Red Sox Prospect Watch: Benintendi sizzles, Devers struggles

Double A Portland Sea Dogs

Williams Jerez was looking like a bust of a second round pick out of a Brooklyn, NY high school in 2011. He was floundering as a position player (.529 OPS, zero homers in 353 plate appearances), when he was converted to pitcher in Spring Training of 2014. The lanky lefthander, posted a 2.54 ERA through three minor league levels over 88.2 innings in which he struck out 86. Jerez This earned him a 40 man roster spot in November of last year. He has continue to excel this year, posting a 3.24 ERA over 16.2 innings, striking out 12 and walking eight batters. His most recent week contained four innings over three games, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out four.

Teddy Stankiewicz was second rounder in 2013 out of high school. While not putting up spectacular numbers, he has used a four pitch mix to move up the minor leagues one level a year. He has shown good durability, making 25 starts and throwing 140 plus innings in each of the last two seasons. Thus far this season he has posted a 3.58 ERA over 27.2 innings, walking six and striking out 19. Batters have just a .235 average against him this season. Stankiewicz had a 1.13 ERA through his first four starts but hit a major speed bump in his last start allowing eight runs and nine hits over 3.2 innings.

Chandler Shepherd was drafted in the 13th round of the 2014 draft out of the University of Kentucky.  The team thought enough of the right hander to include him in their Arizona Fall League team in 2015 where he posted a 3.97 ERA in 11.1 innings.  Most noteworthy is he struck out 16 batters in those innings.  Shepherd has continued that success this year posting a 1.88 ERA over 14.1 innings for Portland, walking three and striking out 18 with a nasty slider and a fastball that can touch 95.  Over the last week, he has hurled 3.1 scoreless inning, allowing just one hit and walking one batter.

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