HOT STOVE MEDIA DAY - RED SOX FARM NEWS & NOTES

Left to Right - The President of PawSox Mike Tamburro, Manager Kevin Boles, Coach Bruce Crabbe and Dir of Player Development Ben Crockett

Walking into McCoy Stadium this afternoon it hardly felt like baseball, as temperatures were only in the upper teens. However inside the ball park it felt distinctly different. Members from Boston's brass were on hand to greet the new PawSox manger, and the press. Also on hand were some of the Red Sox most promising prospects. It was the unofficial beginning to another season, with Spring Training less then three weeks away. 

The New PawSox Manager Kevin Boles 
Boles, who just turned 39 on January 16, was named PawSox manager this December after spending the last three seasons as manager of the Portland Sea Dogs (AA). Kevin joined the Red Sox organization in 2008 and managed Greenville (low-A) in 2008 & 2009 and Salem (high-A) in 2010 before being promoted to Portland in 2011. He has been a minor league manager for 13 seasons including stints in the Marlins, Royals, and Twins organizations before coming to the Red Sox.

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New PawSox coach Bruce Crabbe
Crabbe, 51, has been the manager of the Lowell Spinners (Boston’s short-A affiliate) for the past two seasons and for three of the last four years.  In between, he spent the 2011 season as the skipper of the Salem Red Sox.  He also managed Lowell in 2006.  Bruce began managing in 1994 for Butte (Rookie League) and then from 1998-2001 with Pulaski (Rangers Single-A affiliate).  He previously reached the Triple-A level as the hitting and infield coach for the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Triple-A affiliate of the Rangers) from 2002-04. Boston Red Sox Director of Player Development Ben Crockett praised Crabbe for his work with infielders within the organization. 

Red Sox Knuckleballer Steven Wright
RHP Steven Wright, 29, made a team-high 24 starts for the PawSox last season despite four different stints in Boston.  He finished 8-7 with a 3.46 ERA for Pawtucket posting the best ERA on the staff, 6th best in the Red Sox system, and 9th best in the International League while tying teammate Allen Webster for most wins on the PawSox.  Wright also tossed 3 complete games (the only three Pawtucket had all season) to tie four other pitchers for most CG in the league.  Steven was especially effective down the stretch helping the PawSox clinch the IL North pennant going 2-0 while allowing just 1 ER in 17 IP during his final three regular-season starts.  He continued his roll in the post-season giving up just 2 unearned runs over two playoff starts (13 IP) as he defeated Rochester, 5-1 in G3 of the semi-finals and lost at Durham, 2-1 in G2 of the Governors’ Cup Finals.  

A converted knuckleball pitcher (prior to the 2011 season), Wright was promoted to Boston four different times during the 2013 season…on April 16, July 10, August 1, and September 17.  Overall in 4 games (1 start) for the Red Sox he was 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA.  For his efforts both in Pawtucket and Boston, Steven will be presented with the Lou Gorman Award (for passion and persistence) at the Boston Baseball Writer’s Dinner on January 23.  A California native, Wright pitched at the University of Hawaii from 2004-06 before being selected by Cleveland in the June 2006 draft.  He spent the first five and a half seasons of his pro career in the Indians system before being traded to Boston on July 31, 2012 in exchange for 1B Lars Anderson.  In 215 career minor league games (132 starts) he is 47-41 with a 3.84 ERA.   

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OF/1B Alex Hassan,
 The 25 year old was Pawtucket’s leading hitter last season batting .321 in 55 games with 14 doubles, 4 HR & 28 RBI.  He missed the first two months of the season with a leg injury and then the final two weeks of the regular-season with a fractured finger.  He did return for the IL playoffs and played winter ball for Tigres del Licey of the Dominican League this off-season.  

The Milton, MA native, who now lives in Arlington, MA, played at Boston College High School and later for Orleans of the Cape Cod League in 2008 and 2009.  He has a career average of .292 along with a .401 on-base pct. in five minor league seasons since being chosen by the Red Sox in the 20th round of the June 2009 draft out of Duke University.  Hassan was a 2-way player for the Blue Devils hitting .342 in 2009 as a junior while also going 2-2 with a 4.10 ERA in 16 games as a pitcher.  Alex was drafted by the Red Sox as a pitcher but has played exclusively as a position player since.  Last season he played 30 games in RF, 10 games in LF, and 10 games at 1B.  In 424 professional games he has made just 8 errors total.  

Hassan spent all of 2012 with the PawSox hitting .256 in 94 games with 7 HR, 46 RBI, and 55 walks (2nd most on the team despite missing time due to injuries).  His .377 on-base pct. led the club and following the 2012 season he was ranked by Baseball America as having the Best Strike-Zone Judgment in the International League.  Alex was an Eastern League All-Star for Portland in 2011 hitting .291 in 126 games with 13 HR, 64 RBI, and 76 walks while leading the Red Sox system with a .404 on-base pct.