Red Sox Prospect Watch: Heading into the All-Star break

4 of 6

BOSTON, MA – June 6: A hat and glove sit in the Boston Red Sox dugout during the third inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on June 6, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Somebody needs to tell Bobby Dalbec to calm down, this is getting ridiculous. The third baseman has seen his average fly all the way up to .260. No longer is that something someone can point to when looking for a weakness. He also leads the Carolina League in doubles (25) and home runs (21), as well as RBI (75). That’s right, Dalbec is on-pace to obliterate a 100-RBI season.

C.J. Chatham is the furthest thing from an easy-out at the moment. The shortstop is up to a .315 average in Advanced-A, and already has a career-best 25 RBI (that’s not even counting the nine he had in Full-A). Without Santiago Espinal on the team anymore, the Red Sox might not feel pressured to move Chatham up a level. He might push them to do so anyway if he continues to rake.

It seems like Brett Netzer has huddled around the .300 mark all year. His average currently stands at .298 and he’s already roped 19 doubles to go along with two triples and one home run. The second baseman isn’t going to hit for a ton of power, but he’s proving he can still produce runs, with 35 RBI and 30 runs scored.

Roldani Baldwin is yet another catcher in the system. While Nunez and Rei are long shots to work their way into the 2018 mix for the Red Sox, Baldwin isn’t even on the map. That’s simply due to experience though, as he’s still in Advanced-A, and this is his first season even at that level.

The right-handed hitter is still trying to find his footing in Salem, holding a .252/.297/.415 slash line over 38 games. In 147 at-bats the 22-year-old has six doubles and six home runs, as well as 21 RBI and 16 runs scored. Within the next two seasons, his name should crop up a lot more when talking about potential Major League contributors. He’s just not there yet though.

Bryan Mata still has a while to go. The 19-year-old is still turning heads, however. Mata has a 3.42 ERA over 71 innings pitched this season. Opponents are hitting just .226 with one home run off the right-hander so far. Walks are still a problem, but a season-low two were issued in his last start, hopefully signifying he’s figured something out.

Home/Red Sox Prospects