Hitters
While Benintendi is the flashy name, there are a couple hitters that could make a name for themselves this year in the minors. Â 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. Â Xander Bogaerts should be playing at short in Boston for the next 10 years. Â Also, Dustin Pedroia seems to have at least 4-6 years left in his game.
So what does that mean for Hernandez? Â Well, he is with the major league team now in Fort Myers. Â Last season, Pablo Sandoval played all of three games before he had season-ending shoulder surgery.
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Now, I think it is highly unlikely that Sandoval gets hurt for the whole season again this year. Â But, the Red Sox did trade virtually all of his competition away. Â 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. Â He has shown a real struggle with his offensive production, both at the AAA and MLB level. Â But, Marrero is known for his wizardry on the defensive side. Â 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. Â 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.
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