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

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.

Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

Okay, I said I’d like Tanner Houck in the bullpen but I think he’d be better as a starter. I might’ve been wrong. Houck looks stupid good as a reliever. His slider looks as nasty as ever and he’s cranking up the heat on his fastball.

Houck’s made three relief appearances in Triple-A so far, spanning four innings. He hasn’t allowed a run yet and has a 1.00 WHIP and 0.83 BAA in that time. Straight lights-out.

Trevor Kelley has a 1.59 ERA. I’m sticking with my strike. Keeping it short and simple on him until he’s back in the Majors.

Bobby Poyner is down to a 2.95 ERA and has been racking up the strikeouts lately. The lefty has 50 over 39 2/3 innings in Triple-A and is definitely making a case to find his way back in the Majors at some point this year.

Ryan Brasier was sent down to Triple-A after struggling in the Majors for some time. In his first appearance, he looked sharp. The righty threw a perfect inning and struck out one batter. Maybe some time in Pawtucket can help him figure things out again.

Teddy Stankiewicz allowed four runs in five innings in his lone appearance this week. I’m giving him a pass though because he didn’t start. The righty came into a game that saw Travis Lakins start for the first inning then Nathan Eovaldi come out for the second inning. Stankiewicz is a starter, so the different routine might have messed with him a little.

Chad De La Guerra is hitting .311 so far this year. In 167 at-bats he has 15 doubles, one triple and 10 home runs. That’s just six fewer homers than the career-best mark he set last year in more than double the number of at-bats. DLG is a stud and should be treated as such.

Josh Ockimey is hitting just .195. I know I often say don’t look too much into the batting average with him because the OBP is solid and he hits bombs. However, he’s going to need to sneak that up over .200, preferably closer to .220 by the end of the year. Still, a .347 OBP and 17 homers are nice.

Chris Owings is hitting .327 with six doubles, five home runs and five steals for Pawtucket. He’s done that in just 27 games. Owings is still just 27 and isn’t that far removed from some extremely production MLB seasons. I’ll say it again, this could end up being a sneaky-good move by the Red Sox.

Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)

There’s a new power duo in the Boston Red Sox minors. Sorry, I don’t make the rules – well okay, I made this one but just simmer down and obey it.

That duo is Bryan Mata and Dedgar Jimenez. The two seem to get along extremely well – often interacting and posting pictures together on social media.

More importantly, they’re two pitchers I think could be really good for the Boston Red Sox sometime down the line.

Mata made one start this week, not looking completely sharp. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits in four innings. That rose his ERA in Double-A to 5.03 (19 2/3 innings). For the second straight start, he racked up the strikeouts – eight in six innings last time out and six in four innings this time around. The 20-year-old is just getting used to Double-A, give him time – he’ll dominate soon enough.

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

Jimenez has made five relief appearances this year. Two have been iffy but the other three were superb. The left-hander has a 4.08 ERA in 70 2/3 innings for Portland this year. That number’s risen a bit since his turn to the bullpen but it could just be a grace period. I still see him as a starter down the line anyways.

What really matters here is the dynamic duo of El Idolo and Baby Bartolo forming. This is the definition of “here for it”.

Denyi Reyes has been really good over the last month. He has a 4.03 ERA this year, quickly turning his season around. In the last 30 days, the righty has made four starts. Those four starts have seen him allow six earned runs in 28 innings. That’s a 1.93 ERA.

Marcus Wilson‘s back in Double-A and he’s bringing his ridiculously hot bat with him. The outfielder went on a quick four-game hitting streak this week – then saw it end with an 0-for-1. That 0-for-1 featured three walks and three runs scored.

In that four-game hitting streak, Wilson showed off his power (two-homer game) and his run-scoring abilities (seven runs scored). For those keeping track, that means he’s scored 10 runs in his last five games.

Wilson’s up to a .193 average with Portland (.281 combined). The glove always plays. He’s proving to be a very enticing prospect and one that could soften the blow for the fans that hated to see Blake Swihart traded.

C.J. Chatham‘s at .300 on the year, mashing 21 doubles and two home runs along the way. There’s really nothing else to say about the shortstop that hasn’t already been said. He’s going to be a great hitter in the Majors – he just needs a chance.

Bobby Dalbec is hitting .230 with a .374 OBP. He’s raked 13 doubles and one triple, with an impressive 19 home runs. The ball really just flies off his bat.

Jarren Duran is only hitting .213 in Double-A but is coming off a two-hit game in his last outing. He also has a ridiculous 13 steals in 42 games with Portland – 31 steals total between the two leagues he’s played in this year.

Austin Rei is still getting back into the swing of things, as he’s 3-for-14 (.214 average) in five games. The catcher has two walks (has been great in this category in his career) and two RBI as well. In his last two games, Rei is 2-for-5 with two RBI and two walks. Clearly, the bat is waking up.

Jhon Nunez is down to .280 but just had a home run and four RBI in his last game. The catcher now has career-highs in doubles (10) and home runs (5). He’s also driven in 20 runs and scored 23 more. Both he and Rei are very exciting catching prospects.

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.

Short-A (Lowell Spinners)

Gilberto Jimenez had a bad week and is still hitting .352. The 19-year-old has four doubles, one triple and one home run on the year. He’s also driven in 10 runs and scored 18 more, stealing five bases. Oh, and he’s done all this in 105 at-bats. His athleticism will play well in the outfield and his bat looks legit so far.

Nick Decker got hot last week and stayed hot this week. The outfielder is riding a six-game hitting streak and is now up to .269 on the season. He’s mashed five homers (as well as three doubles and two triples) and has 19 RBI and 14 runs scored so far. The 19-year-old is one of the Red Sox top prospects for a reason.

Stephen Scott cooled off a little bit but his .385 batting average is still ridiculous. The 22-year-old outfielder was drafted this year so he only has seven games under his belt. However, he’s looking like a great addition to the minor league system.

Jonathan Diaz is yet another exciting catcher in the Red Sox system. The 20-year-old is hitting .302 in 14 games and has six doubles and one triple on the year. He’s driven in three runs and scored nine more, stealing one base.

My support for Marino Campana isn’t going anywhere. He’s struggled mightily this year but is slowly turning things around with a restart in Short-A. The outfielder is on a three-game hitting streak and is now at .225 in Lowell. He’s hit three homers there and has five total on the season. This is clearly not the year he or anyone was hoping for but he’s still 21.

Antoni Flores will be a great prospect for the Red Sox. Right now, he’s struggling a little bit with a .181 average in 26 games. However, Flores has a solid bat that should grow as he gets older (still 18). He’s also got a glove that already looks great and will only get better. The shortstop has plus-potential in every category. Let’s give him time.

Chris Murphy seems to be having fun in Lowell. The left-handed pitcher has a 0.00 ERA over three appearances (six innings) so far. He’s allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out 10. That all adds up to a .150 BAA and 0.83 WHIP. The Red Sox drafted him in the sixth round of the 2019 Draft – and could move up quickly.

Ryan Fernandez already has 21 2/3 innings pitched over seven relief appearances this season. In that time he’s 2-0 and 2-for-3 in save opportunities. The 21-year-old righty has a 1.25 ERA, .128 BAA, and 0.74 WHIP. He’s also struck out 17 batters while walking six.