3. Bobby Dalbec (Third Baseman)
The Red Sox selected Bobby Dalbec in the fourth round of the 2016 Draft. His power was the main attraction and that definitely hasn’t disappointed.
In his first two seasons, Dalbec flashed that power pretty nicely. Then he broke out in 2018. That season, the 24-year-old mashed 32 home runs in 129 games between Advanced-A and Double-A. He didn’t just hit home runs though.
The right-handed hitter had 35 doubles and a ridiculous 109 RBI while batting .257 (.361 OBP). This promoted a move in 2019.
Dalbec started the year in Double-A and got a chance late in the year with Triple-A. While his numbers were down some, that could be attributed to a cold spell to start the year. He still managed really good numbers despite the higher levels.
Dalbec hit .239 (.356 OBP) with 19 doubles, two triples and 27 home runs. He scored 69 runs and drove in 73 more.
Most importantly, his walks were up (from 66 to 73) and his strikeouts were down (from 176 to 139). This is easily the biggest development in his game and something that everyone should monitor and be excited about.
Defensively, Dalbec very strong at third base. He also appeared at first base quite a bit and looked solid there as well. This isn’t something people will talk about when it comes Dalbec but that doesn’t mean he won’t contribute defensively.
In fact, he might not be a gold glover but Dalbec could definitely become one of the better defenders at the position and could do the same at first base.
There’s very little to not love about Dalbec and you could easily see him as early as the start of the season with the Red Sox. This should be his last chance to be seen as a prospect at the end of a season.