Boston Red Sox: The Spring Training prospect stocks ups-and-downs

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.