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Allen Webster continues his show-stopping spring 03.07.13 at 6:05 pm ET
By Alex Speier

Allen Webster (AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — It was a jaw-dropping two-pitch sequence. Allen Webster spun a nose-to-knees curveball against Twins first baseman Jeff Clement for one swing and miss, then followed that pitch by squeezing a two-strike changeup that divebombed down and away from the left-handed hitter for a swing-and-miss strike three.

Who else in the Red Sox organization possesses two such secondary offerings?

“Clay Buchholz?” mused one talent evaluator who was at Lee County Stadium for the game.

Webster continued a spring theme on Thursday, in the Red Sox’ 12-5 Grapefruit League win over the Twins, in which prospects destined to open the year in the minors have been show-stoppers. The 23-year-old Webster continues to be near the top of the list, given a pitch mix that includes three impressive secondary pitches (changeup, curveball and slider) along with a mid- to high-90s fastball with sink. And Buchholz would seem the only other pitcher in the Sox organization right now with both the diversity of potential swing-and-miss secondary options to complement an ability to elicit contact that yields little more than grass cutters.

In fairness, Webster did allow a run over three innings, permitting a leadoff triple (a slicing liner that popped out of the glove of a diving Jackie Bradley Jr., who had no business being anywhere near the ball) and sac fly (as well as a single) in his second of three innings of work, a frame in which he elevated some fastballs. Still, the quality of his stuff was once again apparent, as the former Dodgers prospect (acquired by the Sox in last August’s trade) punched out five batters in his three innings of work. He’s now permitted two runs in eight frames (2.25 ERA) with 11 strikeouts and one walk this spring.

“Today he threw a couple of curveballs which he hasn’t thrown in spring training yet. When he’s got the ability to throw with that kind of velocity and use his changeup to right-handed hitters it really opens up a number of ways to attack a right-handed hitter with. He’s shown very good mound presence and poise and that was again the case,” Sox manager John Farrell remarked with enthusiasm difficult to conceal. “[He has] three different types of putaway pitches. He’s got a bright future.”

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  • Ryemac3

    This kid is our future ace!!!

  • Ryan4884

    Probably could be our current ace since we don’t have one.

  • samlion

    They’ll keep this kid in the minors too long…Just like they do with all their prospects.

  • Old Time Hockey

    I’m sick and tired of fans and media making this claim. All the good ones spent very little time in the minors Pedroia,Lester,Buchholz,Bard,Ellsbury. It’s the fringe players that stay in the minors and all teams send prospects back to the minors for a month or so to get extra years. see Mike Trout!!! Who cares about facts right. do some research before you run your mouths

  • Kingkelly

    While it FEELS like the Sox drag their feet on prospects, Alex did a careful study of many case histories last summer and it’s a “lying eyes” illusion:  The Sox call up players at the same ages & service time as other MLB teams. [See: http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/alex-speier/2012/11/13/fishing-trout-do-red-sox-prospects-move-too-sl#disqus_thread .  This kid has a year and a half of AA experience, all but two of his ~30 starts with the Dodgers AA farm club.  He’s never thrown a pitch in AAA, and could do with at least a couple of months at Pawtucket.   His pitches and ball movement are Ace-like, but his command of these weapons is still inconsistent.  Great stuff with off and on inconsistency… isn’t that just like a young kid? 
     
     

  • Kingkelly

    Oops!  Apology for a typo in my comment above.  Young Webster has made approximately FORTY starts (~40) in AA – not thirty;  two for the Portland Sea Dogs in the Sox organization, the rest with Dodgers AA affiliate, the Chatanooga Lookouts.  

  • Anonymous

    PLEASE!!! don’t label him that yet .. Let the Kid make the bigs and get his feet under him. Let him develop without the huge burden of being coined the “ACE”

  • Pronnoco

    they didn’t bring Youk up till he had lost all his hair-wasted several years in the minors as did Boggs

  • Doug from Woburn

    The future looks bright for some of the young talent they have…it is the present that looks dismal.

  • mudman63

    Wait, Wade Boggs and Youk are your examples of the Sox keeping talent down too long?  First, Boggs was over 30 years ago (seriously!) and showed himself to be a .300+ hitter with no power (9 HR’s in more than 2600 minor league AB’s).  It’s not surprising he stayed in the minors.  Teams don’t call up corner infielders with no power.  Boggs got better with Boston but that’s not something you can predict…  Same with Youk.  Minor league stats nothing to write home about.  First good year he really had was the season he got called up…  Both were older than most rookies but it was because they developed later not because the Sox held them down.  Many more examples of “good” prospects getting promoted than not.

  • Cleangreentom

    In general terms. you’re right but it is not always true.  Wade Boggs spent 6 years in the minors before being called up.  He was blocked by Carney Lansford and was called up when Lansford got injured.  

    Nowadays you just can’t wait that long due to position needs (the veteran ain’t cutting it) and injuries.  You have to bring up a stud and give him a taste of the big leagues to see what he can do and knowing the team has options to send him down if he falters.  The average minor league time for a true prospect is closer to 2.5 years like Dustin Pedoria for example, and Lester (3 years).  

  • Cleangreentom

    Boggs took 6 years and only got to the bigs because Carney Lansford got hurt.

  • LindaPezzuti

    Is there any chance that we can package De La Rosa and Webster in a package to get Carl Crawford from the Dodgers?    Crawford would be a great fit in Boston, perfect for this media environment, and would love the attention…it’s totally his kind of place. 

  • Cleangreentom

    Present looks much better than it did before Spring Training started.  And the other teams in the American League East don’t look so much better.  Yankees will be tankees this year.  So we won’t be int he cellar again.

  • IIWIICUB

    dodgers don’t really use AAA for their uber pitching prospects as ABQ is like pitching in Colorado…

  • Capnsparrow23

    he wasn’t gonna be no Ace in LA. But he is gonna be a solid starter wherever he comes up at.

  • IBBFTW

    Lucky Bastards. You guys can quit complaining about losing Rizzo and Gonzalez meow. Rubby and Webby are nails

  • GeoStorm

    agree 100%…and, Boggs, drafted out of HS, was age 24 when he arrived…Youk, age 25, drafted out of college, IIRC, and Bradley, now 23 in about a month, looks like he’ll be starting here, in Boston, by age 24, himself.

  • GeoStorm

    6 years is not unusual for prospects drafted out of high school…if you’re trying to attribute that time, in it’s entirety, to being “held back” 

  • Mrs. Youk

    Youk lost all his hair in Jr. High!!

  • John George

    he’s only 23 and only converted to pitcher after HS. he’s developed pretty fast and i hope the sox call him up first (he’ll probably start the year at PAW) as soon as a SP has to miss a turn. he s/b on the fast track because he’d definitely not a fringe player.

  • Giraud

    Lester, Buchholz, Doubront, Bard, Tazawa.

    Webster, DeLaRosa, Wright, Hernandez, Wilson, Barnes, Ranaudo, Workman. Where will they put all this talent, with more right behind them? Such problems!!!! LoL

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