Red Sox Prospect Watch: Stars of the Future
Prospect Watch: A season-long series that focuses on the farm system of the Boston Red Sox.
Every Wednesday, Prospect Watch will be released. While some other writers will focus on what’s happening at Fenway, I decided to take a different route. One of my favorite parts of baseball is the development of prospects into players. Because of that, I will cover the Boston Red Sox prospects and what they are doing on a week to week basis.
Coming into the 2016 season, there was no debate that the Red Sox had one of the best farm systems in baseball. After last season, Dave Dombrowski followed what he has done in previous organizations, trading top prospects for MLB-level talent.
Now, while Dombrowski did trade 4 of the top 10 prospects away, he did get some high-quality players. Mauricio Dubon, a middle infielder who showed very high upside, was dealt to Milwaukee for Tyler Thornburg.
And the trade that shook the baseball world was, of course, orchestrated by Dealin’ Davey. Chris Sale switched the color of his socks, as he left Chicago to come to Boston. But, the White Sox asked a very high price. Michael Kopech, the 5th best prospect in the system, was only part of the deal. It also included the best prospect in the system, Yoan Moncada.
Clearly, this has hurt what is left of the farm system for 2017. But, that does not mean that the farm is suddenly barren. There are some bright young players that can be an impact to this team in the future, both short-term and long-term. Included in that list is the #1 overall prospect in baseball (if only because of a technicality).
For this list, I’m going to break it up in a different way. Pitchers, Hitters, and Non-Roster Invitees will all get their own section. To start off, I’m going to focus on that aforementioned #1 prospect in baseball.
The man, the myth, the legend that is Andrew Benintendi is technically still a prospect. According to Major League Baseball, a position player exceeds rookie status when they have 130 at-bats at the major league level. Benintendi logged on 105 last season, and will lose his rookie status by the second week of the season.
But, for now he is a prospect, so let’s dive into what makes him so successful. Not long ago, Benintendi was a star outfielder at the University of Arkansas. His 2015 season was one to be remembered, as he won the Golden Spikes Award. That is the award given to the best player in college. He was able to beat out two other highly touted prospects, Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman.
He was drafted 7th by the Boston Red Sox, and many analysts proclaimed that he was “the most MLB ready position player in the draft.” Now, it is clear to see why those analysts get paid the big bucks. Benintendi moved through 4 levels of MiLB, all in a little over 12 months. Through those levels, one thing was very evident: this kid could hit the ball anywhere and everywhere.
Making his debut on August 2nd, Benintendi showcased his skills at the highest level. He was able to hit .295 in over 30 games, and showcase his defensive skills.
So what is next for Benintendi? He is entering 2017 as the everyday left fielder, and I forsee him improving on his rookie year. ZiPS is projecting his 2017 season with a .278/12/62. I think that is fair, but I do think Benintendi has the ability to hit .290+ for the whole year. At just 22, this is someone who will be a force in Boston for many years to come.
Hitters
While Benintendi is the flashy name, there are a couple hitters that could make a name for themselves this year in the minors. One of those is Marco Hernandez, who made his debut on April 17 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Hernandez, a top 10 prospect in the system according to certain rankings, is clearly blocked from having a prominent future at the middle infield positions. Xander Bogaerts should be playing at short in Boston for the next 10 years. Also, Dustin Pedroia seems to have at least 4-6 years left in his game.
So what does that mean for Hernandez? Well, he is with the major league team now in Fort Myers. Last season, Pablo Sandoval played all of three games before he had season-ending shoulder surgery.
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- Red Sox invited group of players you’ve probably never heard of to Spring Training
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Now, I think it is highly unlikely that Sandoval gets hurt for the whole season again this year. But, the Red Sox did trade virtually all of his competition away. The only person who can presumably play 3B every day and is currently projected to be on the Opening Day roster is Brock Holt.
If Hernandez is able to have a great spring, and then continue his hot streak at McCoy Stadium, there is a chance he gets the 3B job. Personally, I would be more apt to keeping Holt as the “super-utility” player while giving a player like Hernandez the job.
Another guy to keep in mind is Deven Marrero, who was the 7th ranked prospect in the system as recently as 2015. He has shown a real struggle with his offensive production, both at the AAA and MLB level. But, Marrero is known for his wizardry on the defensive side. In 2014, he won the Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Year.
While Marrero has not hit even at a league average level during his two stints in the majors, he does have potential. If someone was to go down, his defense might prove to help the team win games, and maybe he can find his offense if he has a regular role.
Pitchers
Unlike hitters, there are more pitchers that could be classified as prospects for the Red Sox. There are a couple different guys who could factor into Boston’s 2017 season if the right things happen for them.
One of the debates going into the spring is who gets the last two spots of the rotation. Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright, and Drew Pomeranz are all fighting those two spots. But what happens if two of them get hurt? Rodriguez hurt his knee this winter, and Pomeranz has had injury problems.
Enter Brian Johnson. Remember him? Just a couple years ago, it seemed that the Sox had a two-headed monster for years to come with him and Henry Owens. The Owens ship has sailed, but Johnson is a bit more intriguing.
More from Red Sox Prospects
- Predicting top Red Sox outfield prospect Ceddanne Rafaela’s timeline to the majors
- Predicting Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer’s timeline to the majors
- Red Sox risk repeating rookie mistake with Eric Hosmer release
- Red Sox invited group of players you’ve probably never heard of to Spring Training
- Jeter Downs’ official departure will continue to haunt Red Sox
In 2015, Johnson had a 2.50 ERA in 18 starts in Pawtucket. That was enough for Boston to call him up and debut against the Houston Astros. He only lasted 4.1 innings, and it came out the next day that he had pain in his UCL. Luckily, he did not need Tommy John surgery, but he missed the rest of the season.
He was not productive last year, and stayed in Pawtucket. Now while I don’t think Johnson is as good as he was in 2015, I think he is better than he was last year. At the very least, if someone needs to do a spot start, I think Johnson should get a second shot.
Some other bullpen pieces who would come up this year are guys like Luis Ysla and Kyle Martin. Ysla spent almost the entire season in Portland last year, and was an effective member of their bullpen. If someone like Carson Smith has a setback in his recovery, Ysla could be the guy that takes his spot.
Kyle Martin is someone who could as someone who comes up for a week or two. He spent all of last year in Pawtucket, and he did not have the best season. Regardless, he is someone who has two plus pitches (Fastball, Changeup) that could make bats miss in a late-inning situation.
Non-Roster Invitees
Ah, my favorite part of Spring Training. Non-Roster Invitees are players who are not on the 40-man roster who are a part of the major league camp at Spring Training. There are two big names on this list that have a bright future ahead of them in Boston.
The number 2 prospect in the Red Sox system, and soon to be #1, Rafael Devers is a NRI. The 20 year-old third baseman is hoping to gain some experience against some of the top pitchers in baseball. Devers will more than likely spend all of this year in Portland until September, when he will make his MLB debut.
Devers is known for a fluid swing that yields a great deal of power. While he is not going to be ready for the majors this year, getting some experience at Fort Myers over the next 6 weeks will help him out.
Next year, Devers has the ability to break into Boston’s roster, but it comes at a price. He is currently blocked by Pablo Sandoval, who has not had the best of times during his short Sox career. If Panda has another mediocre/terrible season, that might prompt the front office to clear the room for Devers.
The other name is Sam Travis. Travis would have most likely been the first baseman on the Opening Day roster this year, but he tore his ACL in May. The 23 year-old, who happens to be best friends with Kyle Schwarber, shares something in common with him: power.
Travis was projecting to hit around 25 home runs last season (6 in 47 G), and has the ability to drive the ball in either gap with ease. What can benefit Travis when he does come up to the majors is playing over 100 games in the AL East. These small parks are perfect for someone who might not have great power to dead center, but can get ahead of the ball and put it on Landsdowne Street.
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Travis won’t be 100% until probably April, but he should be able to get some at-bats during spring training. Like Devers, Travis should make his MLB debut in September when rosters expand. Travis was the reason that Dombrowski didn’t look for a long-term option at first this past offseason. Clearly the front office views Travis in high regard, and soon all of Red Sox Nation will.