Henry Owens and Jackie Bradley Jr. are making strides at the major league level with the Boston Red Sox, yet they’re still being recognized for what they showed earlier this season at Triple-A Pawtucket.
Baseball America released its 2015 “Best Tools” list in installments this week. Both Owens and Bradley represented the Red Sox on the International League portion of the annual list, which ranks the top minor league players in several categories based on physical attributes.
Triple-A managers and coaches voted Owens as having the “Best Changeup” in the International League. Bradley, meanwhile, was voted the International League’s “Best Defensive Outfielder.”
The “Best Tools” list isn’t perfect, by any means, mostly because it’s already outdated. Carlos Correa, for example, was voted by Double-A managers and coaches as the Texas League’s “Most Exciting Player.” The 20-year-old since has cemented himself as one of Major League Baseball’s most exciting players amid an historical start to his big league career with the Houston Astros.
It’s still noteworthy, though, as it offers more evidence that the Red Sox have good young talent despite a disappointing 2015 season. Owens has pitched well in two starts with Boston, while Bradley has shown signs of improvement offensively since being recalled when Mookie Betts went down with a concussion.
The Red Sox are no strangers to Baseball America’s “Best Tools” list. In fact, Owens earned three distinctions from Double-A managers and coaches last season before being promoted to Triple-A.
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Thumbnail photo via Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports Images
