Will Middlebrooks: a Man of Many, Many Tools.

In a word, third baseman Will Middlebrooks’ career got off to a flying stop. Because he was asking for seven figures and had committed to playing baseball for Texas A&M, he slid to the fifth round of the 2007 draft and eventually accepted a $925,000 signing bonus from Boston. Then, because he signed late and developed shoulder tendinitis, he didn’t make his pro debut — with Lowell — until late June of 2008. Middlebrooks showed flashes of five-tool ability last season at Greenville where, in 103 games, he hit .265 with seven home runs, 57 RBI and a .404 slugging percentage. But he also drew only 46 walks while fanning 123 times. One of the problems he encountered last season was when South Atlantic League pitchers fed him a steady diet of outside fastballs plus changeups which kept him off balance. But when he did show patience and worked the count, the results – understandably – were more positive. At the risk of stating the obvious, Middlebrooks must improve hi...