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

Our Boston Red Sox prospect watch just got a little more fun. The Low-A Lowell Spinners season has officially started, adding them into the mix.

With Low-A ball starting, it’s a chance for some of the most inexperienced prospects of the Boston Red Sox to be brought to light. One of the biggest names returning to the prospect watch is Cole Brannen.

While the season is just starting for them, the rest of the minor leagues have been in full swing for quite some time. Due to this, the Red Sox have already seen their fair share of minor league talent in the Majors.

The latest two to make waves have been Brandon Workman and Justin Haley. Now, those two aren’t exactly rookies, but both have been welcome additions.

Haley was called up to replace Jalen Beeks – who made his Major League debut last week. Haley has appeared in just one game, throwing two scoreless innings. He’s clearly at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to bullpen use. If he’s given a chance and continues to produce, that could change.

Workman, on the other hand, has been used a little bit more. Over seven innings, the right-hander has allowed one run (1.29 earned run average). He has a 1.00 WHIP with eight strikeouts. Workman has shown in the past he has what it takes to stay in the Majors.

There’s a lot of talk about the Red Sox needing bullpen help. Some strong cases can be made for that argument too. Workman is showing he can be a valuable asset, however, and should be given a chance to prove so.

Ty Buttrey might be the next new face to make it to the Majors. His streak is now at 13 innings without allowing an earned run. The relief pitcher has a 2.05 ERA over 22 appearances on the year. In that time, he’s thrown 30 2/3 innings striking out 50 batters and walking 12. The 25-year-old has a 1.17 WHIP while opponents are hitting .200 against him.

Buttrey was solid in Double-A (3.72 ERA) last season but struggled mightily in Triple-A (7.64 ERA). He’s clearly worked out any kinks he had as his numbers are borderline ridiculous.

Speaking of the Red Sox needing bullpen help, maybe give him a chance in the Majors before making a drastic move.

Rusney Castillo is still killing it. I wrote an entire piece on him a few days ago, so I won’t go into too much detail here. He’s hitting .309 with 30 runs and 33 RBIs though. All those stats lead Pawtucket. His 19 doubles and seven steals top the team as well. Absurd.

Beeks is back in Triple-A and has already brushed off his poor Major League debut. The left-hander threw seven innings of one-run ball in his first start back in the minors. He now has a 2.42 ERA to go along with 87 strikeouts over 63 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .202 against the 24-year-old who has a 0.96 WHIP.

Was there talk of bullpen help before? I feel like it’s been brought up a few times. Robby Scott‘s another arm that’s proven he can handle Major League hitting. His numbers in Triple-A this season should only serve to help his case. The left-hander has a 1.48 ERA this season.

Scott’s superb ERA is matched by a .187 batting average against and 1.03 WHIP. He’s struck out 37 batters in 24 1/3 innings, allowing just one home run. Left-handed hitters have a .135 average against him.

Chandler Shepherd could prove useful as well. The 25-year-old has yet to make his Major League debut but is building towards it just like Buttrey. Over 69 2/3 innings this season, the right-hander has a 3.36 ERA. He’s gone at least five innings in five straight outings. Four of those saw him last at least six innings.

The Red Sox have the luxury of more relief depth than people realize. It would be wise for them to try out some of these arms before testing the trade market for bullpen help.

The burning question in Double-A right now is, who’s hotter?

First up, we have Mike Shawaryn and Kyle Hart. The two pitchers have been absolutely dominant lately, and are both working towards promotions.

Shawaryn now has a 3.12 ERA in 12 starts. Over 69 1/3 innings, the 23-year-old has 66 strikeouts compared to 14 walks. Opponents are hitting .228 against the right-hander, who has a 1.04 WHIP. Over his last 30 innings, Shawaryn has a 1.80 ERA.

Hart apparently doesn’t like to be outdone though. The 25-year-old has a 2.51 ERA over 11 starts this year. In 64 2/3 innings, he has a .232 batting average against and 1.24 WHIP. He’s given up just two home runs on the year. The left-handed pitcher has a 1.47 ERA over his last 49 innings.

For hitters, the “who’s the hottest?” question is between Josh Ockimey and Danny Mars.

Ockimey just broke a six-game hitting streak. In those six games, there was a stretch of five games that saw him produce two hits each time out. On the year, Ockimey is slashing .289/.392/.506. The left-handed hitting first baseman has a team-leading 12 doubles and nine home runs on the season. He also leads the team in RBI with 33, while scoring 24 runs. The 22-year-old has also done this all in just 51 games.

Mars meanwhile holds a .246/.314/.324 slash line. Just 10 games ago, that average was down to .226. He’s hit safely in six straight, however, and eight-of-nine. The 24-year-old also has five steals in those 10 games, and three over his last three. He leads Portland with 10 stolen bases on the season.

More from Red Sox Prospects

• Predicting top Red Sox outfield prospect Ceddanne Rafaela’s timeline to the majors
• Predicting Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer’s timeline to the majors
• 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

Meanwhile, the switch-hitting outfielder is second on the team in doubles (11) and triples (1). He’s third in runs scored (30) and has 13 RBI and one home run as well.

Jhon Nunez and Austin Rei have put up decent production at the catcher position. Nunez currently has a .258 average with 10 RBI and 13 runs scored in 28 games.

Rei meanwhile has a .219/.356/.383 slash line with seven doubles and one triple, as well as four home runs. He’s driven in 15 runs and scored 13 more. The 24-year-old has shown potential at the plate in the past, but it’s never come all the way through. Maybe this is the year it breaks out, as his average rises. At a position many consider weak for the Red Sox prospect wise, Rei still has a chance to make waves.

Travis Lakins has a solid 3.52 ERA on the year. He also has 30 strikeouts in 23 innings, leading to a K/9 of 11.74. The 23-year-old is currently working on a scoreless streak of 8 2/3 innings.

Dedgar Jimenez twirled a gem his last time out. Baby Bartolo allowed just one earned run over five hits in seven innings. Hopefully, this is what gets him back on track. After a superb year in 2017, the right-hander has a 5.32 ERA for Portland in 2018. The 22-year-old also has a 3.00 ERA in Triple-A this year though (two runs over six innings).

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.