BoSox Injection
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Red Sox Prospect Watch: Tyler Esplin and Brandon Howlett are on fire

By Hunter Noll

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 31: The Boston Red Sox 2018 World Series Championship banner hangs outside Fenway Park on October 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 31: The Boston Red Sox 2018 World Series Championship banner hangs outside Fenway Park on October 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 30: A view of the red seat in the bleacher section that marks the longest home run hit in Fenway Park by Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams. Image taken before the start of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees August 30, 2011 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)

Victor Acosta just snapped a 10-game hitting streak with an 0-for-2 (one walk) game. He’s now hitting .316 on the season with 14 doubles and one home run. The outfielder has a strong .390 OBP and decent run production with 32 RBI and 30 runs scored. Still, the most impressive stat is his 26 walks being nearly as many as his 29 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Ryan Fitzgerald‘s currently on a 10-game hitting streak. The shortstop is hitting .298 and has 20 doubles, five triples and one home run on the season. He’s been a breakout star and leads the team in RBI (54) and has a strong 43 runs scored and nine steals as well.

Pedro Castellanos is showing major signs of life at the plate again. The first baseman is up to .273 and currently rocking a seven-game hitting streak. He mashed his second homer of the year in the last week and has 19 doubles and a triple to go along with them. Castellanos also has 51 RBI and 45 runs, stealing nine bases in the process. He should get a look in Double-A before the year is over.

Dominic LoBrutto has looked fantastic in Advanced-A this year. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.33 ERA (five earned runs in 19 1/3 innings) so far. He’s 2-for-2 in save opportunities and has just three walks compared to 17 strikeouts. Most impressively, LoBrutto has a .206 BAA and 0.88 WHIP.

Rio Gomez is up to a 2.43 ERA in Advanced-A after giving up two runs in three innings in his last appearance. That should tell you how good he’s been this year. The righty got lefty got promoted after posting a 1.09 ERA over 24 2/3 innings in Full-A. Now he’s looking strong in Advanced-A and is a combined 6-for-6 in save opportunities this year.

Enmanuel De Jesus is quietly putting together another strong season. The 22-year-old has a 3.97 ERA and for the most part, has looked really great over the last month. De Jesus gives up a lot of base runners, which has caused him to have a few blow-up games this year. However, the left-hander has also shown an ability to limit the damage more often than not.

Joan Martinez has struggled mightily over the last month. Since June 30, he’s allowed at least one earned run in all of his relief appearances. That totals out to nine earned runs in seven innings. Even with that though, the 22-year-old righty is putting together a solid campaign. He has a 3.86 ERA over 32 2/3 innings for Salem. He’s struck out 44 batters in that time.

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