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.