Red Sox Prospect Watch: Cole Brannen looking dangerous in Lowell
By Hunter Noll
The Short-A season is now past double-digit games for the Lowell Spinners. That means the Red Sox have a lot more prospect to watch.
Cole Brannen started the year in Full-A but struggled at the plate. He’s looked much more comfortable in Short-A though. The 19-year-old is hitting .273 and is already 5-for-5 on steal attempts. He’s now 14-of-15 on the year. The Red Sox have a legitimate base stealer on their hands.
Jarren Duran was drafted in the seventh round this year. He’s slashing .310/.394/.517 with two doubles and two triples in seven games. The second baseman driven in five runs and scored eight more, while stealing two bases.
Garrett Benge struggled in his first year in the minors last year, hitting just .230 for Short-A. He’s off to a fantastic start in 2018 though. The third baseman is slashing .407/.448/.519 with one double and one triple. Benge already has six RBI, while scoring three runs. The 22-year-old isn’t in the Red Sox top-30 prospects, but his bat is intriguing to me, watch out for this kid.
Eduard Bazardo has already made three starts, pitching 15 innings. In that time, he’s racked up 23 strikeouts. The right-hander has a 3.60 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, while opponents are hitting a low .183 against him. This is the 22-year-old’s first season out of the Rookie Leagues, so it will be interesting to see how he grows.
Next: Prospect Watch: Low-A Lowell Spinners join in on the fun
Alexander Montero‘s not far behind with two starts and 10 innings pitched. The 20-year-old right-hander has nine strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA during that time. He’s posted a 0.80 WHIP and opponents have a 1.71 average against him. Montero only had 15 1/3 innings under his belt before this season, so he’s as green as it gets. He’s looked promising so far though.