Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)
Bryan Mata is the main attraction of Portland. The 20-year-old righty threw six strong innings in his lone start this week. In that time, he allowed one earned run on four hits – striking out four. Mata now has a 4.21 ERA over 25 2/3 innings in Double-A. El Idolo is inching closer and closer to the Majors and I love it.
Dedgar Jimenez had another fantastic relief outing this week. He went 2 2/3 innings scoreless without allowing a hit or a walk. Oh, and he struck out five. Baby Bartolo is now down to a 3.93 ERA in Double-A this year. He’s also shown effectiveness as a reliever and starter, meaning his stock should be a little bit higher for the Red Sox.
Denyi Reyes is turning back into the dominant pitcher of 2018. The righty had two starts this week, combining to allow two runs on 10 hits in 12 innings. Meanwhile, he struck out 11 and walked just one batter. Reyes is down to a 3.77 ERA.
Daniel McGrath‘s last seven appearances in Double-A have been pretty ridiculous. The 25-year-old has combined to throw 38 2/3 innings over those appearances – he hasn’t allowed an earned run. That’s lowered his ERA in Portland to 1.46, which is just stupid.
Durbin Feltman has all the right stuff but just hasn’t found it this year in Double-A. The reliever has a 5.08 ERA over 39 innings this season. Don’t let it discourage you too much though, he’s still got a lot of potential as a closer – his combination of pitches is too nice.
Bobby Dalbec‘s hitting .230 and now has 20 home runs and 52 RBI on the year. A number of analysts have him as a potential trade piece for the Red Sox this year. This is mainly due to his position (third base). With Rafael Devers there it’s hard to find a need for prospects at the position right now. However, it would definitely sting to lose the ridiculous raw power that Dalbec has. Not many prospects can match it.
Jarren Duran is up to a .250 average in Double-A. That’s thanks to an eight-game hitting streak. It’s also proof that the left-handed hitter is extremely talented and can get insanely hot at a moment’s notice.
C.J. Chatham hasn’t had an RBI since July 13. He’s hitting .299 but only has 29 runs driven in on the season. This isn’t a knock on him though – it’s just bad luck. Rarely does he come up to bat in situations that would allow him to get many RBI. In fact, this season with runners in scoring position, he’s hitting .343. (23-for-67). With that in mind, he’s a much better hitter than some probably realize. If he was getting more at-bats with runners in scoring position, it would be more obvious.
Jhon Nunez is down to .273 as his slump continues. The catcher is an interesting all-around prospect though and still having a great season in a number of categories.
The other catching prospect on the roster is Austin Rei. He’s currently at .208 but still only has 24 at-bats for Portland this year. It’s still far too early after returning from a serious injury to worry about his numbers. It’s just great to see Rei back on the field again.
Marcus Wilson is currently at .204 with Portland but is still swinging a decently hot bat – carrying it over from Advanced-A. The outfielder has shown in the past he can be streaky, but with an incredibly talented bat. That means when he’s hot, he can carry an offense.