Red Sox Prospect Watch: Minor League regular season is over

The minor league season is over, meaning this is the last Boston Red Sox prospect watch of the year. There’s still a whole lot to talk about though.

The Boston Red Sox find themselves 5.5 games back from a Wild Card spot with the regular season ticking down. While they aren’t out of it yet, they need to make a ridiculously strong push.

With that in mind, the young players will play a pretty big role, especially considering September call-ups are here.

Michael Chavis has 18 homers and 58 RBI but hasn’t played since August 11. He was rehabbing but should be back with the team now that the MiLB season is over.

Marco Hernandez is hitting .303 and he’s slumping a little bit at the moment. However, he’s been a solid bat off the bench and has played some pretty strong defense at second base. With so many options at the moment, expect him to be relegated more to pinch-running. It sucks, but that will probably be his most prominent role for a bit.

Sam Travis is also slumping at the moment, and down to .239. The first baseman has six homers and 15 RBI on the year. Although he’s struggling, Travis has definitely done enough to warrant being considered an option for first base in the future.

Josh Taylor has been one of the best bullpen arms for the Red Sox this year. The lefty has a 3.07 ERA over 41 innings, striking out 53 in that time. He’s proven himself this year and helped solidify the bullpen that’s actually been better than a lot of people realize.

Speaking of solidifying the bullpen, Darwinzon Hernandez is a stud. He has a 3.08 ERA over 26 1/3 innings. In that time, the left-hander has a ridiculous 49 strikeouts. I don’t know if he’ll be a reliever next year but if he is, the Red Sox should legitimately consider him for the closer role.

Travis Lakins is back in the Majors. He gave up two runs in two innings in his return appearance and has a 4.70 ERA over 15 1/3 innings with Boston. The right-hander has struggled a bit when it comes to giving up base runners (1.63 WHIP) but could be a nice piece in the pen for the Red Sox for the rest of the year.

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.

Double-A (Portland Sea Dogs)

Bryan Mata twirled an absolute GEM this week. The 20-year-old tossed a career-high seven innings. He walked five, but only allowed one hit en route to giving up zero runs. He also struck out a career-best nine batters. It was the perfect way to end his season – but also kind of frustrating because it was the best start of his career but he won’t get to build off of it.

El Idolo finished his season with a lights-out performance, so how did Baby Bartolo do? Dedgar Jimenez gave up runs in each of his last two outings but still finished with a 3.78 ERA and went 10-for-10 in save opportunities. This switch to closer seems to be serious and Jimenez has proven it was a good move.

Eduard Bazardo will be in the Majors next year – mark it down. His stuff is electric and he was nothing short of dominant this year. After posting a 1.76 ERA in Advanced-A, the righty had a 2.78 in Double-A. In 73 1/3 innings combined, Bazardo struck out 88 batters and had a .206 BAA.

Durbin Feltman had a bad year, with a 5.26 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He had 54 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings though and had a solid .223 BAA. Most importantly, the reliever finished the year strong. In his last three outings, Feltman threw five scoreless innings, allowing three hits while walking none and striking out six.

Denyi Reyes had a 4.16 ERA and 1.18 WHIP on the year. He only struck out 116 batters in 151 1/3 innings but racked up nine over seven innings in his last start. This is definitely not up to par with his last season, but he did that in Full-A and Advanced-A. Overall, this wasn’t a bad year for a 22-year-old getting his first taste of Double-A.

Jake Cosart hasn’t pitched in Double-A since June 28 due to injury. He only made one appearance in Short-A while rehabbing too. That outing saw him go 1/3 of an inning (scoreless) – so he hasn’t really pitched in a while. Cosart had a 0.00 ERA in Short-A (that 1/3 inning), a 1.83 ERA in Advanced-A and a 1.59 ERA in Double-A.

All that combined for a 1.72 ERA over 31 1/3 innings. Cosart struck out 36 batters in that time and had a .183 BAA. The 25-year-old should have an increased role at a higher level next year.

Jarren Duran hit .250 over 82 Double-A games but still hit .303 on the year total. Combined between Portland and Advanced-A Salem, the outfielder had 90 runs scored and 38 RBI. He also had 24 doubles, eight triples, and five home runs. Most importantly though, he plays great defense and had a ridiculous 46 steals.

Marcus Wilson was a great acquisition for the Red Sox. The outfielder plays stellar defense and had a career-year at the plate. Wilson slashed .269/.357/.492 with 28 doubles, two triples, and 18 homers. He stole 13 bases and had 65 runs scored and 58 more driven in. The doubles, homers, runs scored and RBI were all career-highs.

Austin Rei was hurt for most of the year. When he returned, the catcher hit .175 with six doubles and one homer. He also had 13 RBI, 11 runs scored and 14 walks in 33 games. The catcher’s year shouldn’t be based off his numbers though. He returned from injury and was getting back into the swing of things. I sincerely want the 25-year-old to get considered for the backup role next season in the Majors. He plays great defense, has a good eye at the plate and is growing offensively.

Full-A (Greenville Drive)

Greenville definitely lost a lot of big prospects when Salem got all their additions. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have star prospects. One of the biggest is Brandon Howlett. In his last three games, Howlett went 5-for-13 with a home run. In total, the 19-year-old third baseman hit .231 with 23 doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. He drove in 35 runs and scored 48 more.

Everlouis Lozada hit .228 with 12 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. The 20-year-old second baseman is a great defender and has all the tools to become an elite prospect soon enough.

Chase Shugart ended the year with a 2.81 ERA in his first full season with the team (89 2/3 innings). In that time, the 22-year-old righty had 73 strikeouts and had some truly dominant starts. Now that he has some actual experience, it will be fun to see what he can do next year.

Brayan Bello had a really strong last month of the season. The 20-year-old had a 5.43 on the year but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He also managed 119 strikeouts over 117 2/3 innings and did so in Full-A when he had only ever pitched Rookie Ball before. It will be interesting to see how Bello pitches next year – as he’s now considered a higher prospect in the organization.

Oddainer Mosqueda threw a career-high 52 innings this year. The 20-year-old lefty struck out 69 batters and posted a 3.29 ERA and a .228 BAA. Mosqueda should shoot up the rankings next year as he proved he isn’t afraid of the challenge of a new level this season.

Angel Padron spent the entire year in 2019. The 21-year-old left-hander posted a 3.40 ERA in 76 2/3 innings. In that time, Padron struck out 85 batters. This was his second year in Full-A and he improved immensely. With two solid years at the level though, it’s clear he’ll start next season in Advanced-A (or higher possibly).

Yorvin Pantoja spent his first year in Full-A as a fantastic reliever. The 21-year-old lefty had a 3.54 ERA in 36 appearances. He struck out 72 batters in 61 innings and had a .207 BAA. Pantoja was extremely dominant over the last month, and it could be enough to convince the Red Sox to bump him up a level to start next year.

Short-A (Lowell Spinners)

Gilberto Jimenez literally didn’t stop hitting all year. In 59 games for Lowell, Jimenez hit .359 with 11 doubles, three triples, and three home runs. The switch-hitter drove in 19 runs and 35 more scored, stealing 14 bases. The 19-year-old outfielder is an elite defender and has ridiculous speed. He’ll be at a higher level next year and don’t expect him to stop impressing.

Matthew Lugo made it to Short-A before the year ended, going 2-for-8. The 18-year-old shortstop was selected in the second round of the 2019 draft by the Red Sox and is already seen as one of their top prospects.

Joe Davis was selected in the 19th round of the draft this year. Despite playing in just 40 games this season, the first baseman hit nine doubles and five homers with an impressive 28 RBI and 18 runs scored. He has legitimate power and run production skills.

Nick Decker ended the year with a .247 average and has 10 doubles, five triples, and six home runs. He drove in 25 runs and scored 23 over 53 games. The 19-year-old outfielder was taken in the second round last year and the Red Sox should have big plans for him in their future.

Cameron Cannon hit .205 in Short-A after getting drafted in the second round this year. The shortstop had 12 doubles and three home runs with 21 RBI and 17 runs scored. Cannon has unlimited potential and could shoot up the minors fast.

Nicholas Northcut hit .211 with 10 doubles, two triples, and one home run last year. The third baseman had 22 RBI and 20 runs scored, showing he can produce some runs even when he’s struggling at the plate. At just 20, he has more than enough time to figure it out as well.

Antoni Flores only had a .193 average but the 18-year-old shortstop has superstar written all over him. With some experience under his belt next year you should expect some big improvements.

Marino Campana struggled this year, but the 21-year-old picked it up a little bit in the end. He finished hitting .191 combined over three levels, with seven doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. The right-handed-hitting outfielder had some problems clearly, but the power still shined through at times. He also still drove in 33 runs and scored 30 more in just 67 games, even stealing five bases.

Roldani Baldwin was hurt for most of the year, but the catcher was healthy to end the season. The catcher is one of the Red Sox top prospects hit .348 over eight games in the minors, picking up one home run and driving in four runs.

Noah Song pitched 17 innings and allowed just two runs (1.06 ERA). The righty had a .167 BAA and a 0.88 WHIP, even striking out 19 batters. Song was drafted in the fourth round this year and is already one of the most exciting prospects in the Red Sox system.

Jay Groome was injured all year but managed a few games at the end of the season. In three appearances between Short-A and Rookie Ball, Groome tossed four innings. In that time, the 21-year-old lefty had a 2.25 ERA and struck out six batters. He’s still an elite prospect and has more than enough time to get healthy and back on track.

Chris Murphy threw 33 1/3 innings for Lowell this year. The left-handed pitcher struck out 34 batters in that time and had a 1.06 ERA. He also posted a .197 BAA and a 0.90 WHIP. The 21-year-old was drafted in the sixth round this year and could shoot up the ladder rather quickly.

Osvaldo De La Rosa had a 1.75 ERA over 25 2/3 innings in Short-A. The righty had 27 strikeouts in that time. He also went 5-1 and was 3-for-3 in save opportunities. The 21-year-old boasted a .180 BAA and a 1.09 WHIP.

Ryan Fernandez was selected in the 23rd round of the 2019 Draft. He immediately proved himself to be an amazing value pick, tossing 43 1/3 innings for Lowell this year. In that time, the 21-year-old righty posted a 2.49 ERA. Fernandez also had a .188 BAA and a 0.95 WHIP.