Red Sox Prospect Watch: Positive and negative trends to look for
By Mike El-Far
Boston Red Sox
There is no arguing that the Red Sox have been hit by the injury bug this season. Before Spring Training, both Tyler Thornburg and David Price were hit with serious injuries. Recently, Drew Pomeranz left a start with triceps tightness. In the least shocking news ever, Pablo Sandoval couldn’t make it a month into the season before he ended up on the DL.
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This week, let’s focus on those two aspects. First, I have to mention the great work that Deven Marrero has done at third. With Panda, Marco Hernandez, and Brock Holt all currently on the DL, Josh Rutledge was supposed to be the guy to fill-in. But, his defensive miscues opened up the door for Marrero.
Marrero has been nothing but great defensively. For a team that at one time this year led the league in errors, his promotion is very valuable. While Marrero will be optioned to Pawtucket once Holt and Sandoval come off the DL, he is reclaiming some of the hype that surrounded him as a former 1st round pick.
Many Red Sox fans have never heard of Hector Velazquez. The 28-year old spent the last 7 seasons playing professionally in his home country of Mexico. He signed a professional contract with the Red Sox in the spring, and has been lights out in Pawtucket. Velazquez has 1.55 ERA in 29 innings this year. Also, his strikeout to walk ratio is a very impressive 4:1.
While Velazquez should not spend a lot of time this year, hopefully he is able to string together an impressive start. He should be viewed as a low-risk, high-reward type. If he is unable to effectively pitch at the MLB level, he will cost Boston next to nothing. If he pitches well, he could be an effective back-end of the rotation piece.