The Red Sox may have shipped some top-notch prospects out West this offseason in exchange for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, but that’s not to say the club doesn’t have some gems left in the farm.
Shortstop Jose Iglesias is one of them, and according to ESPN’s minor league expert Keith Law, he happens to be pretty skilled with the leather, to say the least.
“Iglesias is the best defensive shortstop prospect I’ve ever seen,” Law wrote in his Top 100 Prospects of 2011 piece last week.
“He’s not the fastest or most athletic, but he’s the one most able to make plays and to take difficult plays and make them look routine.”
The 21-year-old shortstop, who was ranked No. 91 overall last year, is checking in at No. 45 overall this year and is the Red Sox’ top prospect. The shortstop introduced himself to Red Sox Nation last year at spring training thanks to his jaw-dropping defense, but the right-handed hitter also happened to have a solid year at the dish in 2010, hitting .285 with 13 RBIs in 57 games for Double-A Portland.
“Iglesias’ swing is direct with good bat speed, and he has a little pop when he gets his arms extended, although in Fenway that probably will mean lots of doubles off the Monster but few home runs,” Law explained of Iglesias’ offense. “If he can draw 50 walks a year or hit .300 regularly, he’s an All-Star, and if not, he’s still an above-average regular because of the potential value of his defense.”
The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder from Cuba will some day soon be wowing the Fenway faithful with his glove, which has been compared to that of 11-time Gold Glove award winner Omar Vizquel.
“There’s not much flash to Iglesias’ fielding; he gets in position, the ball disappears into his glove and it’s on its way to first base before your eyes have even adjusted from watching the ball on the ground,” Law wrote. “His hands and instincts are plus. He is not wide-ranging like an Ozzie Smith but will surprise with how many ground balls he reaches despite average-at-best running speed.”
Below is a NESN feature on Iglesias from spring training last February.
