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

How are the Boston Red Sox prospects adjusting in week two?

It’s Monday, you know what that means … It’s time for the weekly Boston Red Sox prospect watch.

Last week we saw the return of MiLB baseball, and with it the return of the prospect watch. Now, there was a lot of talk in the watch last week about how it was far too early to panic. It should be noted that this is still the case, we’re barely 10 games into the year – there’s plenty of time left and one or two good or bad games could completely change someone’s season at the moment.

That being said, this week also provided us with a nice showing of how players would respond to an off week or if they could keep the momentum rolling, and so on.

In the Majors, the Red Sox added a few younger players into the mix due to injury. Bobby Dalbec‘s job likely is not in jeopardy at the moment, but he seemed to respond to this as if that was the case.

Dalbec had an absolutely fantastic week that saw him rip three doubles, three home runs, steal one base, and drive in 11 runs. He’s now hitting .211 with four home runs and 17 RBI on the year. Nothing spectacular but clearly he’s heating up, the power numbers are going to surge.

Michael Chavis is back in the Majors and in his first game he smacked a two-run home run. He has struggled with strikeouts (12 in 27 at-bats) but has a decent enough .259 average and has had a few really nice moments. It is likely a short stay for Chavis but if he can get some more good ABs he could make a case to stay.

Jonathan Arauz is so smooth in the field, he’s one of those guys that you could watch take infield drills and be entertained. However, he hasn’t gotten many chances, as he’s basically just a depth piece while up at the moment. He’s been solid in those opportunities though, going 2-for-8 with two walks and one RBI and two runs scored.

Garrett Whitlock has a 1.77 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP through 20 1/3 innings this year. He’s been absolutely incredible and even when he hasn’t looked completely untouchable Whitlock tends to find a way out of a situation with minimal damage. A big part of that might be his 21 strikeouts compared to just three walks. The righty also picked up his first career save this week (a three-inning save against the Oakland A’s).

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.

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Yep, we’re going to bring it up again because it needs to be reiterated – it’s early. Last week that was mentioned when talking about Triston Casas and his 3-for-18 (.167) with two walks, two RBI, and three runs scored. He responded. Casas is now slashing .341/.383/.568 with one double and three home runs. The 21-year-old has 12 RBI and nine runs scored as well. It appears it took him just one week to get used to Double-A pitching.

Ronaldo Hernandez holds a .273/.351/.455 slash line with two home runs. He’s only driven in two runs and scored four runs so far, but it’s hard to not see his numbers as a positive. Hernandez is an all-around catching prospect. He will be a good defender and should have a plus bat.

Jeisson Rosario is only 21. It’s incredible considering how mature his eye is. Rosario is hitting .282 with a .378 on-base percentage. He has six walks this year and walked 87 times in 2019. The left-handed hitter has two doubles on the year, and has scored seven runs while driving in six more. Good fielding and speed make Rosario a very intriguing prospect. If he can keep hitting and getting on-base at a good clip, he could become a fantastic player.

Johan Mieses is listed at 6’2″, 185 lbs. He looks like a tank though, and swings like one too. The right-handed hitter has a .250 average with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored. He has nine hits in 36 at-bats. Six of those nine hits are home runs. At this point you almost have to assume that any time Mieses puts the bat on the ball it might be going out of the park. Great find by the Red Sox.

Pedro Castellanos is also 9-for-36 (.250). However, he has just one home run on the year. Castellanos has added six RBI and nine runs scored so far. 2019 saw him start to show off some of that power, so hopefully he can get back into that groove soon enough.

Ryan Fitzgerald just hits man. The righty has a .316 average with six doubles, and has driven in five runs while scoring three more. He will give you a good at-bat at all times. Fitz is like Fat Joe, he’s never going to disappoint in a game (or on a song) but people don’t tend to give him the proper recognition. Seriously, name a bad Fat Joe verse … I’ll wait.

Grant Williams had himself a week. The left-handed hitter had a .125 batting average heading into the week. Then he got a hit in 4-out-of-5 games that he played, going 10-for-20 in that time. Absurd. The 25-year-old now has a .393 average with two doubles, one steal, and six runs scored.

Josh Winckowski could absolutely climb up the prospect ladder real quick. The 22-year-old righty has allowed just one earned run in 9 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts. He has a 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and .091 BAA. Winckowski has been untouchable.

Kutter Crawford looks better than ever returning from Tommy John surgery. The righty has a 1.13 ERA over eight innings, to go with 12 strikeouts. Crawford has a 0.75 WHIP and he has yet to allow a walk, while opponents are hitting just .207 against him.

Durbin Feltman is on a path to return as the closer of the future. So far, that journey is going pretty well in 2021. The righty has a .217 BAA and 0.83 WHIP. He has a 3.00 ERA and has 12 strikeouts compared to zero walks in six innings. Walks were a pretty serious problem for Feltman in the past, so that’s a great sign.

Denyi Reyes has a 3.24 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 8 1/3 innings so far. The 24-year-old right-hander has eight strikeouts compared to just one walk, but has also hit three batters. The biggest positive so far though is that he has yet to give up a home run.

Red Sox Advanced-A (Greenville)

Last week I said the Greenville Drive might be the most entertaining team in baseball right now. I was right.

First let’s talk about some elite pitchers.

Chris Murphy had a strong first week, giving up two runs on five hits in four innings – striking out seven in that time. He out-dueled himself to a pretty high level though. Murph threw 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out another seven. The lefty took an impressive first outing and built upon it. The sky’s the limit and the Red Sox need to recognize that.

Brayan Bello has now thrown 11 1/3 innings, giving up just two runs. The right-hander struck out 13 batters and has a .158 BAA and 0.79 WHIP. Bello definitely does not get enough recognition for the electric pitches he has and obvious ability to use them effectively.

Chase Shugart is someone I could see flying up the minor leagues if we’re being honest. He came to the Red Sox in the 2018 draft out of the University of Texas. Shugart then posted a 1.13 ERA in 2018 and a 2.81 ERA in 2019. This year, the righty has allowed just one run over seven innings. Shugart has eight strikeouts compared to just one walk, a .200 BAA, and a 0.86 WHIP.

Jay Groome has allowed 12 earned runs over 7 1/3 innings (14.73 ERA). He has a .405 BAA and a 2.86 WHIP. Obviously nothing great right there, but there are a few bright spots. First of all, Groome is getting work. Injuries have been murderous to him, so as long as he is out there pitching it’s a positive. Second, Groome already suffered an injury in his second start of the year, but managed to be ready for his next outing, so that’s good. Once the rust is off, expect him to be fine (he does has 11 strikeouts).

Kole Cottam is slashing .391/.481/.696. Remind me again how he isn’t a top catching prospect? Dude just rakes. Constantly increasing his defense, and a fantastic bat. The right-hander has one double, two home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored. It’s safe to assume he’s not going to hit .400 all year but the bat should be fun to watch.

Brandon Howlett is on a four-game hitting-streak, he is 7-for-15 in that time. The right-handed hitter is now batting .343 with three doubles, one home run, six RBI, and six runs scored. Howlett could be enjoying a big breakout year in 2021.

Cameron Cannon is slashing .325/.400/.625 with six doubles and two home runs. He’s driven in two runs, scored nine more, and stolen one base. Cannon has shown off a lot of pop with all the extra-base hits and a great ability to get on-base.

Tyreque Reed has only gone further this week to prove that he is an absolute unit. The right-handed hitter has a .240/.406/.760 slash line with one double, four home runs, nine RBI, and nine runs scored. He has hit a home run in each of his last two games, including hitting a walk-off homer on Sunday.

Nick Sogard was part of the surprising package (along with Hernandez) that the Red Sox got from the Tampa Bay Rays for Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza. Sogard is hitting .243 at the moment, but that average should continue to rise (it was only .133 at this time last week). The left-handed hitter does have two doubles and three home runs already (three more than he had prior to this season). He’s also driven in five runs and scored six more.

Tyler Esplin is hitting .256 (.383 OBP) with two doubles at the moment. The right fielder has driven in three runs and scored seven more. Meanwhile, he is 1-for-1 in stolen base attempts.

Tyler Dearden is hitting .231 but has a fantastic .429 OBP thanks to eight walks. The left-handed hitter has roped two doubles and two home runs, meanwhile he’s driven in six runs and scored seven more.