Lefty Trey Ball was selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2013 draft. Boston later selected righty Teddy Stankiewicz in the second round. The Sox had high hopes for both.
However, the pitchers are now ranked as the 29th and 25th best prospects, respectively, in the Red Sox system. With three-plus years of minor league experience under their belts, that's likely not what the Sox were expecting from the them at this point.
At 6'6" and 190 pounds, the 22-year-old Ball is a lanky left-hander with a thin frame, who scouts say "needs to fill out and add strength." However, they also says he "has great athleticism and is very projectable."
Though Ball has "middle of the rotation potential," according to his scouting report, he is "extremely raw, particularly for someone drafted so early and has a long way to go to reach that potential."
At 6'4" and 215 pounds, the 23-year-old Stankiewicz possesses a "solid pitcher's build with room for growth," since he is "on the thin side at present," reads the scouting report.
The expectations for Stankiewicz have clearly dropped in recent years. About him, the scouting report reads:
"Potential to be an emergency spot starter or long relief type. If command doesn’t improve and secondary pitches don’t develop, will have to move to the bullpen. Lacks an above-average offering, which limits upside."
The scouting report seems to indicate that Ball has the greater upside of the two, yet the former first rounder is ranked as only the 29th best prospect in the Red Sox system. That's not encouraging.
The status of these two pitchers reveals why scouting, drafting and development are so critical. The Sox may have essentially wasted the first two picks in the 2013 draft on pitchers who don't seem to have a lot of upside or major league potential.
At this point, both seem to be a long way from the big leagues.
