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.

Triple- A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

Teddy Stankiewicz really deserves a lot of credit for how well he’s pitched this season. He’s limited the “blowup” games and been dominant quite a few times. The right-handed pitcher went seven shutout innings in his last game, striking out seven. He has a 3.76 ERA and has only allowed six homers in 52 2/3 innings. Last season he allowed 24 in 150 1/3.

Kyle Hart also went seven innings in his last start, allowing two runs. The lefty has a 3.38 ERA in 24 Triple-A innings after posting a 2.91 ERA in 55 2/3 innings in Double-A. Hart has a sub-3.00 ERA throughout his minor league career and the 26-year-old is definitely making a case to debut this year.

It’s been said countless times already and it will be said countless times more. The Boston Red Sox have shown a need for bullpen help. There are quite a few options for them in the minors that definitely have strong cases.

Trevor Kelley is the main option in Triple-A, with a 1.10 ERA in 23 outings. He has a .217 BAA and 1.16 WHIP. The righty has five wins and is 3-for-3 in save opportunities. Four earned runs in 32 2/3 innings definitely deserves a look. Especially because he’s been dominant his entire MiLB career – this is no fluke season.

Josh Ockimey has risen his average up slightly to .212. That goes with a strong .361 OBP thanks to 45 walks. The 23-year-old has 10 doubles and two triples – going along with 15 home runs. He’s driven in 34 RBI and 38 runs scored. Although the average isn’t great, Ockimey has done everything else at a very high level.

Rusney Castillo is no prospect at 31. I still stand by my belief that he’s never been given a fair shot in the Majors. A .262 average in 99 MLB games is hardly something that deserves a banishment from the Boston for three years now.

Castillo’s hitting .289 with 12 doubles and six homers this season. He’s driven in 36 runs and scored 36 more. The outfielder has developed solidly all-around and I’d love to see him get a shot somewhere soon.

Tzu-Wei Lin is at a .295 average in Triple-A at the moment. It will be interesting to see what the Red Sox decide to do with him. Both he and Hernandez have upsides that the team should covet.

Chad De La Guerra is hitting .297 and in 29 games already has nine doubles, one triple, and five home runs. The infielder has 17 RBI and 16 runs scored – showing his versatility on offense.

Josh Tobias is having his best season in a long time. He was hitting .320 in Double-A and is now up to .300 in Triple-A. The 26-year-old has combined between the two leagues for 11 doubles and one triple, as well as four home runs.

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.

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

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.

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.