Memorial Stadium

avg-.313
obp-.391
slu- .421

This post has been edited by NDBoston: Jun 26 2006, 09:30 AM

[Nomars Last Twit...]

Promoted to AA, per soxprospects.com (unofficialy)

Should be announced today officialy

This post has been edited by Nomars Last Twitch: Jul 12 2006, 12:05 AM

[HighHeat]

Promoted to AA, per soxprospects.com (unofficialy)

Should be announced today officialy

It's official now, reported on the Sea Dogs site. OF Bryan Pritz was sent back down to Wilmington to make room.

Link.