Red Sox Prospect Watch: Start of the 2019 MiLB season

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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 15: Pitcher Bryan Mata #34 of the World Team and the Boston Red Sox works the third inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)

Jarren Duran burst onto the scene after being drafted last year with a ridiculously dominant start to his career. He definitely set a record for fastest ever to gain “Hunter Noll Guy” status.

The 22-year-old has started 2019 like I was preparing for – hot. He’s collected a hit in all four games, posting a .400 average. The left-handed hitter already has a steal and triple (neither should be a surprise) as well as two runs scored. He’s legit.

Marino Campana isn’t off to such a hot start though. After smacking a homer in his first game, the 21-year-old hasn’t collected another hit since. He’s 1-for-14 on the year with seven strike outs.

Don’t be discouraged though. Campana has shown to be an extremely streaky hitter. He’ll also be 21 the entire season. The right-handed hitter has one of the most underrated power bats in the system and before all’s said and done, will turn some heads in 2019.

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Campana isn’t the only one struggling, as Pedro Castellanos also has just one hit so far (1-for-15). That one hit is a double, and he does have two RBI though. Both are encouraging as he struggled to get extra-base hits and RBI in 2018. He’ll also spend all of 2019 as a 21-year-old and this slow start shouldn’t discourage anyone as history shows he’ll break out of it.

Left-handed corner infielder Garrett Benge is 3-for-14 so far and right-handed corner infielder Michael Osinski is 4-for-11. To show you how crazy stats are early on. Despite how small the difference is in hits and at-bats, Benge is “struggling” with a .214 average, while Osinskis is hot with a .364 average. Both had strong seasons in 2018 and we should expect more of the same this year.

Victor Acosta is just 1-for-6 but the outfielder hasn’t really got much time so far. It’s confusing what the Red Sox are doing with him, as it’s hard to tell what they think of him. The outfielder can do a little of everything though and should get his fair chance.

There aren’t as many top pitching prospects in Greenville, but there are still some obvious people to pay attention to.

The most obvious is Bryan Mata. The 19-year-old gave another reason why in his first start of the year. Mata allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings, picking up win number one. The right-handed pitcher hit two batters but didn’t walk any (which was a major problem in the past for him). He also struck out three and posted a fantastic .190 BAA and 0.71 WHIP.

Mata’s a truly elite prospect. If he stays in Advanced-A all year it will only be because he’s so young and the Red Sox don’t want to rush him – not because he doesn’t deserve a promotion.

Eduard Bazardo‘s another name to watch closely. He’s made two starts, but only throw 5 1/3 innings. In that time, the 23-year-old has allowed just one earned run. The right-handed pitcher has a .211 BAA and 1.31 WHIP, striking out three. He’s dominated every step of the way in the Majors, and Advanced-A is a new step for him. With that in mind, he’ll be very interesting in 2019.

Then there’s Jhonathan Diaz. The left-hander had a fantastic season in 2018, posting career-bests in nearly every category. So far, he’s thrown just 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and one run. He also hit a batter, but struck out five. The .111 BAA and 0.37 WHIP are fantastic starts to a season that could catapult him into the Red Sox future plans faster than expected.

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