Boston Red Sox June 1993 Amateur Draft Picks

Last updated: December 16, 1999

Note: the text on this page is an amalgam of commentary from Michael Rawdon, Darcy Paquet, and Glenn Ellingson.


Statistics are through the end of the 1999 regular season. Ages given are as of July 1, 2000.

1) Trot Nixon, RF, Born 4/11/74, age 26

  Year    Team            AB       BA/OBP/SLG     HR    BB    SO    SB/CS
  1994    A/Lynchburg     264     246/357/428     12    44    53     10/3
  1995    A/Sarasota      264     303/404/432      5    45    46      7/5
          AA/Trenton       94     160/214/277      2     7    20      2/1
  1996    AA/Trenton      438     251/329/370     11    50    65      7/9
          AL/Boston         4     500/500/750      0     0     1      1/0
  1997    AAA/Pawtucket   475     244/331/421     20    63    86     11/4
  1998    AAA/Pawtucket   509     310/400/513     23    76    81    26/13
          AL/Boston        27     259/286/296      0     1     3      0/0
  1999    AL/Boston       381     270/357/472     15    53    75      3/1
After high expectations were tempered by a long wait, Nixon finally made it to Boston in 1999. He survived a horrendous slump in April and May by virtue of Jimy's patience and Nixon's status as being out of options. But he stabilized his hitting in midsummer, had a torrid second half, and finished the year with impressive rookie numbers as a platoon RF. His 116/204/233 showing against lefties (in 43ABs) suggests the platoon role is a good one for Trot (he hit 290/376/503 vs. righties). Trot also showed a good arm and *looked* like he had decent range, although his range factor was below average in 1999. He figures to get 2/3 of the RF playing time again in 2000 and has shown himself to be an important part of the Sox offense.
2) Jeff Suppan, RHP, Born 1/2/75, age 25

After a truly stellar minor league career, Jeff Suppan struggled in his first full year in the majors, and was subsequently left exposed by Boston in the 1997 expansion draft. Arizona took him with the third overall pick, and Suppan began the 1998 season for Arizona, where he posted a 6.68 ERA and allowed 82 hits in 66 innings pitched. After demoting him to the minors, Arizona released him, and he was picked up by Kansas City. Suppan improved considerably in his new setting, and established himself as a credible major-league starter in 1999 by going 10-12 with a 4.53 ERA and a 103/62 K/BB ratio in 208.2IP.
3) Ryan McGuire, 1B, Born 11/23/71, age 28

McGuire moved steadily through the Red Sox minor league system in his first few years with the organization, showing a combination of average and patience, with somewhat below-average power for a first baseman. In 1995 at AA Trenton he hit 333/414/459 with 7 homers.

However, on January 10, 1996 he was traded along with LHP Rheal Cormier and RHP Shayne Bennett (a fellow 93 draftee) to Montreal for 2B Wil Cordero and P Bryan Eversgerd. McGuire broke into the major leagues in 1997, hitting 256/320/397 in 84 games with the Expos. Through the 1999 season Ryan had accumulated 549 career ABs, hitting 229/316/324 overall.

4) Shawn Senior, LHP, Born 3/17/72

After posting a 4.72 ERA in only half a season at AA in 1996, Senior apparently left the game.
5) Kevin Clark, 1B, age 27

Clark spent 1994-1996 moving from Utica to Sarasota and then back to Michigan, where he switched from 3B to 1B and hit 276/333/420. In 1997, after playing three games for Sarasota, he moved to the Arizona organization. In 1999 Clark hit 298/338/442 in 373 AB for AA El Paso at age 26.
6) Peter Munro, RHP, age 25

Munro did not play in 1993 or 94, but made steady progess throughout the system afterwards. At Trenton in 1997 he continued to show good control and give up less than a hit per inning, but all at once he began serving up a high number of home runs, despite moving from a hitter's to a pitcher's park. Nonetheless, Munro attracted quite a bit of attention from other teams' scouts, and in July 1998 he was traded, along with pitcher Jay Yennaco, to the Toronto organization for Mike Stanley. Munro split 1999 between Syracuse and Toronto, posting a 3.10 ERA in AAA but a 6.02 ERA in 55 major league innings.
7) David Gibralter, 1B, age 25

  Year    Team            AB       BA/OBP/SLG     HR    BB    SO    SB/CS
  1993    R/Fort Myers   177      271/332/401      3    11    34      1/1
  1994    A/Sarasota     184      190/220/293      4     6    41      1/2
          A/Utica        222      257/313/374      5    14    40      3/1
  1995    A/Michigan     456      252/293/436     16    20    79      3/4
  1996    A/Sarasota     452      285/339/454     12    30   101      8/7
  1997    AA/Trenton     478      274/344/418     14    44   103      3/5
  1998    AA/Trenton     385      260/312/418     15    25    91      2/3
  1999    AA/Trenton     448      299/359/513     24    32    68      5/5
After three years in AA, Gibralter is clearly not part of the Sox' long-term plans. I believe he is a minor-league free agent this winter, but unless a change of scenery does wonders for him, Gibralter is unlikely to see the big leagues.
8) Sean DePaula, RHP, age 26

DePaula never signed with the Sox (perhaps to finish college), and did not play in 1993-95. He has been with the Cleveland organization since 1996, and in 1999 he hit the major leagues and impressed in his first 11.2 IP.
9) Dean Peterson, RHP, born 8/3/72, age 27

Peterson converted from a starter to a reliever in 1996, and put up respectable numbers in 1996 at Sarasota (62 IP, 3.05 ERA, 45 H, 58K, 21BB). 1997 was a step backwards for him, however, and he didn't pitch in 1998 or 1999, leading me to believe he has left the game.
10) Lou Merloni, 2B/SS/3B, born 4/6/71, age 29

  Year    Team            AB       BA/OBP/SLG     HR    BB    SO    SB/CS
  1993    R/Fort Myers    14      357/438/429      0     1     1      1/1
          A/Ft Ldrdale   156      244/299/301      2    13    26      1/1
  1994    A/Sarasota     419      286/345/341      1    36    57      5/2
  1995    AA/Trenton     318      277/373/343      1    39    50      7/7
  1996    AA/Trenton      95      232/330/411      3     9    18      0/2
          R/Fort Myers     4      252/200/250      0     0     0      0/0
          AAA/Pawtucket  115      252/328/330      1    10    20      0/1
  1997    AA/Trenton     255      310/402/467      5    30    43      3/2
          AAA/Pawtucket  165      297/368/448      5    15    20      0/2
  1998    AAA/Pawtucket   88      386/518/716      8    16    13      2/2
          R/Fort Myers     1      000/000/000      0     0     0      0/0
          AL/Boston       96      281/343/375      1     7    20      1/0
  1999    AAA/Pawtucket  229      279/383/441      7    30    38      1/1
          AL/Boston      126      254/307/333      1     8    16      0/0
After a storybook 1998 for the Framingham Kid in which he went from non-prospect to major leaguer and even hit a key Fenway HR, 1999 was a return to earth. Merloni split the year between Boston and Pawtucket, and while he didn't play badly (and made the postseason roster), the romance came to a close (at least as Duquette saw the situation -- Merloni *still* got huge rounds of "Looooouuu!" every time he stepped to the plate, both in Boston and in spring training). Donnie Sadler's defensive abilities put him ahead of Merloni on the depth chart, and this winter Lou signed to play in Japan for 2000, although he may attempt to return to the major leagues in a year or two (as a free agent) if he does well in Japan.
11) Kurt Bogott, LHP, born 9/30/72, age 27

Bogott was drafted as a starter, but was converted by the Red Sox into a reliever in 1995, where he showed far more promise (3.03 ERA at Sarasota with a reasonable K:BB ratio).

Bogott's Red Sox career came to an end when he was selected by the Blue Jays in the second round of the AAA phase of the Rule V Draft in December, 1995. In 1997 he split time between AAA and AA. In 1998 he only pitched six innings for A+ Dunedin, apparently because of injury, but he returned healthy in 1999 and pitched well at AAA for the Jays (8-6, 4.62, 76Ks in 85IP). At this point, Bogott has an outside chance to become another 1993 sox draftee to make it to the major leagues.

12) James Murphy, 2B, age 27

After putting up 248/318/307 numbers at Class A Lynchburg in 1994, Murphy appears to have left the game. He did steal 27 bases while being caught 19 times in 1994.
13) Wilfredo Rivera, RF/P

Rivera never got much playing time at any level in his pro career, and was never been much of a hitter for a shortstop, never mind a right fielder. So in 1996 the Michigan Battle Cats converted him into a pitcher, where he gave up a lot of hits, and walked more than he struck out. He appears to have left baseball at the end of 1996.
14) David Smith, 2B, age 28

Smith apparently had injury problems in 1994, when he got only 2 at-bats. He recovered in 1995 to play half a season, and showed some progress in 1996, especially in drawing more walks (250/376/363). But lacking any power and speed, his future did not hold much promise, and he apparently retired at the end of 1996.
15) Jake Cook, RHP, age 25

Cook reached high-A in his third year in baseball, but never displayed any particular dominance or control. After 85.1 IP in 1996 (100H, 44 BB, 49K, 5.38 ERA), he apparently left the game.
16) Andy Abad, 1B/LF, born 8/25/72, age 27

  Year    Team             AB      BA/OBP/SLG     HR    BB    SO    SB/CS
  1993    R/Fort Myers    230     248/322/317      1    25    27      2/2
  1994    A/Sarasota      354     288/367/362      2    42    58     2/12
  1995    AA/Trenton      287     240/328/352      4    36    58      5/7
          A/Sarasota       59     288/354/339      0     6    13      4/3
  1996    A/Sarasota      202     287/402/401      2    37    28     10/3
          AA/Trenton      213     277/369/446      4    33    41      5/3
  1997    AA/Trenton      165     303/423/527      8    33    27      2/4
          AAA/Pawtucket   227     273/376/423      9    36    47      3/2
  1998    AAA/Pawtucket   365     307/415/493     16    68    70     10/6
  1999    AAA/Pawtucket   377     297/381/493     15    51    50      7/2
Abad hit quite well at Pawtucket in both 1998 and 1999, putting up an OPS around 900. His strengths are a high average and a lot of walks, and although he doesn't figure to be an impact player, he could become a quite serviceable backup player in the majors. Unfortunately for Andy, the Sox did not show any interest in giving him a major-league audition.
17) Greg Patton, SS/3B

Patton never hit very much from 1993-1996, despite drawing the occasional walk. After notching only 16 AB in 1997, it appears that he has left the game.
18) William McDonald, C

Apparently never signed with the Red Sox. Someone by that name played for the Cardinals' Class A team at Johnson City in 1994, hitting 246/346/397 in 199 AB, but he apparently left baseball after that season.
19) Courtney Arrollado, SS, age 25

After a mediocre 1994 at Fort Myers, he batted 261/331/319 at Butte, an independent team, in 1995. He showed no power, but decent baserunning skills. He played in the Royals organization in 1996, and was out of baseball by 1997.
20) Edward Westfall, RHP, apparently never signed.

21) John Graham, CF

Hit 276/338/374 at Class A Lynchburg in 1994, then apparently left the game.
22) Craig Phillip, RHP

Pitched 2 innings at Fort Lauderdale of the Gulf Coast League in 1994 then apparently left the game.
23) Mark Ballard, RHP, apparently never signed.

24) Gregory Kennedy, LHP

Played an undistinguished part of a season at Class A Lynchburg in 1994, then was apparently released, played very poorly at independent High Desert, and seems to have left the game following the 1994 season.
25) Shayne Bennett, RHP, born 4/10/72, age 28

Bennett was drafted as a reliever, and after the Sox briefly tried him as a starter in 1994 (with disastrous results), he went back to relieving. In that role, he dominated the low minors.

Bennett was dealt on January 10, 1996 to Montreal, along with 1B Ryan McGuire (also drafted in 1993) and LHP Rheal Cormier, in order to bring 2B Wil Cordero and P Brian Eversgerd to Boston. Bennett broke into the majors in the latter part of 1997, and pitched rather well (22.2 IP, 21H, 9 BB, 8K, 3.18 ERA). In 1998 he did not fare as well, however, sporting a 5.50 ERA and surrendering 97 hits and 45 BB in 91.2 innings. In 1999 Bennett only managed 11 IP for Montreal with a 14.29 ERA, and his AAA ERA was 5.04, so his glory days may have already passed.

26) Christian McCarter, CF, apparently never signed.

27) Scotty Hartfield, CF, apparently never signed.

28) Steve Hayward, RHP

Pitched so-so (4.51 ERA) as a starter at Class A Lynchburg in 1994, and seems to have left the game after the season.
29) Jeffery Belcher, RF, apparently never signed.

30) James Larkin, 3B

Got only 7 AB at Class A Utica in 1994, and apparently left the game thereafter.
31) Aaron Fuller, LF, born 9/7/71, age 28

Fuller started his career strong, but then faltered dangerously with Trenton in 1995. The Red Sox sent him to Class A Visalia in some sort of "co-op" league where he straightened himself out, and then became a .300 hitter at Class A Sarasota in 1996. In 1997 he drew 95 walks and stole 40 bases, but in 1998 he was picked up by the Chicago Cubs organization, where he hit 295/421/442 in a demotion to A+ Daytona and then apparently left the game.
32) Nate Tebbs, 2B/SS, age 27

  Year    Team             AB      BA/OBP/SLG     HR    BB    SO    SB/CS
  1993    R/Fort Myers    146     260/329/301      0    15    16      7/1
  1994    A/Utica         219     201/241/224      0    11    34      9/4
  1995    A/Sarasota      440     291/351/357      2    39    80    25/15
  1996    A/Sarasota      420     250/295/293      1    24    68     17/4
  1997    A/Sarasota      375     261/309/355      5    27    65     15/9
          AA/Trenton       16     313/389/313      0     2     1      0/1
  1998    AA/Trenton      394     256/323/335      2    36    63    14/13
          AAA/Pawtucket    57     281/317/316      0     3    13      5/2
  1999    AA/Trenton      365     271/328/348      4    29    67    21/10
No longer a prospect. His best year was 1995, and he barely had a 700 OPS then.
33) Ricky Rodriguez, SS, apparently never signed.

34) Jamie Fernandes, RHP

Having split time between starting and relieving, Fernandes never found a role which suited him. He spent most of 1995 playing for independent Butte, and retired following that season.
35) John Walker, 2B

Advanced through three A-ball levels in 1994, but vanished from the map after that. He didn't get that many at-bats in '94, strangely, so maybe he had injury problems.
36) Gavin Jackson, SS, born 7/19/73, age 26

  Year    Team             AB      BA/OBP/SLG     HR    BB    SO    SB/CS
  1993    R/Fort Myers    160     313/405/381      0    14    18     11/5
  1994    A/Sarasota      321     240/324/265      0    33    40     9/10
  1995    A/Sarasota      342     266/349/327      0    40    43    11/12
  1996    AA/Trenton       20     250/318/350      0     2     3      0/1
          AAA/Pawtucket    44     250/298/295      0     3     8      0/1
          A/Sarasota      276     239/332/301      0    33    47      4/6
  1997    AA/Trenton      301     272/381/322      1    48    36      2/6
  1998    AA/Trenton      168     244/314/298      0    18    21      3/1
          AAA/Pawtucket   206     238/329/311      3    27    40      3/2
  1999    AA/Trenton       71     211/374/225      0    15    12      2/1
          AAA/Pawtucket   140     164/299/186      0    27    32      2/0
Ouch. A .200 slugging percentage is unlikely to get Gavin much farther.
37) Mark DeWalt, RHP

Pitched 14.2 innings of relief at Fort Myers in 1994, with a whopping 12.89 ERA, giving up 43 baserunners. I would guess the Sox gave up on him quickly, since he did not pitch in 1995.
38) Wayne Slater, CF, apparently never signed.

39) Tony Brannon, 2B

Brannon played partial seasons for Fort Myers in 1994 and Utica in 1995, and never hit much. He seems to have retired after the 1995 season.
40) Patrick McClendon, C, apparently never signed.

41) Danny Ardoin, C, age 24

Apparently Ardoin never signed with the Sox organization. He did not play in 1993 or 94, and signed with the Athletics organization in 1995. In 1998 he showed a sudden burst of power and batted 248/367/438 at AA Huntsville, followed by 253/364/375 at AAA Vancouver in 1999. It's hard to know if Oakland considers him a prospect, but he's getting AAA playing time (entierely) as a catcher at age 24 so it's possible he could reach the major leagues.
42) Chad Helmer, RHP, apparently never signed.

43) Eric Ford, RF

Hit 203/244/277 in 148 AB for class A Utica in 1994, and seems to have left the game following that season.
44) Kenneth Davis, LHP, apparently never signed.

45) Joseph Hayward, LF

After brief, so-so stays at Fort Wayne and Utica in 1993, Hayward signed with independent High Desert where his career fell still farther the next year. He seems to have left the game after 1994.
46) Scott Brewer, RHP, apparently never signed.

47) Alphonso Jordan, SS, apparently never signed.

48) Ricky Redd, LF, apparently never signed.

49) Michael Davis, RHP

Davis apparently never signed with the Red Sox organization, but a pitcher by the same name played for the Mets' A- team at Pittsfield in 1997, putting up a 3.34 ERA in 35 IP. He did not pitch in 1998 or 1999.
50) Christopher Ciraulo, C, apparently never signed.



Class of 1993, status after 1999:
        AL/Boston                2 (Nixon, Merloni)
        AAA/Pawtucket            3
        AA/Trenton               1
        A/Sarasota               0
        A/Michigan               0
        Out of Baseball         21
        In Other Organizations
                Class A          3
                Class AA         2
                Class AAA        1
                Majors           4 (Suppan, McGuire, Bennett, Munro)
        Unsigned                18
Percentage of 50 draftees signed: 64%
Percentage of 32 signed players retained: 19%

Players Still with the Organization:

Pitchers: 0
Hitters: 6
Thoughts about the 1993 draft
Six players from the 1993 draft have now seen some time at the major league level: Trot Nixon, Lou Merloni, Jeff Suppan, Ryan McGuire, Shayne Bennett, and Peter Munro. Two other minor league players, Andy Abad and Danny Ardoin, still have a shot to make the majors someday. Of these players, none appear to be superstars; Trot Nixon and Jeff Suppan appear to have a good chance at long-term major league careers; and the jury is still out on some of the others. 2 solid players and 4 other players who at least touched the major leagues is a solid output from one draft. From the Sox perspective, it is also important to note that players from this draft were used to acquire players such as Wil Cordero and Mike Stanley.


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Darcy Paquet/ darcy@asia.com /Last modified December 16, 1999