Red Sox Prospect Watch: First week of Spring Training
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.
Andrew Benintendi
Andrew Benintendi (aka Benny Baseball) has not started Spring Training in the best way. It took Benny until Tuesday against the Yankees to get his first hit of the spring. But, again this is only Spring Training. He is in no danger of losing the Left Fielder starting job.
And if one positive has come out of JetBlue Park so far, it is the budding relationship between Benintendi and Brock Holt. These teammates have been posting all over social media, even naming their friendship the #FlowBros. Fellow prankster on the team, Robbie Ross Jr., even caught them dancing in the weight room.
Now while there is no direct correlation between a budding bromance and success on the field, this has to be a great sign for Red Sox Nation. The team chemistry these two guys have is insane, and clearly Benintendi is loved by his fellow teammates. Also, last year it came out that Dustin Pedroia took in Benintendi when he got called up. Why? Pedroia figured Benintendi could save the extra cash for the month he was going to be in the bigs.
In all seriousness, this is awesome to see. Benintendi clearly is a great talent for this team, and is gelling with other members of the team. And with talks that Farrell might be moving him up to 2nd in the lineup, he clearly is a big factor in the success of this offense. And with the departure of David Ortiz, there are going to be new contributors that have to step up.
Hitters
The first week of Spring Training is the biggest week of overreactions in the entire baseball season. Keeping with that theme, let us look at some of the prospects that have been playing since Thursday.
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Marco Hernandez is hoping to ride the wave of super-utility players into a possible roster spot. At the very least, Hernandez seems like the first player to get the call from Pawtucket if/when an injury happens. While Hernandez has the ability to make the Opening Day roster, it is highly unlikely due to Brock Holt. There usually is only one bench spot for a utility player.
The other player who is trying to fight to make the Opening Day roster is Deven Marrero. The former 1st round pick has had ups and downs in his time in the farm system. Now, Marrero is trying to branch out from his natural position of shortstop. He has played second base, third base, and the outfield.
Marrero, in a very limited time, has been one of the best players this spring. He is hitting .750 (3 for 4) and was able to work a walk in one of his plate appearances. Hopefully he can take this early success and parlay it into a breakout spring.
Marrero is a player who realistically will never be a regular player for the Boston Red Sox. He has shown that he is not able to be a consistent offensive force. Marrero has the ability to be a plus defender, but he is pretty much blocked at every possible position. Dustin Pedroia will spend the rest of his career in Boston at second base. Xander Bogaerts should be playing at shortstop for the next decade at Fenway. And Rafael Devers seems to be the heir-apparent to take over third base, provided Pablo Sandoval doesn’t somehow do well this year.
Pitchers
Pitching is a very fluid discussion for this current roster. Obviously when your rotation features Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, and David Price, starting pitching is not a big concern. Even with the debate on who takes the last two spots, there is not a panic to “fix” this rotation.
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With that being said, there is a concern about the bullpen. Carson Smith is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and will probably be ready to come back around the All-Star Break. That leaves Craig Kimbrel and Tyler Thornburg as the main pieces of the bullpen.
Here is where it gets interesting. Someone like Robby Scott could use a great spring into a full-time role in Boston out of the pen. Scott, who made his MLB debut in Oakland last September, is entering his age 28 season. He has allowed a hit and no runs in two innings pitched. With the bullpen only having two lefties currently (if Drew Pomeranz is in the bullpen), Scott could find his way into Boston’s 2017 plans.
Brian Johnson is another name who many people were excited to see if he could replicate his 2015 success. Currently, he is exhibiting more of his 2016 struggles. Johnson has a 6+ ERA in roughly 5 innings pitched. While he has struck out 7 batters, he has also walked 4 batters. For someone who is in a very good position to try and be the first started called up from Pawtucket, Johnson has not taken advantage of his opportunity.
Non-Roster Invitees
Ah, the most interesting part of Spring Training: Non-Roster Invitees. These are the players who are not a part of the 40-man roster for whatever reason. Usually, these players are either guys who sign minor-league deals to break into camp with a major league club. The other group are prospects who are not ready to be in the majors.
For the sake of the argument, we are only going to be looking at the latter. First up is Sam Travis. Travis is the reason why the Red Sox did not pursue a long-term option at first base. So far, Travis is proving the front office that made the right choice.
In his first game since tearing his ACL in May, he belted a homerun against Northeastern University. On Tuesday, he took the Yankees’ highly regarded prospect Justus Sheffield deep. Travis is showing that he has some power in his swing, and has been playing well at first.
Travis has also been practicing at third base, which leads me to believe Pablo Sandoval might not have as long of a leash as he perceives. If Panda falters mightily by the end of May, Travis might be replacing the $95 million man at the hot corner.
This leads me to the other big NRI: Rafael Devers. The 20 year-old third baseman is scheduled to start the season in double-A Portland. Whether or not Sandoval has a good year this year, it is clear that Devers is the future at the hot corner. Hitting 1 for 5 so far, Devers is showing some of his boom or bust offensive game.
Next: Swihart getting comfortable behind plate
Having Sam Travis get experience at third base is the best of both worlds. Do not rush Devers, Dombrowski kept him out of the Chris Sale trade for a reason. And with Pablo having virtually no competition at third, this could open the door for Travis.