Pawtucket Red Sox: An early view
Pitching Hopes
Depending on how things shape up in the next six weeks PawSox manager Kevin Boles and pitching coach Ralph Treuel could very well see both Owens and Johnson at the top of their rotation and new comer Roenis Elias putting in some time in a lefty tilted rotation. That would leave a potential scrum among a collection of hoping for a shot to running out of time pitchers.
Keith Couch faded rapidly in Pawtucket in 2015 (4-10, 6.14) and the right-hander is on borrowed time. Sean O’Sullivan – a great name for Boston baseball – didn’t dazzle anyone in Philadelphia (1-6, 6.08), but at least, it was MLB and not Triple-A for the bulky 28-year-old right-hander. William Cuevas (11-7, 3.17) is another right-hander that will not bring back memories of Roger Clemens or even John Wasdin. Cuevas has a four-pitch selection and keeps the hits down. He could be a surprise.
Looking for another lefty? Robby Scott (2-2, 4.42) will certainly be in the mix to spot start and work out of the bullpen, but when you give up 47 hits in 31.2 innings don’t expect much. Expect Jhonny Polanco – picked up from the Cards organization – to get some reps in. The good news is the right-hander is only 23-years-old. The bad news? A career 4.8 BB/9. Intriguing 27-year-old right-hander Jorge Marban finished off 2015 with the PawSox (3-0, 0.69) and looked like a bullpen keeper. The downside (drum roll, please) – a BB/9 of 4.8 in his world-traveling career.
The real growth meter will be centered on Noe Ramirez, Pat Light, Heath Hembree, Edwin Escobar and Matt Barnes. All had varying degrees of positive and negative impressions for 2015 and do hold the Golden Ticket – a roster spot. Collectively, they still have a decent “shot” be it in Boston or elsewhere. The options game is always in play and that could mean the difference between a spot, a trade or a DFA.
The rest of the bullpen will have the usual suspects of varying degrees of MLB experience that runs the gamut from once promising (Carlos Marmol) to injury plagued (Anthony Varvaro) to pure roster filler (Roman Mendez and Mitch Atkins).
Let the hitting begin!
The parent team appears to be solid on the offensive side so that leaves the PawSox with some interesting talent. Right up front the next latest and greatest in 22-year-old right-hand hitting Sam Travis. A line drive machine that has consistent .300 stamped on him. Expect Deven Marrero (.256) to return to Pawtucket for slick fielding and – just maybe – a resuscitated bat for the former first round pick. Marrero could be at third or short. Expect PTBNL Marco Hernandez (.271) – a free swinging left-hand hitter – to spend some quality infield time with veteran Josh Rutledge (.284 in Boston). Chris Dominguez – a 29-year-old journeyman – could get some third base and DH action. Expect Mike Miller – a light-hitting infielder – to back up all infield positions.
Will there be any surprises in the PawSox outfield?
Depending on developments you may see August bring a few surprises to Pawtucket. Will Andrew Benintendi make a Mookie Betts type run up the organizational ladder? The start will see the contract from hell – Allen Craig – somehow hoping to justify a return to MLB. The rest of the outfield will be determined in spring training with the key being 34-year-old David Murphy. Murphy’s last visit to Pawtucket was in 2007 when he hit .280 and then started a productive career in Texas, Cleveland and LA. . Murphy has the opt-out card.
Brennan Boesch, Ryan LaMarre and a disappointing Bryce Brentz all round out the outfield with a smattering of power (Brentz), some respectable MLB service time (Boesch) and some speed (LaMarre). All are on that very thin string that may mean on the outside looking in when the Pawtucket roster is set. The thinnest of strings is Chris Marrero – Deven’s younger brother – a 27-year-old once promising power hitter who apparently is a Triple-A lifer.
The catching will be led (hopefully) by a recovering Christian Vazquez with a cast of characters that include a trio of light-hitting backstops – Sandy Leon, Dan Butler and Ali Solis – expect one or more to depart.
The baseball sands will shift in the next few weeks and expect several names on this list to be elsewhere or on the baseball unemployment line.
The PawSox will be devoid of substantial rookie talent unless someone makes a significant organizational leap. Look for Pawtucket in 2016 to be more of a supply line for spare parts rather than a development station for young talent.
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Sources: Baseball-Reference