Notable Quotables: Red Sox Organization All-Stars outtakes

By Sam Dykstra / MiLB.com

With the season over, we’ve started to look back at the best performances of the year in our Organization All-Star series, with some help from team personnel. Obviously, we can’t fit every quote into those pieces. That’s where this comes in. So borrowing a page from colleague Jake Seiner’s Notable Quotables book, here’s some of the best quotes from Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett that didn’t quite make the Org All-Stars cut.

On Christian Vazquez’s improvements at the plate:

“Christian had a really good year offensively, too. He did a good job of working on things that the staff presented him with to improve. He did a great job of getting on base and I think some of the rewards of his improvements were some pretty good stats that everyone could see. The consistency of his approach with every at-bat was something that helped contribute to that.”

On Mookie Betts’ breakout season:

“He took a nice leap forward from a skill-set point of view. He brought a lot of skills to the table, but a difference was he brought more confidence this year as well, and that was able to push him to accomplish what he did. He really developed in terms of recognizing pitches. Once that happened, he did a lot of damage. And that helped get even more confident.”

On Xander Bogaerts’ stint in the Majors:

“Being around Major League players and Major League staff and the professionalization they exude is huge for young players. Now there are distractions, but Xander cuts through that and gets back what he needs to do to improve on the field. That’s something that makes him so special. From my perspective — I don’t want to talk on [the Major League staff’s] behalf — he worked really hard when he got up here. He brings energy and asks all the right questions as part of that learning process. That’s something you want to see in every young player.”

On where Garin Cecchini goes after leading the Minors in on-base percentage:

“There’s definitely still work to be done. Until he’s had success in the bigs, you don’t know how a player will work out up there, so you need to keep working at it. It was good to see him getting tested at Double-A, and he certainly enjoyed some early success. But then, pitchers adjusted some to him and, after a while, he adjusted back. That, in particular, is where there will be coming challenges. As he moves, he’ll have to keep making those adjustments because pitchers attack you differently at each level.”

On what the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year award means for Anthony Ranaudo:

“Sure, it’s nice. It’s a compliment for anyone when you’re compared to your peers that way. But I think any player, including Anthony, would trade an award like that to get to the big leagues. So, sure, he was a top performer from that [award] standpoint, but you’re always striving to get to the big leagues and do what you can to help the team win. All the same, that award was a big credit to what Anthony did this season and the progress he made.”

On the camaraderie of the Portland rotation, which at one point featured Ranaudo, Matt Barnes, Drake Britton and Brandon Workman:

“Each one of those guys didn’t want to let the group down. They were all trying to help each other in a positive way as teammates, and when the game started, they’re trying their best to keep the team in it. Also, off the field with regard to work, they pushed each other to be better and that’s obviously a big positive. You look at some of the best rotations in the game and they have ended that way with guys feeding off each other like that.”

On Noe Ramirez’s first season as a reliever:

“He took to it really well. He was ready to accept the new challenge in the offseason and he seemed excited for it. Moving to the bullpen gave him a chance to compete in a shorter stint, which meant he could attack even more aggressively. Plus, he was able to get some experience in some really high-leverage situations as a reliever and did well there. That’ll only help him as time goes on.”

On the positives at both the Minor and Major League levels:

“It was a positive season in terms of development this year, sure. Obviously, there’s still work to be done and progress we need to make at every level. After all, it’s the success of the Major League team that drives a lot of what we do on our side. Having a group of young players drive that success gives as much pride to our staff as anything. It’s great seeing younger players who have come through our system doing their part.”