Rick Asadoorian
| IP | 113 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.381 |
| WHIP | 1.434 |
| BB/9 | 4.46 |
| SO/9 | 7.088 |
- Full name Eric A. Asadoorian
- Born 07/23/1980 in Worcester, MA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Northbridge
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Drafted in the 1st round (17th overall) by the Boston Red Sox in 1999 (signed for $1,725,000).
View Draft Report
OF Rick Asadoorian benefited from unusually good weather in the Northeast this spring to become a hot property at the high school level. Asadoorian is a five-tool talent who has been touted as the best Massachusetts position player to come along since the Conigliaro brothers and Tom Grieve in the 1960s. He reminds scouts more of former Red Sox star Dwight Evans and the hometown team, with the 17th pick, has him on their short list. Asadoorian is an outstanding hitter with a tight, compact swing. He also runs above-average, but his best tool is a strong, accurate right-field arm .
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Asadoorian came to the organization after the 2001 season after signing with the Red Sox for a club-record $1.7255 million bonus in 1999. In his first season with the Cardinals, he showed about what the Red Sox had seen: outstanding defensive tools and a suspect bat. Asadoorian could find a spot on many major league rosters now as a defensive replacement in the outfield. He has the best outfield tools in the organization, with a plus arm. He gets great jumps, has soft hands, takes charge from center field and runs balls down in the gaps. His tools haven't translated at the plate yet, however. In his second season in low-A ball, Asadoorian improved marginally. The Cardinals like his line-drive stroke but want him to keep his swing short and try to hit the ball the other way. He still hasn't refined his approach at the plate and developed a good idea of the strike zone. Asadoorian also is a hard-nosed player who can be tough on himself. With his cold-weather background, the Cardinals are trying to exercise patience with him. He'll move up to high Class A to work on his hitting. -
Asadoorian seemed to be a perfect fit for the Red Sox, a New England product whose dream was to play in Boston. Signed for a club-record $1.7255 million bonus as a 1999 firstround pick, he was included in a package of three players used to obtain Dustin Hermanson in December. Asadoorian was the best defensive outfielder in the Boston system, with a plus arm sometimes compared to Dwight Evans' and the range to play center field. Asadooorian has good instincts in center and can go and get the ball. His offense is a huge question mark, however. He chases bad pitches and doesn't even read fastballs well, and he's aggressive at the plate without a real concept of what he's doing. He also needs to get stronger. Scouts have compared him to a young Bob Dernier because he's lean and rangy, runs well and has a long swing. Dernier hit .255 and played in parts of 10 big league seasons, but Asadoorian has a long way to go to reach the majors. The Cardinals might return him to low Class A to see if he can have some success and build confidence in his bat. -
The Red Sox target New England players in the draft, and in 1999 they spent their first pick (17th overall) on Asadoorian, a product of Whitinsville, Mass., just 30 miles outside of Boston. He held out that summer negotiating a club-record $1.7255 million bonus, and ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Gulf Coast League in his pro debut last year. His most impressive tool is a throwing arm that has been compared to Dwight Evans', and Asadoorian showed in 2000 that he has center-field range to go with it. While he may be ready to play defensively in Boston right now, his bat will take some time. He'll need to reduce his strikeouts to hit at higher levels. To his credit, Asadoorian already has begun making adjustments at the plate. The Red Sox envision him developing at least gap power, and he was caught stealing just twice in 24 attempts. Asadoorian is ticketed for a full season at Augusta in 2001.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Asadoorian was a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 1999 but didn't make his professional debut until this season. He earned more support for his defense than his bat. In fact, more than one manager said he was ready to play center field in the major leagues right now. "He gets excellent jumps on balls, covers a lot of ground and has an outstanding arm," Newman said. "But he's a wild swinger on occasion." Asadoorian has a ways to go with the bat but shows good gap power on occasion. He has slightly above-average speed and stole 22 bases.
Best Tools List
- Rated Best Outfield Arm in the Midwest League in 2002
- Rated Best Defensive Outfielder in the South Atlantic League in 2001
- Rated Best Outfield Arm in the Boston Red Sox in 2001
- Rated Best Defensive Outfielder in the Boston Red Sox in 2001
Scouting Reports
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Asadoorian was a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 1999 but didn't make his professional debut until this season. He earned more support for his defense than his bat. In fact, more than one manager said he was ready to play center field in the major leagues right now. "He gets excellent jumps on balls, covers a lot of ground and has an outstanding arm," Newman said. "But he's a wild swinger on occasion." Asadoorian has a ways to go with the bat but shows good gap power on occasion. He has slightly above-average speed and stole 22 bases.
