Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Top prospects headline big week
Top prospects headline a big week for Red Sox prospect watch
The Boston Red Sox enjoyed plenty of major performances from some of their minor league talent over the last week. A lot of the top prospects led the way when it came to those dominant outings.
In the Majors, we still have a small contingent of those younger, less experienced players.
Bobby Dalbec continues to have an up-and-down season. The potential is there though and you can tell he’s just itching to breakout. When that happens, fireworks. The right-handed hitter has a .206 average, but also has eight doubles, five home runs, and 21 RBI. His ability to drive in runs is very obvious as he’s doing a great job of it despite being at the bottom of the order and struggling with his average at the moment.
Michael Chavis has had a serious issue with swinging at balls outside of the strike zone. That’s been his downfall so far. It’s upsetting because he’s actually been pretty effective outside of that. A .273 average (.273 OBP) with four doubles, one home run, two RBI, and seven runs scored in 33 at-bats is really solid. The strikeouts (13) need work though.
Garrett Whitlock is now rocking a 2.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 22 1/3 innings. The right-handed pitcher has 23 strikeouts in that time, compared to just five walks. He has recorded his first career save so far this year, but is still waiting on win number one. With a .229 BAA to go along with all those other great numbers, expect plenty of wins in his future.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Danny Santana has joined Boston and provided a spark. He’s already hit two home runs and stolen one base. Now Franchy Cordero has shown signs of life by hitting a ridiculously monstrous home run on Sunday. Maybe they are starting to feel the pressure because Jarren Duran is playing his heart out in Worcester.
This time last year I would’ve told you Duran could steal 70 bases in a season and maybe throw in 10-15 homers. Now I’m doubting that 70 steal potential. It has nothing to do with his speed though, it’s just hard to steal 70 bases when you hit 30-plus home runs. He legitimately has that much power now. Duran is hitting .278 (.366 OBP) and does have a solid four steals right now. The big thing is the lefty has four doubles and seven home runs. That’s already a career-high. He’s driven in 12 runs and scored 14 more. Duran’s a superstar.
Jeter Downs has brought the average up quickly. Last week he was at .220 with one home run. Now he’s at .270 with three home runs. Downs has driven in seven runs and scored eight more. Meanwhile, he’s stolen seven bases in eight attempts. A six-game hitting streak has brought Downs right back to elite status.
Marcus Wilson is down to .241 but still has two doubles, two triples, and three home runs. The right-handed hitter has seven RBI and nine runs scored, while stealing three bases in three attempts. Most importantly, Wilson has fantastic defense. There’s no reason to believe he couldn’t be a star in the outfield with Duran very soon.
Eduard Bazardo did not pitch all week due to an injury. That’s a shame because he’s been fantastic every time he’s gotten a chance in the Majors (three shutout innings so far). Baz is a legit arm out of the bullpen and will be an answer for the Red Sox soon enough.
Kyle Hart had another incredible start this week. The lefty threw seven innings, giving up just one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six. Over 16 2/3 innings this year Hart has a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a fantastic .169 BAA. He’s walked eight but also has 18 strikeouts. Hart might earn himself another shot in the Majors.
Definitely not a prospect but it needs to be mentioned that Brandon Workman is back with the Red Sox and has a 1.80 ERA (one run in five innings) with Worcester. He has struggled terribly since leaving the organization but maybe being back is just what he needed. Possibly the best reliever in baseball in 2019 may be returning to form.
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.
Red Sox Advanced-A (Greenville)
Remember when Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens had the “Festival of Friendship” and Owens gifted Jericho with the “List of KO” and turned on him? Total betrayal. That’s how I felt this week. Chris Murphy and Brayan Bello were pitching in back-to-back games against Asheville but Asheville doesn’t stream their games apparently. Heartbreaking.
My three favorite pitchers to watch in the minors are Bryan Mata, Murphy, and Bello. El Idolo is injured and now they don’t broadcast Murph and Bello’s games? Hateful. I am distraught.
Murphy gave up five runs on five hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. Three homers did him in, but when he was on he had things working. The left-handed pitcher did finish with five strikeouts and now has 19 in 14 innings this year. He has a 4.50 ERA to go along with a 1.50 WHIP and a .255 BAA. Some of those numbers aren’t great but he’s still just 22 pitching above rookie ball for the first time. Great mixture of pitches, he’ll be fine and proved that with a dominant start the week prior.
Bello meanwhile allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out 10 over five innings in his start this week. The 22-year-old righty now has a 2.20 ERA to go along with a 0.98 WHIP and a .211 BAA. He’s struck out 23 batters over 16 1/3 innings. Great stuff, absolutely shockingly underrated prospect.
We saw a couple pitchers have solid weeks to bring their numbers down as well. Starting with Jay Groome. The lefty walked four batters over 3 2/3 innings, which isn’t great – but he only allowed one run on one hit while striking out seven (showing those nasty pitches). Groome brought his ERA down to 10.64, WHIP down to 2.36, and his BAA down to .327. Obviously they all need work but his most recent appearance shows that Groome can drop the numbers quickly.
Alex Scherff threw three shutout innings this week. In fact, he only walked one batter while giving up zero hits and striking out six in that time. The righty now has a 4.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and absurd .077 BAA . He’s struck out 14 batters in 7 2/3 innings.
Oddanier Mosqueda threw 3 1/3 shutout innings this week. He only gave up one hit and hit one batter, other than that there was no damage, as he struck out seven. The lefty has a 4.70 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and .185 BAA, while striking out 12 batters in 7 2/3 innings.
Yorvin Pantoja has thrown 9 1/3 innings so far this year. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.89 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and .250 BAA at the moment. He has 10 strikeouts compared to just one walk and the 23-year-old is showing real potential with his pitches.
Tyler Dearden is hitting .326 with a .466 OBP thanks to an absurd 11 walks already. The 22-year-old has five doubles and five home runs, driving in 15 runs and scoring another 14. Dearden’s always had all the tools, and it appears he has put them together to become one of the breakout stars of the system.
Give Tyreque Reed his credit. He came into the organization this year without any fanfare. A .280-ish hitter who had 18 home runs in two straight years. The numbers were great but people weren’t really taking notice. He’s making them now though. The 23-year-old is slashing .304/.439/.739 with two doubles and six home runs. He’s driven in 19 runs and scored another 15. Reed’s mashing his way up the ladder.
Cameron Cannon is hitting .313 and already has seven doubles and three home runs. The shortstop came into the system with serious bat potential. That’s shining at the moment. Cannon has driven in eight runs and scored 12 more, stealing two bases. Expect to see him move up a level at some point this year.
Kole Cottam has seen his average dip down to .297. That’s still fantastic though, and he has a .422 OBP which is major. The catcher has one double, two home runs, five RBI, and six runs on the year – all showing that his offensive potential is legit.
Nick Sogard came into the year with zero home runs in 214 at-bats. He now has four in 52 at-bats in 2021. Sogard is hitting .269 with three doubles and one triple to go along with those four homers. The switch-hitter also has eight RBI and eight runs scored, and a really good week at the plate proved that his numbers might be trending upward for a while.
Brandon Howlett is slashing .294/.362/.431 with four doubles and one home run. The third baseman has driven in seven runs and scored nine more. An interesting prospect at a loaded position, the 21-year-old could do himself a lot of favors if he keeps up the offensive production.
I’ve always been a big Tyler Esplin fan and he’s proving once again why. The outfielder is currently hitting .242 with a .382 OBP. He has five doubles and one home run, driving in 10 runs while scoring 11 more and stealing one base. Esplin can do a little bit of everything offensively and has a very good eye. Throw in solid defense and a strong arm and he’s a great all-around prospect.
Michael Osinski is back on the prospect watch after a strong week. 5-for-13 with two doubles, two walks, and five runs scored will do that for you. The first baseman has a .273/.346/.500 slash line at the moment with two doubles and one home run in 22 at-bats. He has driven in four runs and scored five more. Osinski can play multiple positions, which makes him an interesting piece (he even threw 2/3 shutout innings in 2019).
Red Sox Full-A (Salem)
Did anyone hear that new Dave East and Millyz EP, “Pablo & Blanco”? They both went all-out on it, banger after banger. That’s sort of how Gilberto Jimenez and Ceddanne Rafaela are at the moment. Two 20-year-old prospects just doing work in Full-A. Producing hits (puns are fun).
Jimenez put on plenty of muscle weight this offseason, making many believe he might add some power to his swing but lose some of his crazy speed. So far, the outfielder has shown that he hasn’t lost a step. Meanwhile, his .352 batting average certainly hasn’t suffered. And on Sunday he smoked his first home run of the year. Jimenez now has six doubles, one home run, 10 RBI, and 15 runs scored on the season, to go along with a 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts. Running out of ways to describe his dominance.
Rafaela is hitting .275 at the moment and only has one walk and one double. However, he has driven in five runs and scored eight more. He’s also 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts and is just absolutely electric on both offense and defense. Rafaela plays plenty of positions and plays them all pretty well. I’m giving it a year before he starts getting all types of recognition.
Joe Davis is absolutely on-fire. He’s up to a .326 batting average and a .411 OBP with two doubles and one home run. The right-handed hitter has driven in 11 runs and scored nine more. He went from sub-.200 after week one, to .259 last week, to .326 this week. Davis can mash.
Matthew Lugo is hitting just .210 but does have one double, one triple, and one home run. The shortstop has driven in five runs and scored eight more, going 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts. Lugo has had some issues but also went 2-for-6 on Sunday. The bat is legit and he’s only 20, so give him some time to grow.
Nicholas Northcut had a fantastic week and now has a .245 batting average to go along with a .349 OBP. The right-handed hitter has four doubles, one triple, and two home runs so far. He has driven in 12 runs and scored 12 more as well. Northcut is at a loaded third base position but looks ready to breakout. He was highly-regarded when he was drafted in 2018 so the Red Sox might be intrigued by the strong numbers.
Nick Yorke is slashing .197/.265/.213 at the moment. Clearly, things aren’t going great for him. He’s 19 though and in his first season in the minors. The right-handed hitter has also shown a number of flashes to give hope for a breakout. At the moment he has just one double, six RBI, and seven runs scored – but he is 2-for-2 on steal attempts.
Jaxx Groshans had a monster week. Going 7-for-17 will certainly help thrust you into the spotlight. The catcher now has a .314/.468/.429 slash line with one double and one home run. Groshans has four RBI and eight runs scored and has walked more times (11) than he has struck out (8).
Jeremy Wu-Yelland has a 1.59 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and a .179 BAA. All of those are great numbers. The 21-year-old lefty has walked six batters and hit two more in 11 1/3 innings so far, however he’s also struck out 14. Boston fourth-round pick in 2020, Wu-Yelland already looks too good for Full-A.
Bradley Blalock has allowed two earned runs in nine innings so far. In that time, the 20-year-old righty also has a 1.11 WHIP and a .212 BAA. He’s struck out 12 batters while walking three. Blalock has thrown 150 pitches to get through those nine innings, but it’s all worked out so far. A 32nd round pick in 2019 this is his first chance above rookie ball and it appears Blalock is trying to prove he is a late-round gem.
Jordan DiValerio has allowed zero runs over his first 12 2/3 innings this season. In that time, the right-handed pitcher has allowed just six hits and walked zero batters (two HBP). That all equals out to a 0.00 ERA (obviously), a 0.47 WHIP, and a .140 BAA. Meanwhile, DiValerio has struck out 17 batters, proving he is not just getting lucky with BABIP.
Next. Cordero smashes mammoth 474-foot home run. dark
Shane Drohan isn’t far behind DiValerio. The lefty has allowed just one run in 12 innings this year. Drohan has doen so on just five hits but has walked six batters. This all means he has a 0.75 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, and a 135 BAA. Drohan has managed 15 strikeouts over those 12 innings so far.