In a move that is sure to bring mixed feelings to Yankee fans in the area, the Boston Red Sox have signed Bobby Lanigan to a minor-league deal.
Of course, a great deal of pride comes along with having a graduate of Adelphi University given the opportunity to further advance his career after stalling in the Minnesota Twins organization. At the same time, however, Yankee fans would prefer not to root for their most-hated rivals in Boston.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old native of Staten Island appeared to be on the fast track to the big leagues in 2011 when he began Spring Training with the big league club. Unfortunately, he struggled and spent the season with Double-A New Britain while posting a record of 8-9 with a 4.45 ERA.
The Twins organization has long been respected for their development of pitchers, and Lanigan certainly had the advantage of playing for a system that relies on their prospects. In some cases, a change of scenery is necessary.
Lanigan joins former Adelphi teammate Keith Couch with the Double-A affiliate in Portland.
Couch has been terrific this season, compiling a 6-2 record with a 3.64 ERA in 76 innings. He has split time between the bullpen and rotation, starting seven games and appearing in 14 out of the bullpen. After a rough month of May in which he allowed 11 runs in 14 inning, the 23-year-old has been dominant for two months.
He has actually been better as a starter, posting a 2.54 ERA in 39 innings against a 4.78 ERA in 37 innings out of the ‘pen. Couch has been a steady performer in Double-A and Red Sox fans can expect to see him be promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket in the future.
Lanigan is at a career crossroads it would seem. Once at the cusp of the big leagues, he now must not only pitch well, but prove to the organization that he still possesses the youthful exuberance that the younger prospects have. His ERA currently sits a 4.21, but he has not progressed from 2008 when he posted a 2.78 ERA over 74 innings in his first pro-ball season. Not all hope is lost, as we have seen pitchers such as Jason Grilli lurk in obscurity until age-36 when he put together an All Star season from thin air.
It is a great achievement to reach professional baseball from the northeast, and these two pitchers have made their college programs proud by standing above the competition and eliminating the stereotype that high draft picks should not be spent on pitchers from the cold weather environments.
