Pawtucket Red Sox Ides of July review: The bats
Jul 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (52) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
The Pawtucket Red Sox are being picked clean by Boston in the last six weeks and that is exactly as intended. The PawSox primary responsibility in their job description is to do just that – provide support for Boston. So now it is the Ides of July for Pawtucket as they drift precariously close to the basement of the International League North Division. The PawSox were magically in first place a short six weeks ago. Not now.
The pitching now faces life without Brian Johnson, arguably a top three IL hurler, and the forever absence of Eduardo Rodriguez – who may have been the best in the IL. Steven Wright has returned to the Pawtucket fold with mixed results and Henry Owens is continuing to wait his call to Boston. Keith Couch has continued on a path of disappointing performances and the remaining members of the staff do not elicit anything, but a shrug.
Then comes the hitting and this has been consistent all season – consistently bad. The pitching is manageable and not porous, but you need hitting and a league bottom .236 average and next to bottom .311 OBP is not going to get you within hailing distance of .500.
So this Ides of July will be on the bats and who is doing what and how that could potentially relate to the Red Sox. As mentioned the pitching prospects is Owens and that is it.
Jun 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (25) works out prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jackie Bradley was named to the IL All-Star team and has used up organization travel expenses traveling up and down I-95. Remember a few seasons ago when the great debate was service time? JBJ is represented by agent evil – Scott Boras – and the picture “down the road” was all about money. Now? A .133 average for Boston this season and repeated failures with the “Big Club” have effectively erased service time talk.
In Pawtucket Bradley is performing exceptionally well. The average has dipped somewhat from the high .330s to .308, but is easily in the league top-ten. The key change is greater contact with fewer strikeouts and a few more walks. JBJ never hit above .300 in Double-A and Triple-A, so that is an improvement.
Bradley’s return to Boston is entirely dependent upon need. The Boston outfield has a multitude of options as discussed by BSI’s Brandon Nickel, so a Bradley can just rack up some 3A time until movement takes place. Bradley probably needs an extended stay at the MLB level to see if his new-found skill level is real or an illusion. Apparently he will not get that trial in Boston.
If you didn’t know Bradley’s past history and saw him play you would ask “Why is that guy here?”
May 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Allen Craig (5) at bat during the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Allen Craig is a mystery on how quick this former All-Star lost his capacity to be an impact run producer. The 2015 season in Boston resulted in waivers in which no team was willing to pick-up Craig – thanks to an exorbitant contract. So on to Pawtucket, where Craig spends considerable time in the outfield.
Craig had touched over .300 in average until a slump hit that brought that average down to .269. A recent four hit game showed an encouraging spark of returning to batting life. Craig’s OBP has been consistently 100 points higher than his average, so that is a positive nugget. The negative is that Craig is well below what he had accomplished at Triple-A on the way up to St. Louis.
So what future is there for Craig with Boston?
Expect the Red Sox to keep Craig just where he is since that contract has no takers. This is storage for future use as Mike Napoli will not return to the Red Sox and may actually not survive this season. That means competition for first base in the spring.
For now Craig will remain a positive in the Pawtucket order and be watched by other teams and the Red Sox as Craig racks up considerably outfield time.
May 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Hanley Ramirez (13) celebrates with right fielder Rusney Castillo (38) after scoring a run against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
Will Rusney Castillo follow the same path as Jackie Bradley?
Castillo did little in Boston this season with a .230 average, some questionable defense and some baseball blunders that should be exorcised in Little League. This was not the Castillo we saw in September of 2014.
I have seen Castillo at Pawtucket and he is a talent. The Castillo I saw had quality at bats, exceptional defensive skills and extremely fluid on the base paths. Castillo injured his shoulder in only his third game at Pawtucket this season and is there residual effects from that injury?
Castillo is slashing .289/.343/.414 for the season in 128 at bats. The power is there with three home runs and 15 RBI. The speed is there with 10 steals in 12 attempts. The baseball history is there with international play and professional play.
The Red Sox have that log jam in the outfield and with the sudden and surprise performance of Alejandro De Aza that tightens the outfield grip even more, despite Brock Holt moving to second base. That grip will be tighter when Dustin Pedroia returns.
Castillo needs to play. If the Red Sox fade the best option is to simply give him his time. There is nothing to prove at Pawtucket.
Mar 7, 2015; Sarasota, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Garin Cecchini (70) at bat against the Baltimore Orioles at a spring training baseball game at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
I thought Garin Cecchini would be the Boston version of Alex Gordon. Physically similar, potential positional change and a left-handed bat that had gap power. Cecchini was a doubles machine with back-to-back seasons of 38 and 33 doubles in the low minors.
Cecchini, never a blazer on the base paths, once stole 51 bases at Greenville, but something happened to this once up in lights prospect. Cecchini had adjustment problems at Pawtucket in 2014 with a slash line of .263/.341/.371. In a brief exposure in Boston, Cecchini hit .258 in 31 at bats and that showed a bit more seasoning was needed.
In 2015 Cecchini imploded at Pawtucket.
The stat line is not pleasant as Cecchini has slashed .213/.282/.310, but within that cumulative number is a sparkle of promise. The July slash is .325/.357/.400 and is that a trend or a hot streak?
Cecchini is only 24-years-old and that is a plus. If this is a development issue, then the Red Sox have a potential valuable chip for trading or for use on the parent club. As an occasional visitor to McCoy I love to watch Cecchini swing. He has a smooth swing that reminds me of Wade Boggs from his Pawtucket days, but, quite obviously, nowhere near the same level of production.
Jun 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Deven Marrero (16) works out prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Travis Shaw and Deven Marrero have both surfaced in Boston as the needs arose. Shaw has managed to do rather well in Pawtucket and his versatility at playing first or third is a plus. Shaw had a miserable beginning at Pawtucket with a .185 average for April. Then came improvement.
The smooth swinging 25-year-old left-handed hitter had a .255 May and a bust out June of .318. By June, Shaw was entrenched in the third position in the batting order. Expect Shaw to do the bounce between Boston and Pawtucket.
Shaw reminds me of Lars Anderson with his swing. Hopefully his career will not follow the same trajectory.
Is Marrero still a high-level prospect? He is currently ranked tenth on Sox Prospects and it is not his glove holding him back. The first round pick has a glove of all gloves as this kid can play some exceptional defense. In Boston he was the first call for spot defensive duty and to get in a few swings.
When I see Marrero the potential is obvious. A compact swing that produces line drives and that means consistent contact. A 23.5K% does not help in the contact department. Merrero has a .315 BABIP and cutting down that K% is essential. For the season Marrero is slashing .245/.302/.348.
For comparison purposes Marrero seems similar to another late developer who played in Boston – Marco Scutaro.