Red Sox Prospect Watch: Major call-up creates buzz in system

The Boston Red Sox had a massive call-up this week, leading to a lot of buzz surrounding their entire minor league system.

As everyone knows by now, there was a major call-up this week for the Boston Red Sox. I’m of course talking about Sandy Leon. Wait, no it was Tzu-Wei Lin. No, still wrong – it was Bobby Poyner.

Okay, in all seriousness – the major call-up was Michael Chavis, the number one overall prospect in the Red Sox system.

Leon was brought back to the team, with Blake Swihart getting the unceremonious ax. Poyner is with the team now as well and could be for a while with Nathan Eovaldi injured.

Then there’s Lin and Chavis. Second base is in shambles (for the second year in a row). Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez landed themselves on the IL with Brock Holt already on there. That led to those two getting the call, with Chavis being a surprise to most.

Everyone should play a role in the success of the team. Lin is an excellent defender and great base runner. He brings value in a lot of different ways.

Poyner struggled in his first outing with Boston this year, but he’s a superb bullpen arm. He gives the Red Sox a left-handed reliever and if given time to prove himself could definitely earn a full-time spot.

Finally, there’s Chavis. For most of his minor league career, he’s been a third baseman. He took up first base in 2018 though. All of a sudden, he started playing second base this year. It made sense as Boston’s had issues at the position for a few years now.

While many were skeptical, he’s looked solid at second so far. People tend to forget he was a shortstop when drafted in 2014 – so the middle infield isn’t exactly “new” to him.

It’s not his defense the Red Sox are excited about anyways. Chavis has as legitimate of a bat as you can get. He’s got potential to hit for a solid average while absolutely crushing the ball and driving in runs. So far, he’s 1-for-5 with a double and a walk. The right-handed hitter will likely get a lot of opportunities though.

Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

Pawtucket’s definitely felt the sting of all these roster moves. They’ve had a lot of talented players already leave their team, or at the very least miss some time due to call-ups.

The two top hitting prospects they’ve had this year not named Chavis are Josh Ockimey and Sam Travis. Neither have exactly found their footing yet this season.

Travis is hitting .191 with two doubles and four RBI. He started off slow last year as well before salvaging the season late. The right-handed hitter’s also looked better in the Majors this year (2-for-7) than he has in Triple-A. Both of those create a silver-lining to this start.

Ockimey’s been much better than that and has been improving lately. Still, his numbers aren’t exactly going to turn heads. The first baseman has a .239 average and has already struck out 16 times.

However, he’s also walked 11 times and smacked three doubles and three home runs – as well as one triple. Ockimey’s driven in seven runs and his raw power should make his run production and home run numbers climb.

Nick Lovullo‘s been a nice surprise in Triple-A. The infielder ended last season in Advanced-A and hit .203 on the year. He’s 4-for-16 (.250) with two RBI, three runs scored and one steal with Pawtucket this season though.

Travis Lakins has a 3.38 ERA over eight innings this season. The right-hander has 10 strikeouts and with all the recent moves lately, he could find himself in Boston this season.

Speaking of, Mike Shawaryn is a candidate for a call-up soon. The starting righty has a 3.63 ERA over 22 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 23 and has yet to give up a home run. With Eovaldi out for 4-6 weeks, Boston might call on Shawaryn to make his MLB debut sooner rather than later.

Another call-up candidate has to be Trevor Kelley. He’s flown under the radar for most of his minor league career. The 25-year-old right-hander has been nothing short of fantastic though – especially in the last two years.

Last season, Kelley posted a 2.88 ERA – including a 1.54 in Triple-A. Now he’s thrown 5 2/3 innings this season without giving up an earned run. The former 36th-round pick has certainly proven he can get outs without giving up runs.

Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)

C.J. Chatham will hit .300 in the Majors. I’ve said it before and I’ll gladly say it again. You’ll hear it a lot during the Prospect Watch’s this season, so get used to it.

Chatham is hitting a ridiculous .347 on the year. He’s almost walked (6) as many times as he’s struck out (8) and already has nine doubles and 10 RBI. The right-handed hitter also has nine runs scored and has reached base in 12-of-13 games he’s appeared in this year.

Brett Netzer is another great example of a professional hitter. The second baseman has a .306 average on the season. He’s not going to give you much power (two doubles are his only extra-base hits this year), but he knows how to put the ball in play.

Jeremy Rivera has flashed a lot of potential with the bat in the past. This could be the year he really puts it all together. In a small sample size, the switch-hitter is 6-for-15 (.400) with a double and a home run. He’s driven in three runs and scored three more, walking once. Last season was his best year in the minors and the 24-year-old seems to be building off it.

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

Bobby Dalbec has struggled so far this season (.205 average). However, the extremely powerful prospect is showing signs of turning it around. He’s collected a hit and at least one RBI in each of the last two games. On Monday his hit just so happened to be a two-run home run (number two on the year). Expect a lot more of those.

Although losing Blake Swihart was definitely a negative, the Red Sox did get an interesting prospect in return. Marcus Wilson is a 22-year-old outfielder with a lot going for him. The right-handed hitter has plenty of speed (15-plus steals in each of the last three seasons). He’s also got enough pop to keep defenses honest (10 home runs last year and two already this season). He’ll be a great addition to the outfield and brings a good glove with him.

Adam Lau has still yet to give up an earned run. In 6 1/3 innings opponents are hitting .136 and he’s struck out 13. He has a 0.90 WHIP to go along with his 0.00 ERA.

Durbin Feltman hasn’t been as dominant. The right-hander has more-than-enough time to turn it around though. He’s given up three runs in five innings (5.40 ERA). Opponents are hitting just .125 though and he’s struck out seven in that time.

Darwinzon Hernandez has a ridiculous 1.80 ERA over 10 innings. The left-handed pitcher already has 15 strikeouts and will only raise his stock even more this season.

Matthew Kent‘s building off a great 2018 with a 0.87 ERA to start 2019. He’s allowed just one run and seven hits over 10 1/3 innings so far. The left-handed pitcher has a .200 BAA and 1.06 WHIP.

Dedgar Jimenez isn’t having much luck so far. The 23-year-old has a 19.64 ERA after getting knocked around in his last start. He’s thrown just 3 2/3 innings this year, giving up eight runs. It’s still incredibly early so this isn’t anything to worry about for the lefty. Full confidence that he’ll turn it around.

Tanner Houck‘s already turning it all around. He allowed seven earned runs in four innings in his first start of the year (15.75 ERA). The next start saw him allow just one run in five innings though. Then the righty had an absolutely dominant start to top it all off. He threw five innings again, this time allowing no runs on just one hit. The sixth overall prospect for Boston struck out nine without walking any. He’s now down to a 5.14 ERA and has 15 strikeouts in 14 innings.

Full-A (Greenville Drive)

Parked cars better be careful, because Kole Cottam is hitting. The catcher struggled to start the year but looks to have his swing back. He’s collected two hits in two straight games, including his first home run of the year in his most recent outing. The right-handed hitter is up to a .237 average (.370 OBP) and has three doubles and one home run so far.

A lot of bats have been struggling in Full-A, and Triston Casas hasn’t been immune to that bad luck. The Red Sox number two overall prospect is hitting .180 with just one home run. However, the left-handed hitter only had four at-bats last season. He’s still getting acclimated to the minors – so give it some time.

Another 2018 draft pick was Brandon Howlett. The 19-year-old is hitting .156 but has a hit in each of the last two games. This is the right-handed hitter’s first season in Full-A. Again, giving him time to adjust is smart as he’s had just 45 at-bats so far this year.

Juan Carlos Abreu is ice-cold at the moment, with his average down to .219. He hit .330 last season and is just 10 games into his Full-A career. The outfielder brings a lot to the plate and his numbers should rise again.

Tyler Esplin has been hot-and-cold so far this year. The 19-year-old has a .236 average and four doubles. This is his first year in Full-A as well. The left-handed hitter has plus-power and hit potential. With that in mind, he’s actually off to a pretty promising start when comparing them to his previous season.

Marino Campana was not having a good start to the season in Advanced-A. The 21-year-old had a .139 average with just one double and one home run. Now the right-handed hitter is back in Full-A with the hopes that he can find his swing again. So far, he’s appeared in just one game – going 0-for-3.

If his previous seasons have taught us anything it’s that this shouldn’t be much of a worry though. Campana can get extremely cold, but extremely hot as well. Expect some big games from him soon enough.

Alex Scherff is definitely building off his strong finish to last season. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.77 ERA over 13 innings so far this year. He’s already walked seven batters compared to 10 strikeouts but has managed to stay out of too much trouble. There’s a reason he’s one of the Red Sox best pitching prospects, as he has all the tools to be a top-of-the-line starter down the line.

Yoan Aybar‘s numbers don’t look good at first glance. The 21-year-old has a 9.64 ERA on the year. However, that’s not indicative of how his season’s gone.

So far, Aybar has allowed five earned runs in 2019. All of those came in one outing. On April 14, the left-handed pitcher allowed five runs on three hits and two walks without recording an out.

Outside of that, Aybar’s thrown 4 2/3 innings. In that time, he’s walked five (that is an issue) but allowed just two hits. He’s struck out four and hasn’t given up any earned runs either. Aybar has all the potential in the world and some nasty pitches. If he can get the control necessary, he could become an elite arm.

Brayan Bello‘s career is off to a nice start. The right-handed pitcher was awesome in Rookie Ball last season and hasn’t slowed down yet. In three starts for Full-A, Bello has a 1.29 ERA. He’s struck out nine batters in 14 innings, walking four. Opponents are hitting just .220 against Bello, whose WHIP is a clean 1.07.

In 81 1/3 innings to start his career, Bello has yet to give up a home run. I apologize now if by the next Prospect Watch I’ve jinxed that.