Red Sox Prospect Watch: Low-A Lowell Spinners join in on the fun

Salem saw quite a few players enjoy fantastic weeks. Tyler Hill, for example, had a .219 average when I wrote the last article. He’s now hitting at a .239 clip on the season. The 22-year-old also stole four more bases this week. He has driven in 18 runs and scored 36 more, but most impressively has 17 steals on the season.

Brett Netzer saw his average jump as well, from .299 to .307. He has 15 doubles (tied for the team lead) as well as 31 RBI and 22 runs scored.

Bobby Dalbec still leads in most categories on the team. His .218 average isn’t near the top, nor are his two steals, but just about everything else is. The third baseman claims Salem’s top-spot in doubles (15) and home runs (14) as well as RBI (48). His 34 runs scored rank third for the team. The Red Sox have to be excited with his production this year.

Santiago Espinal isn’t in the top-30 prospects for the Red Sox. Don’t ask me why because there’s no logical answer with the way he’s performed in 2018. The shortstop won’t stop hitting. He holds a .310/.364/.489 slash line with 14 doubles and seven home runs, as well as a team-leading three triples. The right-handed hitter is second on the team in RBI (32) and his 48 runs scored are 12 higher than Hill’s second-place 36. Just for laughs, the 23-year-old has six steals as well.

Roldani Baldwin barely changed his slash line this week. It’s actually very impressive. He went from a .259/.304/.457 to a .259/.305/.427. The right-handed catcher has six doubles and six home runs to go along with 21 RBI and 18 runs scored.

Bryan Mata produced his longest outing of 2018 this week, by going 5 2/3 innings. The 19-year-old has now thrown at least five innings in six straight starts. His ERA is down to 3.29 in 52 innings. Opponents are hitting .215 with just one home run against the right-hander this year.