Red Sox Prospect Watch: Josh Ockimey has how many home runs?
The Boston Red Sox have had a lot of standout performers in the minors this year. Josh Ockimey leads all of them in home runs – by quite a few.
There’s really not much to say about soon-to-be graduated prospect Michael Chavis. The kid just rakes 24/7 and it’s pretty obvious why he was the Boston Red Sox number one prospect.
That being said, him lighting up the world right now does bring up something I’ve talked about before. The Red Sox minor league system isn’t as bad as the National Media would have you believe.
Chavis was the only prospect that Boston had on the top-100 prospects in baseball. He wasn’t even close to the top either – ranking 63rd overall (and ninth at third base).
In 26 games in the Majors, Chavis is slashing .296/.389/.592 with nine home runs and 24 RBI – even stealing two bases.
Now, you’ve seen him play in the Majors for a month, so answer me this. Do you really think there are eight third base prospects that should’ve been placed ahead of him? What about 62 prospects overall that should’ve been put over him?
I think it’s fair to say those are both pretty easy no answers.
With that in mind, isn’t it entirely possible that the Red Sox could have some other prospects that are being criminally underrated by the National Media?
This time the simple answer is yes.
So far, the Boston minors have proven this to be true in 2019 as there are quite a few standout players not getting much spotlight. Who had a big week and how is everyone progressing so far this year?
Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)
Josh Ockimey has been lauded as a prospect with a lot of raw power in the past. While he’s shown that with some absolute missiles in his career, the massive numbers haven’t been there. Don’t get me wrong, 20 home runs last year was great, but this year he’s showing he can truly hit a ton.
The 22-year-old left-handed hitter has 11 home runs already this year. That’s four more than anyone else in the entire Red Sox minor league organization. The power has officially arrived and now it’s just exciting to see how many he can hit in a year.
Sam Travis seems to be enjoying the competition – as he’s still hot as well. The first baseman is on pace for his best season in a long time. Travis is slashing .273/.376/.391 with seven doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He’s 3-for-3 on steal attempts and has 16 RBI and 17 runs scored.
Marco Hernandez made the jump to Triple-A, as clearly the Red Sox want him close to the Majors should they need him. He’s 0-for-8 so far but the rust will come off soon enough.
Mike Shawaryn lost control in his only start this week, walking a season-high six batters. He only allowed two hits through five innings though, limiting the damage to two earned runs. Even with the heavy walks, he holds a 1.13 WHIP to go with a .216 BAA. The right-hander is still waiting for that call-up.
Teddy Stankiewicz got knocked around in his only start, giving up nine hits in five innings (four earned runs). The right-hander is still having a fantastic season though, posting a 3.81 ERA over five starts.
Trevor Kelley has a 1.40 ERA over 19 1/3 innings pitched (14 appearances). I’ll say that again, 1.40 ERA. The 25-year-old right-hander doesn’t get enough consideration as potential bullpen help.
Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)
Charlie Madden was hitting .171 in Advanced-A this year but got called up to Double-A when Sandy Leon went on Paternity Leave. In one game, Madden put on an absolute show. The catcher went 3-for-4 with two home runs. How was he rewarded, you ask? By being demoted to Short-A – where the season hasn’t even started yet.
Jhon Nunez is, of course, having a great season himself. The switch-hitting catcher is slashing .306/.351/.472 so far this year. He’s smacked four doubles and one triple, as well as two home runs. The 24-year-old has scored 10 runs, showing off his great speed for the position.
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C.J. Chatham still doesn’t have a home run on the year, but his .313 average makes up for it. The shortstop will never be someone that hits a ton of homers, but his swing is too pretty to not give him a good average. It could also produce a few line drive home runs in the Majors – so that’s at least something.
Bobby Dalbec, on the other hand, will absolutely mash home runs. He’s hit seven so far this year and has 24 RBI to go along with it. The third base prospect also has eight doubles and one triple and a solid .244 average to this point. Dalbec’s average may not be “great” but it’s improved dramatically from just a few weeks ago. He also has a ridiculous 27 walks, leading to a strong .377 OBP.
Baby Bartolo isn’t just back, he’s looking better than he has in a long time. Dedgar Jimenez started the year with a 19.64 ERA after his first two starts (eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings). Since then, the 23-year-old has allowed just eight earned runs in five starts (31 2/3 innings. For those keeping track at home, that’s a 2.53 ERA (4.15 overall). The left-hander is making waves once again.
Denyi Reyes is also trying to regain old magic. The 22-year-old is down to a 5.49 ERA after allowing just one run on three hits in five innings in his last start. He’s yet to put together back-to-back great starts this year, so let’s see if he can do it this time around.
Kyle Hart, on the other hand, hasn’t really had a bad start all year. The 25-year-old has a 2.77 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 48 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .203 against him and he has 54 strikeouts compared to just 15 walks.
Tanner Houck had two starts this week – one solid and one weak. In his first start, the right-hander struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings – allowing two runs. In his next start though, he only went 3 2/3 innings – allowing four earned runs on seven hits while striking out none. His ERA sits at 5.17 at the moment but he’s shown he can go on dominant runs in the past.
Darwinzon Hernandez is down to a 4.10 ERA in Double-A after allowing three runs in seven innings in his last start. The important thing here was that he walked just two batters while striking out 11.
Adam Lau has a 1.83 ERA in 12 appearances so far this year. He’s walked 12 batters over 19 2/3 innings but has 26 strikeouts in that time as well. The right-hander has kept the walks from hurting him by keeping his opponents to a .175 batting average and giving up just one home run.
Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)
Jarren Duran has played 39 games this year and has 158 at-bats and is still hitting over .400 – .405 to be exact. He also has a .463 OBP and .557 slugging percentage. That’s just ridiculousness.
The left-handed hitter has 12 doubles and three triples, to go along with two home runs. He’s driven in 16 runs and scored 38 more, as well as stolen 13 bases. How crazy is his season? Duran could go 0-for-his-next-55 and still be hitting .300.
I truly believe he could make a real impact on the Red Sox right now and somehow he still hasn’t even been promoted to Double-A.
Ryan Fitzgerald has been slumping recently, but still has a .308 batting average. That would play no matter what but when you factor in 29 RBI that number is fantastic.
Victor Acosta is also slumping a little bit and finds his average at .287. Things still look great for him though, as he’s struck out 14 times compared to 13 walks. That’s something you should value in a prospect.
Pedro Castellanos is hitting .285 and still doesn’t have a home run. He’s hit 11 doubles and has four steals though – and most importantly is tied for the lead in the Red Sox minors in RBI with 32.
Eduard Bazardo is having such an amazing year, he’s right up there with Duran in the “promote this guy already” category. The 23-year-old has a 0.91 ERA and two saves in 10 appearances (29 2/3 innings) this year. He’s struck out 36 batters in that time and only walked five. The right-hander has a 0.71 WHIP and .154 BAA and has yet to allow a home run.
Kutter Crawford has a 2.72 ERA over nine starts this year. The right-hander’s struck out 52 batters in 43 innings, walking 15. Opponents are hitting .228 against him and haven’t had more than six hits in a game so far this year.
Jake Cosart has a 2.04 ERA and really just all-around great numbers this year. The 25-year-old has a .200 BAA and 0.91 WHIP in 13 appearances. He’s 5-for-5 in save opportunities and has 20 strikeouts compared to four walks in 17 2/3 innings.
Joan Martinez is another great bullpen arm for the Salem Red Sox. The 22-year-old right-hander has a 2.08 ERA and .218 BAA on the year. He’s struck out 34 batters while walking eight over 21 2/3 innings. It’s incredible how well he’s adjusted to Advanced-A after a poor showing in 2018.
Full-A (Greenville Drive)
Remember how I said Castellanos was tied for the Red Sox MiLB lead in RBI? That’s because Triston Casas also has 32. Yes, the 19-year-old. He’s also hitting .263 with 12 doubles and six home runs on the year.
What’s scary is Casas seems to be getting hot, in his last 10 games he’s hitting .353 and has 14 RBI. Big things are coming from the left-handed hitter and that’s exciting news for the Red Sox.
Brandon Howlett is also just 19, and he finds himself on a nice little three-game hitting-streak at the moment. The right-handed hitter has a .234 average to go along with three home runs early on in the year.
Let’s keep rolling with the 19-year-olds as we move on to Tyler Esplin. Esplin’s looked much better at the plate recently, as the left-handed hitter has risen his average to .232. He has eight doubles and two triples to go along with one home run. There’s definitely something in his bat if he can just crack the code.
Devlin Granberg is hitting .294 with a .393 OBP. The first baseman can do a little bit of everything at the plate (eight doubles, three triples, and three home runs) and is a great bat to have around the younger players. Although 23 isn’t exactly old himself, he has a much more mature bat.
Alan Marrero is still establishing himself nicely as a solid catching prospect. He’s hitting .246 and has four doubles and four home runs on the year. The 21-year-old has been getting more playing time recently and it will be interesting to see how he responds to it.
Thad Ward had an absolutely fantastic week. The 22-year-old made two starts, going a 7 1/3 scoreless innings in the first outing, then seven scoreless in the next. Ward’s 14 1/3 innings combined lowered his ERA to 2.50 on the year. The righty also has 58 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings, while opponents are hitting just .204 against him.
Rio Gomez has a 1.09 ERA and is 5-for-5 on save opportunities over 14 appearances this year. The left-hander has 37 strikeouts and just four walks in 24 2/3 innings and has a 0.69 WHIP and .149 BAA this season. Full-A doesn’t seem like much of a challenge to him so far. I’d like to propose promoting Bazardo to Double-A and Gomez to Advanced-A sooner, rather than later.
Kris Jackson has now made two appearances on the year and has a 1.35 ERA over 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander has seven Ks and one walk in that time, and opponents are hitting just .182 (0.72 WHIP) against him. He’s currently 1-for-1 in save opportunities.
Next. Red Sox Prospect Watch: Bobby Dalbec crushing once again. dark
Yoan Aybar has thrown three straight scoreless innings. Even more importantly, he hasn’t walked anyone in that time. The 21-year-old left-hander has a 7.11 ERA on the year. That’s mostly due to his 17 walks in 12 2/3 innings though. He’s also struck out 18 and has a .149 BAA.