Red Sox Prospect Watch: More changes could be coming to top-30
The Boston Red Sox top-30 prospect list has already seen changes this season. Even more could be coming soon though, making things much more interesting.
Bobby Poyner is pretty good at this whole pitching thing. The left-handed reliever threw a scoreless inning on Sunday for the Boston Red Sox. That lowered his earned run average to 1.86 over 9 2/3 Major League innings. He’s earned his spot on the big league roster, which means he’s getting closer and closer to losing prospect status.
Not long ago, Tzu-Wei Lin dropped his prospect status too. That meant there was an open spot on the Red Sox top-30 prospect list and it went to catcher Roldani Baldwin. Poyner is currently Boston’s No. 23 prospect.
Again, this shows that their minor league system isn’t nearly as bad as everyone pretends it is, but I won’t get into that right now.
Once Poyner graduates from prospect status, his spot will be open as well, and there are plenty of worthy candidates. Baldwin’s fellow catcher Jhon Nunez could steal the spot, as could shortstop Santiago Espinal. Victor Acosta and Michael Osinski are making strong cases as well.
Then there are the two original clients to my Paul Heyman ways, Danny Mars and Dedgar Jimenez.
Of course, there’s plenty of other options as well. Whoever gets the spot, it will be exciting to see more movement in the Red Sox organization, as someone else is granted some of the spotlight.
For now, Poyner still holds the spot and all we can do is speculate. Due to that, there’s no reason to worry too much about it.
With that in mind, let’s jump right into this week’s recap as we head to Pawtucket.
We’ll start with a quick update on someone who couldn’t be further from prospect status. Dustin Pedroia‘s still in Triple-A trying to make his way back from injury. He’s run into some bad luck with the weather though, which has prevented him from playing much. Even when the Pawtucket Red Sox do play, the conditions haven’t been the best, leading to Pedroia sitting out. He’s still expected back in the Majors relatively soon.
Obligatory Rusney Castillo paragraph to start the Triple-A segment up next. Although he’s hit a lull, Castillo’s numbers are nothing to scoff at. He leads the team in average (.297) and doubles (11) as well as runs batted in (18) and steals (5).
I’m a massive Jackie Bradley Jr. supporter and believe he’ll figure it out at the plate. That being said, he should consider himself lucky that Castillo’s contract is keeping him in Triple-A.
From Castillo, we’ll move to Jalen Beeks. Surprise! He’s still the best pitcher in the International League.
The left-hander suffered through his worst start of the year on Monday when he gave up a whole three earned runs in six innings. That’s legitimately his worst start this year.
The 24-year-old has a 2.28 ERA and 0.99 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) on the season. He also has 65 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings, while opponents are hitting .205 against him.
Sam Travis is in a massive slump at the moment. Over his last 10 games, the first baseman is hitting .083 (3-for-36). On the year, he holds a .231/.297/.341 slash line.
Aneury Tavarez has struggled so far too. The 26-year-old has a .234/.291/.352 line, but does have five steals and 15 RBI to sweeten the pot.
Tzu-Wei Lin has been ice cold since being sent down to Triple-A and Cole Sturgeon has faltered since being promoted to the level. Lin has a .200 average in the minors, and just four runs scored in 12 games.
Sturgeon meanwhile, is 3-for-18 with two doubles and two RBI in Triple-A. The good news is two of those hits (both doubles) and his two RBI all came on Monday, so maybe he’s gotten acclimated to the scene.
Ty Buttrey continues to lower his ERA. He’s dropped it to 3.18 and has 30 strikeouts over 17 innings. Opponents are hitting .225 against the left-hander this season.
Austin Maddox and Hector Velazquez are both working their way back from injuries as well. Maddox has thrown two scoreless innings so far, while Velazquez threw his first inning (a perfect effort) on Monday.
A quick note to start Double-A: Esteban Quiroz is still on the disabled list, so once again his stats haven’t changed.
Someone who has seen some major changes is Nick Lovullo. He entered May 10 hitting .073 but enjoyed a seven-game hitting streak that was snapped on Sunday. The son of Torey went 9-for-27 with two doubles in that stretch, raising his .176. After a 0-for-3 on Sunday, it’s down to .169. While that’s still not good, it’s a massive step in the right direction.
Catcher Austin Rei has been hitting better as well. His average is up to .200, and he smacked his first two home runs of the year this week. The .200 average is low but his .340 on-base percentage is strong. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to improve year-to-year. His offensive numbers have never been great, but he keeps getting better. Last season saw him hit .223, but he roped 30 doubles.
His partner in crime behind the plate, Jhon Nunez, is riding a small hitting-streak of his own. He currently holds a .265/.345/.388 slash line since moving to Portland. The 23-year-old is becoming an increasingly intriguing prospect, as he has 14 runs batted in and five steals between Double-A and Advanced-A this season.
Then there’s Chad De La Guerra. DLG has completely turned his season around since being sent down to Double-A.
In Triple-A, the infielder held a .137 average. In Double-A, he’s slashing .407/.484/.648 with two doubles and one triple, as well as three home runs. He’s already driven in 13 runs and scored 11 more in just 13 games for Portland. Meanwhile, he’s 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts between the two leagues.
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Danny Mars continues to make steady improvements at the plate. He’s now up to a .238 average and leads the active roster in doubles (8) and steals (5). His 19 runs scored are second only to Tate Matheny‘s 22. Mars is 7-for-19 (.368) since May 16 – expect his average to keep climbing.
Moving on to pitching as Travis Lakins continues to look strong coming back from injury. He has a 3.21 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 14 innings.
Matthew Kent is apparently human. The 25-year-old allowed four earned runs over six innings (still solid) to balloon his ERA to 2.16 over 25 innings.
Meanwhile, Dedgar Jimenez has struggled. He’s allowed nine earned runs over his last two starts (9 1/3 innings) which has raised his ERA in Double-A to 5.77. That being said, he looked great in his May 15 start until the sixth inning, when he ran out of gas.
I could get used to this though – Teddy Stankiewicz lowered his ERA again this week. He threw 6 1/3 shutout innings, and now has a 5.40 ERA on the year. Just six starts ago he held a 14.04 ERA.
Mike Shawaryn also lowered his ERA this week. On May 14 he had his worst start of the year, allowing seven earned runs over five innings. On May 19 though, the right-hander yielded just one earned run over six innings, dropping his ERA from 4.12 to 3.77. Opponents are hitting .232 against him in 45 1/3 innings.
Brett Netzer is now riding a nine-game hitting streak for the Advanced-A Salem Red Sox. He’s slashing .297/.353/.384 and has 18 RBI on the year. The second baseman doesn’t hit for power (one career home run) but has elite contact and could still drive runs in at a nice clip.
C.J. Chatham quickly got over his slow start in Advanced-A. After being called up, the 23-year-old started 2-for-13. He’s raised that average up to .314 and hit his first home run of the year. Finally healthy, he’s showing just how good he can be. More promotions could be coming his way in 2018.
Santiago Espinal continues to hit as well. Also 23, he boasts a .310/.368/.524 slash line with 23 RBI and 32 runs scored. He’s amassed 16 extra-base hits (six home runs) and has five steals on the year. As mentioned before, he’s a prime top-30 prospect candidate when Poyner graduates.
Roldani Baldwin is down to a .250 average but has also played in just two games since May 9. Now that he’s healthy, the catcher has a chance to improve his numbers fast.
Bobby Dalbec has raised his average over .200 (.209) and still hits the ball hard and drives in runs. The third baseman has 11 doubles and eight home runs on the year, leading both categories for Salem. He also holds the team lead in RBI with 26. Meanwhile, he has 21 runs scored and is one-for-one on steal attempts.
Tyler Hill has a solid slash line of .252/.373/.345 on the year. The 22-year-old’s main attraction is on the base paths though, as he already has 10 steals. Boston doesn’t have tons of speed in the minors, but Hill and Cole Brannen give them two elite-level speedsters.
Tanner Houck is the Red Sox number three prospect, but he’s struggled in Advanced-A so far this year. The right-hander holds a 5.25 ERA and 2-5 record at the moment. The main problem for the 21-year-old has been walks (25 in 36 innings) but that’s something that can be ironed out over time. Bright side – his start on Monday (six innings, one earned run) was one of his better starts on the year.
Darwinzon Hernandez sits at number seven on Boston’s prospect rankings. He’s also not struggling as bad (4.45 ERA) but walks are still a problem. The left-handed 21-year-old has allowed 24 walks over 28 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 32 and is holding opponents to a .192 batting average, so there’s plenty to build off of.
Daniel Gonzalez meanwhile has been fantastic to this point. The 22-year-old right-hander has a 5-0 record and is 2-for-2 in save opportunities to go along with a 3.24 ERA. He’s only walked nine batters over 33 1/3 innings while striking out 43.
Both Bryan Mata and Roniel Raudes weren’t in action over the last week.
Want to know why I don’t listen to prospect rankings?
21-year-old Victor Acosta has a .339/.381/.505 slash line for the Full-A Greenville Drive. This coming off a season where he slashed .310/.368/.419 between Short-A and Advanced-A.
He’s not on the Red Sox top-30 prospects list. You know, the organization that everyone keeps saying has one of the worst prospect groups.
Lorenzo Cedrola has a .333 batting average this year, and in just 81 at-bats has three triples. The 20-year-old has good speed potential (three steals so far) and could develop into a nice all-around player. Although, don’t expect too many home runs from him.
Michael Osinski is finally back! After going 0-for-4 in his return, the third baseman went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored on Monday. He’s slashing .299/.373/.403 on the year.
Kevin Suarez is hitting .267 on the year with 14 RBI and 23 runs scored. Those are pretty solid numbers for a 19-year-old. You can upgrade those to great numbers though considering the switch-hitting second baseman has eight steals to go along with them.
Marcos Lantigua and Kutter Crawford have both yet to pick up a win this season. Lantigua is 0-4 but has a 2.81 ERA; while Crawford is 0-2, but has a 1.94 ERA. Crawford also has an impressive 52 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings.
Denyi Reyes hasn’t had too much trouble winning (3-3). His numbers are highlighted by a 2.76 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Opponents are hitting .236 against the 21-year-old this season. Meanwhile, the right-hander has 50 strikeouts (compared to five walks) over 45 2/3 innings.
Enmanuel De Jesus continues his strong season as well. The 21-year-old is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA and 0.87 WHIP on the year. Opponents are hitting .179 against the left-hander – who has 31 strikeouts (again compared to five walks) over 23 innings.
Next: Prospect Watch: Beeks continued dominance highlights week
Cole Brannen was sent down to Short-A Lowell due to his slow start (.157 average). The speed is there though (nine steals) so some time working on his swing could make him extremely dangerous. Lowell’s season hasn’t started yet though.