Red Sox Prospect Watch: Minor League regular season is over

Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)

C.J. Chatham finished his season on a seven-game hitting streak. The shortstop hit .302 in Triple-A with five doubles and two home runs. He drove in 10 runs and scored 11 more in just 20 games. Most importantly, he got some looks at second base.

Chatham should be a legitimate candidate for the position next season and I was hoping he’d get the call-up in September. I know he wouldn’t play much but it’s not like he’ll be missing out on playing time with the MiLB season over anyways.

Bobby Dalbec is another name I thought would get the call-up. Dalbec hit .257 in Pawtucket with seven homers in 30 games. Overall between Triple-A and Double-A, he hit 27 home runs and drove in 73 runs. The power and run production are real. He’ll be an option for first base next year so I thought they might want to look at him now.

You’ll never guess this, but here’s another player I thought would be an appropriate call-up – Josh Ockimey. The first baseman slashed .204/.353/.459 with 64 runs scored and 57 RBI. He smashed 17 doubles, two triples, and a career-best 25 home runs.

Wow, did Cole Sturgeon end his year right. The 27-year-old finished on a five-game hitting streak. The last game saw him go 4-for-5 with three homers, four RBI and three runs scored. Sturgeon finished the year with a .277 average, 17 doubles, two triples, and 10 home runs.

Bryce Brentz isn’t exactly a prospect but with 18 homers in 95 games, a call-up would’ve made sense. He’d have been a solid power bat off the bench.

Rusney Castillo hit .278 with 25 doubles and 17 homers this year. The outfielder had 64 RBI and 63 runs scored and plays A-grade defense in the outfield. He’s kind of a joke between Red Sox fans but I’ll stand by my belief that he never got a fair shot and is actually a very solid player.

Trevor Kelley posted a 1.79 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and a .216 BAA. Somehow he wasn’t part of the initial call-ups. Don’t get me started.

Tanner Houck finished his year with a 3.24 ERA in Triple-A. In 25 innings with them, he posted a .209 BAA and 27 strikeouts. He’ll be in the Majors at some point next year.

Bobby Poyner had a 3.77 ERA in Triple-A. While it’s not fantastic, the left-handed pitcher rebounded from a poor start to the year and should be given another chance with the Red Sox next year (or even this year).

Teddy Stankiewicz‘s last appearance of the year saw him go four scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and no walks, striking out three. The right-handed pitcher finished the year with a 3.85 ERA over 131 innings. It was his best season in the minors since 2014 – and he did so at the highest level possible. I’ve been asking for it for years and now I’m demanding Stank gets his shot.

Kyle Hart posted a 3.86 ERA in Triple-A and a 2.91 ERA in Double-A this year. That combined for a 3.52 ERA in 156 innings between the two. The lefty has positioned himself nicely for a chance in the Majors next season.

Mike Shawaryn had a 4.52 ERA in Triple-A but a 3.59 ERA as a starter and an 8.47 ERA as a reliever. He’s proven he works best as a starter and if the Red Sox can commit to that, he could be a great rotation piece next year.

Daniel McGrath gave up three runs in seven innings in his first career Triple-A start this week. He had appeared in Pawtucket earlier in the year but struggled out of the bullpen. Still, he finished with a 1.98 ERA combined between Pawtucket and Double-A Portland. That ERA drops all the way down to 1.68 if it’s just Double-A alone. McGrath was dominant all year long and should start in Triple-A next year with a door to the Majors pretty clear.