Red Sox Prospect Watch: Pedro Castellanos finding his power

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BOSTON, MA – APRIL 23: Darwinzon Hernandez #63 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the fifth inning during the second game of a double header against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park on April 23, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

The Boston Red Sox have a lot of fun prospects – Pedro Castellanos just kicked his ranking up a notch by finding his power stroke.

MLB has updated their prospect rankings and the Boston Red Sox top-30 prospects have seen quite a shakeup. This includes adding their new draft picks and a bunch of players moving up and down.

It’s likely there will be a lot more movement as well as players like Darwinzon Hernandez could graduate from prospect status soon enough.

With the way Hernandez has been pitching – you’d expect him to get more and more playing time. The young lefty has been fantastic out of the bullpen. In 7 1/3 innings as a reliever, he’s yet to allow an earned run.

That’s not the only way the prospect list could change though. It’s trade season! Boston needs relief pitching more than anything, but could make any number of trades. If they go for a high-end reliever, they’ll definitely need to part ways with at least one high-ranked prospect.

Due to that, we could see a few players near the top not in the minors anymore – we’ll also get some new additions to the list (always fun). For now, though, there’s nothing we can do but wait. It’s a little frustrating because by the time you’re reading this – some of the players being talked about might have been moved.

Let’s focus on the positive though.

Along with Hernandez, Michael Chavis is enjoying success at the Major League level. He’s back up to a .260 average and has 16 home runs and 55 RBI to go along with it. There’s some speculation that he could be on the move – but that would be weird as he’s played a big role in the offense this year.

Sam Travis is finding his swing. The first baseman is up to .241 and has looked really good recently. He’s had at least one hit and one RBI in each of his last four starts. Two of those games had a homer and his last start was a three-hit game.

Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

Chris Owings is a beast. The infielder is on an 11-game hitting streak and is batting .341 for Pawtucket. That included a six-game homer streak. He’s got nine homers, as well as 29 RBI and 20 runs scored in 33 games.

Marco Hernandez should be in the Majors. He was knocked out due to the numbers game but that’s a bad excuse. Hernandez was hitting .339 in the Majors (21-for-62) – since being sent down to Triple-A he’s rocking a five-game hitting streak and has his average there up to .337.

Chad De La Guerra is on a seven-game hitting streak. DLG has a .311 average with 16 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs. Sadly he could be on the move soon – the Red Sox have no place for him and a lot of teams should be coveting him as a nice piece for a reliever.

Rusney Castillo‘s hitting .291 with 18 doubles and 12 home runs. The outfielder’s driven in 47 runs and scored 53 more. He’s also fantastic defensively. At 32 he is far from a prospect but he could still have a few solid years in the Majors.

Trevor Kelley has a 1.45 ERA. That’s all I’m saying.

Tanner Houck got roughed up in his last relief appearance – allowing two earned runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings. Those were the first two runs he allowed in relief in Triple-A through six innings though, so he still has a 3.00 ERA.

Kyle Hart has a 3.63 ERA after a strong bounce-back performance this week. The left-handed pitcher gave up just one run on two hits over six innings, striking out eight. He’s been consistent all season long and is definitely proof that Boston’s minor league system is a lot better than advertised.

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 15: Pitcher Bryan Mata #34 of the World Team and the Boston Red Sox works the third inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

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.

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)

Pedro Castellanos is not on the Red Sox top-30 prospect list according to MLB. He clearly doesn’t agree with that – and is giving everyone a reason as well. Ever since arriving in the organization people have said he has plus-power potential. However, he hit just three homers in 2016, two in 2017 and one in 2018.

Castellanos had just two homers this year heading into last week. He was already at a career-high in RBI but is also hitting under .300 for the first time in his career.

An incredible week capped off by three straight two-hit games started to turn things around though. Especially because the last two games were a two-homer game, followed by another homer the next day.

Castellanos piled up the hits, RBI, runs scored and homers this week. In fact, he’s on a 13-game hitting streak at the moment. He also now has a .280 average and career-highs in homers (5), RBI (59) and runs scored (51). Castellanos has an extremely bright future.

Victor Acosta is further proof that sometimes players just need time to adjust. After hitting .253 over 30 games in Advanced-A last season, he’s hitting .304 there in 71 games this year. The outfielder is also posting a fantastic .379 OBP and barely strikeouts (31) more than he walks (28).

Ryan Fitzgerald has another career-high as he surpassed his old runs scored mark and now has 47 on the year. That goes nicely with a .292 average and 55 RBI.

Thad Ward has a 1.91 ERA. In his last appearance, he gave up one earned run over five innings and barely lowered his ERA. When one run in five innings is barely lowering your ERA – you’re doing a lot of things right. The Red Sox should be crazy high on him.

Dominic LoBrutto made two appearances out of the bullpen this week, going three innings combined. In those three innings, he struck out more people (4) than he allowed on base (2). His ERA is down to 2.01 over 22 1/3 innings in Advanced-A.

Enmanuel De Jesus has a 3.99 ERA at the moment – after posting a somewhat solid start this week. The lefty went 6 1/3, allowing three earned runs. He struck out six while allowing five hits and three walks. All season long De Jesus has had an issue with baserunners but he’s been a little better recently. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.

Joan Martinez had two strong relief outings this week. The righty combined for two shutout innings, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out three. He now has a 3.63 ERA over 34 2/3 innings for Salem.

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 23: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox and Triston Casas #20 of the Boston Red Sox talk after batting practice before the game against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on June 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Full-A (Greenville Drive)

My apologies to Tyler Esplin and Brandon Howlett. I made both of them the headline last week – and both are hitless since then. Esplin is 0-for-24, which has dropped his average to .235. Meanwhile, Howlett is 0-for-17 – dropping his average to .246. Overall both are still having strong seasons though.

Everlouis Lozada is on an 0-for-14 himself, dropping to a .255 average. The second baseman has shown a proclivity for big games though, so he could turn this around quickly

Triston Casas is on the cooler side as well. His average has dropped down to .252 on the year. The 19-year-old has shown such a good ability to drive the ball (17 homers) and bring in runs (68 RBI) that a middling-average isn’t bad though.

Kole Cottam is hot though. The catcher is on a three-game hitting streak that includes back-to-back multi-hit days. On Saturday, Cottam went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. On Monday he went 2-for-4 with a walk again – this time he had two RBI and three runs scored through, hitting an inside-the-park home run. Cottam has a .261/.380/.425 average on the year now, driving him 32 runs and scoring 39 more.

Chase Shugart gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings in one start this week. He still managed six strikeouts though and now has 58 through 67 1/3 innings. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.00 ERA to go along with a .243 BAA and 1.17 WHIP.

Brayan Bello had another strong week following back-to-back fantastic outings. The 20-year-old combined for one earned run allowed over 12 innings in his last two starts – striking out 19 while allowing just 11 hits and no walks. Now, the right-handed starter went six strong innings again. This time he allowed one run on four hits and one walk, striking out six. His ERA has dropped from 7.49 to 6.06 thanks to these three starts.

Yoan Aybar is down to a 5.18 ERA. Could we see him drop down into the 4.00s by the end of the year? The lefty has a .151 WHIP but a .172 BAA so far. He’s struck out 58 batters in 41 2/3 innings.

Alex Scherff is down to a 5.00 ERA on the year. The righty gave up two runs on nine hits in six innings this week. The hits were far too many but at least he kept the runs low – that’s something he struggles to do when giving up hits. Hopefully, this is another turnaround sign for the 21-year-old. Truthfully he’s had a really strong year outside of a few “implosion” starts.

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 1: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox exits the bullpen before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park on August 1, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Short-A (Lowell Spinners)

Gilberto Jimenez continues to be the talk of the Lowell Spinners. The 19-year-old is on an 8-game hitting streak and has a .358 batting average. He’s scored 19 runs and driven in 11 more so far, stealing six bases and collecting seven extra-base hits. Jimenez has fantastic speed and athleticism which make him dangerous anywhere, whether that’s in centerfield, at the plate or on the base paths.

Cameron Cannon is hitting .190 over 42 at-bats so far but does have two doubles and one homer, driving in seven runs. The shortstop was selected in the second round of this year’s draft – so a slower start isn’t worrying.

Joe Davis appears to have some grown manpower. The first baseman was drafted in the 19th round this year and has two homers and three doubles in 51 at-bats so far. He’s hitting .294 and has 15 RBI as well.

Nick Decker is hitting at a .239 clip to this point. The 19-year-old has five home runs and 19 RBI though and clearly has a lot going right with his bat. Given time to develop Decker should have a fantastic bat.