Will Middlebrooks

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #1 prospect in 2012
  Middlebrooks had multiple options when he came out of Liberty-Eylau High (Texarkana, Texas) in 2007. He threw low 90s fastballs and occasionally spun plus curveballs as a pitcher, and he drew interest from college football programs as both a quarterback and a punter. His future appeared even brighter at third base than on the mound or the gridiron, however, and that was the path he chose. Considered a supplemental first-round talent, Middlebrooks slid to the fifth round because of signability concerns and a commitment to Texas A&M, and he landed an above-slot $925,000 bonus. He has moved slowly but surely through the Red Sox system, improving his performance in each of his four pro seasons. He had his best year yet in 2011, when managers rated him as the best hitting prospect in the Double-A Eastern League. He went 1-for-2 in the Futures Game, earned EL all-star honors and reached Triple-A Pawtucket in August. He finished his year by smacking four homers in 13 Arizona Fall League games before straining a ligament in his left hand chasing a foul ball, an injury that didn't require surgery. Boston added him to its 40-man roster in November. If scouts drew up a blueprint for a third baseman, it would look like Middlebrooks. He has the size, athleticism, power and arm strength coveted at the hot corner. He continues to learn more about his swing and increase his home run production each year, with more to come in the future. Right now, most of his homers come to the opposite field and are line drives that carry out of the park. With his bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, he could hit 25 or more homers a season if he turns on more pitches and adds more loft to his stroke. Middlebrooks is an aggressive hitter who doesn't walk much and may not hit more than .275 or so in the majors, though that's an acceptable trade-off for everything else he offers. He needs to manage at-bats better and make sure his load and timing don't get out of sync. While he remains streaky, his hot spells are lasting longer and his cold spells are ending more quickly. He's doing a better job of waiting for pitches he can hammer rather than getting himself out early in counts. He also understands that he's at his best when he lets his power come naturally, though he can get home run-conscious at times. Middlebrooks is a below-average runner but moves well for his size and isn't a liability on the bases. He's an asset at third base, where he's extremely agile and has a cannon for his arm. He competes well and has emerged as a leader in the system. Middlebrooks could use a full 2012 season in Triple-A, after which Red Sox will face an interesting decision. They hold a $12 million option for 2013 on Kevin Youkilis, who has had injury problems the last two years and may not be able to take the pounding at the hot corner at age 34. Middlebrooks figures to push Youkilis to DH or out of town at that point, and he has the tools to blossom into an all-star.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #11 prospect in 2011
  Middlebrooks made a postseason all-star team for the first time since signing for $925,000 in 2007, earning high Class A Carolina League honors last year while continuing to make steady progress. He looks exactly like scouts want a third baseman to look, and he's starting to translate his tools into skills. Middlebrooks has a quick bat and his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame gives him the strength and leverage for significant raw power, though he needs to add more loft to his swing. He also must improve the load and timing with his stroke, because he's prone to swings and misses when he gets out of whack. He's still figuring out his swing path and approach at the plate, and he's still learning how to solve breaking balls. He also has made strides, especially with using the entire field. Middlebrooks had a low-90s fastball as a high school pitcher and has had the best infield arm in the system since he signed. Managers cited him as the best defensive third baseman and strongest infield arm in the Carolina League last season. He runs and moves well for his size, showing the athleticism that made him a potential NFL-caliber punter who drew interest from college football programs. While Middlebrooks has moved just one level per year, he'll spend 2011 in Double-A as a 22-year-old.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #19 prospect in 2010
  Middlebrooks hasn't developed as quickly as the Red Sox hoped he would when they signed him for $925,000 as a fifth-round pick in 2007, though they're pleased with his steady progress. He didn't play in his first pro summer because he signed late and had shoulder tendinitis, and he has started slow and finished strong in the two seasons since. Middlebrooks fits the scouting blueprint of a third baseman. He has a big league body and is loaded with raw power and arm strength. His power shows up more in batting practice, when he crushes balls to all fields, than it does in games. He falls behind in the count after passing up pitches he should drive. He can get confounded by breaking pitches, struggling against good ones and laying off hanging ones that are begging to be pounded. He's a below-average runner out of the box but average under way. Boston considered developing Middlebrooks at shortstop, his high school position, and he has good actions and a cannon arm at third base. He'll advance to high Class A this year, and if hitting doesn't work out, he has other career options. He drew interest as a pitcher in high school, showing a low-90s fastball and a promising curveball, and also had NFL potential as a punter.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #18 prospect in 2009
  A consensus sandwich-round talent in the 2007 draft, Middlebrooks had a seven-figure asking price that caused him to slide to the fifth round. He signed for $925,000, easily their highest bonus among Red Sox draftees that year. He signed late and had shoulder tendinitis, so he didn't make his debut until last June. In his first month at Lowell, Middlebrooks hit just .187/.227/.231. He chased pitches out of the zone, didn't attack balls he should crush and found himself constantly behind in the count. Club officials challenged him to change his approach and snap out of it, and he did. After he started looking for fastballs in specific locations and worked more counts, he batted .305/.352/.475 over the final seven weeks. He capped off his year with an impressive performance in instructional league, where he was the talk of Boston's camp. Middlebrooks still has more work to do offensively. His strike-zone discipline is just rudimentary at this point, and he has yet to turn his strength and leverage into power. He hit just one homer in 59 regular-season games, though he did go deep against Batavia flamethrower Adam Riefer in the New York-Penn League playoffs. He shows off his power in batting practice but uses more of a line-drive swing in games. Middlebrooks is extremely athletic for his size, drawing college football interest as a quarterback and exhibiting NFL potential as a punter. The Red Sox considered playing him at shortstop, but their logjam at that position led them to move him to third base. He looked very comfortable at the hot corner, with good body control and range and the best infield arm in the system. As a high schooler, he also created pro interest as a pitcher with a low-90s fastball and a promising curveball. He has average speed and stole 10 bases without being caught in 2008. Middlebrooks is ready for low Class A but Michael Almanzar also is headed for Greenville, so they'll have to share third base. Almanzar is more advanced offensively at this point, while Middlebrooks has more athleticism and strength and projects as a better defender.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #14 prospect in 2008
  Middlebrooks received $925,000, the highest bonus of any 2007 Red Sox draftee, despite lasting until the fifth round. He only dropped that far because he priced himself above his consensus draft slot, but Boston was thrilled to grab him with its last pick on the first day of the draft. He's a tremendous athlete who drew college football interest as a quarterback and punter, and he might have had an NFL future as a punter. Nagged by shoulder tendinitis, he didn't play in a minor league game after signing at the Aug. 15 deadline and didn't take balls at shortstop until the final week of instructional league. His bat will need some polish, but he has the size and leverage to hit for power. Most clubs projected Middlebrooks as a third baseman because of his size, but the Red Sox will give him every opportunity to remain at shortstop despite their burgeoning depth at the position. He has average speed and range, plus the actions and body control to pull it off. His arm isn't a question, as he was a legitimate prospect as a pitcher with a low-90s fastball and an occasional plus curveball. He'll still have plenty of value if he does wind up at the hot corner. For scouts, the high-end comparisons are Cal Ripken Jr. if he sticks at shortstop and Scott Rolen if he moves to third. Oscar Tejeda, Ryan Dent and Yamaico Navarro all are ready for Class A and need time at shortstop as well, so it's unclear what Middlebrooks' assignment will be for 2008. He may begin the year in extended spring and then play shortstop for Lowell in June.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Eastern League #8 prospect in 2011
  Two third baseman in the EL truly fit the profile for what clubs look for at the position. Richmond's Chris Dominguez has similar physical tools, but Middlebrooks is two years younger and has a better feel for hitting. The former Baylor punting recruit has solid athleticism to go with his size and strength. A solid athlete with size and strength, Middlebrooks generates above-average bat speed and showed power to all fields, especially before a triceps strain landed him on the disabled list in June. After he earned a promotion in mid-August, Triple-A pitchers exploited his aggressiveness. His defense needs less polish than his offensive approach, as he has good agility and a strong arm. "He has the chip on his shoulder," Smith said. "He's a competitor. You see the tools and that he's young, he can defend and can hit. But you can see he wants it. That's a separator."
• 
  Ranked Carolina League #13 prospect in 2010
  Middlebrooks got near-first-round money ($925,000) as a fifth-round pick three years ago, but his development has been slow. He took a step forward this year but is only scratching the surface of his ability. Middlebrooks has plus bat speed and raw power, though he still has trouble with breaking pitches and gets pull-conscious, which leads to too many strikeouts. His agility and arm strength give him everything he needs to be a standout defender at third base, though he needs to improve the accuracy of his throws. "He has a great body and is very athletic," Winston-Salem manager Joe McEwing said. "I think he'll have more power and more average once he figures himself out. For as big as he is, he runs the bases well."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #51 prospect in 2012

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Middlebrooks had multiple options when he came out of Liberty-Eylau High (Texarkana, Texas) in 2007. He threw low 90s fastballs and occasionally spun plus curveballs as a pitcher, and he drew interest from college football programs as both a quarterback and a punter. His future appeared even brighter at third base than on the mound or the gridiron, however, and that was the path he chose. Considered a supplemental first-round talent, Middlebrooks slid to the fifth round because of signability concerns and a commitment to Texas A&M, and he landed an above-slot $925,000 bonus. He has moved slowly but surely through the Red Sox system, improving his performance in each of his four pro seasons. He had his best year yet in 2011, when managers rated him as the best hitting prospect in the Double-A Eastern League. He went 1-for-2 in the Futures Game, earned EL all-star honors and reached Triple-A Pawtucket in August. He finished his year by smacking four homers in 13 Arizona Fall League games before straining a ligament in his left hand chasing a foul ball, an injury that didn't require surgery. Boston added him to its 40-man roster in November. Scouting Report: If scouts drew up a blueprint for a third baseman, it would look like Middlebrooks. He has the size, athleticism, power and arm strength coveted at the hot corner. He continues to learn more about his swing and increase his home run production each year, with more to come in the future. Right now, most of his homers come to the opposite field and are line drives that carry out of the park. With his bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, he could hit 25 or more homers a season if he turns on more pitches and adds more loft to his stroke. Middlebrooks is an aggressive hitter who doesn't walk much and may not hit more than .275 or so in the majors, though that's an acceptable trade-off for everything else he offers. He needs to manage at-bats better and make sure his load and timing don't get out of sync. While he remains streaky, his hot spells are lasting longer and his cold spells are ending more quickly. He's doing a better job of waiting for pitches he can hammer rather than getting himself out early in counts. He also understands that he's at his best when he lets his power come naturally, though he can get home run-conscious at times. Middlebrooks is a below-average runner but moves well for his size and isn't a liability on the bases. He's an asset at third base, where he's extremely agile and has a cannon for his arm. He competes well and has emerged as a leader in the system. The Future: Middlebrooks could use a full 2012 season in Triple-A, after which Red Sox will face an interesting decision. They hold a $12 million option for 2013 on Kevin Youkilis, who has had injury problems the last two years and may not be able to take the pounding at the hot corner at age 34. Middlebrooks figures to push Youkilis to DH or out of town at that point, and he has the tools to blossom into an all-star.