Advanced-A (Salem Red Sox)
Grant Williams was having a solid year in Full-A, boasting a .265 batting average with 42 RBI. He was promoted to Advanced-A this week and looks to be on the top of his game. The shortstop is 5-for-9 (.556) with two doubles and three runs scored so far. It will be fun to see how the 23-year-old does with this opportunity for the rest of the year.
Pedro Castellanos is hitting .276 on the year and had another massive game this week. In that game, Castellanos went 3-for-4 with a walk and two home runs. He drove in three runs and scored four more. He’s seriously arrived. Casty has a career-high nine home runs and his 22 doubles is one of his best. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 71 runs and scored 61 more, stealing 10 bases as well (all blowing his old marks out of the water). He’s gone from a great prospect to an elite one in my eyes.
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Victor Acosta is now at a .287 average with 17 doubles, one triple, and two home runs. The outfielder is closing-in on career-highs in RBI and runs scored. His 43 RBI number is six off the 49 mark he set last year, while his 39 runs scored are tied for his best.
Ryan Fitzgerald is down to .277 but still having a great year overall. He’s hit 21 doubles, seven triples, and two home runs. Meanwhile, his run production has been awesome – driving in 61 runs, scoring 57 more and stealing 11 bases.
Devlin Granberg is struggling in Advanced-A at the moment but give him time to adjust. He was the most consistent hitter on a very young Full-A team for most of the year. Granberg is hitting .194 with one double, four RBI and three runs scored. However, he’s done that in just 31 at-bats. A few good games will turn his numbers around quick.
Kole Cottam is now in Advanced-A but hasn’t gotten much there yet, he’s 0-for-2. Great to see the catching prospect getting a new challenge.
Logan Browning has now made five appearances in Advanced-A, counting for 5 2/3 innings. He’s allowed a lot of base runners (2.29 WHIP and .381 BAA) but has one save and a 0.00 ERA so far. The left-handed pitcher was elite in Full-A and has the chance to make his mark on Advanced-A for the rest of the year.
Is Thad Ward about to start another ridiculous streak? His last two starts have seen him gone a combined 10 innings without giving up a run. Ward went five innings in both outings, allowing just one hit in each. Meanwhile, he’s struck out 15 batters in that time. Ward’s now down to a 2.05 ERA in Advanced-A after posting a 1.99 in Full-A.
Dominic LoBrutto hasn’t allowed a run in any of his last three outings. That spans three innings, of two-hit ball, striking out 6. He’s also picked up a save in that time. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.15 ERA in Advanced-A and is now 4-for-4 on the year in saves (3-for-3 with Salem).
Joan Martinez is enjoying a nice stretch himself and has his ERA down to 3.19. The right-hander has 53 strikeouts over 42 1/3 innings with Salem and has only allowed two home runs. Although his WHIP isn’t great at 1.37, he has a solid .226 BAA and has electric stuff on the mound.
Jhonathan Diaz has been awesome for the last month-and-a-half. The left-handed pitcher had an ERA over 6.00 entering July and now sees it at a 3.91. His .253 BAA and 1.39 WHIP aren’t very good but they’re products of his bad start. Diaz looks a lot more like the exciting prospect he did last year and suddenly isn’t hurting his stock at all. If anything, it’s risen as he’s shown he can overcome a bad start and is doing so at his highest level in the minors ever.