Boston Red Sox: What you should know about Connor Wong

The Boston Red Sox finally traded superstar Mookie Betts. Connor Wong was one of the prospects in the deal. Here’s what you should know about the catcher.

The Boston Red Sox have now technically traded superstar Mookie Betts (and pitcher David Price) twice in the last few days. Unsurprisingly, that hasn’t gone over all that well with the fans. The second trade has upset people a little bit more because they ended up not getting a pitching prospect in the deal.

This time, they got infielder Jeter Downs and catcher Connor Wong. Here’s a little secret though, that’s a much better haul.

Downs is the main prospect of the two. That doesn’t mean Wong isn’t a star-in-the-making though. Here’s what you should know about Connor Wong.

Wong comes into the Red Sox organization and is immediately their top catching prospect. That should tell you how much more improved this haul is right there.

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• 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

Wong was drafted back in 2017. That year he appeared in 27 games for Full-A. In that time, he slashed .278/.336/.495 with six doubles and five home runs. The right-handed hitter also had 19 runs scored and 18 RBI, as well as one steal.

Then came 2018 in Advanced-A. Wong appeared in 102 games, slashing .269/.350/.480 with 20 doubles, two triples and 18 home runs. He added 60 RBI, 64 runs scored and six steals on top of that.

Finally, 2019 saw Wong go to a whole new level. In 111 games between Advanced-A and Double-A, he racked to the tune of a .281/.336/.541 slash line with 24 doubles, seven triples and 24 home runs. Wong scored 56 runs, driving in 82 more and stealing 11 bases.

The catcher is a legitimate hitter. And he’s closer to the Majors than you might think. He appeared in 40 games in Double-A last year. That’s not a big sample size, but it’s something. And the fact that he hit .349 with nine doubles and nine home runs in that time is pretty telling.

Boston has a few very intriguing catching prospects. However, Wong is already pretty polished for his age (23). He would be an immediate offensive threat and is vastly improving behind the plate.

Honestly, in a few ways he reminds me of the prospect version of Blake Swihart. Remember how the big thing with him was his offense and athleticism as a catcher? Wong has played both second base and third base in his minor league career.

He has speed for the position. That will lead to more extra-base hits and some steals. His athleticism makes him intriguing defensively too.

Wong has a pretty decent arm and is making obvious improvements defensively. For instance, in 606 2/3 innings as a catcher in 2018, Wong had 12 passed balls. In 722 1/3 innings as a catcher in 2019, he only had 10 passed balls. That’s a pretty serious step up.

So, to recap. The Red Sox got an elite hitting catcher with tons of athleticism who is making major improvements on defense. He’s jumping into their system and immediately becoming their best catching prospect and possibly the one closest to the Majors for them.

I’ll gladly take that, and so should everyone else. Welcome to Boston Connor Wong, I wouldn’t be that surprised if we see you at Fenway within the next year.