Red Sox Prospect Watch: Production from young players
This week on the Red Sox Prospect Watch, we take a look at some young players who are playing like grizzled veterans.
Over the past two weeks, the Boston Red Sox have had prospect fever. One top 10 prospect was called up last Tuesday, and got two hits in his MLB debut. And over the weekend, another top 10 prospect got the call to the big leagues. In only his 3rd start, he was able to do something that hasn’t happened since 1998.
With the woes of this current pitching staff, it was unequivocally the best performance by a pitcher for Boston this year. But, this player has not even had the best season of any prospect in the system. That would go to a young player in Class-A.
It is no secret that the Red Sox are on a current hot streak. It seems like many of the questions of the team have suddenly been answered in a week. The pitching has gotten a lot better. The offense has come back to life. The defense has become much better. Suddenly, it does not seem like the Red Sox are going to be aggressive buyers at the deadline.
Now, that does not rule out a trade being made at the deadline. Even if Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith come back healthy, there is a clear need in the bullpen. That would be a lefty specialist. Robby Scott has not been great, and it seems Boston’s front office want to keep Robbie Ross in Pawtucket.
But, to start this week’s slideshow, we have to look at the man who got the call to Boston this past weekend, and proceeded to make history.
Boston Red Sox
As mentioned earlier, Sam Travis was called up last week to make his MLB debut. The third best prospect in the system, he was able to get two hits in his debut. While having Travis on the MLB roster is exciting, it pales in comparison to what happened on Saturday at Fenway.
The fifth spot in the rotation has been somewhat lacking in the absence of David Price. Enter the 10th best prospect for Boston, Brian Johnson. The former first round draft pick made only his third start at the MLB level, and his first at Fenway. And he made a hell of a first impression on the Fenway Faithful.
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Johnson was able to pitch a complete game shutout against the Seattle Mariners. The last person to pitch a complete game shutout in their Fenway debut? None other than Pedro Martinez. Clearly, Johnson’s performance is held in high regard.
If you don’t know the backstory about Johnson, here is a quick recap. He has battled through multiple injuries in his professional career, including getting hit with three separate comeback line drives. Also, he had a Tommy John scare, and missed the first two months of 2016 with depression and anxiety.
But, Saturday was not all smiles and roses for Johnson. It was well-known that Johnson was only up to make a spot start with David Price’s DL activation on the horizon. The same day that Johnson pitched a complete game shutout in the major leagues, he was sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket. The good news is that if anything happens to the rotation, it will now be Johnson who gets the first shot.
Pawtucket Red Sox
With Pawtucket losing its best pitcher and hitter to Boston’s roster over the past week, the pickings were slim. But, after combing through everything, there is something who deserves praise for the season he has had in Pawtucket.
Marcus Walden is not a name that many Red Sox fans would know. Walden is a 28 year-old pitcher who has never pitched in the majors. He started his career with the Blue Jays, and has spent time in the minors with the Athletics, Reds, and Twins. This is Walden’s first season in the Red Sox organization, and so far he has pitched very well.
Walden has been a jack of all trades in Pawtucket, starting 6 of the 9 games he has appeared in. And during his time on the mound, he has been very efficient. Marcus Walden currently sports a 2.31 ERA in 35 innings pitched this year. Also, he has kept the balls in the yard by only giving up 1 home run all season.
Obviously, Walden is not a key piece of the future of the Boston Red Sox. He is a journeyman who might never pitch an inning at the major league level. Remember, just last year he was playing independent ball.
But, if Walden was ever able to make the majors, it would be a story that happens once in a while in baseball. When it does, it truly shows how hard it takes to make the show. Personally, I’ll be rooting for Marcus Walden to one day get his shot to say “I pitched in the major leagues.”
Portland Sea Dogs
This year, when the Portland Sea Dogs come into the conversation, there is one player that is always at the forefront. That would be the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox system, Rafael Devers. The 20 year-old third baseman has been the brightest spot of the farm system, living up to his high expectations.
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Rafael Devers is currently hitting .286 this season with 8 home runs and 27 RBI’s. Offensively, he has been leaps and bounds better than the rest of the roster. He leads the Sea Dogs with 80 total bases, 20 more than the next highest player.
But, there are some concerns about the defense that Devers plays. His glove has always been the weakest tool of his game, and it is showing this year. Currently, Devers leads the team with 8 errors. Obviously, errors are never something that a team wants to see, but if Devers can continue to produce at the plate, the team can live with the errors.
While Rafael Devers does have a very good slash line, he has been slumping over the past couple weeks. This isn’t a cause for concern just yet, as Devers is still a very young player. But, hopefully the slump can serve a purpose for him to learn something to try and keep his slumps to a minimum.
It seems as though the third base issues have been solved in Boston. Pablo Sandoval has returned to the team, and Deven Marrero has played exceptionally at third base. There was a very slim chance that Devers would have been called up before September anyway, but this solidifies the idea that he will spend this season in Portland.
Salem and Greenville
While Rafael Devers has been the man with the highest expectations, there is a player who currently is having arguably the best season of any prospect. Also, he might be the one prospect who is the highest rising player in the system. This praise goes to the current first baseman of the Salem Red Sox: Josh Ockimey.
The former 5th round pick of the 2014 draft, Ockimey has had an amazing season in Class-A Advanced Salem. He is currently hitting .309 with an OPS of .922 in 162 at-bats this season. You hope that a player is able to get 550-600 at-bats in a season. With Ockimey being roughly a third of the way there, you can clearly see this is not just a hot streak.
Also, Ockimey has managed to slug 7 home runs this year. With power being his best tool, Josh Ockimey is showing it off this season. Many Red Sox scouts were in love with his power during pre-draft workouts. Also, there was a report that he was hitting mammoth home runs over the Green Monster during those same workouts.
Ockimey profiles a lot like another first baseman prospect in the system: Sam Travis. Both have their bat as their best tool, and both are not viewed as plus defenders. It is clear that both players have to play first base in order to be successful.
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With the emergence at the major league level of Sam Travis, Josh Ockimey might be blocked. With that being said, he could be an integral piece of a trade. If the Red Sox wanted to acquire a starter or another reliever, Josh Ockimey would be a valuable asset to another organization.