Red Sox Prospect Watch: Marcus Wilson catching fire in Salem

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BOSTON, MA – MAY 15: Michael Chavis #23 of the Boston Red Sox tips his cap after hitting a walk off RBI single against the Colorado Rockies in the tenth inning at Fenway Park on May 15, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

The Boston Red Sox have to be happy with the return on the Blake Swihart trade at the moment, as Marcus Wilson is lighting up Advanced-A.

The Boston Red Sox are still at a frustrating point in their season. While things are definitely looking better, the team is still struggling to really find it’s footing.

However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have some great things going for them at the moment. A lot of those happen to be with the younger players on the roster.

Michael Chavis has a bit of a strikeout problem (86 in 227 at-bats) but his .260 average with 13 home runs and 38 RBI are working well. The rookie has played every position in the infield except shortstop for Boston and has looked decent at each. Chavis appears to be here to stay.

Marco Hernandez seems to be pretty clutch. Last week he had that game-tying home run in the top of the ninth. On Monday, he had a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. Hernandez is hitting .241 with a homer and five RBI so far. His bat is better than some might give him credit for – expect to see the numbers go up if he’s given more time.

Mike Shawaryn finally had a bad outing, giving up three runs in 1 1/3 innings. The pitcher still has a 3.18 ERA on the year though. Most impressively, he’s doing this in relief despite being a starter in the minors. You’d have to imagine that makes this a little more difficult for the righty as he’s entering in different situations.

Josh Taylor has a 5.06 ERA on the year but has looked fantastic recently. The lefty allowed four runs in one inning on June 8 that ballooned his ERA to 10.80. Since then he’s made four appearances – accumulating 5 2/3 innings. In that time, he hasn’t allowed a run. In fact, he’s given up just one hit and one walk, striking out 10.

BOSTON, MA – APRIL 23: Darwinzon Hernandez #63 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the fifth inning during the second game of a double header against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on April 23, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

I’m out of complaints. This isn’t borderline ridiculous anymore, it’s straight ridiculous. Trevor Kelley is still in Triple-A. He has a 1.01 ERA over 35 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .202 against him and he has a 1.07 WHIP. Everything about this season deserves a call-up to the Majors. I might start rioting soon.

Darwinzon Hernandez made his Triple-A debut this week. He’s having a major walk problem in two outings so far. Over eight innings, Hernandez has walked 12 batters. The 22-year-old has a 6.75 ERA in that time.

Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)

C.J. Chatham finally hit his first career Double-A home run.

The shortstop is hitting .318 on the season and has 14 doubles to go along with that first blast. He’s driven in 21 runs and scored 19 more, stealing four bases. I’d love to see Chatham get a look at a higher level sooner rather than later.

Jhon Nunez is hitting .303 but the catcher is on the IL and hasn’t played a game since June 18.

Bobby Dalbec is down to a .233 average at the moment. He’s shown he can get hot quick though, so don’t worry about the average. The third baseman has 14 homers and 38 RBI to go along with a .370 OBP.

Jarren Duran had a multi-hit game on Monday and has a three-game hitting streak. His average is still low, but the .208 it currently sits at is higher than it’s been in a while. Expect it to continue climbing.

Eduard Bazardo‘s made the jump to Double-A. In two innings, he allowed just one hit and one walk – striking out two. The righty was lights-out in Advanced-A and now gets to show off his talents in Portland.

Dedgar Jimenez got rocked in his lone start this week (six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings). That rocketed his ERA to 4.00 on the year in Double-A. Still, though, this is what the left does. He might have a few bad starts, but it’s usually superb pitching on the mound. No reason to worry about one bad outing.

Denyi Reyes now has a 4.79 ERA after giving up four earned runs in six innings. The righty definitely isn’t dominating like he did last season, but he’s in a new league and is still churning out some dominant starts on occasion.

Durbin Feltman is down to a 4.45 ERA, but the 21 walks in 28 1/3 innings is still a concern. The righty has a 1.35 ERA in his last 10 appearances (13 2/3 innings) so things are definitely trending in an extremely positive direction. His .175 BAA shows the elite potential.

Jake Cosart now has 10 Double-A innings under his belt this season – still rocking a 0.00 ERA. The righty has a .152 BAA and 0.90 WHIP. His 12 strikeouts in that time show there’s nothing to dislike about Cosart’s game at the moment.

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 15: Pitcher Bryan Mata #34 of the World Team and the Boston Red Sox works the third inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)

Marcus Wilson seems to be enjoying his time in the Boston Red Sox organization so far. Specifically, his time with the Salem Red Sox. Wilson is on an absolute tear, as the outfielder just ended a six-game hitting streak (four straight games with multiple hits). The 22-year-old is hitting .341 in Advanced-A and has seven home runs. He’s smacked seven doubles and one triple as well, driving in 22 runs in 29 games.

Victor Acosta is hitting .317 and has 12 doubles on the year. The outfielder has shown an ability to produce runs despite not hitting for much power (one homer) – with 29 RBI and 23 runs scored.

Ryan Fitzgerald‘s fantastic year continues. The shortstop is hitting .319 with 15 doubles and four triples. He’s driven in 46 runs and scored 29 more – even stealing nine bases. It might be time for the 25-year-old to be given a new challenge soon.

Pedro Castellanos has been getting hot-and-cold lately. The first baseman is hitting .263 on the year with 15 doubles and one home run – stealing eight bases. He’s driven in an impressive 40 runs but his .312 OBP and .332 slugging percentage could use help.

Bryan Mata has a 1.79 ERA and 3-1 record on the season. The 20-year-old has 45 strikeouts (compared to 15 walks) in 45 1/3 innings. He has a .182 BAA and 0.99 WHIP. Mata has done everything right to prove he deserves a big spotlight.

Joan Martinez is back and has already dropped his ERA to 1.85. The 22-year-old righty has 38 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings and has yet to give up a home run on the season.

Rio Gomez has a 2.76 ERA in Advanced-A after posting a 1.09 ERA in Full-A. The lefty has combined for a 1.99 between both, striking out 49 batters in 41 innings. Gomez is 2-0 and 5-for-5 in save opportunities.

Thad Ward made his Advanced-A debut this week. The 22-year-old had a walk problem (seven walks in 4 1/3 innings). However, he allowed just one run in that time, leading to a 2.08 ERA. The righty was absolutely incredible in Full-A and definitely has the potential to climb up the ladder fast.

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 23: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox and Triston Casas #20 of the Boston Red Sox talk after batting practice before the game against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on June 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Full-A (Greenville Drive)

Everlouis Lozada has only played 11 games for Greenville this season, but he’s definitely made his mark. The 20-year-old is hitting .333 with three doubles, driving in four runs and scoring another eight.

Triston Casas is hitting .264 with 16 doubles and two triples – as well as 13 home runs. The 19-year-old has scored 38 runs and driven in an absolutely nuts 55. The fact that he has a realistic chance to drive in over 100 runs in his first season in the organization is proof of how talented of a prospect he is.

Brandon Howlett is another 19-year-old having a strong season in Full-A. The third baseman is slashing .260/.357/.377 with 13 doubles and four home runs. Howlett’s driven in 21 runs and scored 25 more. Things are definitely trending up – as he’s hitting .406 over his last 10 games.

Devlin Granberg‘s on a 10-game hitting streak. The first baseman’s hitting .291 with 14 doubles, four triples, and five home runs. He’s driven in 26 runs and scored 37 more. Granberg’s hitting .296 in his MiLB career – don’t be surprised if he starts making some waves.

Kole Cottam‘s hitting .247 (.364 OBP) at the moment. The catcher has 11 doubles and four home runs on the year, driving in 23 runs and scoring 22 more. He has 13 RBI in his last 10 games. He also had this clutch grand slam this week.

Oddanier Mosqueda is just 20 years old. The lefty has a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings pitched. In that time, he’s struck out a whopping 46 batters while only walking eight. He’s also only given up one home run.

Chase Shugart has a 1.93 ERA in 28 innings so far. The 22-year-old has 25 strikeouts compared to just four walks.

Alex Scherff went just 4 2/3 innings in his last start. However, the 21-year-old managed to strikeout eight in that time, allowing one earned run. The right-hander has a 4.19 ERA on the year, lowering that number in each of his last three outings.

Yoan Aybar now has a 6.84 ERA after giving up four runs in just 1/3 of an inning. It’s upsetting because if you take out his few implosion innings things would be going great for the 21-year-old. The lefty has 33 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings and has a .165 BAA.

FORT MYERS, FL – FEBRUARY 23: Fans watch during batting practice prior to a Grapefruit League spring training game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 23, 2019 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Short-A (Lowell Spinners)

Nick Decker will likely hit a ton of home runs when it’s all said and done. The 19-year-old hasn’t hit any yet though. In 22 at-bats he’s hitting .273 with two doubles and two triples. He’s driven in six runs already, scoring three more.

Antoni Flores is hitting just .143 with one double so far. The 18-year-old shortstop has three RBI and has yet to score a run. Don’t be discouraged though. Flores is one of the most exciting prospects the Red Sox have. This is his first taste of Short-A, big things are coming.

Nicholas Northcut is hitting .290 in 31 at-bats and already has four doubles and one triple. The third baseman has driven in eight runs in eight games, scoring five more.

Juan Carlos Abreu will be entertaining to watch. The outfielder has only played in three games for Short-A and already has seven hits (.538 average). He’s driven in one run and scored five more.

Gilberto Jimenez is only 18 and has 11 hits in 25 at-bats (.440) this season. The outfielder has two doubles and one triple and is 2-for-2 in steal opportunities.

Jonathan Diaz is definitely a name to keep an eye on at catcher. The 19-year-old is 7-for-20 (.350) with four doubles so far. He’s scored three runs and driven in two more, walking twice as well.

Aldo Ramirez has made two starts for Short-A so far this year. He’s combined to go 10 innings, allowing just two runs (1.80 ERA) on six hits. In that time, the 18-year-old righty has walked three and struck out 10. Ramirez has a .167 BAA and 0.90 WHIP.

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

Yusniel Padron-Artilles has 14 strikeouts in 12 innings so far. The 21-year-old has a 2.25 ERA, .186 BAA, and 0.92 WHIP to go along with that. Artilles also pitched in Full-A this year, but the righty couldn’t find his footing. Clearly, things are going much better for him so far in Short-A.

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