Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Triston Casas is a star. The 21-year-old is slashing .328/.400/.552 with one double, one triple, and four home runs. He’s driven in 16 runs and scored 15 more – he’s producing in every way possible. It’s only taken 17 games and I’m already on the “maybe Casas needs to get tested at the next level” stage of the season. We’ll see him in Boston by next year at the latest.
Pedro Castellanos continues to see his numbers creep up. The right-handed hitter has a .266 batting average with a .342 OBP. He has one double and two home runs, driving in 11 runs and scoring 15 more, stealing one base in one attempt. Castellanos is a classic offensive first baseman, he can drive in plenty of runs and should hit for a solid average.
Jeisson Rosario is only hitting .237 but has a .357 on-base percentage. He’s hit two doubles driven in six runs. Meanwhile, Rosario’s stolen two bases and scored nine runs. The outfielder has good speed and gets on-base at an incredible clip. The OBP is even more impressive considering he’s just 21.
Ronaldo Hernandez struggled this week and is down to .235. However, the catcher has shown plenty of offensive firepower in the past. He already has two home runs this year and can get hot at any time. Boston will want to be smart with him as Hernandez is one of their top prospects and could be the replacement for Christian Vazquez when the time comes.
Johan Meises is currently hitting .246. He’s also tied for the lead in home runs in the Boston system with seven (with Duran). Meises has a great .358 OBP and 12 RBI to go along with 13 runs scored. A big bat that could be looking for a new career-high in home runs (28).
Roldani Baldwin is not only catching this year, but getting plenty of time at third base. The reason for that is simple, Hernandez needs to play as well. And with Baldwin coming into the minors as a third baseman, it makes sense to try him out there again. So far, he’s showing out at the plate with a .302/.423/.488 slash line. The right-handed hitter has three doubles, one triple, and one home run on the year. Meanwhile, he’s driven in seven runs and scored eight more.
Grant Williams is hitting .349 (.429 OBP), that’s incredible. The left-handed hitter has four doubles to go along with one RBI, one stolen base, and nine runs scored on the season. Don’t expect much power (one home run in 610 career at-bats), but Williams appears to be someone that can hit for an average (.277 career) which is always important.
Ryan Fitzgerald is hitting .262 at the moment but already has seven doubles and two home runs. The right-handed hitter has driven in four runs and scored seven more, while stealing one base. Fitzgerald is never going to be considered a star prospect but he brings a lot to the table. A strong glove that can play virtually anywhere (he’s played short, third, second, and center this year) with good numbers at the plate.
Josh Winckowski saw his ERA skyrocket up this week. In two games he threw 10 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs. That’s still really good. It’s just that he had a sub-1.00 ERA before. Now, Winckowski has a 1.80 ERA to go along with a 1.15 WHIP and a .184 BAA. The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher has had some walk issues (nine already) but has not let that hurt him too much yet, and has 17 strikeouts to go with it.
Durbin Feltman has one serious issue right now, a .275 BAA. That has led to a 1.45 WHIP. However, the right-handed pitcher has only walked three batters so far, striking out 17 in 9 2/3 innings. That’s led to a solid 3.72 ERA. Feltman has electric stuff, when he’s on he’s untouchable.
Enmanuel De Jesus struggled last week but had a great start this week. The 24-year-old lefty went 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on two hits and two walks. Meanwhile, he struck out seven batters. De Jesus now has a 4.15 ERA to go along with a 1.38 WHIP and a .200 BAA. He’s struck out 16 batters in 8 2/3 innings.
Denyi Reyes has a 4.38 ERA but has a solid .234 BAA and a 1.05 WHIP. Reyes has only walked two batters, but has three HBP. He’s struck out 13 however, and looks absolutely dominant at times.
Rio Gomez got the promotion to Double-A. He allowed three runs on six hits in three innings, but also struck out seven. It shows that while he might need to adjust, Gomez has the stuff to succeed. It will be interesting to see how things go from here.