Red Sox Off-Season Acquisitions
The Red Sox resigned 1B/3B Brandon Snyder, who has been invited to Major League spring training camp, and INF/OF Justin Henry who both played prominent roles on the 2013 IL North Champion PawSox. Other acquisitions or free agent signings who could impact Pawtucket in 2014 include…
INF/OF Mike McCoy, 32, is a veteran of 12 professional seasons including time in the big leagues with Colorado (2009) and Toronto (2010-12). His 1142 minor league games have been spread between SS (424), 2B (393), 3B (169), and OF (163). He has a .271 career average in the minors and a .190 average in 170 games in the majors. The 5'9", 180 lbs. San Diego native spent all of 2013 with the Buffalo Bisons (AAA-Toronto) where he hit .245 in 108 games with 4 HR, 22 RBI and 29 SB while playing all infield positions except first base and all three outfield positions as well. McCoy did play at McCoy Stadium as a member of the Bisons last season. He has been invited to Major League spring training camp.
LHP Tommy Layne, 29, has been an effective reliever for the San Diego Padres each of the past two seasons. In 2012 he split the year between Double-A San Antonio (0-5, 3.28 in 32 games) and the Padres (2-0, 3.24 with 2 saves in 26 relief appearances). He spent the bulk of last season with the Triple-A Tucson Padres going 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 49 relief appearances while also making 14 RA for San Diego where he was 0-2 with a 2.08 ERA. Layne was originally drafted by Arizona and was a starter for most of the first six years of his career reaching Triple-A Reno in 2011 (10-7, 6.21) and in 2012 before being traded to the Padres in May of 2012. He has been invited to Major League spring training camp.
RHP John Ely, 27, appeared in just one game last season for Triple-A Oklahoma City (Astros) before being injured and missing the remainder of the season following Tommy John surgery. He was subsequently released by Houston in November of 2013 and signed by the Red Sox one month later. Ely is a former Pacific Coast League All-Star and the PCL 2012 Pitcher of the Year when he was a member of the Dodgers' organization. In 2012 he led the PCL in wins (14), ERA (3.20) and strikeouts (165) going 14-7 in 27 GS for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. John was a 3rd round draft choice by the White Sox in 2007 and pitching for Double-A Birmingham in 2009, he went 14-2 with a 2.82 ERA in 27 starts. He was traded prior to the 2010 season to Los Angeles for OF Juan Pierre. Ely made his Major League debut in April of 2010 and went on to make 18 starts for the Dodgers that year going 4-10 with a 5.49 ERA. He also appeared in 11 games for LA in 2011 and two more in 2012. He has been invited to Major League spring training camp.
RHP Shunsuke Watanabe, 37, was signed to a minor league contract by the Red Sox last December 17. He has spent his entire 13-year career (2001-13) with Chiba Lotte of the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball League. The submarine-style pitcher has posted a career record of 87-82 with a 3.65 ERA in 255 games (240 starts). A two-time NBP All-Star in 2004 & 2005, Watanabe pitched on both of Japan's World Baseball Classic championship teams in 2006 and 2009.
INF Carlos Rivero, 25, split last season between a pair of Washington affiliates batting .253 in 51 games for Harrisburg (AA) and .233 in 63 games for Syracuse (AAA). He spent all of 2012 with the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League hitting .303 in 126 games with 10 HR & 64 RBI while playing 98 games at 3B, 17 at SS, and 16 at 1B. Primarily a shortstop in the Cleveland system from 2005-2010, he was claimed off waivers by the Phillies after the 2010 season and in 2011 he set career-highs with 15 HR & 66 RBI in 129 games for the Reading Phillies (AA). After that season the 6'3", 216 lbs. Venezuelan native was claimed off waivers by the Nationals.
RHP Dalier Hinojosa, 28, (pronounced "DAHL-yair ee-no-HOE-sah"), was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in October. He will be entering his first professional season in the United States after playing nine campaigns in Cuba's Major League Serie Nacional for the Guantanamo Indios. He began his pro career in Cuba during the 2004-05 season as an 18-year-old, and last year went 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 19 games, including 18 starts for Guantanamo. A native of Isla de la Juventud, he has participated in many international tournaments for the Cuban National Baseball Team, including the 2011 Baseball World Cup, the 2011 Pan-American Games, the 2010 World University Championships, and the 2010 International Cup. He now lives in Miami, FL and has been invited to Major League spring training camp.
RHP Jose Valdez, 31, was the closer for the Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA-Houston) last season going 3-3 with a 5.72 ERA and 13 saves in 35 relief appearances. He had spent time with the Astros during the 2011 and 2012 seasons making 12 relief appearances during both years. The Dominican native was originally signed by the Yankees and was in New York's system from 2001-2009 eventually reaching Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2009. He signed with the Astros prior to the 2010 season and had been in the Houston organization since until signing with Boston this off-season.
OF Scott Cousins, 29, has spent time in the major leagues during each of the past four seasons with the Florida Marlins (2010-11), Miami Marlins (2012), and Los Angeles Angels (2013). In 135 career big league games he has hit .179. In 579 career minor league games he has a .275 average with 63 HR & 299 RBI. Last season he battled injuries while hitting .233 in 52 games for Salt Lake (AAA) while also appearing in 7 games for the Angels. In 2012 he split the year between Triple-A New Orleans where he hit .296 in 61 games with 7 HR & 36 RBI and the Miami Marlins where he batted .163 in 53 games. The lefty hitter and thrower was a 3rd round draft choice of the Marlins in 2006 out of the University of San Francisco.
LHP Jose Mijares, 29, has averaged 63 major league relief appearances per season over the past five years with Minnesota (2009-11), Kansas City (2012), and San Francisco (2012-13). Last year he went 0-3 with a 4.22 ERA in 60 games for the Giants while chalking up 54 strikeouts in 49 innings. The year before he made a career-high 78 appearances (51 with the Royals to begin the year before making 27 more with the Giants) to tie for 5th most in the majors while posting a 2-2, 2.56 mark with KC and a 1-0, 2.55 record with SF. The 5'11", 265 lbs. lefty from Venezuela has a career ERA of 3.23 in 324 major league games and a 3.24 ERA with 19 SV in 176 career minor league games. He has been invited to Major League spring training camp with the Red Sox.
2013 PAWSOX WHO HAVE LANDED ELSEWHERE
Alfredo Aceves Baltimore (Norfolk)
Pedro Beato Cincinnati (Louisville)
Ronald Bermudez Baltimore (Norfolk)
Quintin Berry Baltimore (Norfolk)
Chris Carpenter Yakult Swallows (Japan)
Anthony Carter San Diego (El Paso)
Jonathan Diaz Toronto (Las Vegas)
Terry Doyle White Sox (Charlotte)
Mark Hamilton Atlanta (Gwinnett)
Jeremy Hazelbaker Dodgers (Albuquerque - trade)
Brock Huntzinger Baltimore (Norfolk)
Mitch Maier Cubs (Iowa)
Chris Martin Colorado (Colorado Springs - trade)
Alberto Rosario Dodgers (Albuquerque)
Ryan Rowland-Smith Arizona (Reno)