It's ranking season, and that gave us an excuse to get our friend Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and Baseball America to discuss his recently released list of the top 10 Red Sox prospects! We discuss the organization's first-class top 10 and potentially worrisome lack of depth after the top 7, whether the Red Sox gave up too much in the Craig Kimbrel deal, and much more!

And as always, thanks to The Ludlow Thieves for our music! Get their new EP Sing Me Back, released Dec. 18, on iTunes!

Well, it did not take very long into the offseason for Dave Dombrowski to make a blockbuster move, as the Red Sox traded four of their top 25 prospects on Friday for Padres closer Craig Kimbrel. If there ever was a time for an emergency podcast, this is it, so Chris, Matt, and Ian got on the horn to discuss the ins and outs of the deal. We have scouting reports on Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Logan Allen, Carlos Asuaje, and even Kimbrel. Was it an overpay, and even if it was, does it still make sense for the Sox? How much does it matter that the system is so deep and the Sox are set at shortstop and center field? How did the free agent market influence the deal? We leave no stone unturned in our debate!

The long-awaited second half of our season wrap-up hits three of your emails, then goes through our season-end rankings! How high did upstart Venezuelan Anderson Espinoza push into the top five, and why? What led to Luis Alexander Basabe and Logan Allen pushing into the top 15? What else did Ian see at Fall Instructs? Plus, we close with Chris’s interview with 2013 first-round pick Trey Ball, looking back on his season in Salem and the pressures of being the #7 overall pick.

On this episode of the SoxProspects.com Podcast:

- It’s time to wrap up the season! We start by taking your listener questions. What players would be the best converting to or from the mound? Do the Red Sox promote players more aggressively than they used to? Why has the top prospect changed so often over the last two years? These questions get answered and more!

- We recap the 2015 SoxProspects.com All-Stars. Who did our Forum members vote as the best at their positions in 2015? The answers may … actually they probably won’t surprise you really.

- Lastly, we debate our picks for each of the 2015 SoxProspects.com Awards, such as Offensive Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, and more! Some tough choices here led to some good debate.

In this episode of the SoxProspects.com Podcast:

- In Notes from the Field, Chris, Ian, and Chaz share their reports on Pawtucket’s Matt Barnes, Marco Hernandez, and William Cuevas; Salem’s Wendell Rijo, Mauricio Dubon, Teddy Stankiewicz, and Ty Buttrey; and Lowell’s Logan Allen, Travis Lakins, and Yankory Pimentel. 

- Reviewing the September rankings update, we discuss Yoan Moncada overtaking Rafael Devers at the top and comparing the fast-rising Anderson Espinoza and Andrew Benintendi against the “old guard” of the Top 10. 

- Finally, we share Chris’s interview with Salem Red Sox second baseman Wendell Rijo. Wendell discussed his rise through the minors so far, changes he’s made to his swing, the difficulties international players face coming to the U.S., and more.

We've got a backlog of listener emails to get to, so what better time than the present to talk about what you want to hear? You guys had some outstanding questions that gave us plenty to talk about. What are the odds of a top prospect becoming a good major leaguer? Which pitchers have the highest ceilings in the system? What players rank as the best in each of the five tools? And of course there's current events: What can we expect from Dave Dombrowski as President of Baseball Ops, and is Jackie Bradley's rebound for real? All of this and more awaits!

This week, we're hitting you with a couple of interviews with members of the Greenville Drive: third baseman Michael Chavis and first baseman/outfielder Nick Longhi. Chavis, a 2014 first-round pick, discussed what it was like sharing third base with Rafael Devers, the pressures of being a first-rounder, and what's with the whole "11:11" thing. Longhi talked about what most listeners of the podcast could probably only dream about - being a Red Sox fan drafted by the Red Sox - as well as a number of other topics including visiting the Dominican Instructional League.

It's now August, and we've got our second straight new top prospect! Why did Rafael Devers leapfrog Yoan Moncada to take the top spot? How about the jumps made by the likes of Anderson Espinoza, Marco Hernandez, and Luis Alexander Basabe? Plus the guys talked about the (then-pending) debut of Henry Owens, the injury to Brian Johnson, the move of Matt Barnes back to the rotation, and the promotion of Kevin Steen to Lowell. To cap the episode, we present Chris' interview with Salem right-hander Teddy Stankiewicz, talking about pitching, bus rides, and the shocking discovery from his pre-signing physical.

Chris and Ian just spent some time watching the Greenville Drive, and they had plenty to talk about! The guys chatted with Matt about their thoughts on Yoan Moncada, Rafael Devers, Javier Guerra, Michael Chavis, Nick Longhi, and more! While he was in town, Chris also checked in with Drive manager Darren Fenster to discuss what's been going on with these players behind the scenes, as well as getting the manager's take on life in the minors. Plus, the guys talk about Brian Johnson's MLB debut, and your listener emails hit on players from throughout the system and beyond: How does Devers compare to Xander Bogaerts at the same age? Where have Karsten Whitson and Christopher Acosta been? Which players might move positions? All this and more herein!

It's another action-packed edition of the SP Pod, featuring an interview with Salem Red Sox right-hander Ty Buttrey! Chris sat down with him recently in Frederick and talked about his bounce-back season, injuring his hand last year, Clash of Clans, and more! Plus, Chris brought back his scouting notes from seeing a pair of Salem games dishing on Buttrey, Daniel McGrath, Aaron Wilkerson, German Taveras, Wendell Rijo, Mauricio Dubon, Jordan Procyshen, and more. Not to be outdone, Ian countered with notes from Lowell on Andrew Benintendi('s BP), Austin Rei, Tate Matheny, Jake Cosart, Ben Taylor, Luis Alexander Basabe, Victor Acosta, and Jeremy Rivera. Plus, your emails!

With the calendar turning to July, Chris and Ian got on the horn and had plenty to talk about, starting with a slew of recent promotions, including those of Manuel Margot, Sam Travis, and Mauricio Dubon to new affiliates and Deven Marrero, Jonathan Aro, and Jackie Bradley to the majors, among others. Plus the Red Sox are now mostly done with draft signings - after inking Andrew Benintendi, how much money is left? And of course, new month, new rankings, including a new number one prospect and debates aplenty! We close, as usual, with your emails.

Many outlets have noted the abundance of prospects on the Pawtucket Red Sox roster this season. So what about it then? We're past the midway point of June, and after getting plenty of looks at what the Triple-A club has to offer, Chris, Matt, and Ian talked about who's up and who's down for the PawSox, including Travis Shaw, Garin Cecchini, Jackie Bradley, Brian Johnson, Henry Owens, Pat Light, Dayan Diaz, Jonathan Aro, and more. At the other end of the ladder, the Lowell Spinners started their season on Friday, and the GCL Sox will start on Monday. What did the guys think of the season-opening Lowell roster, and what that probably means down at the complex? Listen and find out. And as always, we answered your listener emails, which led to a discussion regarding the development of Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts.

On Monday, the Red Sox selected Arkansas sophomore center fielder Andrew Benintendi with the seventh overall pick in this year's MLB Draft. Chris, Ian, and Matt quickly hopped on for their reactions: Did they like the pick? Where might he debut in the rankings? Where will he play this year and next? Those answers, plus video game music!

The Draft is in two days, so Chris and Ian got on the horn with Fangraphs Lead Prospect Analyst Kiley McDaniel to preview who might be on the Red Sox radar with the seventh overall selection on Monday. We discussed the players in play, as well as the club's strategy with their second pick not coming until the third round at 81st overall. Plus, Kiley talks about his recent viewing of the Greenville Drive, focusing on Michael Kopech, Rafael Devers, Javier Guerra, Nick Longhi, and Michael Chavis.

Following the big debut of Eduardo Rodriguez and the Boston rotation's continued struggles, it's sure looking like it's time for the Red Sox to start leaning on that stacked Triple-A rotation we heard about in the preseason. But what can we expect from Rodriguez, Brian Johnson, and Henry Owens, both now and in the future? Chris, Matt, and Ian talked about that, as well as when it's time to promote a player in the minors - spurred by 18-year-old Rafael Devers's hot month of May in Greenville - as well as the latest update to the site rankings!

With Chris returning from the other side of the world, he got Ian and Matt on the horn to look back at the season's first month. The guys talked about the new rankings' movers and shakers, as well as some recent MLB call-ups and the outlook for players like Blake Swihart, Jackie Bradley, and Matt Barnes. The guys also had plenty to report from the field(s), having seen Pawtucket, Portland, and Greenville already in this young season. Listen for reports on Henry Owens, Rafael Devers, and more! Finally, in response to reader questions, the guys quickly discussed the Red Sox' potential plans for the number 7 pick in next month's draft.

With the season underway, Chris, Ian, Matt, along with podcast rookie Chaz Fiorino had plenty to chat about in this extra-large episode! First, the guys examined the affiliate rosters, picking superlatives and discussing surprises. Then, taking advantage of having both Ian and Chaz on, they talked about scouting: what they do when they're at a game, what they look for in players, and decoding scout-speak. Finally, the guys emptied the listener mailbag.

It's that time! Chris and Ian welcomed special guest Matthew Kory of Over the Monster, Forbes, Baseball Prospectus, and sundry other publications of varying repute to talk about what storylines we're looking forward to following in the minor league system in 2015. How will all the infielders in Greenville get playing time? How many of the prospect-laden PawSox have a future in the organization? Are Portland and Salem as bad as the rosters look at first glance, or is there intrigue there? Listen and learn! Plus, the debut of Turkey Facts! (Note: we recorded on Saturday, 4/4, so forgive the couple of outdated comments.)

The boys are back... from Fort Myers! Chris, Ian, and Matt had a ton of stuff to report back from the SoxProspects.com staff's annual trip to Spring Training. We got our first look at Yoan Moncada, as well as updated looks at Rafael Devers, Michael Chavis, and others! Which sleepers looked poised to break out? What new guys impressed? All that and more in this action-packed episode!

A couple of bombshells dropped on the SoxProspects landscape Monday morning, so naturally we had to get on the horn post haste! First, we talked to Baseball America's Ben Badler about the Red Sox reaching an agreement to sign Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada, discussing the ins and outs of who Moncada is and what the impact is of his signing. Then, we discussed a few things about the Moncada signing that have really been grinding our gears before talking a bit about the sale of the Pawtucket Red Sox and their potential move to Providence.