Red Sox Prospect Watch: Tyler Esplin and Brandon Howlett are on fire
By Hunter Noll
Boston Red Sox prospects Tyler Esplin and Brandon Howlett are torching it up in Greenville – showing the depth of the minor league system.
The Boston Red Sox once again have a number of younger players on the Major League roster. Michael Chavis is the leader of that group. Entering the year as Boston’s top prospect, he hasn’t disappointed.
Sure, he strikes out at a high clip. He’s also looked solid enough on defense at multiple positions and is hitting .255 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI. As he gets more comfortable and figures out Major League hitting some more, things will only get better.
Joining him for a while now has been Josh Taylor. The left-handed reliever has a 3.97 ERA in 22 appearances this year. He’s struck out 29 batters in 22 2/3 innings but has a 1.37 WHIP. While he’s been inconsistent, there’s been more positive outings than negative ones.
Darwinzon Hernandez has looked amazing out of the Red Sox bullpen this year. In his lone start, the left-handed pitcher went three innings, giving up four runs (three earned). However, in his four bullpen appearances (5 1/3 innings) he’s yet to allow a run. All that combined comes out to a 3.24 ERA while Hernandez has a ridiculous 18 strikeouts over 8 1/3 innings.
Sam Travis was brought back up to the Majors recently for what many expected to be a 25th-man role. However, he’s gotten some chances to swing the bat and he hasn’t disappointed. In his last 12 at-bats, Travis has a double and two home runs.
While his time on the MLB roster may be running out (for all I know, by the time this article is published he’s already back in Triple-A) he’s made his mark. Travis has shown what I’ve believed for a while now – he can swing it in the Majors. Yes, the overall numbers are bad, but that’s what happens when you have terribly inconsistent playing time. If Travis was a more-full-time presence in the lineup I think he’d be a solid addition.