FutureSox: Reese Havens
You may ask, “How can I make a profile on a guy that hasn’t been drafted yet? Especially in a draft that is as unpredictable as baseball and for a team that has 29 picks before theirs?” Well stop asking such long questions and hear me out. It’s going to happen and not because making reckless predictions are fun, but because it simply will.
And as much as I’d like to think I knew something about Havens that other front offices do not, there’s no secret that the Sox have been following him for a while now. In fact the Sox would have passed on Craig Hansen to draft him in the 2005 draft if he was willing to lower his demands to the $1.35m the Sox were willing to offer.
Havens’ stance was even firmer, and he fell even further. He says he told his adviser to reject Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein’s offer of $1.35 million on the eve of the draft. Boston scouted both Smoak and Havens as heavily as any organization this spring, and according to Havens, Epstein indicated the Red Sox wanted to take Havens with the second of their two first-round picks, 26th overall.
Havens said his price tag is $1.75 million, so the Red Sox passed on him…
Havens was satisfied with his decision, yet he wanted to end his negotiations with the Red Sox amicably. So from a dark dirt road in Venice, La., he and Epstein talked for about 15 minutes by cell phone the night before the draft.
“There we were in the middle of nowhere on some back dirt road, and my son was talking to the general manager of the Red Sox as if they were long-lost friends,” Haven’s father Brent says. “Reese told him that he understood from his adviser the dollar figure they were willing to offer and that they wanted to draft him with the 26th pick of the first round. Mr. Epstein acknowledged this to be true and the two talked for about 15 minutes. (link)
It looks like a complete slam dunk that Sox will get the guy they almost picked in 2005. In fact I’m not the only person saying so:
Ian from NH asks:
It seems like the Red Sox have a fascination with Reese Havens. Will they snatch him up if he is there at pick 30?Jim Callis: They do love him — would have made him a first-round pick in 2005 if he would have signed for slot money. There’s a very good chance the Red Sox would take him at No. 30 if he gets there, though he’s having such a good season that he may not make it. He probably won’t stay at shortstop, and whoever drafts him could wind up trying to make a catcher out of him. (link)
My guess is that Havens will hold out for more money, specifically Red Sox money and he sticks at SS. What Callis says about his ability to stick at SS is completely different from what I’ve seen elsewhere touting his big improvements in the field, but adding a blue-chip catching prospects wouldn’t hurt.
So what are we getting next weekend when the Sox draft Reese Havens? Well let me defer to what other people at Baseball America has said:
Coming off a strong showing in the Cape Cod League last summer when he hit .314 with five home runs, Havens positioned himself to be one of the top middle infielders in this draft class. Steady and durable, Havens has been a fixture in the middle of the diamond for the Gamecocks since his freshman year. His consistency in always being in the lineup parallels his consistent improvement offensively and defensively every season since arriving in Columbia. Drafted out of high school by the Rockies in the 29th round, Havens has improved his range, hands and agility and now has the defensive ability and arm strength to stay at shortstop in the professional ranks. He makes up for his lack of foot speed with proper routes to the ball and advanced instincts. At the plate, Havens changed his hand position this season, moving them lower to an unconventional location around the bellybutton. Scouts have split opinions on his new batting style, but he he has hit for better power and average and leads off for a strong South Carolina lineup. He has great makeup and is a prototype “baseball player” with all the intangibles.
And there’s another excellent article from Saberscouting analyzing his swing mechanics putting him somewhere between Johnny Damon hands and JD Drew’s swing. Unfortunately being compared to either Johnny Damon or JD Drew wont win you much praise in Boston, but that’s a nice combination of attributes of what make both players as good as they are, added to the fact that he plays a skilled defensive position means the Sox could be setting themselves up well next weekend.
That is of course unless the Twins screw things up at #27.
