Boston Red Sox Minors: 2019 will be the year of Alex Scherff

The Boston Red Sox have plenty of prospects that the following season could be good to. Just exactly who will make it their year in 2019 though?

There’s no shortage of pitching prospects in the Boston Red Sox system. Names like Jay Groome top the list, but it was Alex Scherff who had one of the more dominating stretches by a prospect last season. Along with Tanner Houck, he managed to turn his season around with a lights-out run near the end of the year.

Now there are reasons to believe 2019 will see him build off that momentum.

Scherff held a 6.32 ERA on June 12, through his first 11 starts in Full-A last season. An injury shelved him until August 8, when he made two rehab appearances in Rookie Ball. There, the right-handed pitcher allowed just one run in five innings (1.80 ERA).

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Things only got better from there. Scherff then made four final starts in Full-A before the end of the season. In those four starts, he combined to allow three earned runs in 18 innings (1.50 ERA). This dropped his ERA in Full-A to 4.98 and total on the year to 4.76.

While that may not seem spectacular, it was a clear showing that Scherff had turned a corner. Something that might be overlooked when considering his 2018 season – Scherff was 20. It was his first year in professional baseball.

Inexperience and youth have clear roles in performance when it comes to prospects. A 4.76 ERA in your first year in the minors (at 20) isn’t bad, and it’s a lot better when you notice the obvious progressions Scherff made throughout the year.

Now you have to look to 2019. Scherff will be a year older and have professional experience under his belt. Getting better as the year went on last season is a sign of good things to come. Scherff has all the stuff to be considered an elite prospect, and 2019 could be a major step in that process.

Expect Scherff to start 2019 in Full-A. Although that’s where he spent last year, he’ll only be 21 (birthday is on February 5). With injuries taking part of his season, he didn’t get a full year of it under his belt anyway. The right-handed pitcher definitely won’t be there all year if he can continue to make major progressions though.

However, if Scherff does spend all 2019 in Full-A that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Red Sox could decide to take things slow with him as there’s no need to rush anyone at this point. You should still expect 2019 to be the year Alex Scherff cements his spot as a top-tier pitching prospect; not just in the Boston Red Sox organization, but in baseball – period.