Red Sox Prospect Watch: More promotions shake up MiLB scene
By Hunter Noll
The Pawtucket Red Sox also saw their fair share of new faces.
Mike Shawaryn made his first Triple-A start this week, allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings. It wasn’t his best start of the season, but there were plenty of positives to build off of – like his six strikeouts.
Josh Ockimey is also in Triple-A now. The first baseman has played in just four games and has accumulated just 15 at-bats, but already has two home runs. Ockimey’s hitting .267 with five RBI and three runs scored in his short time with the team.
Matthew Gorst and Travis Lakins were in Triple-A this time last week as well, but now have some more experience under their belts.
Gorst has thrown five innings in Triple-A without giving up an earned run so far. This after going 20 1/3 innings in Double-A without giving up an earned run. That after posting a 1.59 ERA in 28 1/3 Triple-A innings. What I’m getting at is, the 23-year-old is having a ridiculous year. He probably won’t get a real shot in the Majors this year, but the Red Sox should have him bookmarked for Spring Training in 2019.
Lakins was on the Triple-A roster last week but hadn’t made an appearance when last week’s Prospect Watch was released. Now he’s thrown 2 1/3 scoreless innings. In that time he’s allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out two. The 24-year-old right-hander has looked fantastic since converting to a reliever. This could be what turns him into a major asset for the Red Sox down the road.
Trevor Kelley‘s been in Triple-A for a while now. The reliever has thrown 16 1/3 innings for Pawtucket in fact. In that time, he’s posted a 1.65 ERA. A 36th-round pick in 2015, the 24-year-old righty is definitely earning some recognition.
Rusney Castillo won’t stop improving his numbers. The outfielder leads the team in average (.324) and RBI (50), as well as runs scored (52). Meanwhile, his 26 doubles and 11 steals are both tops on Pawtucket as well.
Tzu-Wei Lin played in his first game since the first day of the month on Tuesday, going 0-for-1. He’s hitting .315 on the season and it deserves repeating that his bat continues to look better-and-better. Despite a weak showing in the Majors (in only 44 at-bats), Lin deserves a true shot at some point.
Sam Travis went from hot to scalding-hot over the last week. His average took another massive jump and now sits at .258. The first baseman still doesn’t have great secondary numbers, however. He’s hit nine doubles and six homers while driving in 29 runs and scoring 29 more. Still, the trend he’s on is extremely promising.