Red Sox Prospect Watch: First week of Spring Training
By Mike El-Far
With Spring Training games finally underway for the Boston Red Sox, here is a quick update on the development of some of the top prospects.
On Thursday, February 23rd, all became right with the world. The Boston Red Sox started playing games for the first time in 2017. After the disappointing ALDS against the Cleveland Indians, Red Sox Nation has been waiting for this day.
One of the best parts about Spring Training is the spotlight is on some prospects that fall through the cracks of sports debates. Everyone knows who Andrew Benintendi is, but some other players have the chance to show scouts and fans what skills they bring to the table.
But for the prospects who are still a little while away from being called up to Boston, Spring Training can be invaluable experience against major league talent. Also, a player who makes a big splash during March could gain a roster spot in September.
With that being said, Boston is still the AL East defending champions, and they added the talents of Chris Sale and Tyler Thornburg, to name a few. So there are very limited spots for players to break into the Opening Day roster. But, if there is an injury, the front office could look into taking a player who had a good spring to be his short-term replacement.
While this might sound contradictory, I have to put in this disclaimer. Spring Training statistics are just as meaningful as All-Star game stats. Both of these are exhibition games, and player’s performances should be taken with a grain of salt.
A perfect example of this is Rick Porcello. Porcello last spring had a wonderful ERA of 9.77. Many people wondered if his 2015 struggles followed him to Fort Myers. Porcello proved all wrong on his way to winning the 2016 AL Cy Young.