Hottovy to the Red Sox
by Matthew NameeJune 07, 2004
The Red Sox chose WSU lefty Tommy Hottovy in the 4th round of the draft today (125th overall pick). Last night I sent Bill James an email hyping Hottovy, and Bill wrote back that the Sox had already zeroed in on him. Boston's scouting director is David Chadd, who is actually from Wichita (WSU pitching coach Brent Kemnitz is the godfather of Chadd's kids).
Needless to say, I'm elated that Hottovy went to the Sox. For one, my favorite college player went to one of my favorite MLB teams. More so, though, I know that the Red Sox can be trusted. They'll neither abuse Hottovy's arm nor overlook his skills. They appreciate how good he is, and he'll be given every opportunity to excel in the Red Sox organization. So, yeah, I'm pumped.
Two other Shockers have gone in the (relatively) early rounds of the draft -- outfielder Nick Blasi and lefty starter Steve Uhlmansiek (who actually was injured for the last few weeks of the season). Blasi went to Oakland, where his on-base abilities will be appreciated. Uhlmansiek went to Seattle... I'm actually not particularly high on Uhlmansiek (at least, not as high as the scouts have been). His ratios are mediocre, but scouts seem to love him. I'm obviously rooting for him, though.
Tommy Hottovy, Boston Red Sox. Very cool.
Postscript: One other Shocker got picked in the earlier rounds of the draft -- slugger Drew Moffitt, by Baltimore in the 10th round. Moffitt finished the year 2nd in the NCAA in home runs. He also draws a lot of walks, but he strikes out too much and doesn't hit for a high average. You'd expect a guy like that to be slow of foot, but Moffitt runs alright (13 steals this year). I'm hoping he turns out like Jeromy Burnitz, who had a similar skill set in college.
Matthew Namee cofounded The Hardball Times in 2004, when he was working as the assistant to baseball author and Red Sox executive Bill James. Matthew still lives in Kansas, where he is currently pursuing a law degree. He can be reached at mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com.