Red Sox Prospect Watch: Jarren Duran still lighting up Full-A
The Boston Red Sox minor league system has to be highlighted by Jarren Duran at the moment. He managed to raise his already-sky-high average this week.
Let’s start with the unfortunate news that Chris Sale is back on the disabled list. That means that once again, Brandon Workman is back with the team. The reliever has been fantastic for the Boston Red Sox this year, but no one can make up for losing Sale for any period of time.
Workman’s already thrown three innings since returning to the Majors. He’s allowed one run on zero hits in that time. The right-hander has a 2.63 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 26 1/3 MLB innings this season – clearly proving his value.
Other than that one opening, there isn’t much room for prospects or minor league players to get a chance at the moment. Ian Kinsler has returned (although it was Rafael Devers being sent to the DL to make room for him). Meanwhile, Eduardo Rodriguez is closing in on returning (more on him later) and both Steven Wright and Christian Vazquez are progressing.
The good news on the roster front is that September 1 is nearing. Once September hits, the Red Sox won’t be forced to make any tough roster decisions because the roster expands to 40. Therefore, there’s no need to try and decide which bullpen arms need to be sent down or receive a phantom DL trip.
To this point in the season, Boston definitely can’t complain about the contributions received from minor league players. Although you shouldn’t expect any more high-profile call-ups, some moves will still be made. That includes at least one Major League debut that once again we’ll get into later.
The story of the Pawtucket Red Sox this year has to be the season of Sam Travis. Travis simply just wasn’t good at the plate to start the season. His average was low, and he wasn’t hitting for power or driving in runs either.
Heading into the last day of June, Travis was hitting .207 (in 49 games) on the season. The first baseman had six doubles and four home runs, as well as 12 runs scored and 17 RBI.
Since then (41 games), Travis is hitting .325 with six doubles and four home runs. This time though, he’s added 22 runs scored and 22 RBI.
There’s a reason the Red Sox are high on him. The right-handed hitter now has a .262 average with 39 RBI and 34 runs scored on the year. His 20 extra-base hits are much more respectable as well.
Rusney Castillo won the PawSox MVP award this year because – well – he doesn’t belong in Triple-A. He leads the International League with a .327 batting average. Meanwhile, the outfielder is tops on Pawtucket in doubles (30) and steals (13), as well as RBI (57) and runs scored (55).
Castillo deserves to be in the Majors, and that’s all I’ll say on the subject.
Tzu-Wei Lin is still having a fantastic season, with a career-best .317 average in Triple-A. He should get another chance in Boston as September rolls around.
Josh Ockimey has fixed things a little bit and is now back up to a .231 average in 15 games for Pawtucket. The first baseman has three home runs and eight RBI in that time. The average isn’t special, but it’s the raw power that’s so intriguing when it comes to the 22-year-old.
Chandler Shepherd is that MLB-debut I was talking about before. The 25-year-old isn’t having his best season in the minors but has shattered his old innings-pitched mark. Shepherd’s on the 40-man roster and it’s been teased that he’d be called up a few times this year. It’s tough to imagine he won’t get a chance in September.
Travis Lakins has allowed three earned runs in nine innings in Triple-A. Opponents are hitting .182 against the righty, who has 10 strikeouts as well. The 24-year-old has made vast improvements since making the switch to reliever and should factor into the Red Sox future nicely.
Mike Shawaryn was solid in Double-A all season long. The pitcher has looked even better in Triple-A though. Shawaryn has thrown 21 2/3 innings through four appearances (four starts). In that time, the 23-year-old has a 2.49 ERA and 0.97 WHIP while striking out 24.
It’s starting to look like Shawaryn will get a nice long look at Spring Training next season.
Michael Chavis is slashing .297/.386/.514 in 30 games for Portland. Bobby Dalbec is slashing .295/.380/.639 in 17 games for the Sea Dogs. It’s safe to say the duo has been wreaking havoc on Double-A pitching so far.
Chavis has six doubles and six home runs while driving in 17 runs and scoring 20 more. He’s even shown base stealing abilities with three in four attempts. So far he’s split time between third and first base.
Chavis has been a third baseman for the heavy majority of his time in the Red Sox system and has an elite arm. However, Dalbec is also a third baseman, and Rafael Devers is still 21, so that position is a little loaded.
Dalbec has six doubles and five home runs while driving in 14 runs and scoring nine more. He’s now driven in 99 runs on the season combined between Advanced-A and Double-A.
Dalbec has been strictly a third baseman so far. He’s solid defensively but it’s not like he’s turning heads there. It’s unclear whether the Red Sox will try to acclimate him to more positions or not yet.
I want Austin Rei in Pawtucket next season, and I want him on the 40-man roster. He’s slashing .253/.364/.414 with 35 RBI and 23 runs scored this season. The catcher has been fantastic at the plate since the All-Star break and has been improving in every facet of his game. Boston’s depth at the position is considered weak, so there’s no reason to not have Rei lined up next season.
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 is hitting .254 this year, but is on pace to set a few personal bests as well. His 21 doubles have tied a career-high, while his 41 walks have already set a personal best. Meanwhile, the switch-hitter has 56 runs scored this year, which is six less then his career-high of 62. The 24-year-old is also 18-of-22 in steal attempts, making him one of the better base runners in the Red Sox system.
Eduardo Rodriguez is rehabbing in Portland at the moment. His first appearance was extremely encouraging, as the left-hander went four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out eight. His return could be a massive boost for the Red Sox.
Dedgar Jimenez continues to improve his numbers. Making two starts this week, the second one was nothing spectacular (three runs over five innings). The first start, however, saw the lefty throw five no-hit innings before being pulled due to a high pitch count. Baby Bartolo is down to a 4.74 ERA which is the lowest it’s been during a Prospect Watch in a while. He’s still only 22 and has been giving a lot of encouraging signs lately.
Matthew Kent‘s been fantastic in his last two starts as well. This week saw one of his better starts of the year, as the 25-year-old went 6 2/3 innings without allowing a run on just two hits. Kent now has a 3.33 ERA in Double-A this year, continuing to build easily the best season he’s had in the Red Sox system.
Teddy Stankiewicz has now thrown 132 1/3 innings this season. That’s nine away from tying a career-high. The 4.42 ERA he holds in Double-A (in 130 1/3 innings) isn’t spectacular, but as mentioned before, a few miserable starts really ballooned that number. The most important stat, in my opinion, is that Stankiewicz hasn’t made a Double-A start of fewer than five innings since April 11.
Darwinzon Hernandez returned to the mound for the first time since August 4 this week and was dominant. Hernandez has been fantastic lately, but this was next-level and very encouraging coming off an injury.
The 21-year-old went six shutout innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out nine. Hernandez now has a 3.56 ERA and 9-5 record in 23 starts for Salem. He’s struck out 124 in 101 innings pitched, and opponents are hitting .220 against the lefty.
Denyi Reyes has thrown 17 2/3 innings for Salem and is proving that his performance in Full-A wasn’t a fluke. So far the righty has a 2.55 ERA and 0.96 WHIP while striking out 15 and walking two.
Durbin Feltman has a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings with Salem so far. The right-hander has thrown 17 2/3 innings total this year and has a 1.53 ERA and 28 strikeouts. He’s also 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has a 0.85 WHIP. I expect him to be in Portland by next week.
Here’s a serious question. Do the Red Sox consider not shelling out massive money to Craig Kimbrel? Feltman has the potential to be an absolutely dominant Major League closer and should arrive next season at the latest. It’s bold to not sign one of the best closers in baseball when you can, but it would save Boston a ton of money, and that’s seriously how high I am on Feltman.
For a team a lot of people consider to be low on prospects, the Red Sox sure do have a lot of talented infielders.
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
Triple-A has Lin and Travis, while Double-A has Dalbec and Chavis. Then there’s Advanced-A.
C.J. Chatham has been superb all year, and his .300/.339/.367 slash line in Salem proves that point. This is the first time the shortstop has appeared in more than 35 games in a season since becoming a professional.
So far, he’s up to 100 and is proving just how good he can be. Combined between Full-A and Advanced-A, Chatham has a .302/.337/.376 slash line with 51 RBI and 50 runs scored. The 23-year-old has also stolen 10 bases in 11 attempts showing how well-rounded his offensive game is.
Brett Netzer is at second base and has a .282 average with two homers on the season (and in his career). He’s also mashed 28 doubles and three triples though and has 48 RBI and 47 runs scored. Besides limited home run power, Netzer checks all the boxes offensively.
Michael Osinski is the third baseman and is riding a nice four-game hitting streak at the moment. The 23-year-old is hitting .299 in Advanced-A and has 18 RBI and 21 runs scored in 147 at-bats. He’s also hit seven doubles and stolen six bases.
Victor Acosta is hitting .279 for Salem after hitting .285 for Greenville. The outfielder has career-highs in nearly every offensive category. His triples (3) and home runs (8) have tied career-bests, while his 28 doubles have set a new mark. Acosta also has new bests in RBI (48) and runs scored (39).
Alex Scherff has returned! On August 18, the Red Sox 16th ranked prospect made his first start in Full-A since July 12. Scherff went four innings, allowing one run on two hits. The right-hander struck out five while walking none, and lowered his ERA to 6.00 on the year.
Although this hasn’t been a banner year for the 20-year-old, things could look considerably better if he ends on a high note.
Jhonathan Diaz twirled a gem this week (seven shutout innings) and in turn lowered his ERA to 3.41 on the year. The 21-year-old left-hander has a 1.11 WHIP and .231 batting average against while striking out 132 batters in 132 innings. Diaz is the Red Sox number 21 prospect after coming into the season ranked 30th. He’s certainly earned that jump.
Jarren Duran is 1-for-13 in his last three games. As someone that only has 77 at-bats in Full-A under his belt, obviously, that made his batting average plummet. Please take that into consideration when I tell you his numbers.
Oh, wait. Duran’s still hitting .364 in Greenville? With six doubles and eight steals? He’s even driven in seven runs and scored 12 more? This question bit I’m doing is getting annoying and isn’t working? Okay, I’ll stop.
My point is, Duran’s ridiculous. He’s hitting .353 between Short-A and Full-A in his first year with the Red Sox after being selected in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. So far it’s hard to argue with this pick not being a fantastic one by Boston.
Marino Campana is doing something a little different at the plate lately. He only has one home run in August (nine RBI) but is hitting .333 this month. The 19-year-old was having a fantastic year offensively, with his average (and strikeouts) being the only problem.
That average is now up to .256 to go along with 69 RBI and 50 runs scored. Campana has 19 doubles and seven triples, as well as 16 home runs – all being career-highs. The 20-year-old outfielder is still striking out at a high rate, but everything else is coming into place.
Pedro Castellanos really is turning out an incredibly strong first full year in Full-A. Before this season, the 20-year-old had just nine at-bats above Rookie Ball so things could’ve gone any number of ways.
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Castellanos is slashing .302/.338/.385 with 16 doubles and three triples, as well as one home run. The right-handed hitter has 28 RBI and 38 runs scored in 77 games (301 at-bats). One area that could be improved upon is his hitting with runners in scoring position. His .239 average in those scenarios leaves some to be desired, and could really boost his stats to the next level.