2010 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #47 Bo Greenwell

47. 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	AVG	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
2009	20	Mahoning Vy	A-	7	26	5	9	2	0	0	4	2	2	2	.346	.393	.423	.816
2009	20	Lake County	A	60	214	29	62	16	1	2	26	21	23	7	.290	.359	.402	.761
		Totals		150	544	64	144	31	4	4	52	62	66	18	.265	.344	.358	.703

History: Greenwell was taken by the Indians 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.  Had he not signed with the Indians he had a scholarship to play baseball for the University of Miami, FL.

Strengths & Opportunities: Greenwell is a toolsy, high energy player with good strike zone discipline and good hands. He only projects to have average power, but he pounds the gaps, the ball jumps off his bat, and he uses the whole field well.  He is very athletic, plays hard, and is a student of the game.  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.  Other than a shoulder issue he suffered through in 2008, he has proven to be pretty durable.

The Indians have been very pleased with the adjustments Greenwell has made as a hitter, mostly with how he hits the ball with much more authority and is getting stronger.  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 his slugging numbers should improve.  He has gotten a lot better at pulling the ball instead of focusing mainly on hitting the other way as a speed/contact guy.  He still needs more work on keeping his body back and keeping his hands through the ball.

Greenwell played first base in high school but was moved to the outfield when he signed, so he is still very inexperienced as an outfielder.  He still has a ways to go, but because of his above average speed and outstanding work ethic he has become a solid outfielder with plenty of room left for growth.  As he settles in and becomes more comfortable in the outfield he is expected to stay play left and center field as he advances in the system. He has improved his route running, but still needs to get quicker jumps on balls off the bat, backing up other outfielders, and improving the accuracy of his throws.

Outlook:  Greenwell is still very raw as a baseball player because he 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.  As a result, he has spent most of his first three seasons in the organization working on adapting to the professional game, maturing, improving his skills and growing physically.  He took a significant step in his growth as a player last year as his raw abilities started to translate and his potential showed.  He is primed for a breakout campaign in 2010, one which should start by returning to Low-A Lake County.

Photo courtesy of Tony Lastoria

Bo Greenwell MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

Bo Greenwell Baseball-Reference page

Bo Greenwell MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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