Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Everyone’s settling in for week two

Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)

As I’ve already mentioned, one of the big points of last week was to not panic. Jarren Duran is a great example of that. He started 0-for-11 before working his way up to a .263 average by the end of the week. The left-handed hitter increased that average a bit more this week. Duran is now up to a strong .283/.389/.609 slash line with three doubles and four home runs. He’s also driven in seven runs, scored nine more, and stolen three bases. There have been plenty of flashes of leather in the outfield too. The star power is showing.

Jeter Downs has not had a picture perfect start to his minor league career with the Red Sox. A .220 average and 19 strikeouts in 41 at-bats are certainly not numbers he was hoping for. However, there are plenty of positives to focus on as well. Downs just had a 3-for-4 day on Saturday, that included a home run (his first of the year). He has also stolen five bases in six attempts. Proof that he can find a way to effect the game even when he isn’t hitting as well.

Marcus Wilson has been solid all year long. I’ve always talked about how much I’ve loved his all-around game. The glove is underrated, and the bat definitely doesn’t get talked about enough. This year, Wilson is trying to change that. The outfielder is slashing .278/.381/.639 with two doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He also has the first home run at home in WooSox history. Meanwhile the run production is there – driving in seven runs, scoring seven more, and stealing two bases in two attempts.

Connor Wong has not played since May 11 due to an injury. His average currently sits at .235 (4-for-17) with one double and one walk.

Josh Ockimey is still struggling with the batting average (.182) but it’s slowly creeping up. The good news is he has managed seven walks, and has scored six runs and driven in five more. Meanwhile, the power is there. He only has two home runs at the moment but it’s very early. Ock can get hot and hit them in bunches. For example, he had zero homers coming into the week. So expect to see that number continue to rise as well as his average.

Eduard Bazardo has a 13.50 ERA (four runs in 2 2/3 innings) in Triple-A so far. That’s honestly not important though. He was up again for a short stint this week in the Majors, and threw two more scoreless innings before being sent back down. Baz now has three scoreless innings in the Majors, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out three. He can make a difference for the Red Sox.

Kyle Hart did not have the best start to the season (four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings). However, he did strikeout six. Then came his next start, and absolute domination. The lefty walked four batters and hit one more batter in six innings. That’s it though, he didn’t give up any runs, let alone any hits. Those are the kind of games that might get him another shot in the Majors.

Quick note on Bobby Poyner, he threw another scoreless inning. He now has 5 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year, not allowing a run. Could he still be a strong piece in the Red Sox future? Poyner’s still just 28.