Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec has been on fire in the minor leagues, crushing homer after homer, but how does he fit in the future plans of the Red Sox?
23-year-old third baseman Bobby Dalbec was drafted by Boston in the 4th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. He’s 6′ 4″ 225 lbs. and has a power grade of 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale.
Dalbec was recently promoted to AA Portland after launching a record-breaking 26 homers in 100 games at Single-A Salem. In fact, he led all of High-A ball in HRs, RBIs (85), doubles (27), and SLG (.573) before getting promoted to AA.
And in just 9 games at AA, Dalbec already has 5 homers and 11 RBIs with a .364 batting average.
Dalbec may even be the best prospect in the Red Sox organization. But the problem is, four out of the top 10 Red Sox prospects play 1B/3B, and 21-year-old Rafael Devers is already playing third base in Boston. So how does Dalbec fit in on the future Red Sox with the other prospects like Michael Chavis, Triston Casas, and Josh Ockimey?
Well, aside from Ockimey, none of them are that great at fielding. However, Dalbec has the best fielding percentage (.928) of the third base prospects and has an exceptional arm, so I believe he will stay at the position. It’s possible Chavis will move to second base because he came up as a shortstop, and Triston Casas will primarily play first rather than third.
So, Devers is really the only guy in Dalbec’s way on his path to the majors. Although, if Devers continues to struggle in the field, it’s possible he moves to DH if he’s in the same lineup as Dalbec.
But regardless of where he plays, Bobby Dalbec has remarkable raw power, arguably the most of any Sox prospect. Plus he’s a right-handed pull hitter, perfect for Fenway Park and the monster wall.
In case you missed it, @BobbyDalbec hit a mammoth homer last night for the Red Sox. Here’s the video! pic.twitter.com/KUaf5O9o42
— The Salem Red Sox (@salemredsox) June 6, 2018
But what everyone wants to know is when will he be called up?
With just 22 games left in the AAA season, it’s unlikely Dalbec gets promoted to Pawtucket this year, especially since he just got started in AA. And since he’s not currently on the Red Sox 40-man roster, he won’t be a part of this year’s September call-ups. But he’ll most likely move up to AAA next season, and maybe even to the majors if he continues hitting homers at this insane rate. Plus, it’s also quite possible we see Dalbec in Spring Training with the Sox next year.
Dalbec is certainly an exciting young up and coming player, hopefully with many MLB home runs in his future. So keep an eye out for him, and remember the name – Bobby Dalbec.
*Prospect rankings according to MLB.com