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

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.