Red Sox Prospect Watch: Gilberto Jimenez hasn't stopped raking

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BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 11: Josh Taylor #72 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on August 11, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

The Boston Red Sox minor leagues have had some standouts this year and Gilberto Jimenez stands near the top as he simply hasn’t stopped raking.

There have been a number of standouts in the Boston Red Sox minor league system this year, some of whom have reached the Majors due to that. Those players have been instrumental in keeping the Red Sox in the playoff hunt (even if they’re barely in it).

Michael Chavis is hurt at the moment but rehabbing in Triple-A. His return should bring some more power into the lineup.

Sam Travis is slashing .257/.311/.459 thanks to bashing four doubles and six homers so far. The first baseman has 15 RBI and 15 runs scored and hasn’t stopped impressing since he returned to the Majors. It’s safe to say his supporters are growing in numbers.

Marco Hernandez is hitting .329 with five doubles, two home runs and one steal. He’s scored 14 runs and driven in eight more. Hernandez is a great hitter and has solid speed. Due to that, he can get on base in a number of ways – he doesn’t always need to hit the ball hard (evident by his bunt single the other day). Still just 26, the Red Sox need to seriously consider him a part of their future.

Josh Taylor has been fantastic out of the bullpen this year. The 26-year-old lefty has a 2.87 ERA to this point. In 37 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 49 batters, holding opponents to a .229 BAA.

Darwinzon Hernandez clearly has the stuff the Red Sox were hoping for. It’s unclear if they’ll keep him in the bullpen in the future (he was a starter most of his career in the minors), but for now, it’s working. The 22-year-old lefty has a 3.47 ERA over 23 1/3 innings. In that time, he’s struck out 42 batters and has a .207 BAA.

BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 16: Boston Red Sox rookies Eduardo Quiroz, Josh Ockimey, Ty Buttrey, Williams Jerez, and Mike Shawaryn visit Luke at Boston Children’s Hospital on January 16, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images for Boston Children’s Hospital) /

Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

Bobby Dalbec was promoted to Triple-A about a month ago. One of the Red Sox top prospects has done nothing but hit. He’s rocking a .293 average, but most importantly, that ridiculous power is shining at the moment. Dalbec’s hit a homer in three straight games and now has six in 22 games for Pawtucket. He’s also driven in 13 runs and scored 10 more. The third/first baseman is ready.

C.J. Chatham has played 13 games in Triple-A. He didn’t record a hit in his first game but collected at least one in each of the next 11. That streak was broken on Monday. The shortstop is hitting .259 with four doubles and two homers already. He’s also driven in eight runs and scored six more. That run production is coming through early on.

Josh Ockimey is at .209 but has a homer in two of his last three games. The first baseman now has a career-high 24 homers (previous high was 20). He’s also walked 77 times and has 55 RBI and 60 runs scored.

Tanner Houck is down to a 2.21 ERA over 14 appearances in Triple-A. Over his last two outings, Houck has given up just one hit and one walk over three shutout innings, striking out five. The right-hander has 23 strikeouts and a .186 BAA over 20 1/3 innings with Pawtucket.

Trevor Kelley has a 1.90 ERA.

Teddy Stankiewicz is down to a 3.94 ERA as his fantastic season continues. The righty went 5 2/3 innings in his last start, giving up one run while striking out six. This is by-far Stankiewicz’s lowest ERA since 2015. He’s ready for a shot in the Majors.

Mike Shawaryn is thankfully back in the starting rotation. He went five innings, giving up two runs. The righty now has a 4.46 ERA in Triple-A. He has an 8.47 ERA as a reliever though – it drops to 3.46 as a starter.

Kyle Hart had two starts this week. In the first, he gave up three runs over 7 1/3 innings. In the next, he went six innings and allowed just one run. The lefty now has a 3.69 ERA in Triple-A.

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)

Dedgar Jimenez ended his streak of scoreless outings when giving up one run in an inning of work on August 20. However, that was in a non-save situation (his first one in a while). The lefty bounced back with a two-strikeout scoreless inning in his next outing – picking up a save. Baby Bartolo is now 8-for-8 in save opportunities and sitting at a 3.62 ERA.

Bryan Mata had his second straight positive start in Double-A this week. He went six innings, giving up just two runs in that time. The 20-year-old is down to a 5.79 ERA and things are starting to look up. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Mata needed some time to get used to Double-A but once he does I guarantee he starts dominating.

Daniel McGrath gave up four runs over six innings. That’s the worst start he’s had in a long time and that’s very telling. The lefty has a 1.61 ERA in Portland – that should tell you how good he’s been this year. McGrath has a .183 BAA and 1.03 WHIP to this point. He’s also struck out 106 batters in 106 innings.

Eduard Bazardo has lowered his Double-A ERA to 3.18 after 2 1/3 shutout innings over two appearances this week. The righty dominated in Advanced-A and is starting to get back to that with Portland.

Jarren Duran is struggling at the moment, with his average dropping to .249. He’s been one of the best hitters at every level he’s been at so let’s not jump to any conclusions. The left-handed hitter has shown he can flip the switch at any moment and don’t be surprised if that average jumps before the end of the year.

Marcus Wilson has a .228 average with Portland and has really impressed for most of his time in the Red Sox organization. The outfielder has 11 doubles, eight home runs and is 5-for-5 in steal attempts with the Sea Dogs. Wilson’s stock continues to rise as he does basically everything at the age of 23.

Charlie Madden returned to Double-A early this month. The 23-year-old catcher was on an 0-for-18 stretch though and needed a big game to turn it around. He did just that on Monday, going 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. That raised his average to .254 and he has five home runs in just 20 games.

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)

Dominic LoBrutto has been massively impressive in Advanced-A. The 23-year-old left-handed reliever hasn’t allowed a run in any of his last five outings and is now down to a 1.95 ERA in Salem. He’s struck out 34 batters while walking just four in 32 1/3 innings and has a 0.96 WHIP.

Thad Ward allowed three runs over five innings but did manage seven strikeouts. The right-hander has a 2.36 ERA in Advanced-A after posting a 1.99 ERA in Full-A. He has a .197 BAA and 156 strikeouts over 125 2/3 innings combined.

Rio Gomez had a great week, throwing three shutout appearances. He allowed just three hits in four innings (and all three were in his first inning of the week). He has five strikeouts in that time and has lowered his ERA with Salem to 2.98.

Enmanuel De Jesus had one of his best games of the year this week, throwing seven shutout innings. He allowed three hits and one walk while striking out seven. Although he’s struggled with BAA (.280), the lefty has a 3.75 ERA in 124 2/3 innings this year.

Yoan Aybar has made the jump to Advanced-A. He’s allowed one run in two innings so far. More importantly, he’s only walked one batter. Meanwhile, unsurprisingly he’s struck out two batters. It will be interesting to see how he fairs at a new level as he has dominant stuff but struggles with command.

Grant Williams has done nothing but hit since getting the promotion to Advanced-A. The shortstop has a hit in eight of his 10 games with Salem. He’s hitting .355 with four doubles, three RBI and three runs scored. The 23-year-old has definitely proven he deserved that promotion.

Victor Acosta was slumping before Monday but then went 2-for-4 with a home run. He’s now hitting .281 with 17 doubles, one triple, and three home runs. The outfielder’s also driven in 45 runs and scored 42 more. He’s also walked 35 times compared to just 40 strikeouts on the year.

Pedro Castellanos is at .276 and is by-far having his best year when it comes to extra-base hits. He’s roped two triples as well as career-highs in doubles (23) and home runs (9). The first baseman also has career-bests in RBI (71), runs scored (61) and steals (10). He seriously might’ve jumped into top-prospect status with the team. I’m not talking top-30, but top-10.

Kole Cottam was promoted to Advanced-A in mid-August and is already making his mark. The catcher is hitting .250 with three doubles and one home run. He’s driven in five runs and scored three more. I’ve said it a ton this year but it’s worth repeating – Cottam has incredible offensive potential and should be monitored closely.

Devlin Granberg has also promoted to Salem this month. The first baseman has struggled over (.226 average) but has gotten hot recently and is currently on a five-game hitting streak. Granberg has two doubles and no other extra-base hits but does have nine RBI in 18 games. His numbers will undoubtedly rise before the end of the year.

BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 31: The Boston Red Sox 2018 World Series Championship banner hangs outside Fenway Park on October 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

Full-A (Greenville Drive)

I believe last week I mentioned that Triston Casas hadn’t hit a home run in quite some time. He clearly read that and went ahead and hit a homer this week. The third baseman is on a 10-game hitting streak and has risen his average to .254. He now has 24 doubles, five triples, and 18 home runs. He’s also scored 64 runs and driven in 76 more – putting up incredible run production for anyone, let alone a 19-year-old.

Tyler Esplin has been picking up a lot of hits lately. The right fielder is up to .257 and now has 26 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. He turned 20 in July and it looks like he’s taken a big step forward this year. The left-handed hitter had 52 runs scored and 43 RBI, even stealing six bases. He’s silenced any and all doubters this year.

Short-A (Lowell Spinners)

I could highlight a duo or trio at any level and talk about how exciting they are. It would be really easy to point to a pair and say “these guys make watching this team more than worth it”. That task doesn’t get any easier than the Lowell Spinners though.

It all starts with the cover boy of this week, Gilberto Jimenez. Jimenez is 19. He’s a centerfielder with stupid speed (14 steals so far) and elite defense. Oh, and he’s hitting .370 with 11 doubles, three triples and three home runs. He’s driven in 18 runs and scored 35 more in 54 games. Seriously, Jimenez has already made himself one of the best, most exciting prospects in the Red Sox entire system and it will only go up from here.

Noah Song is the other name. It took a while, but the 22-year-old finally gave up a run. In 14 innings since getting drafted, Song has thrown 14 innings and given up just the one run (0.64 ERA). He has 17 strikeouts, a .130 BAA and a 0.71 WHIP. Song projects to be a top-tier starter in the Majors and has only reinforced that projection with his performance so far.

Joe Davis is hitting .295 with eight doubles and five home runs to this point. The first baseman has 27 RBI and 18 runs scored in 36 games and looks like someone that can hit for a ton of power and makes driving in runs look far too easy. He was a round-19 draft pick this year and has already made his mark in Short-A.

Nick Decker continues to have an up-and-down year. The outfielder is just 19 so that’s more than understandable. He’s hitting .237 with nine doubles, three triples, and six home runs in 49 games of far. The left-handed hitter was a second-round draft pick last year so the Red Sox should be patient with him. He’s managed a solid 23 RBI and 20 runs scored so far – proving he can definitely produce runs at a solid clip.

Song isn’t the only pitcher drafted this year that’s hard to score on. Chris Murphy was drafted in the sixth round and has a 0.61 ERA. That’s two earned runs over 29 1/3 innings. In other words, that’s nuts. The lefty has 33 strikeouts and just six walks, with a .204 BAA and 0.92 WHIP. It looks like the Red Sox hit a home run with this pick (which is ironic because Murphy’s yet to give up one of those).

Next. The Red Sox need to make re-signing Brock Holt a major priority. dark

Okay, that was a terrible joke and I apologize. Let’s just forget about it and quickly transition to Ryan Fernandez. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.55 ERA over 40 2/3 innings with Lowell. He’s 3-0 with four saves and has 37 strikeouts with a .170 BAA and 0.84 WHIP to this point. These are all marked improvements over 2018, which was far from a bad year itself.

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