Red Sox Prospect Watch: Bobby Dalbec’s stock is still rising
By Hunter Noll
Michael Chavis is back in Double-A. He’s currently hitting .150, but only has 20 at-bats under his belt. The third baseman also already cranked a home run, so there’s definitely a silver lining. Give him some more time before worrying about the average.
Austin Rei‘s numbers are still climbing. The catcher is up to a .246 average and has 16 extra-base hits. His .365 on-base percentage is the eye-popper, however. Even when his bat is struggling, the 24-year-old gets on-base, and that’s special.
Josh Ockimey is riding a 0-for-18 streak at the moment. That’s dropped his average to .252 on the year. He’s blasted 12 home runs this season and driven in 43 runs. The first baseman isn’t expected to hit at a .300 clip. It’s the raw power that makes him so intriguing as a prospect. So the average isn’t much of an issue if he keeps destroying baseballs.
Danny Mars is also suffering through an extended hitless streak. The outfielder is currently 0-for-his-last-12, dropping his average to .254. There are plenty of positives for the switch-hitter this year though. His 15 doubles are on-pace to break his old record of 21 in a season, while his 42 runs have a chance to best his previous high of 62.
What I love to see though are the steals. Mars showed off some elite base running in 2016, stealing 31 bags. Last season, however, he dipped down to 12 in 22 attempts. This year, he’s already swiped 14 bases, needing just 16 attempts to do so.
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
Dedgar Jimenez isn’t having a great statistical year. I’m still 100% on the Baby Bartolo bandwagon though. The 22-year-old validated me on Tuesday, throwing a complete game (seven innings due to it being a doubleheader) shutout.
Jimenez still holds a 5.38 ERA in Double-A this season but has had a number of extremely strong starts as well. The left-hander is also coming off the best season of his minor league career when he posted a 3.00 ERA between Advanced-A and Double-A (2.91 ERA in Portland).
Jimenez isn’t going to blow you away on the mound. He’s not exciting like Chris Sale or anyone even close to him for that matter. However, the Venezuela native has a calm presence on the mound that works for him. He also has a solid repertoire of pitches that includes a decent changeup (the best pitch in baseball don’t argue with me).
Travis Lakins is back to his not-allowing-runs ways. The righty has lowered his ERA to 2.65 and has 36 strikeouts over 34 innings. Opponents can’t figure him out, as they’re hitting .197 with two homers against Lakins this season.
Matthew Gorst won’t fly under the radar much longer. His 1.59 ERA in Advanced-A was superb. The 0.00 ERA he holds over 15 Double-A innings is immaculate.