Casey Kelly Tops Boston’s List of Top 10 Prospects

The Red Sox organization is rich with talent. Here is the first of NESN.com's weekly top 10 rankings of players in the system.

1. Casey Kelly, RHP
At just 20 years old, Kelly has abandoned plans of coming up through the system as a shortstop in order to concentrate full time on pitching. Based on his limited results on the mound last year and the few glimpses he gave us this spring, he is as much of a can’t-miss player as the Red Sox have in the system.

Kelly, a marvelous athlete who was recruited to play quarterback at the University of Tennessee, looks every bit the part of a future star. He showed the major league club a bit of what he has to offer during three outings in March. He first mowed down the competition in the spring opener against Northeastern University, then later earned a Grapefruit League win throwing in relief against Baltimore. Finally, just this week, Kelly allowed two runs in three innings in a start against Tampa Bay Rays regulars in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Kelly fanned B.J. Upton twice, comprising two of his four strikeouts in the outing. Kelly figures to open the season at Double-A Portland.

2. Josh Reddick, OF
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said repeatedly this spring that Grapefruit League results do not mean much. But the 23-year-old Reddick has to feel good about his stat line. He has hit .404 (23-for-57) for the big club and leads it with 40 total bases, over 10 more than anyone else.

Reddick seems to have improved his plate discipline and found himself in better hitting counts during spring training. Francona describes him as “wiry strong,” and you can see it — his frame is rather lean, but when he gets into one, there is quite a crack.

Reddick will be the first to get the call in the event that the Red Sox need another outfielder, and he figures to be a regular somewhere within the next few years.

3. Ryan Kalish, OF
It all came together in 2009 for Kalish, who will look to build upon that campaign and climb further up the ladder. After hitting nine home runs in 154 games at various lower levels of the system, Kalish smacked a total of 18 between high Single-A Salem and Double-A Portland last year. He chipped in 22 steals and showed a more professional approach at the plate.

Kalish just turned 23.

4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
A survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Rizzo has impressed with not only his plus skills but a mature presence at 20. He fit in extremely well with the major leaguers when around the big club this spring, and he didn’t disappoint at the plate or the field.

Despite a large frame, Rizzo moves well at first and shows very good hands. He flashed what figures to be plus power in the same game Kelly pitched in against Tampa Bay, slugging a home run to right.

5. Jose Iglesias, SS
Perhaps no player created more buzz this spring than Iglesias, the Cuban defector who already has one of the best gloves in the system at shortstop. He has yet to have an at-bat in the system, with just 69 in the Arizona Fall League. How he handles himself at the plate is the big question.

Iglesias showed flashes of his offensive makeup this spring. It involves an aggressive approach and a tendency to pull pitches.

Just 20, Iglesias has an infectious attitude and zest for the game. That will serve him well as he learns the professional ropes.

6. Lars Anderson, 1B
It’s certainly not make-or-break time for Anderson, who was once the organization’s top prospect, but improvement this year will help keep some observers from jumping ship. He slumped to .233 at Double-A Portland last year and his slugging percentage dropped precipitously.

Anderson did not turn any heads with an 0-for-18 effort with the Red Sox during Grapefruit League play. But he is still just 22, has the body and stroke of a power lefty bat and had a few injuries which contributed to the downturn last season.

7. Luis Exposito, C
The best catching arm in the system belongs to Exposito, whose cannon was on display plenty this spring. He relishes the role of nabbing would-be base stealers, a quality the organization has to love after its issues on that end at the major league level in 2009. The 23-year-old exhibits a solid command of the game and appears to work very well with his pitchers, speaking both Spanish and English.

At the plate, the Miami native’s power is raw but the ceiling is high. He has middle-of-the-order potential if and when he improves his plate discipline (just 27 walks in 99 games last year). Until then, he’ll make a lot of runners look silly.

8. Stolmy Pimentel , RHP
Just 20, Pimentel has already won 18 games in the system with quality control and plus pitches. He had 103 strikeouts and 29 walks in 117 2/3 innings last year at Greenville.

As he continues to fill out, the Dominican Republic native will improve his velocity and durability and could rocket up the ranks.

9. Che-Hsuan Lin, OF
A treat to watch roam center field, Lin is a marvelous defensive player who shows no intimidation at the plate. He reached base four straight times in a game with Boston earlier this week in Sarasota.

His power may not wow anyone, but the 21-year-old’s speed will — and he is learning to take walks as he moves up the system.

10. Felix Doubront, LHP
That’s two solid camps in a row for this lefty, who was a standout performer in a few outings during March. He yielded just three hits in seven scoreless innings, including a start against the Rays, who had all the starters in.

Doubront, 22, went 8-6 with a 3.35 ERA in 26 starts at Double-A Portland in 2009.

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Outfielder Ryan Westmoreland, just 19, has ranked as the club’s best positional prospect but is on medical leave after having brain surgery to remove a cavernous malformation. There has been no word from the organization on if and when he will resume baseball activities.