Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Shox to Sox
Posted by Matthew NameeAfter snagging Tommy Hottovy in the 4th round yesterday, the Red Sox grabbed another Shocker today, picking first baseman Logan Sorensen in the 19th round. Most of you probably don't know much about Sorensen, and I know there are a lot of Red Sox fans out there, and of course I'm a huge Shocker and Red Sox fan, so...
Sorensen is a first baseman in the John Olerud/Doug Mientkiewicz/Keith Hernandez mold. He's outstanding defensively (just set an NCAA record for career putouts by a 1B, and he's legitimately good). He had a breakthrough year offensively this season, and hits for a solid average with a ton of walks. He's also got decent mid-range power, with a good doubles rate. He runs really well (26-for-30 in steals for 2004, and 25-for-30 last year). Sorensen was a second-team All-American this year.
Craig Burley's latest rankings of college hitters has Sorensen 31st on the list, but he was the 575th pick in the draft. He's a good "Moneyball" pick, and he may well surprise some people.
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.