With the Arizona Fall League (AFL) in full swing now, this is the first of a weekly update on how all the Red Sox farmhands are doing this year.
The Boston Red Sox may be done for the season, but some of the top prospects in the organization are seeing action in the Arizona Fall League.
Let’s take a look at how some of these players are progressing and what it means for their future.
The Hitters
Much was made of Yoan Moncada‘s three hit (including a double and a homer) splash in the AFL on Tuesday. He had another multi-hit game on Saturday. For the week, the Cuban star went six for 14 with a walk thrown in. It seems strikeouts could become an issue as he whiffed four times this week.
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Mauricio Dubon played the outfield for the first time as a professional, manning center field for the Surprise Saguaros in Saturday’s game. Dubon had a rough start in his first game, taking an 0-for-6 collar with two strikeouts on Wednesday. He benefited from a day off, posting back-to-back 2-for-4 games (including a homer) to close the week. Dubon was 6-for-14 also, with a .786 OPS
Danny Mars also saw action in three games this week. He was two for eight with a walk and an RBI. Mars has been showing off his wheels in the early action, swiping three bases already to tie for the league lead in that category.
The Pitchers
Michael Kopech had an outstanding three inning start for the Saguaros, qualifying for a win under league rules. He was perfect in those three innings, striking out five batters in a dominant outing.
Trey Ball followed Kopech in that Friday start and threw two scoreless innings of his own. He allowed a single walk that day, striking out two batters. His other appearance was a 1.1 inning effort in which he again allowed no hits but two walks. Overall, that’s 3.1 innings with three walks, no hits and three strikeouts.
Jalen Beeks did not have such a good AFL debut. In his lone outing of the week, he allowed two runs and five hits over the course of two innings. Giving up runs is not a good thing, but there were no walks to go along with three strikeouts.
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Jamie Callahan, who is also pitching out of the bullpen in Arizona, threw two scoreless frames, one in each appearance. He allowed two hits in each, walking none and striking out one batter during his two appearances.
Stay tuned to BoSoxInjection for your AFL coverage each week until mid-November.