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.
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.