Red Sox Prospect Watch: More promotions shake up MiLB scene
BALTIMORE, MD – JULY 23: Brandon Workman #44 of the Boston Red Sox pitches to a Boston Red Sox batter in the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 23, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox minor league system saw some drastic changes this week thanks to plenty of promotions. So far they’ve yielded strong results.
The minor league system for the Boston Red Sox saw plenty of shake-ups over the last week. A lot of this had to do with trades and injuries.
For the Major League team, Brandon Workman was brought back into the mix when Chris Sale landed on the disabled list. Meanwhile, a Blake Swihart injury brought Dan Butler up for the first time this season.
An Ian Kinsler DL-stint also meant the Red Sox would need to recall an infielder. Tzu-Wei Lin was admittedly probably the first choice, but an injury of his own kept that from happening.
This meant that Tony Renda got the call. Renda deserved it, as he was tearing the minors up this season. After hitting .371 in Double-A, the 27-year-old had a .333 average in Triple-A.
So far, Renda hasn’t seen much of the field. His only appearance to date will be a memorable one for everyone involved though. Renda pinch-ran for Sandy Leon in the bottom of the 10th inning on Monday night against the New York Yankees. He then came around to score the winning run on the Andrew Benintendi walk-off single to complete a four-game sweep.
Renda probably won’t get all-that-many at-bats, but he deserves at least a few. He’s been exceptional all year at the plate, and the Red Sox have had problems at second base this season. With Kinsler and Rafael Devers both out, Boston has been relying heavily on Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt. Why not give Renda a shot while he’s still in the Majors? Maybe he can continue his hot hitting.
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.
Bobby Dalbec was the big name on the move to Portland. The Sea Dogs now have arguably the Red Sox best prospect. Dalbec’s wasted no time getting acclimated to Double-A pitching either. The third baseman is hitting .333 (4-for-12) and unsurprisingly already has two home runs to his credit.
Dalbec’s been unstoppable at the plate lately – it’s great to see him get some Double-A swings before the end of the season.
Michael Chavis is also in Double-A, giving Portland an absolutely lethal power-hitting duo. Chavis is hitting .250 (15-for-60) with three doubles and three home runs. The right-handed hitter also has nine RBI and nine runs scored, to go along with three steals.
It will be interesting to see if Chavis gets some Triple-A swings in this year.
You’ve got to give Jhon Nunez and Austin Rei their credit. They’ve both had solid seasons despite odd and sporadic playing time. It’s tough to get catchers solid playing time when there’s a situation like this, but still.
Nunez is hitting .254 with 11 extra-base hits in 189 Double-A at-bats this year. The switch-hitter also has 20 RBI and 20 runs scored, as well as four steals.
Rei meanwhile is slashing .256/.373/.417 with 12 doubles and two triples, as well as six home runs. He’s driven in 26 runs and scored 21 more in 211 at-bats while drawing a solid 33 walks. Rei’s put a lot together at the plate this year, and it should reignite his prospect status.
I was actually hoping the Red Sox would give Rei a shot in the Majors after the Swihart injury. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting it to actually happen, but there was a (slim) chance.
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
Danny Mars is hitting .251 but currently riding a three-game hitting streak. He leads the team in doubles (20) and runs scored (55), as well as steals (15). Meanwhile, the switch-hitter has three triples and three homers. His 55 runs scored and 20 doubles are both on-pace to break career-bests for the right fielder.
Speaking of right field, Mars has been spectacular there this season. His defense has always been a plus, but it appears that he’s stepped it up even more with the glove. The instincts are getting better-and-better.
Kyle Hart twirled a gem in his only appearance this week. The 25-year-old went seven innings – allowing just two hits and two walks, without giving up an earned run. His ERA dropped to 3.78 on the year. The left-hander could find his way into a Triple-A appearance before the end of the year.
Teddy Stankiewicz has now pitched at least seven innings in each of his last five starts. His ERA is down to 4.41 because of it. The right-hander has had a few miserable outings this season. Due to that, his numbers still aren’t that great. For the most part, Stankiewicz is exactly what you want from a pitcher. He can go deep into games and always gives the Sea Dogs a chance to win.
Dedgar Jimenez just broke an extended streak of his own. Going just 4 2/3 innings in his last time out, it was his first sub-five-inning outing in his last seven appearances. The 22-year-old has a 5.02 ERA on the year, but there’s plenty to build off of. For example, his lone Triple-A start showed him give up only two runs in six innings. Jimenez had a breakout campaign in 2017 – this is simply a bump-in-the-road.
Durbin Feltman was the headline addition to the Advanced-A roster. The Salem Red Sox are the next stop on this unstoppable train. Feltman’s already thrown two scoreless innings for Salem, striking out two.
The reliever has a 1.38 ERA over 13 MiLB innings. He’s struck out 23 and has a 0.77 WHIP in that time. The hype is real.
Denyi Reyes was my favorite addition to the Salem roster though. The right-hander continues to do no wrong in 2018. After posting a 1.89 ERA in 123 2/3 Full-A innings, Reyes went 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run in his Advanced-A debut.
Darwinzon Hernandez‘s last start saw him go just 4 1/3 innings, and now he’s on the disabled list. Those 4 1/3 innings were fire though. The lefty didn’t allow a run on three hits while striking out nine. His ERA on the season is now 3.79 while he’s struck out 115 batters over 95 innings.
Tanner Houck continued his ERA plummet as well. The righty allowed two earned runs over five innings this week, to drop his ERA to 4.29. Walks have been less of an issue for Houck recently, but he still has 58 in 107 innings. The 22-year-old hasn’t allowed more than two in a game July 2 though.
When it comes to hitters, it’s tough to decide who to talk about first. There are plenty of deserving players at the moment to get the top spot.
For now, we’ll go with C.J. Chatham. The shortstop just enjoyed a monster three-hit day that saw him mash a home run and drive in four runs.
Chatham is hitting .300 in Advanced-A and has three home runs to go along with 38 RBI in 70 games. The right-handed hitter is enjoying a breakout year after appearing in just seven games last season.
Brett Netzer is hitting .295 with 23 doubles while scoring 41 runs and driving in 44 more. The big news here though is that this week saw him hit career home run number two. Netzer will probably never going to be a 30-home run guy, but he’s more than capable of getting on base and driving in runs.
Victor Acosta is back and still hitting baseballs. Acosta’s up to a .310 average in Advanced-A thanks to a three-game hitting streak. The outfielder already has career-highs in runs (36) and RBI (42) this year. His doubles (25) have set a new personal best as well, while he’s tied career-highs in triples (3) and home runs (8).
Michael Osinski is hitting .316 in Advanced-A after hitting .298 in Full-A. I think it’s safe to say the level-jump hasn’t hurt him at all. The 23-year-old has 39 RBI combined between the two leagues in 278 at-bats. A 31st pick from the 2017 draft, Osinski is earning his promotions and could have a new home in Portland next year.
Tyler Hill‘s .244 average isn’t going to jump off a page at you. Neither are his 15 extra-base hits. His 24 steals and 56 runs are superb though. Hill has fantastic speed, which is something the Red Sox minor league system isn’t exactly swelling with at the moment. This makes the 22-year-old a very intriguing prospect to watch out for.
Jarren Duran finally got the promotion I’ve been asking for these last few weeks. It’s going “okay” I guess. I mean, if a .524 average with six steals, three RBI and six runs scored is “okay”.
The better description for Duran’s performance would probably be, “he already deserves another promotion”.
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
Garrett Benge is deserving of another fast promotion as well. Sadly his .325/.486/.450 slash line is currently on the disabled list.
Zach Sterry‘s been scorching-hot as well though. The 24-year-old has seen his slash line jump dramatically to .294/.359/.392. He’s hit two home runs and driven in 21 runs in 153 at-bats.
Pedro Castellanos is riding a seven-game hitting streak at the moment. The 20-year-old still hasn’t hit a home run this year, but his numbers haven’t suffered due to that. In 249 at-bats he has a .289 average with 13 doubles and three triples. The right-handed hitter also has 20 RBI and 28 runs scored to this point. Although it hasn’t translated much yet, his current hot-hitting should yield more results in the run-producing department.
Marino Campana hasn’t had any problems producing runs this year. The 20-year-old outfielder has 67 RBI and 44 runs scored so far. Campana’s hit 17 doubles and seven triples, as well as 15 home runs on the season. His .248 average isn’t great, but as he gets more plate discipline that should creep up.
Jhonathan Diaz struggled in his last start, but overall the left-hander’s numbers are still strong. Diaz has a 3.71 ERA in Full-A this season, to match with a 1.13 WHIP. He’s struck out 121 batters in 119 innings, compared to 32 walks.
Rafael Devers is currently on a rehab assignment and in Short-A. In his first game with the Lowell Spinners, the 21-year-old (seriously, he’s younger than players actually on this roster) went 1-for-4. That “1” was a home run though – a great sign for the Red Sox third baseman.
One of my favorite storylines to follow at the moment is Korby Batesole. He’s having a strong season with a .284 average and seven of both RBI and runs scored. Those are all nice, but the extra-base hit still eludes him – as all 23 of his hits are singles.
That hasn’t been a problem for Tyler Esplin though. Almost half of his 25 hits (11) have been for extra-bases. While the .212 average leaves some to be desired, there’s clear power in the 19-year-old’s bat. Age is on his side as well, as there’s plenty of time for things to clear up for the left-handed bat.
Tyler Dearden‘s coming off a four-hit performance to bring his average back up to .297. The 20-year-old has 19 RBI and 25 runs scored while smacking 14 extra-base hits in 138 at-bats.
Dearden has plenty of potential and could turn into an above-average power bat while maintaining a high average.
Devlin Granberg is slashing .301/.392/.427 with 12 doubles and two home runs in 143 at-bats. The 22-year-old outfielder has 17 RBI and 29 runs scored on the year while stealing three bases in four attempts.
Eduard Bazardo would usually headline the pitching portion of this slide. That will be tough now though, as he’s been promoted to Full-A – but has yet to make an appearance there.
Brian Brown is 0-2 on the season, but you wouldn’t guess it when looking at his numbers. The left-hander has a 2.35 ERA on the year to pair with a strong 1.27 WHIP. He’s struck out 24 in 30 2/3 innings and has yet to give up a home run.
Next. Three Up, Three Down since All-Star Break. dark
Yorvin Pantoja has struggled for the most part so far. The 20-year-old lefty has a 4.32 ERA while opponents are hitting .261 against him. He’s struck out 26 in 41 2/3 innings and has walked 16. Despite all that though, Pantoja has a 3-1 record. He’s helped his own cause by limiting the damage – as he’s yet to give up a home run either.