Boston Red Sox: The Spring Training prospect stocks ups-and-downs
This spring training has featured plenty of prospects for the Boston Red Sox. Has March been kind to their stocks, or has it buried them?
As we hit the middle of March, it’s that part of spring training when prospects start to leave the big league camp. With that in mind, it seems like a good time to consider which Boston Red Sox prospects have helped their stock this spring, and who’s hurt it.
Not everyone saw their stock jump or drop though. Some players did what was expected of them or brought something different to the table. Whatever they did though, it’s hard to say they changed their paths too much. Those players will get mentioned too.
At the same time, some players saw a spike or decline in their stock without even putting their performance into consideration. Roster moves and injuries come into play as well, and could hurt or help plenty of prospects. For the Red Sox, that’s definitely been the case so far this year, and it will reflect in the stocks.
Just a quick disclaimer. I’m only going to talk about prospects who threw more than one inning or recorded at least four plate appearances this spring. Therefore, top prospect Michael Chavis isn’t going to be featured.
Also, we’re only talking true prospects – that means someone like Blake Swihart isn’t getting mentioned either. That being said, I feel it’s clearly obvious that his stock has risen exponentially to this point.
That’s right, it’s time to play some “Mad Money”, Boston Red Sox edition.
*Subject to change*
Stock Falling
I like to start with the bad news and end on a positive note. Due to that, we’re going to start with the players who saw a decline in stock so far this March.
Chandler Shepherd entered 2017 coming off a strong 2016 and a solid MiLB career to that point. In Triple-A he posted a career-worst 4.07 earned run average though. After looking untouchable the year before, he appeared hittable in last season. The reliever could erase all doubt with a strong spring though.
Instead, the reliever allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits in just three innings. That’s a small sample size, but a .556 batting average against doesn’t help anyone. The 25-year-old still has a bright future and could factor into the bullpen at some point. Right now though, it appears there’s still work to be done.
This one hurts because it wasn’t really his fault, but Josh Ockimey sees a downtick in his stock as well. The 22-year-old only had five at-bats (0-for-5) but as someone who rates out as a designated hitter, the arrival of J.D. Martinez doesn’t help.
Ockimey is still one of the best raw-power prospects in the Red Sox organization. Add on the fact that he’s a left-handed bat and there’s a lot to like, especially coming off his best season in the minors.
Martinez is now the Red Sox DH for the next few seasons though. Ockimey has improved defensively at first base, but still needs to take some steps. Nevertheless, his bat could be extremely useful in the future. Again, it should be reiterated that Ockimey’s stock falling isn’t really his fault.
Stock Rising (Hitters)
The good news for the Red Sox, is that there were a lot more rising stocks than falling stocks this spring.
While the pitchers saw the brunt of the rising stocks, two hitters did manage their way up the ladder at least a little bit.
First we have Danny Mars. I know what you’re thinking; big surprise, I found a way to mention Mars in an article. Now, he did only get four at-bats going 1-for-4 with a triple (he hits a lot of those) and two runs scored. It wasn’t so much Mars as the state of the Red Sox outfield that helped him though.
Following the Martinez signing, the Red Sox traded Bryce Brentz. That leaves Boston with four outfielders on their 40-man roster. Martinez (who will be used mainly as a DH) as well as Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi in the corners, with Jackie Bradley Jr. in center.
After those four on the 40-man roster, the options are thin. There’s Rusney Castillo, but his contract is probably keeping him in the minors barring a massive emergency.
More from Red Sox Prospects
- Predicting top Red Sox outfield prospect Ceddanne Rafaela’s timeline to the majors
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- Red Sox risk repeating rookie mistake with Eric Hosmer release
- Red Sox invited group of players you’ve probably never heard of to Spring Training
- Jeter Downs’ official departure will continue to haunt Red Sox
Aneury Tavarez is semi-intriguing, and Jeremy Barfield showed plenty of pop last season (not crazy amounts before that though). While those two are solid names, if that’s the state of the Boston outfield depth, Mars’ stock isn’t just rising, it’s flying.
Chad De La Guerra on the other hand, rose his stock with plenty of at-bats. The infielder is benefitting from an infield that could be losing a few names due to roster restrictions, but his bat definitely helped this spring as well.
De La Guerra can play multiple positions in the field, and is coming off a career-year in the minors. He followed it up with a 6-for-21 (.286) showing this spring that included a home run and three runs batted in.
The Red Sox will likely be losing Deven Marrero or Brock Holt soon. Sure Holt has a minor league option, but that might not go over well. Either way, the utility depth might be one man shorter soon. With that in mind, and a strong spring, De La Guerra should find a spotlight on himself in the minors this season.
Rising Stock (Pitchers)
Wow, a lot of pitchers helped themselves so far this March.
Kyle Hart and Trey Ball both threw three scoreless innings to this point. While Hart is coming off a superb year, Ball saw his ERA rise by 1.43 last season (5.27). Nevertheless, both showed something this spring.
Hart struck out four while walking one and allowing no hits over his three innings. He also picked up a save in his only opportunity.
Ball meanwhile, walked three and allowed one hit, but still refused a run from scoring. He struck out one and if nothing else showed flashes of the brilliance that caused him to be a first round pick.
Bobby Poyner was stupid dominant last season. In 60 1/3 innings between Advanced-A and Double-A he posted a 1.49 ERA and 0.93 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP). This March, Poyner has tossed seven innings, allowing one run (1.29 ERA). His WHIP sits at 0.43 and the 25-year-old lefty could eventually find his way into the Major League bullpen this spring.
Finally, there’s Ty Buttrey and Teddy Stankiewicz. Both there 4 2/3 innings, and both hold a 1.93 ERA in that time.
Buttrey did so over four appearances, posting a 1.93 WHIP as well, while striking out two. This is coming off an up-and-down year for the 24-year-old and is a great way to start a new season.
Stankiewicz on the other hand needed just three appearances to hit those innings. He posted a 1.29 WHIP and struck out three in the process. The 24-year-old is coming off an odd season that saw most of his numbers take a hit, but some improving as well. If he wants to re-establish himself as a promising pitching prospect, this was a fantastic first step.
Stock Standstill
Not everyone saw their stocks fluctuate this spring. Some didn’t do anything drastic enough to change anything.
Sam Travis takes a hit with the Martinez signing, but he’s a first baseman anyways. While his defense isn’t spectacular, it’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination. The simple reason he’s not a DH though is that he doesn’t have the power to put him in that spot full-time.
Travis is hitting .238 this spring but is actually flashing that limited power pretty spectacularly so far. He’s hit four doubles and three home runs, while driving in a team-high nine RBI (tied with Swihart). He’s still one of the first to be called up should something happen though, nothing’s really changed here.
Then there’s Tzu-Wei Lin. His stock is in a weird place because the Red Sox could be losing a lot of middle-infield help thanks to roster restrictions. His 4-for-27 spring hasn’t been friendly to him though.
In the end, Lin is a plus-defender with speed on the base paths. That’s enough to hold off a bad spring for the time being, especially if the utility depth is shrinking.
Finally, there’s Jalen Beeks. The left-handed pitcher is coming off a career-year that saw him dominate in Double-A and look strong in Triple-A. Due to that, the 24-year-old came into spring seen as someone who might not be that far off, but still needed some time to grow.
That’s exactly what his spring has looked like too. In two starts, Beeks has thrown 5 1/3 innings. In that time, he’s posted a 5.06 ERA and already allowed five walks compared to four strikeouts. He boasts a .211 BAA though, and has allowed just one extra-base hit.
So there’s potential there, and he’s clearly getting close to MLB-ready, but Beeks still has a little building to do. Basically, what we already knew.
Next: Red Sox: Predicting the 2018 Opening Day 25-man roster
There’s still plenty of time this spring for the storylines to change. At the time though, it’s hard for the Red Sox not to be happy with the overall performance of their prospects. It should be fun watching them grow this season, and seeing how those stocks move around some more.