Red Sox Prospect Watch: C.J. Chatham promoted to Triple-A
Another move was made in the Boston Red Sox minor leagues as one of their top prospects in C.J. Chatham was promoted to Triple-A.
The Boston Red Sox once again find themselves getting hot. They’ve won five straight, and are creeping back into the playoff picture. A lot of that has to do with the play of their younger players.
Yes, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are legitimate MVP candidates. However, if it wasn’t for some of the less-experienced players stepping up, who knows where the team would be right now.
What makes it even more impressive is that the highest-touted of the young players was Michael Chavis, and he’s currently on the IL. So prospects that aren’t Chavis are the ones stepping up at the moment.
Sam Travis deserves a lot of love. He’s showing that power that he’s always projected to have. The first baseman’s hitting .265 with four doubles and six home runs. He’s driven in 15 runs and scored 15 more, stealing two bases. The case for Travis to be the long-term first baseman is getting stronger and stronger.
Marco Hernandez is hitting .325 with five doubles and two home runs. He’s driven in eight runs and scored 14 more, stealing one base. Hernandez has long shown he can hit in the Majors, and this year is just him proving more of that. The fact that he’s doing this after missing nearly two years due to injury makes it that much easier to root for him.
Darwinzon Hernandez is down to a 3.98 ERA and for the most part, has been one of the more reliable bullpen arms. He also has a ridiculous 38 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings. The left-hander came into the year as one of the Red Sox top prospects and is definitely proving he can handle himself in the Majors so far.
Travis Lakins is down to a 4.05 ERA as he’s looked great since rejoining the Majors. In two appearances, Lakins has thrown four innings and hasn’t given up an earned run. He’s allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out five. There’s a reason Lakins was considered a future bullpen arm – he’s got more than enough talent. That talent’s showing itself.
Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)
Shortstop prospect C.J. Chatham has been promoted to Triple-A. Since getting there, he’s done nothing but hit. Chatham went 0-for-4 in his first game but has at least one hit in all six games since then. Overall, he’s hitting .300 with two doubles and one homer in Triple-A. He’s added three RBI and four runs scored. Chatham’s one of the best hitters in the minors. Not just in the Red Sox organization, but in the entire MiLB.
Bobby Dalbec was promoted just a few weeks ago, and like Chatham, he hasn’t stopped hitting. The third baseman’s also gotten some time at first base, clearly trying to get him a spot in the Majors next year (third base is clogged up by Devers). Dalbec’s hitting .340 with three doubles and three home runs in 15 games so far. He’s driven in seven runs and scored six more.
Josh Ockimey lost his hitting streak at 11 games but is still one of the hottest hitters on the team. His average is at .213 but he has 22 home runs on the year. He’s also driven in 53 runs and scored 58 more.
In 15 1/3 innings with Pawtucket, Tanner Houck has a 2.35 ERA. The righty is up to 16 strikeouts and has a .157 BAA. He could still be bullpen help this year, but it’s unclear if he’ll be a reliever or a starter in the future.
Trevor Kelley has a 1.83 ERA.
Bobby Poyner is down to a 3.40 ERA after 4 1/3 shutout innings this week. He’s struck out five in that time and only allowed one hit. He’s struggled in the Majors this year but it was a small sample size. Meanwhile, he was awesome last year and is looking great in Triple-A again.
Kyle Hart has a 3.86 ERA after a solid start, bouncing back from a miserable one last week. The lefty gave up two runs over six innings and seems to be putting out quality starts a lot more often than not. It’s kind of surprising he hasn’t gotten a chance this year.
Teddy Stankiewicz has churned out four straight strong starts. In that time he’s lowered his ERA from 4.60 to 4.06. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run over six innings, striking out eight batters. This is his best season in quite a few years, and he’s doing so at his highest level.
Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)
How clutch is Marcus Wilson? His average dropped this week down to .228 but here’s what he did. First, he had a great leaping grab and doubled-off a base runner to end a one-run game. Then he hit a home run on Monday night in the bottom of the ninth to tie a game.
Wilson does it all, and his improving numbers are proof of that. His 25 doubles and 59 runs scored are both one away from tying career-highs. Meanwhile, his 54 RBI are already tied for a career-best. Then there are the 17 home runs that demolish his old career-mark of 10. What a great addition for the Red Sox.
Jarren Duran is up to .261 with 25 steals in Double-A. Overall on the year, Duran is hitting .315 with 24 doubles, five triples, and five home runs. He’s driven in 36 runs and scored 83 more, stealing a ridiculous 43 bases. Duran’s contact, speed, and defense make him an elite prospect – you can’t change my mind.
Dedgar Jimenez is seriously a closer now. There’s no point trying to fight it. Not only do the Sea Dogs seem to be committed to that role for him, but he’s really good at it. Jimenez has a save in each of his last six outings and is 7-for-7 in opportunities this year.
Baby Bartolo hasn’t allowed a run since becoming the full-time closer and is down to a 3.60 ERA. In his last seven appearances, he’s allowed just three hits and two walks over 9 1/3 shutout innings. He’s struck out 13 batters in that time. That’s the definition of dominance. I’ve always been high on him and believed he could be a great starter in the Majors. Now I’m all-in on Baby Bartolo being the future closer.
Bryan Mata has a 6.20 ERA after his most recent start. He went six innings and gave up four runs. The 20-year-old struck out seven batters though and gave up all four runs in the second inning, his other five innings were great. Mata deserves a long adjustment period seeing how he’s already in Double-A (after totally dominating every level before it) at just 20. No need to rush him or panic.
Eduard Bazardo hasn’t allowed an earned run since July 27. The reliever is down to a 3.46 ERA and now has 27 strikeouts over 26 innings. The right-hander has a 2.42 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 67 innings between Double-A and Advanced-A this year.
Denyi Reyes wasn’t great in his last start, leading to his ERA bumping up to 3.87. He’s still been great over the last few months and has really turned his season around. The right-hander looks a lot more like the dominant pitcher he was last year, where an average start like the one he had this week (four earned runs in five innings) looks miserable.
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.
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
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.
Full-A (Greenville Drive)
Could Triston Casas be getting hot again? The 19-year-old is on a three-game hitting streak at the moment. Although that might not seem like much, Casas has proven he can get nuclear-hot. This could be the start of something big. Casas is hitting .246 and hasn’t hit a home run since July 18. However, he still has 17 on the year in his first season in the minors. He also has a fantastic 73 RBI.
Tyler Esplin is back up to .255, having enjoyed some big games recently. He’s collected at least one hit in 9-of-10 and has multi-hit games in six of those. The 20-year-old has 26 doubles, three triples and four home runs on the year. He also has 39 RBI and 49 runs scored, stealing six bases. Esplin isn’t as highly regarded as he once was and that makes no sense to me.
Brandon Howlett is hitting .234 but had a very encouraging game on Saturday. The 19-year-old went 2-for-3 with a walk and a home run, driving in two runs and scoring two more. He now has seven home runs to go along with one triple and 23 doubles on the year. The third baseman also has 32 RBI and 43 runs scored.
Chase Shugart has a 2.58 ERA on the season after allowing three earned runs over five innings in his last start. The 22-year-old righty has been great all year long and is solidifying himself as a top pitching prospect in the Red Sox organization.
Yoan Aybar has had an odd stretch. He’s given up four earned runs in three appearances (six innings). What’s crazy is he isn’t having walk issues. The lefty has only walked two batters in that time but has given up seven hits. He still has a fantastic .180 BAA though and although his 4.88 ERA isn’t great his 67 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings is.
Brayan Bello had a superb game this week. The 20-year-old right-hander allowed just one run over seven innings. He gave up just four hits and no walks, striking out eight. This has helped dip his ERA to 5.79 – continuing to improve in that area. Bello’s numbers aren’t great (.295 BAA and 1.53 WHIP) but his 112 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings is a major positive.
Short-A (Lowell Spinners)
Gilberto Jimenez is doing Gilberto Jimenez things again. He has multiple hits in three straight games and is rocking a .364 batting average. The 19-year-old has 11 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He’s driven in 17 runs and scored 33 more, stealing 11 bases as well. The centerfielder is plus-plus at everything except power.
Joe Davis has power though. The 19th-round pick from this year’s draft is hitting .310 with eight doubles and five home runs in 32 games. He’s also driven in a ridiculous 27 runs and scored 17 more.
Nick Decker also has power for days. The outfielder is hitting .243 with eight doubles, three triples, and six home runs. He’s driven in 23 runs and scored 19 more, stealing three bases. The 19-year-old has done nothing to make you believe he isn’t going to be the stud many expect him to become.
Cameron Cannon is hitting .240 with 11 doubles and two home runs. The shortstop already has 12 runs scored and 18 RBI in 31 games for Lowell. Drafted this season in the second round, he hasn’t had much time to adjust himself but is doing just fine so far.
Noah Song is ridiculous. The right-handed pitcher has thrown 11 innings so far. In that time, he’s allowed four hits and walked two, striking out 15 – oh and he hasn’t allowed any runs. He has a .111 BAA and 0.55 WHIP. The Red Sox nailed it with this pick.
Jake Cosart is back baaaayyyyyyybeeeeeeeee! The right-handed pitcher is returning from injury and has had an amazing year combined between Advanced-A and Double-A. He’s thrown 1/3 of an inning so far as he eases back into things.
Chris Murphy has a 0.69 ERA so far. In 26 innings, he’s struck out 27 batters and has yet to allow a home run. The left-handed pitcher was drafted in the sixth round this year and looks fantastic. He has a .217 BAA and 0.92 WHIP.
Next. Red Sox: Chris Sale to avoid Tommy John but will likely miss rest of 2019. dark
Ryan Fernandez has thrown 37 1/3 innings for Lowell so far. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.69 ERA, .176 BAA, and 0.86 WHIP. He’s struck out 34 batters and has a 3-0 record with four saves.