Boston Red Sox: Rookie of the Year candidates for the near future

The AL Rookie of the Year for 2018 was recently announced as Shohei Ohtani. Which Boston Red Sox prospects could win the award in the coming years?

The last time a member of the Boston Red Sox won the American League Rookie of the Year award was in 2007. That of course, was second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels took home the honor in 2018.

This raises the simple question – do the Red Sox have any viable Rookie of the Year candidates coming up in the next few seasons?

Boston isn’t exactly dominant when it comes to Rookie of the Year winners. Since the inception of the honor in 1947, the Red Sox have had only six winners. Pedroia is joined by Nomar Garciaparra (1997), as well as Fred Lynn (1975) and Carlton Fisk (1972) to win the award in the last 50 years. Don Schwall (1961) and Walt Dropo (1950) also brought the ROY to Boston.

History might not be in their favor, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change. When looking at their prospects, it’s not impossible to believe the Rookie of the Year award could come back to Boston soon.

There are quite a few possibilities within the next year-or-so with the Red Sox having multiple top-tier prospects on the cusp of the Majors.

With that in mind, for the purpose of this article we’re going to stick with a short window. Obviously there are some prospects that have the potential to take home the award in the distant future. Players like Bryan Mata and Triston Casas could be favorites for the award at some point, but they’re still years away from the Majors. Due to that, they won’t be featured in this article – except when I just mentioned them.

This will be strictly prospects that have a realistic chance of making a run at the Rookie of the Year award within the next two years. We’re going to narrow it down even further though and say this is the top-five prospects in the Boston Red Sox system with a chance to win the Rookie of the Year award in the next two seasons.

5. Esteban Quiroz

Let’s start with the dark-horse candidate. Esteban Quiroz isn’t exactly a household name when it comes to minor leaguers. He’s not in the Red Sox official top-30 prospects and only played 24 games in Double-A last season.

Despite that, there are quite a few reasons to put Quiroz on the short-list of potential ROY winners.

First off, the 26-year-old came over from the Mexican League last year. That means he might not need the same MiLB time as others (i.e. Hector Velazquez).

Second, he was absolutely dominant in his short time last season. Quiroz slashed .299/.413/.598 with Portland. Not only does he have plenty of power for his size (5’7″, 175 lbs), he’s just got power in general.  The left-handed hitter smoked five doubles and seven home runs in just 87 at-bats. He also managed ridiculous run production, driving in 24 runs and scoring 19 more.

Then there’s his position. Quiroz is a second baseman – which just so happened to be the least stable position for the Red Sox last year. It could be similar in 2019 as Ian Kinsler likely won’t be returning. The health of Dustin Pedroia is always a question mark, as is Eduardo Nunez‘s. Marco Hernandez missed all of last season as well. What I’m getting at here is that at some point the Red Sox could run extremely thin of second baseman, giving Quiroz an opening. If given that chance, he won’t disappoint.

Finally, there’s his defense. Quiroz flashed the leather plenty last season, proving he’s more than just a bat. He has solid range and phenomenal glove work, as well as quick hands and feet. All this combines to create an above-average second baseman who can contribute even if his bat is struggling. Due to that, if Quiroz does find himself inserted into the lineup but his bat falters for a stretch – there’s reason to keep playing him.

Quiroz has all the tools to be successful in the Majors. He might not be the most obvious ROY candidate when looking at the Red Sox prospects, but the potential is there.

2019 seems unlikely however, as Quiroz will probably get a call to the Majors but only as an injury replacement. A 2020 run at ROY is possible though as he could do enough to earn an everyday spot on that team.

4. Bobby Dalbec

Bobby Dalbec enjoyed a massive breakout season in 2018. The third baseman slashed .257/.361/.558 between Advanced-A and Double-A. He smoked 35 doubles and 32 home runs, as well as three triples. What’s more ridiculous is the right-handed hitter drove in 109 runs.

Dalbec has a bit of a strikeout problem and probably won’t be a .300 hitter. He has the most power out of anyone in the Red Sox minor leagues though and clearly has a knack for run production.

He’s also solid defensively with a cannon for an arm, and appeared at a few games at first base last season. This indicates the Red Sox might want him to learn another position to give him some flexibility in the lineup. If that happens, he’ll be available at both corner infield slots as well as DH. With no set first baseman for the future after 2019, Dalbec has an obvious opening on the roster.

Like Quiroz, he’s probably not going to qualify as a rookie in 2019. Dalbec appeared in 29 games for Double-A and is likely starting the year there. If things go well he should see plenty of time in Triple-A, but probably won’t see any time in the Majors.

That’s due to someone else that will be on this list, Michael Chavis. If the Red Sox run into injury or production problems at third base, Chavis would be the prospect to get the call before anyone else. The Red Sox also have a lot of flexibility at the position at the moment, so needing any prospects might not even be a case.

When Dalbec does arrive though, he’ll immediately inject more power into an already powerful lineup. A lineup that will protect him perfectly. He won’t be the saving grace that finally brings a little power into an all-contact lineup. He’ll have J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts mashing as well as Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers in the mix. Not to mention a number of other home run threats.

This means that Dalbec won’t be the guy pitchers refuse to throw to. They won’t have the luxury of pitching around him and hoping he strikes himself out. If he can stay patient (he did have 66 walks last season), Dalbec will get his pitches. When he gets his pitches, he brings in runs.

Dalbec is built to succeed in this Red Sox lineup. His power will play extremely well at Fenway, and plenty of base runners will be on for him to bring home. A 2020 ROY run is definitely in his future.

3. Durbin Feltman

A lot of people, myself included, expected Durbin Feltman to make his way to the Majors last season after being drafted in June. Instead, he was still pitching in Advanced-A when the year ended. That doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve to advance further though, as he was dominant every step of the way.

Feltman could still be on a fast-track to the Majors. Especially with the Red Sox bullpen a question mark. They definitely silenced a lot of doubters in the postseason, but 2019 will bring about change. For one thing, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rick Porcello won’t be available out of the bullpen. Neither will Chris Sale or David Price. Nathan Eovaldi won’t be either, although he’s a free agent so he might not even be on the team.

Meanwhile, Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel are free agents. Carson Smith is too, but he was never healthy enough to make much of an impact anyways. Due to that, it’s hard to pretend like losing him is going to change much.

Kimbrel shouldn’t return. He’s going to demand far too much money and was shaky a little bit too often to pay up.

Kelly wants to return and shouldn’t be too expensive. In fact, he might be an option as the Red Sox new closer. Honestly though, that role is Feltman’s in the long run.

If Feltman does make the roster in 2019, he probably won’t close immediately. He could still pick up a few saves though. Most importantly, his dominance on the mound very well could translate to the Majors. The right-hander has a fastball-slider combination that should lead to a ridiculous amount of strikeouts.

Last season, he struck out 36 batters (walked 5) in 23 1/3 innings. That type of K/9 ratio will stand out nicely in Boston. With that, a low WHIP and ERA will come as well.

All of those combined with at least a handful of saves will make Feltman a solid ROY candidate in 2019. If he doesn’t get enough time in the Majors 2020 will be even better for him, as by then he might be solidified as the true closer. Racking up 30-plus saves will make Feltman an extremely attractive candidate for the award.

2. Mike Shawaryn

Mike Shawaryn‘s rookie status depends on a few factors. The health of Steven Wright and Nathan Eovaldi‘s free agency status being among them. Even if both return though, the Red Sox minor league pitching depth might start with him.

Shawaryn dominated in Double-A last season, and more-than held his own in Triple-A. In fact, if it wasn’t for one miserable start for Pawtucket, his numbers would’ve been superb.

This season, he’ll likely start the year in Triple-A, although he should get a chance to prove himself in Spring Training. The best bet is on Shawaryn returning to Pawtucket and being one of the first call-ups should injuries arise.

Seeing as Chris Sale, Steven Wright, and Eduardo Rodriguez all missed significant time last year, Shawaryn getting a long look in the Majors in 2019 seems likely.

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The right-handed pitcher keeps the ball in the park and has the ability to rack up a decent amount of strikeouts. He can go deep into a game and keeps opponents averages low (career .233 BAA).

These all come together to create a pitcher that won’t allow too many crooked numbers in short outings.

Basically, Shawaryn’s the type of pitcher that could win a lot of games with a strong offense behind him. That’s exactly what the Red Sox have too. Which means if given enough start, he could pile up wins – which tends to matter to voters although it’s not the best stat to look at in my opinion.

That being said, it still matters obviously – and other stats like ERA and WHIP have been solid all throughout his career.

The way the Red Sox are currently set up, Shawaryn will pitch for them in 2019. How much is still a question however. This will create an opportunity for him to make his mark on the team though. That means even if he isn’t on the team too much in 2019, a rotation spot could be waiting for him in 2020.

If that’s the case, a full season to accumulate stats with a fantastic offense (and the best defensive outfield in the world) behind him, could spell ROY for Shawaryn.