As was noted Wednesday by Kevin Goldstein on Twitter, the Sox have signed former 1st round supplemental pick of the Angels, RHP, John Bachanov.
Baseball America had this to add in their transaction report:
The Angels’ top pick in the ’07 draft, reliever Jon Bachanov follows the Bobby Jenks career path from Anaheim to Chicago. Though he hasn’t quite reached Jenks-ian proportions, Bachanov does stand in at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds and he does bring the heat.
When he was drafted in 2007, Bachanov’s fastball touched 96 mph and he mixed it with a plus slider and a usable change and cutter. He was described as a “project”, but a talented project, with a chance of becoming very good.
His pro debut was dazzling, as he struck 52 batters against just 5 walks between two rookie ball teams in 2009, but he couldn’t carry that level of production into the 2010 season, where he had a 4.33 FIP and 23 SO/14 BB in 26.1 IP.
Bachanov comes with durability concerns, he’s already undergone Tommy John surgery in his career and he missed significant time last season with “elbow soreness”, which may be to blame for his decreased production. He was thought of as a potential front line starter when drafted, but the Angels decided to use him in relief and that may be the best move in order to try and keep him healthy.
It’s unlikely that Bachanov will ever amount to much, but in a system as thin as the Sox’, an arm like his is worth keeping an eye on.
For more instant news and daily updates, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, @FutureSox.