Indians Top 100 Prospects: #65 Bo Greenwell

65. Bo Greenwell - Outfielder
Born: 10/15/1988 - Height: 6'0" - Weight: 185 - Bats: Left - Throws: Left

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007	18	GCL Indians	R	37	144	12	31	5	0	0	8	16	24	5	.215	.298	.250	.548
2008	19	GCL Indians	R	46	160	18	42	8	3	2	14	23	17	4	.263	.359	.388	.747
		Career		83	204	30	73	13	3	2	22	39	41	9	.240	.330	.322	.652

History: Greenwell was taken in the 6th round of the 2007 Draft out of Riverdale High School (FL). He is the son of former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell. He was also actually a very good football player in high school where he played quarterback and safety, but he tore his ACL going into his senior season which significantly hurt his chances at a Division-1 college football scholarship.

Strengths & Opportunities: Greenwell is a toolsy, high energy player with good strike zone discipline and good hands. He is very raw in the baseball department because he had spent so much time working on football in high school, so when the Indians drafted him in 2007 it was the first time he was actually able to develop his baseball skills. He is still learning how to use his body for leverage to put a little more juice on the ball, and once he learns how to do that he should see another spike in his offensive performance. He is working on pulling the ball more, which is a skill he did not use in the past because he focused mainly on hitting the other way as a speed/contact guy. His play has evoked comparisons to that of Johnny Damon, and the Indians think he can be an above-average base stealer with his 60 speed rating on the scouting scale.

Greenwell did not play much in 2007 because he was adjusting to the everyday grind of a professional baseball player and developing a routine. He was also sidelined at times with a lingering shoulder issue that was the result of so much work in the outfield, a position he was foreign to since he played first base in high school and had never played outfield before. He is still learning to play the outfield, and as he settles in and becomes more comfortable out there he is expected to stay a centerfielder as he advances in the system. He had trouble with his route running and catching fly balls in 2007, but improved greatly in all of these areas last season. Going forward, he needs to learn to get better jumps on the ball.

Even with the blood lines there is a lot of projection in Greenwell, and his numbers showed marked improvement from 2007 to 2008. The Indians were very impressed with the adjustments he made as a hitter from 2007 to last year, mostly with how he hit the ball with much more authority and was much stronger. Most notable was his .200 point increase in OPS in one year, and one of his biggest strengths - his ability to put the bat on the ball - was put on display last season where he had just 17 strikeouts compared to 23 walks in 160 bats.

Outlook: Greenwell looks to be ready for his first full season assignment this year, and at the start of the season should be one of the main cogs in the lineup for Single-A Lake County.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

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