Stephen Fife

A player to look out for in the Red Sox organization is right-handed pitcher Stephen Fife. Fife was a third round pick in 2008 out of Utah. Fife had a strong 2009 season between Greenville and Salem making a combined 18 starts between the two levels. Fife works primarily off of his sinking two-seam fastball which sits in the low-90s. He uses this pitch to generate ground balls and has been very effective with a 58 percent groundball rate in his two minor league seasons. He also mixes in a curve ball and a change-up in his arsenal. Despite missing time early in the '09 season with what was termed "weakness in his throwing shoulder", Fife displayed phenomenal control and command en route to a breakout season. His 6.14 strikeout-to-walk rate was best in the organization among pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched. All told he had 86 strikeouts in 87.1 total innings. He posted a 1.97 FIP in eight starts for Greenville and a 3.69 FIP in his 10 starts for Salem. Fife's future is bright. Groundball pitchers, particularly at Fenway park, have proven to have good success. If he can continue to develop and command his secondary offerings he could develop into a middle of the rotation guy. If not, he could become a valuable reliever. For now we can expect Fife to remain in the starting rotation as he tweaks his curve and begins to work his slider back into the mix. expect the Red Sox to be aggressive and start him in Portland in 2010.