Red Sox Prospect Watch: Can anything stop Jarren Duran?

It appears the Boston Red Sox have a new star in the Majors in Michael Chavis while players like Jarren Duran tear up the minors.

The Boston Red Sox will probably be losing a true “prospect” soon. It just so happens to be their number one prospect. The way Michael Chavis has been playing, it’s hard to imagine he isn’t in Boston to stay.

Chavis has appeared in nine games for the Red Sox this season. In that time, the right-handed hitter is slashing .286/.429/.786 with one double and three home runs. He’s driven in eight runs and scored five more – stealing one base as well.

Despite only playing a few games at second base in the minors, Chavis has looked pretty comfortable at the position in the Majors. He’s also played first base and third base, giving him plenty of versatility. There’s no reason for Boston to send him back down to the minors.

Tzu-Wei Lin is also up with the team again, and although he isn’t hitting well, the infielder is a superb defender. He’s also solid on the base paths, adding a steal of his own. However, his stint will likely be short – going back to the minors when Dustin Pedroia, Eduardo Nunez or Brock Holt return.

The Red Sox also had a few pitching prospects up in the majors for a little bit. Travis Lakins and Darwinzon Hernandez both made their Major League debuts. Both look like they’ll be able to make a major impact on the team in the future – however, they’ve both been sent back down.

Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

You’d think with Chavis in the Majors, Pawtucket’s power would suffer. However, Josh Ockimey clearly didn’t get the message. Although the first base prospect is hitting .254, he’s slugging .603 thanks to five doubles and one triple – as well as five home runs. The left-handed prospect also has 12 RBI.

Chad De La Guerra is back and already hitting .333 (6-for-18) with a double and a triple. The left-handed hitter also has one steal and three runs scored. DLG is a versatile infielder who could very well make his MLB debut in 2019.

Sam Travis was hitting .180 this time last week. He’s on a five-game hitting-streak though and is now up to .227. In that five-game streak, Travis hit his first home run of the year and walked six times. Hopefully, he can get back on track, as there’s still plenty of potential left in his bat.

I know Rusney Castillo‘s 31, but it should be mentioned that he leads the team in RBI (18) and doubles (5). He’s also second on the team in runs (12) and third in homers (3). This guy can hit and I don’t think the Red Sox have completely given up on him yet.

Travis Lakins is back in Triple-A after making his MLB debut. He has a 3.86 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings. The righty is just biding his time until he’s sent back up to the Majors.

Mike Shawaryn has a 3.49 ERA over 28 1/3 innings. Many expected him to get the call to the Majors recently, but it didn’t happen. He has 24 strikeouts and has allowed just one home run so far. That MLB debut will happen this year.

Bobby Poyner is also back in Triple-A and has looked good recently. The lefty has a 3.24 ERA over 8 1/3 innings with a ridiculous 15 strikeouts. He’ll be back with the Boston Red Sox at some point this year.

Trevor Kelley is another pitcher who could make his Major League debut this year. The right-handed pitcher has a 0.93 ERA in 9 2/3 innings. He has a 1.14 WHIP and continues to climb the prospect ranks well after being drafted in the 36th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.

Matthew Gorst allowed an earned run in his first appearance of the year but has yet to do so since. The righty has a 1.08 ERA over 8 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

Josh Taylor is another pitcher who was speculated to get a call-up recently. The 26-year-old lefty has a 1.86 ERA over 9 2/3 innings. He’s struck out 15 and has one save in one opportunity.

Teddy Stankiewicz made his first start of the year this week. The 25-year-old righty went six innings, giving up three runs. He’s always been someone that can eat up a lot of innings, making him a pretty intriguing prospect.

Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)

C.J. Chatham just hits. The 24-year-old right-handed hitter has a .343/.403/.478 slash line with nine doubles. Although he’s yet to hit a home run, he has 11 RBI and 10 runs scored – as well as one steal. He’s also a very solid shortstop defensively and has all the tools to be a great contributor in the Majors.

Bobby Dalbec is only hitting .206 to this point, with two doubles and two home runs. He has nine RBI and nine runs scored as well. The good news about the third base prospect is that his most recent game saw him post two hits and drive in a run. Things will turn around for the offensive juggernaut.

Brett Netzer mashed his first home run of the year on Monday – number three of his three-year career. Home run power will never be there, but the second base prospect can still hit. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter has a .282 average and six RBI so far.

Marcus Wilson was the prospect in the Red Sox – Arizona Diamondbacks Blake Swihart trade. He’s struggled at the plate since being traded, but like Dalbec was very promising in his last game. Wilson went 1-for-3 with two walks and a home run. He’s hitting .176 with Portland but has a .364 OBP.

Kyle Hart was part of a no-hitter for the Sea Dogs this week – going 6 2/3 shutout innings. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.74 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 23 innings. Opponents are hitting just .185 against him, as he has a 0.91 WHIP.

Daniel McGrath was the next pitcher in that game, throwing 1 1/3 innings. On the year, the lefty has a 1.80 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10 innings.

The last pitcher in that no-hitter was Adam Lau. Lau has yet to give up an earned run on the year. In 7 2/3 innings, the right-hander has 14 strikeouts and a 0.91 WHIP. Opponents are hitting .120 against him.

Matthew Kent has given up one earn run in each of his last three appearances. All of those appearances lasted for more than four innings, and all three times his ERA rose – that’s how good his year has been. The lefty has a 1.25 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. I truly believe the Red Sox will give him a look this year.

Tanner Houck‘s been absolutely fantastic since his first start of the year. The righty has thrown 11 shutout innings in his last two starts and now has a 3.60 ERA over 20 innings. Houck has 21 strikeouts on the year and it’s clear why he’s one of the Red Sox top pitching prospects.

Denyi Reyes has a 6.87 ERA on the year. However, the 22-year-old looked great in his last start (5 innings, 3 hits, 1 run) and could be returning to that dominant form we saw all of last season.

Darwinzon Hernandez is back in Double-A after a brief stint with the Red Sox. He only went 2/3 of an inning, allowing five earned runs. This ballooned his ERA up to 5.91, but it’s still early enough that he can fix that quickly.

Speaking of fixing ERAs, Dedgar Jimenez is on a path to do just that. After two starts (3 2/3 innings) Jimenez had a 19.64 ERA (eight earned runs). However, the 23-year-old lefty went six innings in his last start, allowing just one run. This dropped his ERA to 8.38 and that will continue to fall rapidly for a little bit as he finds his footing this season. No doubt Baby Bartolo will correct himself.

Durbin Feltman has an “eh” 3.86 ERA. However, the righty has a 0.86 WHIP and .091 BAA. He’s struck out nine batters in seven innings and has one save on the year. Feltman is still very much the future at closer for Boston.

Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)

The title of this entire article was “Can anything stop Jarren Duran?” Did you really expect me not to start with JD here? Duran is legitimately hitting .404 in Advanced-A this year. He’s 36-for-89 with five doubles, three triples, and one home run. The left-handed hitter has eight RBI and 23 runs scored. He’s walked 10 times and has nine steals.

How has he not been called up to at least Double-A yet? What else is there to see? It’s not even a “small” sample size at this point. Duran could go 0-for-his-next-31 and still be hitting .300.

Nuts.

Duran isn’t the only hot-hitter in Salem though. Victor Acosta‘s been on an absolute tear lately and is now up to a .344 average himself. The outfielder has 10 RBI with seven of them coming in his last three games. He’s been a very good hitter his entire career and I’ve always felt like the 22-year-old had an extra gear at the plate we hadn’t seen yet – I think we’re seeing it.

The other hottest-hitter at the moment is Pedro Castellanos. Each week so far this year I’d say how his average still wasn’t good, but he was making steady improvements. Now the first baseman has busted out completely. The right-handed hitter has multiple hits in five of his last six games. He’s now up to .282 on the year and has an impressive 18 RBI. Still just 21, there’s a lot to love about him as a prospect.

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

Ryan Fitzgerald is hitting .357 on the year and that’s actually down from last week. That’s how good the shortstop has been. He has seven doubles and three triples and has driven in 17 runs. The left-handed hitter also has 12 runs scored and seven steals on the year.

Garrett Benge is on a seven-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in his last three. The corner infielder is hitting .275 (.375 OBP) with three doubles and one home run. His average has climbed back up like I said it would, and it’s more-than-likely not done yet.

Marco Hernandez is currently with Salem and looking like someone that could help the Red Sox this year. It’s easy to forget, but Hernandez is hitting .284 in 109 MLB at-bats. He has good speed and puts the bat on the ball. Working his way back from an injury, Hernandez is still just 26.

Bryan Mata is one of the Red Sox top pitching prospects for a reason. The 19-year-old has a 1.40 ERA through 25 2/3 innings this season. He’s struck out 26 in that time and has a 0.97 WHIP and .188 BAA. The right-handed pitcher had command issues in the past (58 walks in 72 innings last year) but only has seven so far this season.

Kutter Crawford has a 1.96 ERA through 23 innings this season. He’s struck out 26 and walked just eight. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.13 WHIP and is improving upon a strong first-full year in the system in 2018.

Somewhat surprisingly, Eduard Bazardo only has 15 strikeouts through 17 2/3 innings. Less surprisingly, he’s still dominating. The righty has two saves and a 1.53 ERA on the year. He has a 0.85 WHIP and .156 BAA and has yet to allow a home run.

Dominic LoBrutto just got engaged. The left-handed pitcher also has a 0.77 ERA in 11 2/3 innings for Salem this year. He’s 1-for-1 in save opportunities and has 11 Ks and no homers allowed so far. Opponents are hitting just .190 against him in Advanced-A this year (0.94 WHIP).

Jhonathan Diaz has had a great start to the season sans one start. He has a 4.43 ERA in 20 1/3 innings (10 runs) but five of those runs came in one 2 2/3 innings start. He’s still getting strikeouts (25) and has looked fantastic in recent starts.