Red Sox Prospect Watch: Deadly combination mashing in Double-A
The Boston Red Sox have a lethal combination in Double-A with Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec. Both are mashing, bringing momentum to the minors.
The injuries are clearing up and the Boston Red Sox Major League roster is starting to look whole again. Chris Sale and Blake Swihart have both returned. That means Brandon Workman and Dan Butler were sent packing. Workman back to Triple-A, while Butler was designated for assignment. It’s expected that he’ll clear waivers and head to Triple-A himself.
Workman has been fantastic out of the Red Sox bullpen whenever called upon. Butler, on the other hand, got his first stint in the Majors of the season in this time around. He didn’t get much playing time but was useful when given the opportunity.
Ian Kinsler is expected back any day now as well. When he returns, it will be interesting to see who is the odd man out on the Boston roster.
Things will get even more complicated when the nearing-a-return Eduardo Rodriguez is healthy as well.
Ryan Brasier continues to look like he belongs in the Majors. The 30-year-old has 15 strikeouts over 16 MLB innings this year. He also holds a 1.13 ERA and 0.81 WHIP, while opponents are hitting .148 against him. It’s getting to the point where the right-hander should start to see higher-leverage situations late in the season. If this continues, Brasier could become a major piece to the bullpen come playoff time.
It’s incredible to think that Brasier hadn’t pitched in the Majors since 2013 or even in the minors since 2016 before this season. Now it’s looking like he could be essential to the Red Sox success the rest of the way.
Mike Shawaryn looked better in start number two in Triple-A. Then there was start number three, where he was completely dominant.
Shawaryn’s most recent start saw him toss a complete-game seven-inning shutout. The right-hander allowed two hits and one walk while striking out six. He’s now 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three starts for Pawtucket. The 23-year-old probably won’t see the Majors in 2018, but is definitely on track for a 2019 appearance.
Bobby Poyner has 10 2/3 innings in the Majors this season, and a 1.69 ERA to show for it. Despite that, the left-hander has spent most of the season in the minors. This seems odd because not only does he have the numbers in the Majors, but Poyner’s had no problems in the minors. He has a 2.29 ERA over 35 1/3 Triple-A innings.
Matthew Gorst now has seven innings under his belt in Triple-A. Just like in Double-A (20 1/3 innings), the right-hander has yet to give up an earned run. Despite starting the year in Advanced-A, Gorst might have the best chance of any prospect to make his MLB-debut this year. The Red Sox are still searching for bullpen help and the 23-year-old can’t do much more to prove his point.
Trevor Kelley also has a chance to taste the Majors this season. The 24-year-old was having a solid season in Double-A but has turned it up a few notches since being promoted to Pawtucket. Kelley now has a 1.33 ERA over 20 1/3 Triple-A innings and a 2.81 ERA in 48 innings overall this year.
Travis Lakins continues to show that the move to the bullpen has done wonders for him. After only getting stronger-and-stronger as the season went on in Double-A, the 24-year-old now has a 1.50 ERA over six Triple-A innings.
The Red Sox are in search for immediate bullpen help to close out this season. They shouldn’t be too worried about their future though, as the Triple-A roster (and more) has plenty of potential stars.
Sam Travis bumped his average up once again. Just a few weeks ago, this season seemed almost lost for the first baseman. His numbers were miserable and could’ve led to him completely falling out of favor with the team. All of a sudden though, Travis is putting up a respectable season.
The 24-year-old is hitting .264 with 12 doubles and seven home runs. He’s driven in 36 runs and scored 31 more in 83 games. That’s actually his highest RBI-total since 2015.
Josh Ockimey has slumped a little and is now 7-for-36 (.194) with Pawtucket. The left-handed hitter has two home runs and seven RBI, as well as one steal. His numbers shouldn’t be too much of a focus, as it’s just good to have him in Triple-A to end the season so he can start there next year with some experience.
Tzu-Wei Lin has something. Don’t let that small sample size in the Majors tell you otherwise. The shortstop is hitting .330 with 23 extra-base hits in 55 games. He enjoyed a breakout year with the bat last season, but this is next-level.
Rusney Castillo is still waiting for his chance back in the Majors. For the time being, he’ll continue leading Pawtucket in basically every stat. His .323 average and .366 OBP are tops (Lin technically holds higher numbers in both categories but has barely half-as-many at-bats). Castillo also leads the team in doubles (28) and steals (11), as well as RBI (54) and runs scored (53).
Let’s start Double-A with that deadly combination (word to Big L and Tupac) I was talking about. Bobby Dalbec has done nothing but mash all season. Portland might be new territory for him, but that doesn’t change the game plan.
In 10 games, Dalbec is hitting .342 for the Sea Dogs. The 23-year-old isn’t just hitting singles either, although that should be a surprise to no one. Of his 13 hits, two are doubles and another five are home runs. Dalbec’s driven in 12 runs and scored six more. In short, when all is said a done Dalbec might not spend much time in Double-A during his career.
Side note, Dalbec now has 97 RBI between Advanced-A and Double-A this year.
Michael Chavis has taken to raking again as well. Also 23, Chavis is hitting .302 in 23 Double-A games. The right-handed bat has five home runs and six doubles while stealing three bases. He’s driven in 15 runs and scored another 16. Triple-A (or even the MLB) is right around the corner.
Austin Rei is brought up a lot by me. That may seem odd to many as he’s not on the Top-30 prospect list and not even the Red Sox top catching prospect (a position many see as a weakness for them). Not long ago, however, Rei was a top-30 prospect for Boston, and he’s playing like he wants to be back in the conversation.
The catcher is slashing .263/.371/.430 with 13 doubles and seven home runs, as well as two triples. His bat is starting to show the lethal potential that it was expected to have when he first joined the organization. A healthy Rei could shoot up the ranks quickly.
More from Red Sox Prospects
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- 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 rose his average to .253 this week. He also leads the team in doubles (20) and runs scored (56), as well as steals (15). The strides the right fielder has made defensively are most important in my opinion though. He was always a solid defender, but is really flashing the leather in 2018.
Kyle Hart has been lights-out lately. Five straight strong starts have lowered his ERA to 3.55 on the season. Although that’s higher than his career-average, Double-A is the highest level Hart’s ever been at. It’s definitely been an encouraging year for 25-year-old. Most importantly, the 121 2/3 innings he’s pitched are a career-high.
Teddy Stankiewicz is down to a 4.38 ERA after his last start, allowing three earned runs in seven innings. For those keeping track, he’s now thrown at least seven innings in six straight starts. Although the numbers aren’t great, the improvements throughout the season are fantastic. The right-hander’s clear ability to be a workhorse/innings-eater are making him valuable as well.
Dedgar Jimenez is down to a 4.92 ERA in Double-A after a strong start as well. Baby Bartolo isn’t replicating the success he had last year but isn’t having as bad of a season as it appears either. The ERA is high, but that could be traced back to a few blow-up starts. In the end, I’m still very high on what he can bring to the Red Sox in the future.
Tanner Houck‘s turnaround this season has been encouraging to say the least. For a while, it looked like a lost season, with walks and a high ERA being the story. The 22-year-old hasn’t walked more-than-two batters in any of his last eight starts though. That’s helped lower his walk-rate (obviously) and drastically dropped his ERA.
The 60 walks through 119 innings are still high, but an encouraging development from what that number could’ve been. His ERA is now 4.24 which is over 1.00 lower than it was at the start of July.
Durbin Feltman hasn’t had an ERA problem this year. The 21-year-old dominated Short-A and Full-A and is now doing the same in Advanced-A. Feltman hasn’t allowed a run on just one hit and two walks through four innings with Salem so far. He’s struck out six and should see at least Double-A before the end of the year.
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
Denyi Reyes hasn’t had a problem with anything this season. That’s extremely impressive considering the 21-year-old has 134 1/3 innings under his belt in 2018. Reyes has a 2.53 ERA in two starts in Advanced-A. The right-hander has nine strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings, compared to two walks. What’s crazy about that is the two walks in 10 2/3 innings is astronomically high for compared to what Reyes did in Full-A (13 walks in 123 2/3 innings).
C.J. Chatham is up to .309 in Advanced-A and has 41 RBI and nine steals in 76 games. The shortstop is showing that when healthy he’s an all-around threat.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – poor Michael Osinski. He’s having a fantastic year, but his main defensive position is third base. The Red Sox have 21-year-old Rafael Devers playing third base in the Majors. Meanwhile, arguably their two best prospects (Dalbec and Chavis) are at the position as well.
Due to that, anything Osinski does seems to go under the radar. He’s hitting .298 with 41 RBI between Full-A and Advanced-A this season though, and that deserves plenty of praise.
Tyler Hill‘s putting together a solid all-around season. His average is up to .247 and he’s already scored an impressive 62 runs. The 22-year-old also has 27 steals in 33 attempts. This after stealing 42 bases in 50 attempts last season. Clearly, Hill has the potential to be extremely dangerous on the base paths for the Red Sox, something that they seem to be utilizing in the Majors.
Jarren Duran is nuts. There’s really no other way to describe him at the moment. Through 11 games with the Greenville Drive, he’s hitting .383. Combined between Full-A and Short-A, Duran’s appeared in 48 games this season. The 21-year-old has a .356 average with eight doubles and two homers, as well as 10 triples between the two. He’s driven in 24 runs and scored 36 more while stealing 17 bases.
Tanner Nishioka has spent the heavy majority of his season in Full-A. His .322/.400/.491 slash line shows he’s been pretty dominant in that time. Nishioka has 23 extra-base hits and four steals while driving in 32 runs and scoring 38 more.
Marino Campana is up to a .250 average. That’s encouraging as it goes along nicely with his raw power. The 20-year-old has 18 doubles and seven triples, as well as 16 home runs this season. He’s driven in 68 runs and scored 47 more while stealing two bases.
Pedro Castellanos hit home run number one on the year this week. He also rose his average to .296 as his age-20 season is rounding out nicely. The right-handed hitter has 25 RBI and 34 runs scored in 70 games.
Jhonathan Diaz‘s 2018 season is a big step forward. The left-handed pitcher is posting highs in nearly every category since leaving the Rookie leagues. Those career-bests include ERA (3.69) and innings pitched (129 1/3), as well as strikeouts (124) and WHIP (1.16). His opponent’s batting average of .238 and eight wins are also new career-marks.
Rio Gomez was dominating in Short-A Lowell and has gotten a chance to prove himself in Greenville. Through three innings the lefty has continued building momentum. Gomez hasn’t allowed a run on three hits while striking out four over two outings. Combined between the two leagues, opponents are hitting a minuscule .196 against the 23-year-old.
dark. Next. MVP race heats up between Betts, Martinez
Alex Scherff hasn’t pitched for Greenville since June 12. The Red Sox 16th ranked prospect did return to game action this week though. Scherff appeared in two games, allowing one run in five innings combined. The 20-year-old righty struggled to start the year (6.32 ERA in 47 innings) but a strong (and healthy) finish to the season can make things right again.