Red Sox Prospect Watch: Streaking players take the weekly spotlight
The Boston Red Sox minor league system was highlighted by some scalding hot prospects this week. Who took charge and rose their stocks?
A lot is changing for the Boston Red Sox at the moment. The Hanley Ramirez news shook things around quite drastically. While the move was unexpected, it has some positive repercussions for the younger players on the team.
One of the biggest changes could go to Blake Swihart. While he isn’t in the minor leagues, the extremely minimal playing time this year might confuse some non-Red Sox fans into thinking he is. Now that Ramirez is out of the picture, more time could become available to the utility-man.
Outside of the Major League roster, things are changing as well. This frees up first base a little bit in the future. Giving players like Sam Travis a chance to see the big leagues again maybe a little sooner than expected. The log-jam certainly has cleared up a little for him.
First base isn’t the only position that had something effect it this week. Bobby Poyner was sent back down to the minors. This has nothing to do with how he played though. Steven Wright was activated not too long ago. Then Hector Velazquez made his way back from the disabled list as well.
Moves had to be made to make room for the two, and Poyner (as one of the few with options left) drew the short-stick.
Due to that, Poyner’s spot on the top-30 prospect list is safe. This means that (barring something crazy) no one will be finding their way into the group by next week.
There’s still plenty to talk about though, as some players got hot since the last installment. So let’s jump right in.
Rusney Castillo is actually “cold” right now. He’s down to .293 on the year. The outfielder does lead the Pawtucket Red Sox in that category though. He also leads the team in doubles (14) and runs batted in (21). Meanwhile, he’s first on the team in steals (5) and second in runs scored (18).
*Shakes fist angrily to the sky* That contract though!
Tzu-Wei Lin is turning things around in Triple-A at the moment. He’s up to .240 after back-to-back two-hit games. The shortstop had a three-hit game this week as well. It’s great to see him hitting. His defense is so special it would be a shame if Lin’s career didn’t get going too much due to poor offensive numbers.
Sam Travis has seen his average dip again this week (down to .225). While that dropped though, he raised a few numbers. The first baseman entered the week with two home runs and doubled that. He’s now up to four on the year, meanwhile his five RBI this week boosted that number up to 15. Hopefully, the uptick in power can help him turn his season around. There’s still plenty of reasons to believe he could be a very useful major leaguer.
Robby Scott has a 1.53 earned run average and 27 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings on the season. He also has a 0.91 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) and opponents are hitting .172 against him. The 28-year-old left-hander is proving he deserves another shot in the Majors. An abundance of relief pitchers is holding him back though.
Jalen Beeks is also trying to get a chance in the Majors. This would be his first time up though. The left-hander has a 2.74 ERA over nine starts. He’s posted a 1.03 WHIP and opponents are hitting .203 against him. Meanwhile, he’s already racked up 73 strikeouts in just 49 1/3 innings. Barring injury, he’ll get his first call-up at some point this season.
Tony Renda is hitting in Double-A. The 27-year-old has a .367/.444/.544 slash line with eight doubles and two home runs on the season. While he doesn’t have many RBI (10), he’s scored 16 times and stolen three bases. That’s all in 22 games by the way (79 at-bats).
Jantzen Witte is also having a great time with the Portland Sea Dogs. After slashing .217/.321/.370 in 13 Triple-A games, the 28-year-old has a .359/.447/.656 slash line in 17 games in Double-A this season. Witte has four home runs and 20 RBI in that short stretch.
The hottest hitter for Portland has to be Josh Ockimey though. Ockimey was hitting .231 a week ago. A fantastic stretch has risen that number an incredible .040 point up to .271 though. The first baseman has eight doubles and five home runs to go along with that average as well. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 20 runs and scored 15 more in 37 games.
Jhon Nunez is back in the lineup, and still putting together a strong season. The catcher is slashing .277/.353/.356 between Advanced-A and Double-A this year. He’s combined for six doubles and one triple while stealing five bases in five attempts. The switch-hitter also has 16 RBI and 13 runs scored in 31 games.
Danny Mars is hitting .227 but leads the team with five steals and nine doubles. He hit .293 in 2016 and .304 last season (in Double-A). Due to that, there’s no reason to believe he won’t right the ship.
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Chad De La Guerra is holding on to a .321/.402/.481 slash line in Double-A. In 19 games with Portland he has six extra-base hits (three home runs) and two steals to go along with 14 RBI and 15 runs scored.
Guess what Teddy Stankiewicz did this week? He lowered his ERA again.
The 24-year-old went seven strong innings (two earned runs) and struck out seven batters to earn a win in his only appearance over the week. He now has a 4.99 ERA and 4-4 record on the year. It’s extremely encouraging to see the right-hander pitch so consistently well despite a rough start to the season.
Mike Shawaryn also lowered his ERA for the second straight start. The 23-year-old allowed two earned runs over five innings to drop his ERA to 3.75. He’s posted that over 50 1/3 innings, recording a 1.17 WHIP with it as well.
Speaking of lowering your ERA, Kyle Hart has done so ridiculously fast. The 25-year-old has turned in some phenomenal starts lately. His most recent start was the best of his season, going eight innings while allowing just one earned run. In doing so, his ERA on the year dropped to 3.22.
Bobby Dalbec leads the Salem Red Sox in plenty of categories despite his .208 batting average. The third baseman’s 11 doubles and nine home runs both top the team. As do his 30 RBI. He also has 24 runs scored and one steal on the year.
Dalbec has a bit of a strikeout problem (62 in 154 at-bats). The good news though is he went 1-for-2 with two walks and zero Ks last game. That broke an eight-game stretch in which the 22-year-old struck out at least once.
Speaking of leading the team in a few categories – Santiago Espinal holds the team lead in triples (3) and runs scored (32). The shortstop has seven doubles and six home runs as well and has driven in 24 runs while stealing five bases. He holds a .297/.360/.494 on the season. Advanced-A might not get the pleasure of seeing Espinal much longer.
Another candidate for a promotion is C.J. Chatham. After a strong start in Full-A, the shortstop has been even better in Advanced-A. He’s slashing .313/.353/.453 in 16 games. Over 64 at-bats he has three doubles and two home runs while driving in 10 runs and scoring seven more. The 23-year-old could fly up the minor league ladder.
Brett Netzer is slashing .281/.339/.365. The last week has seen his average dip, but he’s still having a very impressive season. Not only did he hit his first career home run this year, but he’s now got his first career triple as well. The second baseman’s driven in 22 runs and scored 15 more.
Tyler Hill leads the team with 10 steals. Meanwhile, he’s hitting .243 and has 28 runs scored as well. His speed could lead to a solid career.
Roldani Baldwin is down to .240 but has five home runs on the year. The catcher could help turn around a position that has very little depth in the minors.
Bryan Mata has a 3.52 ERA on the season, helping the 19-year-old to a 3-2 record. His 27 walks over 30 2/3 innings is a little problematic, but there’s very little else to worry about. Mata has impressive potential.
Roniel Raudes isn’t much older than Mata. The 20-year-old’s also having a strong season. He has a 2-4 record, but a 3.68 ERA. Opponents are hitting .287 against him, but he’s been able to limit the damage. While the average is high, it’s good to see he can work out of tough situations.
Daniel Gonzalez meanwhile is being overlooked due to those two. He holds a 3.22 ERA, leading him to a 5-0 record and 2-for-2 in save opportunities. The 22-year-old has 44 strikeouts over 36 1/3 innings, walking just nine.
Victor Acosta has seen his batting average dip heavily over the last week. He still has a .301/.336/.459 slash line though. With it, he’s hit four home runs and driven in 14 runs over 133 at-bats.
Lorenzo Cedrola has been on-fire though. The 20-year-old has a .337 average on the season. He’s hit three triples while stealing three bases and scoring 12 times.
Denyi Reyes threw an absolute gem in his start on Sunday. The 21-year-old went nine shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out eight batters. All that has helped his impressive season look even better.
The right-hander has a 4-3 record on the season, posting a 2.26 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Meanwhile, opponents are hitting just .216 against him. In 59 2/3 innings, he has 65 strikeouts compared to just six walks.
Let me say that again, he has 65 strikeouts compared to six walks over 59 2/3 innings. That’s ridiculous for anyone, let alone a 21-year-old in his first season in Full-A baseball.
Reyes is a prime candidate to get a promotion in the near future.
Kutter Crawford is also enjoying an absolutely fantastic season. The 22-year-old right-hander has a 1.70 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the year, while opponents hit .216 against him. In 47 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 61 and walked 13.
Speaking of promotions, Crawford is in line for one as well. It’s hard to envision a scenario where both of these pitchers end the year in Full-A with the Greenville Drive.
Marcos Lantigua might not be having a season as fantastic as the two above, but he’s still been impressive. It’s the other two (as well as the recently promoted Enmanuel De Jesus) that have led to him flying under the radar.
Next: Prospect Watch: More changes could be coming to top-30
Lantigua has a 3.48 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 13 appearances this season. The 22-year-old right-hander doesn’t rack up the strikeouts (22 in 31 innings) but he stays out of trouble, having walked just six batters so far.