Red Sox Prospect Watch: Two players traded away weaken ranks
The Boston Red Sox made a pair of moves last week that saw two prospects traded away. Lorenzo Cedrola and Santiago Espinal are two major losses to the minor leagues. There’s still plenty of talent to watch for this week though.
The Boston Red Sox didn’t help the perception that their minor league depth is lacking. Over the last week, they traded away two young prospects having fantastic seasons. Two players who were regular features on the prospect watch.
Lorenzo Cedrola was slashing .318/.350/.427 with 40 runs and 10 steals for the Full-A Greenville Drive.
Meanwhile, Santiago Espinal slashed .313/.363/.477 with 15 doubles and three triples, as well as seven home runs for the Advanced-A Salem Red Sox. The shortstop also had 32 runs batted in, 53 runs scored and nine steals.
It’s easy to see how losing the two could hurt the Red Sox minor league system a little.
No reason to dwell on the past for too long though.
For the Red Sox, Justin Haley and Tzu-Wei Lin have been sent back down to Triple-A. Haley looked serviceable in the Majors, but doesn’t seem like someone who will factor into the bullpen much in the future.
Lin didn’t get much playing time this stint, but has been hot in Pawtucket. He still holds value for Boston. His glove is elite-level and if the bat can make strides like it has in Triple-A the shortstop will have a place on the team.
William Cuevas was called up to replace Haley. He’s thrown 5 1/3 innings in the Majors in his career, but this will be his first time up in 2018. The 27-year-old has a 3.65 earned run average over 86 1/3 innings with Pawtucket.
There doesn’t seem to be much of a role for the right-hander at the moment, and the hope is that Tyler Thornburg will be the true big addition to the bullpen soon enough. Due to that, Cuevas is clearly just a placeholder at the moment.
Tzu-Wei Lin is back in Triple-A as mentioned above – and he’s coming for Rusney Castillo. Lin’s average has sky-rocketed up to .304 on the year for Pawtucket. He’s not just hitting singles either, with 13 doubles and four home runs already on the season. The left-handed hitter has added 15 RBI and 19 runs scored, as well as two steals to the totals.
Sure, you could point to Lin’s career numbers in the Majors and say he doesn’t have the bat to stick around. He’s clearly figuring something out in Pawtucket right now though. I’m not saying he’ll be a .300 hitter in the Majors, but the bat is improving rapidly.
Speaking of Castillo, he’s still good. The outfielder still leads the team in nearly every category thanks to his .306 batting average with 20 doubles. Every run production category is led by the 30-year-old as well, as he has 38 runs scored and 36 runs driven in, as well as seven steals.
Sam Travis recently broke a 20-game homerless streak to hit number five on the year. His overall numbers are still pretty miserable (highlighted by a .220 average and 19 RBI), but he’s shown signs of breaking out at a few points this year.
Jalen Beeks took a beating in his last start (five earned runs over 2 1/3 innings) but still holds a 2.91 ERA and 1.09 WHIP on the season. His 102 strikeouts over 77 1/3 innings in Pawtucket might be the most impressive number of the season. Still, the left-hander will need to churn out some stronger outings if he wants to make his way back to Boston this season.
Trevor Kelley has arrived in Triple-A and now has two flawless innings under his belt. The 24-year-old struck out two batters in the process and is making his way towards the majors. It’s been a pretty impressive rise for the 36th round pick from 2015 so far.
Ty Buttrey has given up an earned run in each of his last two outings. For a reliever that usually spells trouble for their ERA. For Buttrey however, it just means it’s risen to a 2.11 – still fantastic. The 25-year-old has 58 strikeouts over 38 1/3 innings and opponents are hitting .209 against him. I’m still waiting for Buttrey to get his chance this season, especially with all the cries for the Red Sox to get bullpen help.
Another week, another raise in average from Danny Mars. I’ve said it over and over. Don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine. The switch-hitter is now up to .259 and it just keeps rising. Mars has 13 doubles, giving him a chance to crack his career-best 21. He’s also mashed two triples and one home run. Meanwhile, the 24-year-old has shown off his impressive speed with 13 steals in 15 attempts.
Another improved part of his game appears to be his eye, as Mars has drawn 26 walks this season. That’s just 10 off his career-best of 36 (set in 2016).
Jhon Nunez has also been seeing his average grow. The catcher is now up to a .270 average, thanks to a current seven-game hitting-streak. That .270 is accompanied by six doubles and one triple, as well as one home run in Double-A. He’s driven in 13 runs and scored 17 more, stealing two bases (six total). The switch-hitter continues to give depth to a “weak” position.
Josh Ockimey‘s average may be down to .257, but he’s still doing what he does best. The first baseman has 11 home runs on the year. Most importantly though, in just 222 at-bats the 22-year-old left-handed hitter has 41 RBI. His ability to drive runs in could get him on the Major League radar within the next year.
I like Austin Rei. The catcher might not have the best numbers in his minor league career so far, but the flashes are there. His slash line is up to .223/.349/.382, and he’s roped eight doubles and one triple, as well as five home runs this season. The 24-year-old has battled injures throughout his career, but his defensive potential and patience on offense intrigue me.
Speaking of intriguing, Johnny Bladel is 27 and recently joined the Portland Sea Dogs from an Independent League team. The Red Sox have had past success with things like this before *cough* Daniel Nava *cough*.
Bladel’s numbers don’t jump out at you yet, but he’s only had 49 at-bats. Should be fun to keep track of him. He was hitting .341 in the Independent League this season.
Travis Lakins has lowered his ERA to 2.83 on the year. His opponents batting average is down to .209 and his WHIP has been lowered to 1.19. All of this is thanks to a fantastic 14 1/3 innings streak in which he allowed no earned runs. In that time, there was a hitless streak of 4 2/3 and another of 7 2/3.
Teddy Stankiewicz threw a strong six innings (two earned) to lower his ERA to 5.05 on the year. The right-hander’s looked solid for the majority of the season. A few miserable starts have really ballooned his numbers though.
Mike Shawaryn holds a 3.55 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 88 2/3 innings this season. The fact that he’s looking most impressive this year when Double-A is the highest level he’s been in so far is a fantastic sign. The 23-year-old right-hander was a fifth-round pick in 2016 and could factor into the Red Sox plans sometime in the not-so distant future (i.e. 2020 maybe).
I know it shouldn’t be all-that-shocking anymore, but it still amazes me how good Bryan Mata can be. The 19-year-old now has a 2.95 ERA in Advanced-A ball this season. Salem’s ace broke a streak of seven straight outings going at least five innings when he went just four his last time out. He still allowed just one earned run though, and opponents are hitting .206 (one home run) on the year against him.
Roniel Raudes also went just four innings his last outing. He also lowered his ERA though, giving up zero earned runs. The 20-year-old has a 3.67 ERA on the season and has allowed just two home runs over 54 innings in Advanced-A in 2018.
Daniel Gonzalez joined his teammates in lowering his ERA over the week. He did it in over more innings though, throwing seven innings without giving up an earned run in a start. The 22-year-old has a 2.91 ERA over 65 innings this year. He has a 7-1 record, while also recording two saves.
Tanner Houck‘s odd season continues. Over his last two starts he’s allowed seven earned runs (six walks) in 10 1/3 innings. He’s also struck out 16 however. The 22-year-old has a 5.32 ERA on the season.
Santiago Espinal is gone, but C.J. Chatham is still here. The shortstop is hitting .303 with 21 RBI and has recently been showing off some speed, stealing three bases over his last three games. He now has five steals in Advanced-A and six in total.
Speaking of steals, Tyler Hill has been on a tear at the plate. The outfielder is hitting .393 over his last nine games and has risen his average to .252 on the year. As mentioned before, his main attraction is steals, as he’s picked up 18 this season.
Bobby Dalbec is hitting .222. Not great, right?
He also has 20 doubles and 15 home runs. Then there’s the ridiculous 57 RBI and 39 runs scored. That .222 average doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?
Michael Osinski has made his way to Advanced-A. The third baseman is 4-for-12 with three RBI and a steal. He was showing he could drive in runs in Full-A and that doesn’t appear to be slowing down at the next level.
Garrett Benge was destroying Short-A baseball. So he’s already found his way to Full-A. He hasn’t had much time with the Greenville Drive however. The 22-year-old is 1-for-3 with a walk so far.
However, the third baseman’s numbers speak for themselves in Short-A. With the Lowell Spinners, he was slashing .351/.400/.486 with seven RBI and four runs scored. Drafted in the 13th round last season, Benge is someone I recommend you keep an eye on, he could surprise a lot of people.
1/3 of the mash bros is gone in the outfield and that crushes me. Lorenzo Cedrola was part of a deadly trio with Victor Acosta and Marino Campana. However, the other two are still on the roster.
Acosta has been slumping, but still holds a strong .286/.327/.444 slash line with 13 doubles and two triples, as well as seven home runs. The 22-year-old has 32 RBI and 30 runs scored, even stealing three bases on the season.
Campana meanwhile, boasts just a .241 average and .303 on-base percentage. His .490 slugging percentage shows where his value lies though. The 20-year-old already has 30 extra-base hits this year (12 doubles/five triples/13 home runs). He’s also driven in 45 runs and scored 28 more.
There’s a lot to like about the two right-handed outfielders.
Pedro Castellanos rates as someone with pretty solid power. That being said he has just five in his career and zero on the season. I’m perfectly okay with that though, as the first baseman makes up for it in a ton of ways. A career .315 hitter, the 20-year-old has more-than-enough time to find a power swing. He’s also in his first full season in anything above Rookie-Ball (and he’s spending it in Full-A).
The Red Sox could have a fantastic hitter in Castellanos. Right now, the right-handed hitter is slashing .267/.308/.315, but that’s in just 146 at-bats and at the ripe age of 20.
Denyi Reyes is back under a 2.00 ERA. That was getting scary, right? For a second he almost seemed human with that 2.01. It’s now at 1.91 after the right-hander threw six shutout innings in his last start. He allowed just three hits and struck out six in the process. The 21-year-old has a minuscule 0.93 WHIP and .210 BAA while striking out 92 batters in 89 2/3 innings compared to just 13 walks. Absurdity on so many levels.
Michael Chavis is back, and is starting his season in Short-A. The third baseman played his first game on Monday and went 0-for-3 with a walk. Stats shouldn’t be a big concern to anyone right now though. While at Lowell it’s more about just getting swings. I can’t imagine the Red Sox will be looking at stats until he’s at least back in Portland.
Tyler Dearden is having fun so far. The 19-year-old right fielder is slashing .326/.383/.488 with five doubles and a triple in 43 at-bats. He’s driven in four runs and already scored nine more.
Jarren Duran is mashing as well. The 2018 seventh-round pick has collected a hit in 11-of-13 games he’s appeared in so far. He boasts a .321/.379/.547 slash line so far. The 21-year-old left-handed hitter has has three doubles and three triples as well as one home run on the year. He’s also driven in eight runs and scored 10 more, even stealing three bases.
Cole Brannen is still looking comfortable in Lowell. After struggling in Advanced-A, Brannen is hitting .273 with the Spinners. The 19-year-old has a triple and nine runs scored, and is six-for-six on steal attempts. He’s now scored 25 runs and is 15-for-16 on steals this year combined between Short-A and Advanced-A.
Eduard Bazardo has 31 strikeouts in 20 innings. The 22-year-old has a solid 3.15 ERA to go along with that as well. Meanwhile, his .182 BAA and 0.90 WHIP are utterly dominant.
Alexander Montero has only thrown 14 innings but the results have been promising so far. The 20-year-old right-hander has a 1.93 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, while opponents are hitting .200 against him. He’s struck out 12 and walked just two.
Tanner Raiburn and Rio Gomez have extremely small sample sizes as well. Their numbers are hard to ignore though.
Raiburn has thrown six innings, posting a 0.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP, while opponents are hitting .100 against him. Gomez meanwhile, has a 0.87 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .114 against him but he has a 0.39 WHIP as he’s yet to walk anyone.
Finally, there’s the person many of you have probably been waiting for. Durbin Feltman has made his Red Sox minor league debut. The right-handed reliever was selected in the third round this year and many expect him to be one of the first prospect called up from this draft.
Next: Red Sox Prospect Watch: Cole Brannen looking dangerous in Lowell
So far he hasn’t disappointed. The 21-year-old has only thrown two innings, but he’s made them good ones. They’ve both been perfect, and he’s topped them off with four strikeouts. His time in Short-A could be short-lived. Honestly, the Red Sox could fast-track Feltman to the Majors, his stuff is definitely good enough.