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Since last August, several people have asked what the Sox got for Gordon Beckham. The automatic response has been "you'll get nothing and like it!"
Last week, the Sox got Gordon Beckham back as a free agent and today got something from the Angels. Something came in the form of right handed pitcher Yency Almonte.
Almonte was the 17th round pick of the Angels out of high school in Miami. He was signed well over slot with a $250,000 bonus, but, with questions about his health, he only pitched three innings in rookie ball. He was listed in the Angels top 20 prospects before the 2013 season. Unfortunately, he hasn't made it back on the list since then. He struggled through 2013 with a 6.92 ERA / 5.57 FIP over 53 innings. Last season, he started on the DL, made two starts in May, went back on the DL for June, and ended his season in early August. As is typical with injuries in the minors, there's limited information on what they were.
Almonte has a fairly typical four-seamer/slider/changeup mix with a fastball in the low-90's that the Sox use as a base for development. He's also has a 3/4-ish delivery. There's even some video of him on YouTube.
Overall, he's young, but he's a long ways off. He's been starting throughout his time in the minors, so I would expect him to be starting for one of the A-ball teams this season.
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In other news, the Sox have officially waived Dayan Viciedo. Unsurprisingly, the Sox couldn't find anyone willing to take him and his $4.4 million contract for 2015. He's now a free agent.