Red Sox Prospect Watch: It’s time to talk about Daniel McGrath
The Boston Red Sox minor league system has been turning it up lately, and pitcher Daniel McGrath is leading the way in Double-A.
The Boston Red Sox have made a lot of moves lately. Those moves have brought a lot of players mentioned in the prospect watch pretty often
Chris Owings was brought up. I’ve been very adamant that I believe he’ll be a great piece for the Red Sox if given a chance. The utility-man was hitting .325 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 44 games for Triple-A Pawtucket. Owings went 0-for-5 in his debut with the team but give it time. I think this lineup could be perfect for him.
Marco Hernandez is back! He’s hitting .333 with five doubles, two home runs, and a steal. There was no reason for him to be sent down in the first place other than the fact that Boston didn’t really have a spot for him. Let’s hope he’s here to stay this time, he definitely deserves it.
Sam Travis has really figured it out and it’s awesome to see. The first baseman is hitting .270 with four doubles, five home runs, and two steals. He’s also driven in 14 runs and scored 12 more. The numbers are getting better by the week and he’s seriously making a case for himself to be the starter next year.
Michael Chavis was placed on the 10-day IL this week. He’s hitting .254 with 10 doubles, one triple, and 18 home runs. Chavis has driven in 58 runs and scored 46 more. Hopefully, he can come back healthy and keep showing off that elite power.
Darwinzon Hernandez has a 4.08 ERA after a pretty big implosion outing. For the most part, the left-handed pitcher has been immaculate though. He has 34 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings, that’s ridiculous. He’ll be a major part of the bullpen or rotation for a long time.
Travis Lakins has a 5.79 ERA over 9 1/3 innings in the Majors so far. He was just called up again this week but hasn’t pitched since the recall. The right-hander has a lot of potential and should get a chance to prove himself this year.
Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)
There were a few players I considered for the headline this week and Bobby Dalbec was definitely right near the top. After getting called up to Triple-A last week, Dalbec has dominated. The third baseman is hitting .379 with one double and two home runs. He’s driven in four runs and scored five more and is looking every bit the monster at the plate he’s projected to be.
Josh Ockimey is on a nine-game hitting streak. The first baseman is up to a .213 average (.356 OBP) with 15 doubles, two triples, and a career-high 22 home runs. He has 53 RBI and 58 runs scored and this outburst at the plate has been great. Ockimey’s showing he’s for real at the moment and you love to see it.
Tanner Houck has a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 innings in Triple-A. Opponents are hitting .190 against him, but he’s walked 10 batters (compared to 10 strikeouts). Still, the fact that the ERA is so low despite the walks shows how dominant he can be.
Trevor Kelley has a 1.61 ERA – that’s all.
Mike Shawaryn looked amazing in his last outing. He didn’t allow a run over three innings, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out six. Guess what, it was a start. Can we please make him a starter again?
As a starter, Shawaryn has a 3.53 ERA in Triple-A. However, he has a crazy-high 11.08 ERA as a reliever. It all equals out to a 4.90 ERA for him. He also struggled mightily as a reliever in the Majors. I know the Red Sox need bullpen arms but they could use a starter too. They don’t need to try and convert everyone.
Teddy Stankiewicz put together another strong start. The righty went 5 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run in that time. He now has a 4.30 ERA on the season and has looked really solid for the most part.
Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)
Daniel McGrath has done it! He’s finally the headliner of the Prospect Watch! This is the greatest athletic achievement of all-time. Do you think Kofi Kingston had to wait long for that Championship? That’s nothing to this.
McGrath has been crazy good this year. He should’ve headlined like 10 times already if we’re being honest. The left-handed pitcher threw 13 innings this week, striking out 16 batters and allowing just one run. In 93 Double-A innings, he has a 1.35 ERA. The 25-year-old has 94 strikeouts, a .172 BAA and a 1.04 WHIP.
Like I said with Dalbec, there were a few people I considered for the headline. Dedgar Jimenez was right up at the top of the list. Baby Bartolo has been awesome out of the bullpen recently. The lefty’s last five outings combine for 7 2/3 innings. He’s given up no runs on three hits and zero walks in that time. He’s also struck out 10 batters and in his last four outings is 4-for-4 in save opportunities. Seriously. Is “Baby Bartolo, the closer” becoming a real thing? Let’s hope so. Let’s see him on the Red Sox soon, please.
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
Bryan Mata has a 6.23 ERA in Double-A after a rough outing this week. However, he’s 20. The lefty was ridiculously dominant in Advanced-A and has had some great starts in Double-A. No real reason to be worried about a few bad games. He’ll be a future ace for Boston.
Denyi Reyes gave up four runs in six innings this week. The lefty still has a 3.74 ERA in Double-A though. His turnaround has been awesome lately and a slight bump in the road shouldn’t worry anyone.
Eduard Bazardo is down to a 3.75 ERA after four straight scoreless outings (6 1/3 innings). He has 26 strikeouts in 24 innings and is starting to look just as untouchable as he did in the lower levels.
Durbin Feltman has a 4.91 ERA and 30 walks in 44 innings pitched. He also has 47 strikeouts and a BAA of .210 though. Clearly, he has some things to work out but Feltman’s potential is still extremely high.
C.J. Chatham is hitting .297 and is now up to 26 doubles, one triple and three home runs on the year. He has 36 RBI and 39 runs scored and the shortstop constantly seems to be hitting. I’m still convinced he could go to the Majors right now and hit around .300.
Jarren Duran is at a .253 average with nine doubles, two triples and one home run in Double-A now. He’s driven in 15 runs and scored 32 more and has 23 steals. Between Advanced-A and Double-A, Duran has a very impressive 41 steals. His speed is next-level and the Red Sox should value him extremely highly.
Marcus Wilson is now hitting .231 with 10 doubles and six homers for Portland. He hit .342 with 12 doubles, one triple, and eight homers in Advanced-A this year as well. As much of a fan of Blake Swihart as I am, it’s safe to say the Red Sox appear to have won this trade after the Arizona Diamondbacks DFA’d Swihart. Wilson is still 22 (turns 23 on August 15) and has all the tools to be a star-in-the-making in the outfield.
Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)
Pedro Castellanos is enjoying a really hot stretch. In his last two games, he’s got four hits – one being a homer – and five RBI. He’s up to a .277 average with 22 doubles (one of his career-high), one triple and a career-best seven home runs. The 21-year-old has set new marks in RBI (67), runs scored (56) and steals (10). He was a top prospect for the Red Sox before the year and is only making a stronger case this year.
Victor Acosta is slashing .295/.372/.372. He doesn’t hit for much power (17 doubles, one triple, and one home run) but he does produce runs at a solid rate. The outfielder has 42 RBI with 36 runs scored and gets on base at a solid clip.
Devlin Granberg got the promotion he’s deserved for a while now. The first baseman is hitting .294 with one double and two runs driven in over five games so far. He was an extremely professional hitter in Full-A and it will be interesting to see how he does in Salem.
Ryan Fitzgerald is at a .283 average and has 21 doubles, six triples, and two home runs now. The shortstop’s driven in an impressive 58 runs and scored 54 more, stealing 10 bases to boot.
Logan Browning is now through 4 1/3 innings in Advanced-A and is still rocking a 0.00 ERA and even has a save. The left-handed pitcher has a .353 BAA and 1.85 WHIP but has proven he can drop those quickly. His father, Tom Browning, was a pitcher in the Majors (mostly for the Cincinnati Reds). Maybe the Red Sox have struck some legacy gold with Browning just like the Toronto Blue Jays have with their young core.
Thad Ward has a 2.28 ERA over 43 1/3 Advanced-A innings. The 22-year-old has 55 strikeouts in that time and has been dominant all year no matter the level. Between two leagues, Ward has a 2.10 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 115 2/3 innings.
Joan Martinez has a 3.29 ERA after two fantastic relief outings this week. He combined for five shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out four. The 22-year-old even has a save in that time.
Dominic LoBrutto has a 2.30 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings for Salem. He has a 1.02 WHIP and has only walked four people without allowing a homer in that time. The left-handed pitcher is showing a lot of promise this year.
Full-A (Greenville Drive)
Tyler Esplin is back to being scorching-hot. The 20-year-old right fielder five-game hitting streak. In that time, he’s had four multi-hit games and a home run. He’s up to a .250 average with 25 doubles, three triples, and four home runs. The left-handed hitter has 37 RBI, 48 runs scored and six steals. I’m all-in on Esplin.
Triston Casas is at a .247 average but has 17 home runs on the year. The 19-year-old has 21 doubles and five triples as well and has a fantastic 72 RBI and 58 runs scored as well. Casas will be a star and is one of the few players the Red Sox should consider untouchable.
Kole Cottam is slashing .258/.382/.413 with 21 doubles and six home runs. The catcher’s driven in 34 runs and scored 42 more. Cottam is one of the more intriguing prospects on the team because he’s their most offensively talented catcher.
Everlouis Lozada is hitting .244 with 11 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. The second baseman is prone to massive games and it’s encouraging for his potential. At just 20, Lozada has all the time to grow and should turn into one of the most exciting prospects in the Red Sox system.
Brandon Howlett is hitting .237 with six homers but also has 23 doubles on the year. The third baseman has 30 RBI and 41 runs scored and is still just 19. With all the talent the Red Sox have at the position, there’s no reason to rush his development.
Chase Shugart has a 2.40 ERA after an immaculate start. The 22-year-old righty went eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits and walking one. To go along with his ERA, Shugart has a 1.18 WHIP and 64 strikeouts over 78 2/3 innings. Shugart might just be in Full-A but he’s a pitcher that could rocket up the minor league levels at a pretty fast rate.
Yoan Aybar is down to a 4.72 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. The left-handed pitcher has a .169 BAA and has only allowed one home run so far. Through 47 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 65 batters. The 22-year-old has grown a lot this year and is really trending in the right direction.
Alex Scherff has a 5.14 ERA, .293 BAA, and 1.61 WHIP. It’s not all negative for the 21-year-old though. The righty is suffering from some really miserable outings this year but can put together great stretches. In his last start he gave up just one earned run over four innings, striking out seven. He definitely has great potential.
Brayan Bello is down to a 6.11 ERA and continues to show crazy strikeout potential. He currently has 104 in 95 2/3 innings. That may not seem great but he’s gone on tears and will put up big K numbers in individual games. His last start saw the 20-year-old strikeout 10 batters while walking none in five innings.
Short-A (Lowell Spinners)
Gilberto Jimenez is nuts. The 19-year-old is on a five-game multi-hit streak. He’s hitting .368 with 10 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. The switch-hitter has 15 RBI, 27 runs scored and nine steals. There’s really nothing to complain about when it comes to the outfield. He has elite speed and hitting. He’s a great defender and has a little bit of power potential.
Cameron Cannon is up to .248 with Lowell. The Red Sox 2019 second-round pick already has nine doubles and two home runs this year. He’s driven in 15 runs and scored 11 more and should be a great shortstop prospect to experiment with.
Nick Decker has six doubles, three triples, and five home runs. Despite his .236 average, the outfielder is showing all types of potential with the bat. He’ll bring some fun power to the minors and could be a big part of the Red Sox future.
Marino Campana is only hitting .215 with Lowell but does have five homers. His power is very real but he’s always struggled with average. Hopefully, he can correct himself by the end of the year and have a fresh start in 2020.
Noah Song is about as real as it gets. The 2019 fourth-round draft pick pitcher is now through eight innings with Lowell. He’s allowed four hits and one walk, striking out nine – and he’s yet to give up a run. The whole situation with him and the Navy is a little confusing but whenever he is in the Majors he’s going to be a star.
Chris Murphy has a 0.82 ERA over 22 innings. Opponents are hitting .218 with no home runs against the lefty. He’s also struck out 28 batters and has allowed just three walks. Everything about him has been dominant so far.
Osvaldo De La Rosa is 3-for-3 in save opportunities and rocks a 2-0 record. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.59 ERA over 17 innings. He has 17 strikeouts in that time, as well as a .183 BAA and 1.00 WHIP.
Next. Red Sox need some roster exit velocity to jettison underachievers. dark
Ryan Fernandez has a 1.64 ERA, .158 BAA, and 0.79 WHIP so far. In 33 innings the righty has 32 strikeouts, a 3-0 record and is 3-for-5 in save opportunities.