Red Sox Prospect Watch: Thad Ward inserts himself into conversations

Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)

This is your last chance to jump on the Baby Bartolo hype-train before it officially leaves the station. Dedgar Jimenez is now down to a 3.55 ERA after a lights-out start on Memorial Day. The left-hander threw six shutout innings and made opposing batters look down-right silly on multiple occasions. This was his best start of the year and he now has a 2.14 ERA after imploding in his first two outings (eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings).

Jimenez is still just 23 and should absolutely be on the radar of anyone that cares about prospects. He just seems to get it on the mound.

Denyi Reyes is also piggybacking off his own best start of the year. The 22-year-old allowed just three hits and no walks in six shutout innings, striking out eight. He still has a 4.79 ERA but is clearly trending in the right direction. Reyes was one of the best pitchers in all of MiLB last season. Don’t discredit him simply because he had a bad month at a new level to start the year.

Kyle Hart has gone seven innings in each of his last three starts. The left-hander has a 2.91 ERA on the year, to go with a .199 BAA and 1.01 WHIP. He’s struck out 60 batters in 55 2/3 innings and has yet to have a “bad start” in 2019.

Jake Cosart is now in Double-A after looking fantastic in Advanced-A all year (1.83 ERA in 19 2/3 innings and yes that’s exactly what Adam Lau was doing in Double-A before moving to Triple-A). Cosart has a 0.00 ERA and three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings so far in Portland. He also has a 0.86 WHIP and .000 BAA. There’s a reason the 25-year-old was once considered one of the Red Sox best pitching prospects.

C.J. Chatham is hitting .314 and I feel like no one is talking about him. The shortstop simply hits. He has 16 RBI and 15 runs on the year, stealing four bases as well.

Other than lacking in the home run power department (and even that could come around to see him hit 15-plus yearly) – there’s nothing Chatham can’t do. He’s a solid defender with good speed and a great bat for contact. The Red Sox might not have a place for him at this moment, but a debut this year still isn’t out of the question.

Bobby Dalbec is slashing .240/.364/.461 to this point in the year. The third baseman has eight doubles and eight home runs, as well as one triple. He’s driven in 26 runs and scored 20 more – stealing one base. Dalbec’s been hot-and-cold this year but has flashed his power a solid amount. He’s one of the few prospects that you truly believe could give you a three-homer night at any moment.

Jhon Nunez is hitting .284 and already closing in on some career-bests. He has two home runs (one off of his career-high) and six doubles (three off his career-best). The catcher also has one triple (two off his career-high) and with seven RBI and 10 runs scored is at a decent pace in both categories.