133 replies to this topic

[Worst Trade Evah]

I'd still consider that, actually. I think Sabathia is a better bet to be consistently great in the next 5+ years than Lester by a wide enough margin to warrant adding Ellsbury to the deal. If they were asking for Kalish on top of that, I'd certainly be willing to discuss it and try work something out to balance the scales.

Edit: Same goes for Santana. Both are already great pitchers. Both have enough of a track record for it to be reasonable to expect greatness going forward.

Well, it's the same argument, but there's the money too

Lester + Ellsbury + Kalish for 1 year of [big name pitcher] + $135,000,000-$160,000,000 for additional years

and I guess we'd lose a compensation pick too.

People were just acting like the extra money, extra years, and extra players didn't matter. But it's an old, dead argument. Personally, I'm glad we kept the young guys, even if we end up 2 wins behind in the short term or whatever (I doubt it will be that much, and I don't think there's any way it's more than that). I'm looking forward to Kalish's progress.

Personally, I wouldn't even consider Lester + Ellsbury for Sabathia, but that's just me I guess. I think people consistently under-rate Ellsbury here. If he has an EQA of .260, he's an extremely valuable player.

Edited by Worst Trade Evah, 01 May 2009 - 02:01 PM.

[OCD SS]

Well, it's the same argument, but there's the money too

Lester + Ellsbury + Kalish for 1 year of [big name pitcher] + $135,000,000-$160,000,000 for additional years

I think Lester is now untouchable, but with the way our starting pitchers are going I can see this argument shaping up again around Buchholz, Lars, and Kalish for Halladay...

and I guess we'd lose a compensation pick too.

Well, no. If you're trading away the players there is no compensation pick if the pitcher in the example is signed to a long term deal.

Personally, I wouldn't even consider Lester + Ellsbury for Sabathia, but that's just me I guess. I think people consistently under-rate Ellsbury here. If he has an EQA of .260, he's an extremely valuable player.

I agree with this, but I also think that a number of factors will allow Kalish to supplant Ellsbury in CF if he continues to develop (Boras and better offense being key factors).

[Cuzittt]

And he had a 471 OBP before he got hurt in 2007 as well
Be nice to see the power he flashed in 2007 to reappear but 'umping 'iminey.

The thing with looking at '07 is whether his flash of power (and it was a flash... as 5 of his 8 extra base hits came in a 4 game stretch... then he got injured) was an anomaly or was what he was becoming. Related to this, of course, is even if we were to agree it was not an anomaly... did the injury prevent him from hitting that ceiling a lot of people predicted.

[I love this thread.. if only because I can link directly to a post with the 4 game stretch numbers AND the overall numbers in '07.]

That being said... I don't think he needs the power if he can continue getting on base at a .400 clip.

[Worst Trade Evah]

I think Lester is now untouchable, but with the way our starting pitchers are going I can see this argument shaping up again around Buchholz, Lars, and Kalish for Halladay...

Well, no. If you're trading away the players there is no compensation pick if the pitcher in the example is signed to a long term deal.

I agree with this, but I also think that a number of factors will allow Kalish to supplant Ellsbury in CF if he continues to develop (Boras and better offense being key factors).

Good catch -- brain cramp on my part.

I actually think Lowrie was going to be part of the package, too. I remember shaking my head over Lester, Ellsbury, Lowrie and Kalish for Sabathia.

I know nothing at all about Kalish's defense. How does that look?

[LondonSox]

The thing with looking at '07 is whether his flash of power (and it was a flash... as 5 of his 8 extra base hits came in a 4 game stretch... then he got injured) was an anomaly or was what he was becoming. Related to this, of course, is even if we were to agree it was not an anomaly... did the injury prevent him from hitting that ceiling a lot of people predicted.

[I love this thread.. if only because I can link directly to a post with the 4 game stretch numbers AND the overall numbers in '07.]

That being said... I don't think he needs the power if he can continue getting on base at a .400 clip.

That was more of my point this is the second stretch of amazing OBP that's he's produced. The first time he flashed power too, this time some but less. I totally agree, given he has speed too middle or less power plus that eye and speed, that's just fine. Power too and I might mess myself.

There is no obvious reason for a bad wrist to affect OBP but I guess no power etc means pitchers might challenge more, even last year which was disappointing to many he had 376 OBP in Greenville and he's pretty consistantly had a OBP 100 points over his average.
I guess I find it hard to think he's going to be over a 400 OBP guy long term, so he's going to need SOME power to be godlike, I'll take a 800 OPS CF but if he can flash power again then he'll start to raise Lars type hype

[pokey_reese]

From Kevin Goldstein's 'Minor League Update' at Baseball America:

Ryan Kalish, OF, Red Sox (High-A Salem)
Monday's Stats2-for-4, HR (3), R, 4 RBI, BB, K, CS
Kalish had a bombastic 2007 season, earning universal praise from scouts for both his tools and skills as he hit .368/.471/.540 for short-season Lowell. 2008 turned out to be a lost year for him as his recovery from a broken hand was a slow one. Finally healthy, Kalish is once again looking like the '07 version, and he's beginning to show power again with home runs in back-to-back games and an overall line of .300/.452/.488.

[OCD SS]

I actually think Lowrie was going to be part of the package, too. I remember shaking my head over Lester, Ellsbury, Lowrie and Kalish for Sabathia.

I think that was a combination of players the Twins were looking for for Santana (I don't recall any CC trade rumors).

I don't think that was ever on the table. The Sox packages reported had either Lester or Ellsbury as the centerpiece, with various combinations of Coco, Lowrie, and I think Materson or Bowden(?) filling out the deal. IIRC the only time Kalish's name came up was from Will Caroll (who also said it was a done deal). Of course it seems like a lot of this was just smoke, and we don't really know what was offered or where Santana was pushing to go.

I don't think we'll see such large payments in young talent anymore, especially from a FO headed by Theo (who might not have made the Beckett deal if he'd had a say).

[SaveBooFerriss]

I think that was a combination of players the Twins were looking for for Santana (I don't recall any CC trade rumors).

I don't think that was ever on the table. The Sox packages reported had either Lester or Ellsbury as the centerpiece, with various combinations of Coco, Lowrie, and I think Materson or Bowden(?) filling out the deal. IIRC the only time Kalish's name came up was from Will Caroll (who also said it was a done deal). Of course it seems like a lot of this was just smoke, and we don't really know what was offered or where Santana was pushing to go.

I don't think we'll see such large payments in young talent anymore, especially from a FO headed by Theo (who might not have made the Beckett deal if he'd had a say).

Any combination in any of the purported deals would be light years better than what the Twins got from the Mets.

[mt8thsw9th]

Remember when Kalish was just going to be lumped in with Lester and Ellsbury (by some people on the board here), for a season of Sabathia (or was it Santana?)? Basically, people wanted to trade the whole farm for a one year pitcher, and the right to pay a guy $20 million a year.

Remember this thread?

http://sonsofsamhorn...p;#entry1667913

[amarshal2]

Remember when Kalish was just going to be lumped in with Lester and Ellsbury (by some people on the board here), for a season of Sabathia (or was it Santana?)? Basically, people wanted to trade the whole farm for a one year pitcher, and the right to pay a guy $20 million a year.

It was Santana. If you dug up that thread, there would be a lot of embarrased people on this board. Having an opinion and being proven wrong is not so bad. It's baseball, it's going to happen a lot to everybody. It went beyond that in that thread IIRC.

I have always liked Kalish more than most but I conceed he needs to hit the ball in the air more if he's ever going to improve his power. To date he has a 60% gb% (link) which is pretty drastic. This is something that can be fixed by tweaking swing path. Alex Rios did this a few years back and it took him from a player with zero power to probably average/above average power depending on the year.

[champain2002]

It was Santana. If you dug up that thread, there would be a lot of embarrased people on this board. Having an opinion and being proven wrong is not so bad. It's baseball, it's going to happen a lot to everybody. It went beyond that in that thread IIRC.

I have always liked Kalish more than most but I conceed he needs to hit the ball in the air more if he's ever going to improve his power. To date he has a 60% gb% (link) which is pretty drastic. This is something that can be fixed by tweaking swing path. Alex Rios did this a few years back and it took him from a player with zero power to probably average/above average power depending on the year.

I saw him in Myrtle Beach last weekend. He had at least two fly balls off Cordier, who the Sox were not hitting that well, IIRC. One was a home run to right, the second was a warning track shot against the wall in dead center against a 15 mph headwind. If the tape is ok, once I get the means to download it this week, I'll send in the video I took of his at bats.

[Quintanariffic]

Kalish with another HR today, along with two line singles to LF and CF respectively. Today's performance brings him up to .292/.432/.491. That's a nice line for a 21 year old CF in Hi-A.

[SouthPaw21]

Ryan Kalish is off to an impressive start in Salem, already matching last year's home run total.

Ryan Kalish 2009 Season Stats

Year	Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS	K%	BB/K	ISO	BABIP
2009	SALEM	CAR	0.291	31	110	21	32	4	1	5	20	53	26	20	8	3	0.428	0.482	0.909	0.18	1.30	0.191	0.318
2008	GRN/LAN	SAL/CAL	0.273	114	433	57	118	22	1	5	46	157	61	99	19	4	0.365	0.363	0.727	0.23	0.62	0.090	0.343

[Carl Everetts Therapist]

This guy reminds me of a Trot Nixon type with less hype (as far as draft) then Trot had.... Of course Trot had hype because he was the only "prospect" in a attrosish system.... Wh do you think is a good MLB Comp? He seems to have less speed, but more pop than Ellsbury.

CET

[maufman]

This guy reminds me of a Trot Nixon type with less hype (as far as draft) then Trot had.... Of course Trot had hype because he was the only "prospect" in a attrosish system.... Wh do you think is a good MLB Comp? He seems to have less speed, but more pop than Ellsbury.

CET

Nixon was the 7th overall pick in the draft, so more was expected of him than any prospect who has entered the Sox system in recent years. The Butch Hobson era was in full swing, we were sending Scott Cooper to the All-Star Game, and fans needed hope. Consequently, unfair expectations were heaped upon Nixon, and I wonder if it hindered his development.

When Nixon was entering his age-21 season, he had only one pro season under his belt-- a good 1994 campaign in the Hi-A Carolina League (246/357/428, league avg OPS = 740). Nixon languished for a couple seasons after that before finding his groove in Pawtucket, and eventually having a solid major-league career. Nixon had decent power from the start, but didn't hit for a good average until his final season at Pawtucket. I can see how you could see Kalish eventually becoming a Nixon-like player, but their developmental paths are quite different.

Kalish's top 6 PECOTA comps include 2 current prospects (Lars Anderson and Michael Brantley, both a year older than Kalish). The 4 others include a rising star (Shin-Soo Choo), a fringy major-league outfielder (Peter Bergeron), a guy who never made The Show (Buck McNabb), and a guy who quit the game after his age-20 season (Bert Flores).

Choo had a dynamite year at age 21, spending the full season at AA in the pitcher-friendly Texas League and posting a 315/382/462 line. He followed that up with a full season in AAA at age 22, where his OPS was slightly better than the league average in the hitter-friendly PCL. Kalish is still in Hi-A and seems unlikely to replicate Choo's fast rise through the high minors, but if he can maintain his current performance for a full season, he'll be ahead of where Bergeron and McNabb were after their age-21 seasons-- and not far from where Lars Anderson started this season.

PECOTA's 75th percentile projection for Kalish has an EqA of .283 in 2013 and .284 in 2014. That's translates roughly to an OPS+ in the low 120s-- for an example, think Brad Hawpe over the past three years (but without the Coors-inflated stats). Kalish's 50th percentile projection peaks at a .260 EqA, which would make him no more than a 4th OF on a good team unless he develops into a great defensive CF.

[OttoC]

Something to remember about Trot Nixon is that he had a back problem (bone chip) half-way through his first year of pro ball and as a result only played 71 games in 1994 and 98 in 1995. He also began in high-A after not signing in 1993.

[templeUsox]

Word on the street is that Kalish has been promoted to Portland.

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Word on the street is that Kalish has been promoted to Portland.

Unless somebody is getting promoted, that can't be good news for Bubba Bell.

[Quintanariffic]

Unless somebody is getting promoted, that can't be good news for Bubba Bell.

But in the interim, he'll slot nicely into the void left by Reddick. Wouldn't be surprised if they really take their time getting Reddick back, as those oblique injuries can be tough and lingering. Regardless, that's a really great sign for the 21 year old Kalish. As long as he doesn't fall on his face at the plate, he may be forcing himself into Top 100 prospect consideration.

[amarshal2]

[snip]

Good post. The only obvious thing to point out here is that the PECOTA projection is based on only 1 full year of stats, and year that was hampered by recovery from a wrist injury. Not only that, but had he not injured his wrist the previous year, it's likely he would have made it to Hi-A earlier last year and perhaps do what he did the first 1.5 months of this year at that time. I'm not sure I would put any stock in his 2009 PECOTA projection one way or another. I don't think many are comparing him to Choo or Hawpe. He'll probably never have that kind of power and he should be a much better defensive player than either of those guys.

In a perfect world he becomes a high OBP, average to above average slug, & average defense CF'er. Forced to move to a corner (but perfect world projection with the bat) he's probably an above average OBP, below average slug, and + defense type of guy.

[Carl Everetts Therapist]

Word on the street is that Kalish has been promoted to Portland.

I just talked to someone who spoke with Ben Cherington this morning.... Kalish has indeed been promoted to Portland. The org also thinks he may be ready by Sept. for a callup. Would be great if the kid thrives with the expectations. It sounds like the Org. really likes him not just as a player , but charecter wise as well.

CET

[SoxScout]

A September call up to do what exactly? I am not buying that.

Final Car League numbers:

G	PA		BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	GPA		RC	/PA	RC/25		IsoP	IsoD	SecA	BABIP		BB%	K%	BB/K
32	141		.304	.434	.504	.938	.321		23.9	.17	7.2		.183	.130	.443	.333		18%	14%	1.30

Edited by SoxScout, 15 May 2009 - 03:48 PM.

[JulE6]

No need for him to see Boston this September. It'd require a 40 man roster move, and with Bailey, Kotsay, Van Every, Baldelli and Carter to go along with the three starters, outfield depth won't be an issue come September.

[Quintanariffic]

A September call up to do what exactly? I am not buying that.

Final Car League numbers:

G	PA		BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	GPA		RC	/PA	RC/25		IsoP	IsoD	SecA	BABIP		BB%	K%	BB/K
32	141		.304	.434	.504	.938	.321		23.9	.17	7.2		.183	.130	.443	.333		18%	14%	1.30

Scout -

The IsoP and SecA numbers don't seem to be correct there if I'm taking the AVG, OBP, and SLG at face value - something is off.

[SoxScout]

Scout -

The IsoP and SecA numbers don't seem to be correct there if I'm taking the AVG, OBP, and SLG at face value - something is off.

For Isolated Power I don't use SLG-BA, I use (2B+3B+HR*3)/AB ... all it does is weight double and triples the same because the difference in those is not power, it is speed.

I am also using an updated version of SecA:

There is a problem with James' original formula, which is that by counting stolen bases without counting caught stealings, the formula measures only the positive impact of offensive speed, and not its downside. While it's a useful way of quantifying a player's diversity of skill, it's not a good way to quantify the value of a player's talents outside of batting average. So we'll make an adjustment to the formula, and also add HBPs into the equation:

Secondary Average = (BB + HBP + (TB-H) + SB – (2*CS))/AB

http://www.baseball-...?articleid=2934

[FanSinceBoggs]

Kalish is off to a slow start in Double A. Through his first 10 games, he is batting just .114.

A link to his updated statistics: http://web.minorleag...t...&pid=501888

The Boston Globe has a piece on Kalish and on the transition from Single A to Double A, which Mike Hazen calls "the biggest jump."

Link: http://www.boston.co...double_trouble/

Some highlights from the linked article:

Even with his considerable potential, Kalish has proved how difficult the transition from one minor league plateau to the next can be. The Sox promoted Kalish to Double A one week ago. When Kalish, 21, arrived in Portland, he became the youngest player on the team. In his first six games, Kalish is batting .048, his lone hit in 21 at-bats a triple.

The only other 21-year-olds with the Sea Dogs are first baseman Lars Anderson and pitcher Felix Doubrant; Kalish is five months younger than Doubrant and six months younger than Anderson. In Single A, Kalish faced opponents just like him, youthful players finding their place in pro baseball. Two of the first starting pitchers he faced in Portland had recently played in Triple A, and each approached 30 years old.

Kalish found in high Single A compared with Double A "you get a lot more chances to hurt the pitchers." In Salem, he had grown comfortable with his teammates, guys he had played with for several seasons. He enjoys his new teammates, several of whom have counseled him on the transition, he said. But the unfamiliarity can be unsettling.

"This is probably the biggest jump, from high A to Double A," said director of player development Mike Hazen. "You make that step, it's a huge adjustment. They know what they're doing with the baseball. They're not giving you 2-0 fastballs and 3-1 fastballs. When you make that step, it's a huge adjustment."

The most enticing aspect of Kalish's potential is not how vast it is, but how varied. His speed may allow him to steal 25 bases someday, and even though he hit third in Salem, "I think you could put this young man anywhere in the lineup," Epperson said. "I think there's some power in that bat that still hasn't come to its surface."

Edited by FanSinceBoggs, 26 May 2009 - 05:39 PM.

[SouthPaw21]

Ryan Kalish hit his first Double-A homerun tonight. A 2-run shot off of starter Alfredo Figaro.

[Saturnian]

Kalish appears to have begun to acclimate to AA pitching; he has 8 hits in his last 19 at bats. Much different K/BB ratio for him so far in AA: 20:26 in 32 A+ games, compared to 5:19 in 23 AA games. He is still not drawing any walks, but Kalish has cut down on his strikeouts, with only three in 7 June games.

[Jeff Van GULLY]

Kalish (AA) through July 5th:

.241/.299/.318 32 K/13 BB

He's has just struggled since being promoted but...


He is hitting .342 in his last 10 games with roughly an .850 OPS. Finally adjusted to AA?

[Chainsaw318]

Kalish (AA) through July 5th:

.241/.299/.318 32 K/13 BB

He's has just struggled since being promoted but...


He is hitting .342 in his last 10 games with roughly an .850 OPS. Finally adjusted to AA?

Maybe. There obviously a sample size issue going by month (for July at least), but there looks to have been solid improvement over time:

Kalish Monthly Splits

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
May	16	60	4	8	2	2	0	5	5	16	2	0	0.133	0.212	0.233	0.445
June	23	90	6	26	0	0	1	9	5	13	4	2	0.289	0.326	0.322	0.649
July	6	20	4	7	1	0	1	4	3	3	1	0	0.350	0.435	0.55	0.985

A bad May, a better June, and a promising start to July. Not as unexciting as the overall #'s seem to show.

[SouthPaw21]

Kalish has an 8-game hitting streak going and is hitting 0.316 over the last 10 games with 6 XBH (4 doubles & 2 HR).

Ryan Kalish

Year	Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS	K%	BB/K	ISO	BABIP
2009	POR	EAS	0.251	65	247	30	62	8	2	5	29	89	20	46	8	3	0.309	0.360	0.669	0.19	0.43	0.109	0.291
2009	SAL	CAR	0.291	31	110	21	32	4	1	5	20	53	26	20	8	3	0.428	0.482	0.909	0.18	1.30	0.191	0.318
2008	GRN/LAN	SAL/CAL	0.273	114	433	57	118	22	1	5	46	157	61	99	19	4	0.365	0.363	0.727	0.23	0.62	0.090	0.343

[tplant]

Kalish was #13 on this weeks BA Prospect Hot Sheet

Making the jump to Double-A wasn't easy for Kalish, who hit only .133 in his first 16 games after being promoted in mid-May. But he's been making the necessary adjustments and his numbers having been heading in the right direction ever since. After hitting .304/.367/.496 in July, Kalish has continued that hot streak into August, registering at least one extra-base hit in five of his last six games. Kalish has solid tools across the board, and his 12 home runs combined between his two stops this year are already more than he'd hit in his entire career (nine), coming into the season.

With this rise in power would the sox feel more comfortable moving him to a corner outfield position? Since it appears he would be blocked by Jacoby.

[Quintanariffic]

Kalish was #13 on this weeks BA Prospect Hot Sheet



With this rise in power would the sox feel more comfortable moving him to a corner outfield position? Since it appears he would be blocked by Jacoby.

Kalish won't be ready for the Show until at least the end of next year in all likelihood. By the end of next season, Ellsbury will be entering his arb years and will start to get expensive, especially in light of the fact that his agent is Boras - there will be no long-term deals buying out FA years at a hometown discount. As such, don't be surprised if he is sent out of town if they feel Kalish or maybe Lin is ready to take his place. Regardless, the next long-term incumbent in CF for the Red Sox is Ryan Westmoreland. Book it.

Edited by Quintanariffic, 08 August 2009 - 01:05 PM.

[acmcdowell]

Ryan Kalish made BP's Minor League Update today (subscribers only). Kevin Goldstein notes that his power is returning post wrist injury, and with Reddick up he is playing CF with good marks.

Edited by acmcdowell, 10 August 2009 - 02:45 PM.

[bgcpark]

Totally anecdotal, but I got to see Kalish in person for the first time last week and came away very impressed. Nice compact swing, and the ball jumped off his bat. Good speed, translated to good range in center. Best all around player on the field. It will be interesting to see his progression over the next year or two. I would guess he will be the starting CF in Pawtucket out of spring training next year.

Edited by bgcpark, 10 August 2009 - 02:52 PM.

[Saturnian]

Kalish's OPS by month in Portland:

May - .445
June - .649
July - .863
August - 1.105

8 of his 18 hits in August have gone for extra bases, including 5 home runs, and he has 9 home runs since July 1, in 169 AB's.

He is clearly showing signs of having enough pop to play corner OF, which would be great news as the farm is teeming with CF candidates.

[SouthPaw21]

Ryan has been tearing up Double-A over the course of the last 19 games (since my last update). Going 28-for-76 (0.368 AVG), including 7 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers (52 total bases), with 23 runs scored, and 16 RBI. Ryan has also walked 11 times while striking out 15, and managed 4 stolen bases without being caught.

Ryan Kalish

Year	Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS	K%	BB/K	ISO	BABIP
2009	POR	EAS	0.279	84	323	53	90	15	3	10	45	141	31	61	12	3	0.343	0.437	0.779	0.19	0.51	0.158	0.317
2009	SAL	CAR	0.291	31	110	21	32	4	1	5	20	53	26	20	8	3	0.428	0.482	0.909	0.18	1.30	0.191	0.318
2008	GRN/LAN	SAL/CAL	0.273	114	433	57	118	22	1	5	46	157	61	99	19	4	0.365	0.363	0.727	0.23	0.62	0.090	0.343

[Shore Thing]

Ryan has been tearing up Double-A over the course of the last 19 games (since my last update). Going 28-for-76 (0.368 AVG), including 7 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers (52 total bases), with 23 runs scored, and 16 RBI. Ryan has also walked 11 times while striking out 15, and managed 4 stolen bases without being caught.

Kalish is a 21 year old playing a premium defensive position at the AA level. Given his offensive performance overall this season, and especially over the last few weeks, Sox fans should be drooling over this propsect. I'm already looking forward to the Kalish era.

Edited by Shore Thing, 19 August 2009 - 11:53 AM.

[SonsOfCharlieZink]

Kalish and Nava (and Mills before his promotion) are turning around Portland's season. They are back in contention.

[luqin]

Congrats to Ryan for being named the Red Sox 2009 minor league offensive player of the year. He came on strong after a slow start in Portland (is there something in the water there?) and you have to think that maybe if not for the wrist injury, it would have been him up with the big league club this year instead of Reddick.

[phrenile]

Theo speaks:

Do you foresee Ryan Kalish being a center fielder or a corner?

Epstein: We think he can play all three right now, including center field. He’s going to continue to see some time in center as long as his skills allow him to do that. We think that’s for the forseeable future. He’s one of a number of outfielders we have, Josh Reddick included, who we think are going to be plus defenders and to continue to play center field is both good for their development and for the organization.

[phrenile]

Francona speaks:

Which Red Sox prospects have impressed you thus far in spring training?
--Kelly, Oshkosh, Wis.

We have a number of young players in camp (some not even on the roster yet). Ryan Kalish is impressing the staff with his bat speed and overall hustle on the field.

[Jeff Van GULLY]

Well Kalish had a good start to the season:

2/4, 2b, HR and BB

He just turned 22 in late March, but this is big year in his development and he should see a promotion to Pawtucket sometime this season if excels in his repeat of AA.

[Scoops Bolling]

The lack of updates here is embarrassing given the season Kalish has had to date.

While his OPS is currently only .835, there's reason to believe it could be a lot higher. His overall line of .220/.377/.458/.835 shows that Kalish has hit for a good amount of power (.238 IsoP) and is walking at a very good clip (16-7 BB-K ratio). He's also flashed a nice power/speed combo with 4 HRs and 5 SB (1 CS). Adjusting his stats for luck (.188 BABIP despite a 23% LD rate), his numbers boom to .380/.499/.651/1.150! At his current rate, Kalish cannot be long for AA.

Edited by Scoops Bolling, 29 April 2010 - 06:20 PM.

[pedroia'sboys]

The lack of updates here is embarrassing given the season Kalish has had to date.

While his OPS is currently only .835, there's reason to believe it could be a lot higher. His overall line of .220/.377/.458/.835 shows that Kalish has hit for a good amount of power (.238 IsoP) and is walking at a very good clip (16-7 BB-K ratio). He's also flashed a nice power/speed combo with 4 HRs and 5 SB (1 CS). Adjusting his stats for luck (.188 BABIP despite a 23% LD rate), his numbers boom to .380/.499/.651/1.150! At his current rate, Kalish cannot be long for AA.

Completely agree. His 17 walk to K ratio is just absurd, he should be in triple A within a month. I don't think there's much question whether he is a better prospect than Reddick.

[SoxScout]

	G	PA		BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	GPA		RC	/PA		IsoP	IsoD		BABIP		BB%	K%	BB/K
Ryan Kalish	20	89		.243	.391	.457	.848	.387		14	.16		.214	.148		.228		21%	10%	2.11

In my opinion he is at least the best positional prospect in our system right now.

He just turned 22, average age of the Eastern League position players is 24.3. Current league average batting stats .245/.324/.371.

[DieHardSoxFan1]

	G	PA		BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	GPA		RC	/PA		IsoP	IsoD		BABIP		BB%	K%	BB/K
Ryan Kalish	20	89		.243	.391	.457	.848	.387		14	.16		.214	.148		.228		21%	10%	2.11

In my opinion he is at least the best positional prospect in our system right now.

He just turned 22, average age of the Eastern League position players is 24.3. Current league average batting stats .245/.324/.371.

Curious to know where you found league average stats for the Eastern League.

[SoxScout]

Curious to know where you found league average stats for the Eastern League.

http://www.baseball-...nce.com/minors/

Click on the "2010" next to any league.

[sittingstill]

A few of my photos from this year:

[Scoops Bolling]

Kalish with a helluva weekend, going 7/9 with 2 HRs, 1 double, a triple, 6 RBIs and 4 runs. Overall line is now .288/.399/.521/.920 with 8 HRs and a stellar 13/1 SB/CS ratio. His walk rate is down a tad, but he's still walked more than he's K'ed for the season. It'll be interesting to see if he gets promoted to Pawtucket at some point.