Sep 11, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox hat and gloves lay in the dugout at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Hitters, Part 2:
For second baseman Carlos Asuaje, the Arizona Fall League gives him the chance to show the kind of promise he displayed in 2014. Asuaje was drafted in the 11th round out of Nova Southeastern University (in Florida) in 2013. The Venezuelan infielder posted an respectable .735 OPS in his first season at Lowell. In 2014, Asuaje hit wherever he went, posting a .927 OPS and 65 extra base hits while driving in 101 runs in 129 games, splitting time between the higher levels of A ball. A 2015 promotion to AA Portland brought a return to the production levels of 2013. In 131 games at Portland, Asuaje posted a .708 OPS, while his 38 extra base hits and 61 RBI showed a lack of ability to adapt to the stiffer competition of the higher levels.
Asuaje is one for nine with a double and a walk in two games so far in Arizona. He made two errors on throws in his first game in this abbreviated season.
Shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin is a taxi squad player for Scottsdale, which means that he can only play on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Lin received a $2 million bonus in 2012 to sign with the Red Sox, the highest bonus ever received by a player from Taiwan. He is a defensive-minded shortstop (according to SoxProspects.com), with a strong arm and above average speed. After starting the year promisingly at High A Salem (.281), he slumped to a .202 average with AA Portland. Lin swiped 23 bases in 2015.
Lin has not gotten into a game yet for Scottsdale.