Red Sox Prospect Watch: Victor Acosta has caught fire in Salem

The Boston Red Sox minor league system has been fun this year, and Victor Acosta is proving just how deep the organization really is.

Before we really get into anything, the Boston Red Sox Short-A season has begun. However, the Lowell Spinners haven’t played enough games to talk about. Therefore, they won’t be getting a slide this week. Instead, I’ll just quickly say here that it’s a really fun lineup.

Antoni Flores, Nicholas Northcut and Nick Decker headline the hitters – Juan Carlos Abreu, Gilberto Jimenez, and Marino Campana deserve a lot of attention as well.

Now let’s take a big jump to the Majors. Marco Hernandez cooled off quite a bit, but then had the biggest hit of his MLB career on Sunday. The infielder smacked a ninth-inning home run to tie the ballgame against the Baltimore Orioles. Boston would go on to win. Hernandez is pushing to stay on the team even when everyone is healthy.

Michael Chavis has sprung back to life recently. He’s back up to a .261 average and now has 12 home runs and 34 RBI to go with it. The young slugger will probably continue to have some up-and-down moments but expect a lot more homers.

Mike Shawaryn has allowed one run in nine innings in the Majors so far. It’s not just pitching out of trouble either, the right-hander has been utterly dominant. Shawaryn has allowed two hits (.069 BAA) and has a 0.67 WHIP. He’s already struck out 14 batters to go with his 1.00 ERA.

The Red Sox have expressed a need for bullpen help quite often this season. Shawaryn’s a starter and will be one as his career progresses. That being said, he could be a legitimate bullpen solution for this season.

Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)

C.J. Chatham‘s back and hasn’t skipped a beat. In two days he’s played in three games – collecting a hit in all three. The shortstop’s average has raised to .316 due to that. Chatham has 10 doubles to go along with 18 RBI, 16 runs scored and four steals.

Jhon Nunez is one of the hottest hitters in the Red Sox minors. The catcher has looked great all season long but has been particularly feeling it lately. He’s up to a .310 average with eight doubles (one off his career-high) and one triple, with 13 RBI and 17 runs scored. The switch-hitter also has a career-high four home runs.

Bobby Dalbec is slashing .242/.379/.493 with 10 doubles, one triple, and 14 home runs. He’s driven in 37 runs and scored 34 more, walking an incredible 42 times.

Jarren Duran is only hitting .196 but is heating up – collecting a hit in three straight games. The outfielder has three RBI and eight runs scored, stealing two bases. There’s really nothing to worry about with Duran. He’s been so dominant at every level and this is just a short learning curve.

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Dedgar Jimenez is back in Double-A, and back to locking down any offense that dares face him. The lefty should be given a longer look in Triple-A, and I’d even be comfortable with him getting a spot-start in the Majors if needed.

Jimenez has a 3.14 in Double-A after throwing six shutout innings on Sunday. He hasn’t had a bad start for Portland in what seems like forever. While he struggled mightily in Triple-A, two games (one being decent enough) isn’t a big enough sample size to judge.

Tanner Houck has a 4.02 ERA after two solid starts this week. The 22-year-old has been great in his last five starts and has lowered his ERA over 1.00 full run in that time. His improving maturity and composure on the mound should be bigger stories than they are.

Denyi Reyes is at a 4.69 ERA this year but has a lot of positives to build off of. The 22-year-old hasn’t had more than two walks in a game in over a month now and has had a number of lights-out starts. Expect things to trend up most of the year.

Now let’s get back to those bullpen options for the Red Sox because Portland has a lot.

Matthew Gorst has to be near the top of the list. In 13 1/3 innings in Triple-A this year he has a 2.70 ERA. In 17 2/3 innings in Double-A he has a 2.04 ERA. Combined between the two, the righty has a 2.32 ERA and .198 BAA in 31 innings pitched, going 2-for-2 in save opportunities.

Next up we have Jake Cosart. In 19 2/3 innings in Advanced-A, the righty had a 1.83 ERA and was 5-for-5 in save opportunities. Now he’s thrown nine innings in Double-A without allowing a run. In that time, he’s struck out 12 and has a .133 BAA and 0.89 WHIP.

Then we have Durbin Feltman, who has really turn things around following a poor start to the year. The 22-year-old had an ERA over 7.00 a month ago but is down to 4.62 having not allowed an earned run in his last seven innings. He has 24 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings and a .174 BAA.

Adam Lau is the final name on the list. Although he has a 5.79 ERA in 9 1/3 innings in Triple-A, his 1.59 ERA in 22 2/3 innings in Double-A makes up for it. The righty has 28 strikeouts and a .203 BAA in his time with Portland.

Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)

Victor Acosta is on absolute fire. The outfielder just ended a nine-game hitting streak with an 0-for-4 with a walk on Sunday. Despite that 0-for, he still has a .319 average on the season.

The 23-year-old has a .398 OBP (21 walks compared to 22 strikeouts) to go along with 10 doubles and one home run. He’s driven in 24 runs and scored 21 more, stealing four bases. Acosta isn’t going to hit a ton of homers (as evident by the one), but he’s great offensively and deserves more credit.

Ryan Fitzgerald should also be getting a lot more recognition. Undrafted, the shortstop has been incredible this season. Having just turned 25 on June 17, the left-handed hitter has 15 doubles and four triples. He’s stolen eight bases and scored 24 runs, driving in a team-high 45 runs.

Marcus Wilson has been awesome with the Salem Red Sox. The outfielder has a .303 average in 24 games. In that time, the 22-year-old has six doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He’s driven in 13 runs and scored 13 more, stealing one base.

Pedro Castellanos is hitting .266 and isn’t far behind Fitzgerald for the RBI lead, with 39. The 21-year-old has 15 doubles and one home run – stealing a solid six bases while scoring 30 times.

Bryan Mata is so fun to watch on the mound. The 20-year-old has no business being as unknown as he is outside the Red Sox organization. If I was Boston – he would be 100% untouchable.

The righty has made two starts since returning from the IL. In his first last week, he went five shutout innings. This week, he went six. Mata has a 1.56 ERA on the year, striking out 41 in 40 1/3 innings. He’s walked 14 batters – which is an incredible improvement from last season. That’s led to a low .171 BAA and 0.97 WHIP. If you’re going to watch one minor league game a week, make sure it’s one he’s starting.

Eduard Bazardo put together a gem in his last outing. The righty went four shutout innings, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out six for a save. Bazardo now has four saves on the year. The 23-year-old has 53 strikeouts compared to nine walks in 41 innings. He’s posted a 1.71 ERA so far to go along with a .191 BAA and 0.93 WHIP.

Rio Gomez has a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings for Salem so far after posting a 1.09 ERA in 24 2/3 innings for Greenville. The 24-year-old lefty has 47 strikeouts combined between the two and is 5-for-5 in save opportunities.

Full-A (Greenville Drive)

Triston Casas is currently sitting at a .270 average. With that, the 19-year-old has 16 doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs. He’s driven in an organization-high 53 runs and scored 36 more. Casas is quickly becoming the ABs you don’t want to miss.

Brandon Howlett is showing a ton of growth lately. The 19-year-old is up to .250 with 11 doubles and three home runs. He’s scored 22 runs and driven in 19 more, stealing one base. Most importantly are the walks and strikeouts though. The righty has 78 strikeouts compared to just 28 walks.

However, in his last 10 games, Howlett has drawn nine walks and struck out 12 times. That’s a major step in the right direction and something you love to see midseason.

Kole Cottam is up to .250 and now has 10 doubles and three home runs on the year. The catcher has 17 RBI and 21 runs scored and has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.

Alan Marrero is also at .250 with 13 extra base hits. This catcher has eight doubles paired with five home runs though. Marrero also has 15 RBI and 13 runs scored, as the two continue to split time.

Devlin Granberg is currently on an eight-game hitting streak and has a .290 average. The first baseman has 14 doubles, four triples, and five home runs and has 25 RBI and 37 runs scored to add.

Tyler Esplin really is having a strong season despite the .236 average (.303 OBP). He’s tied a career-high in steals with five and is closing in on new bests in triples (2) and homers (2). Meanwhile, the 19-year-old has already destroyed his career-best in doubles with 19 and runs with 32. His 21 RBI are just three away from his career-mark set last year.

All good things must come to an end. Thad Ward‘s streak is over after giving up two earned runs in four innings in his last start. The 22-year-old now has a ridiculous 1.99 ERA on the year. He’s struck out 87 batters in 72 1/3 innings and has a .194 BAA and 1.05 WHIP.

Two great starts in a row have lowered Alex Schreff’s ERA. The 21-year-old is now down to a 4.35 over 62 innings in Full-A. Schreff’s season continues to lean much more on the positive side than anything.

Yoan Aybar was absolutely dominant in his last outing. The 21-year-old reliever struck out four batters in two perfect innings. Although the lefty has a 5.54 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, his 32 strikeouts in 26 innings and .140 BAA drown out the negatives.

Chase Shugart has made four starts for Greenville this year. In that time, the righty has a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings. Opponents are hitting just .207 against the 22-year-old, who’s posted a 0.95 WHIP and 20 strikeouts so far.