Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Returns and promotions headline
Star prospects returned in a big week for the Red Sox Prospect Watch
The Boston Red Sox minor league system got a major boost this week thanks to returning stars. Jarren Duran and Triston Casas headlined that group as they came back from working with Team USA. It seems to have sparked the entire organization as up-and-down the system we saw some huge performances.
In the Majors, we are still really dealing with just Bobby Dalbec and Garrett Whitlock. Nothing wrong with that but barring injuries, I don’t think we’re going to see anyone get added anytime soon.
Yes, everyone wants some of the big names to get a chance and a few of them are more than deserving with the way they are playing. However, Boston isn’t going to switch things up too much at the moment. And with the way he’s hitting in Triple-A, Franchy Cordero is likely the next call-up if they need a bat. After that it’s Michael Chavis. Obviously it depends on the position, but this sort of creates a logjam for the big-name prospects that are close to making their debuts.
That being said, Dalbec was a little bit better this week. He only raised his average from .195 to .198 but there were a lot of other positives. The first baseman is currently on a four-game hitting-streak. In that time he has one double, one triple, and two home runs. He’s driven in four runs, scored two more, and walked once. This has helped raise his OBP from .248 to .253 and his slugging percentage from .377 to .407. Dalbec has nine doubles, two triples, and eight home runs on the year. He’s driven in 28 runs and scored 15 more, stealing one base. Not bad production considering the average.
Garrett Whitlock picked up win number one last week, and now has win number two this week. The right-handed pitcher boasts a 1.74 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and .243 BAA. He has 32 strikeouts compared to eight walks in 31 innings and has 2-1 record with one save. Whitlock is doing it all out of the bullpen for the Red Sox.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Jarren Duran’s return to the lineup after his stint with Team USA was the big headline this week. And it definitely helped propel the Worcester Red Sox to some fantastic play. In fact, they are 6-0 since his return.
So how did Duran do? Well he only hit .214 but worked a strong .353 OBP and smacked one double and three home runs. The left-handed hitter scored eight runs and drove in five more, stealing two bases. On the year, he’s slashing .260/.362/.610 with five doubles and 10 home runs (he had eight total in the last two seasons combined). Duran has 17 RBI and 22 runs scored, to go along with six steals.
Jeter Downs was not having a good week going into Sunday, working on a 1-for-16 (although he did have two walks, one RBI, one run, and one steal). On the last day of the week (or at least the Prospect Watch week), Downs went 2-for-6 though, with both hits being home runs. For the year, the infielder is hitting just .220 with two doubles but he does have five home runs. He has driven in 11 runs and scored 22 more, and is an impressive 8-for-9 in stolen base attempts.
Marcus Wilson stayed hot for the most part. His slash line sits at .276/.387/.569 which is remarkably close to what it was at the end of last week. The outfielder has added another double and two more home runs to his numbers. On the year, he now has six doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. Meanwhile, Wilson has driven in 24 runs and scored 24 more – and has even stolen five bases in six attempts. An all-around great player.
Johan Mieses continues to impress. He is now slashing .265/.333/.559 with one double and three home runs in Triple-A. Combined between Double-A and Triple-A on the year, the outfielder has a .280/.358/.669 slash line with four doubles and 14 home runs. He has driven in 28 runs and scored 25 more. Mieses has certainly impressed so far and might play himself into a promotion to the Majors at some point this season.
Connor Wong is back. The catcher might only be hitting .156 but it’s just nice to see him back out on the field for now. Let him find his swing again as he works back into the lineup. Wong did manage to hit his first home run of the year this week, and it was a grand slam. He also has two doubles, seven RBI, and four runs scored on the season.
Josh Ockimey only appeared in two games this week, going 0-for-4 with two walks. This lowered his average to .155 but raised his OBP to .291. He has one double and five home runs to go along with 10 RBI and 10 runs scored this year.
Michael Chavis had a fantastic week. He picked up a hit in all five games that he appeared in. In fact, Chavis went 9-for-19 with one double and three home runs. He even drew three walks, which is great to see. Chavis rose his slash line from .193/.258/.211 to .263/.329/.408 in a very short amount of time. Could he play himself back into the Majors?
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
The Portland Sea Dogs saw multiple returns and a major promotion to bolster their ranks. Triston Casas was the biggest of those names, obviously. Casas is slashing .311/.386/.489 with two doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He has driven in 18 runs and scored 19 more, stealing one base. It will be fun seeing how quickly Casas can get back to dominating.
Hudson Potts was the other big return this week. The infielder returned from an injury that kept him out of the lineup all year long. So far, Potts is just 1-for-12 with one walk and two RBI. However, there is no reason to look into the stats right now. Obviously it’s going to take some time for the 22-year-old to get his swing back.
Ronaldo Hernandez had a good week. His average rose from .230 to .240 and he smacked one double and two homers. The catcher has five doubles and five home runs on the year, to go along with seven RBI and 10 runs scored. Hernandez finding his swing should be interesting.
Jeisson Rosario collected at least one hit in all five games that he appeared in this week. The outfielder went 6-for-19 with one double, one RBI, three walks and four runs scored. That boosts his season numbers pretty nicely. Rosario now holds a .254 average and .345 OBP with five doubles. He has 11 RBI, 16 runs scored, and two steals.
Pedro Castellanos with a second straight strong week. He rose his average a little bit more and added two more home runs. The right-handed hitter is slashing .266/.348/.460 with four doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He’s driven in 19 runs and scored 26 more, even stealing one base. Castellanos is extremely underrated and starting to heat up.
Roldani Baldwin is another return, after missing a few games due to injury. He struggled in his three games back, going 0-for-11. That dropped Baldwin’s average from .340 to .279. However, a cold streak should always be expected when missing a chunk of games, he needs time to get his swing back.
Ryan Fitzgerald had a fantastic week for a few reasons. First of all, the right-handed hitter enjoyed multiple clutch hits. He also rose his batting average from .248 to .262. Fitz has 13 doubles and three home runs on the season, to go along with 15 RBI, nine runs scored, and two steals.
Brayan Bello was the big promotion, and boy did he deserve it after absolutely dominating in Advanced-A. The right-handed pitcher made his first start in Double-A and gave up just one run on five hits and two walks (two strikeouts) over four innings. Not the best start, but an impressive debut and something he can absolutely build upon. Is he one of the best pitching prospects in baseball? Seriously, we all know how good he is in the Red Sox system, but he might be that good.
Quick note on Kutter Crawford, who was sent to the IL. Hopefully it’s a short stay and he can go back to the strong season he was having soon enough.
Josh Winckowski bounced back nicely from an “eh” start his last time out. This week the righty went 5 2/3 innings, giving up just two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five. Winckowski has a 2.39 ERA, .206 BAA, 1.04 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings.
Denyi Reyes was back in the bullpen this week, and the right-handed pitcher threw well as a reliever. Reyes gave up one run on four hits and one walk (one strikeout) over three innings. In 25 1/3 innings this year, the 24-year-old has a 3.55 ERA, .263 BAA, 1.18 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts compared to just four walks.
Zack Kelly has been phenomenal all year long. The 26-year-old has thrown 13 2/3 innings so far, giving up just one run. That’s a 0.66 ERA and he pairs it with a .208 BAA and 1.24 WHIP. The right-handed pitcher also has a ridiculous 24 strikeouts in that time.
Joan Martinez might not have a good ERA, holding a 4.76 right now. His 1.68 WHIP is not great either. That’s mainly due to command issues though. The 24-year-old righty has walked 10 batters and hit one more over 11 1/3 innings so far. However, he has also struck out 16 and has a very solid .220 BAA. If Martinez can get his command on control, he absolutely has the stuff to put up great numbers.
Red Sox Advanced-A (Greenville)
Brandon Howlett had himself an absolutely phenomenal week. The third baseman went 0-for-5 (with three walks and two runs scored) in his first two games of the week. He ended it with a four-game hitting streak though. And in that hitting streak Howlett went 9-for-18 with four doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and three more runs scored. Now Howlett holds a .292/.386/.531 slash line with 11 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 20 RBI, 25 runs scored, and two steals.
Tyreque Reed appeared in just one game this week, going 0-for-3. He still holds a phenomenal .322/.431/.680 slash line with five doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. The first baseman has 33 RBI and 23 runs scored in 24 games played. The run production is elite.
Dominic D’Alessandro has only appeared in eight games so far, but has been incredibly productive. The right-handed hitter holds a .333/.395/.567 slash line with two doubles, one triple, and one home run. He has driven in five runs and scored three more.
Devlin Granberg is slashing .333/.422/.656 with seven doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. The outfielder has driven in 27 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen one base. He’s currently on-pace to set new career-highs in average, OBP, slugging, home runs, and RBI.
Cameron Cannon is currently rocking with a seven-game hitting streak. In that time, his average has gone from .245 to .268. The shortstop has nine doubles and four home runs so far. Meanwhile he has driven in 18 runs, scored 21 more, and stolen four bases. Cannon is solid defensively but it’s the all-around offensive game that makes him such an intriguing prospect.
Tyler Esplin has seen the average dip but is working on a tiny three-game hitting-streak. The outfielder is hitting .252 and has a .396 OBP. He has seven doubles and one home run to go along with 18 RBI, 30 runs scored, and three steals. I know I mention this a lot, but Esplin is such a great well-rounded player and his OBP makes him very valuable.
Kole Cottam is down to a .247 average but he’s having some big moments. The catcher has five doubles and three home runs on the season. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 13 runs and scored 13 more. He also has an impressive .378 OBP. It feels like we could be working towards a hot stretch for the 24-year-old, who has a hit in two straight games.
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Nick Sogard saw his average dip very slightly this week but is also currently working with a three-game hitting streak. The second baseman is slashing a really solid .272/.355/.467 with four doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He’s driven in nine runs and scored 15 more, stealing three bases.
With Brayan Bello getting sent to Double-A, it’s hard to argue that anyone other than Chris Murphy is the ace of this staff now. And Murph took up that mantle nicely. In his lone start this week, the left-handed pitcher picked up the win. He did so by throwing five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out three. In the month of June, Murphy has a .189 BAA and 0.90 WHIP. On the year, he has a 3.82 ERA, .240 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP. He’s struck out 33 batters in 33 innings.
Yorvin Pantoja is quickly turning himself into an elite bullpen prospect. The 23-year-old lefty has thrown 18 1/3 innings so far this year. In that time he has a 1.47 ERA, .197 BAA, and 0.87 WHIP. Pantoja is 2-0 and has 26 strikeouts compared to just three walks to this point.
Grant Gambrell was part of that Andrew Benintendi trade and made his first start in the Red Sox organization this week. The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher allowed just one run on three hits and one walk (one strikeout) over five innings. Gambrell only has 19 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings so far this year but has a solid 3.90 ERA and a superb BAA (.184) and WHIP (0.98).
Alex Scherff continues to just put up fantastic numbers. He now has a 3.14 ERA. The right-handed pitcher also has a 1.12 WHIP and a .135 BAA. Scherff has struck out 25 batters over 14 1/3 innings. Basically, if you put the bat on the ball against him you should be happy. If you actually manage to get a hit you should maybe be surprised.
Jay Groome saw his BAA and WHIP spike back up a little this week. However, his ERA dipped again. Groome allowed two earned runs on eight hits and one walk (four strikeouts) over four innings. The left-handed hitter now has a 6.84 ERA, .284 BAA, and 1.64 WHIP. He’s gotten a lot better since the beginning of the season and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ended the year with legitimately solid numbers. Groome also has 34 strikeouts over 25 innings.
Dylan Spacke has thrown 20 1/3 innings so far this year. In that time, the right-handed pitcher has put up absolutely dominant numbers. Spacke has a 2.21 ERA, .149 BAA, and 0.89 WHIP. Meanwhile, he has struck out 26 batters compared to eight walks.
Chase Shugart had two starts this week. The first one did not go all that well, as the right-hander allowed four runs on five hits in five innings. However, he was fantastic in start number two. In six innings, Shugart allowed one run on seven hits and two walks. On the year, he now has a 4.45 ERA, .268 BAA, and 1.25 WHIP. Shugart has 28 strikeouts compared to five walks over 30 1/3 innings.
Oddainer Mosqueda allowed a run over 3 1/3 innings this week. The reason that’s wild is because he did so without giving up a hit. It’s not even like he was wild either. In 1 1/3 innings in one appearance the lefty walked one batter and gave up the run. In the other two innings he walked one batter and picked up the save. That’s it, that’s the damage. Mosqueda has great overall numbers though. The 22-year-old has a 3.55 ERA, .119 BAA, and 0.87 WHIP. That WHIP and BAA are both absolutely insane. Mosqueda has struck out 16 batters in 12 2/3 innings so far.
Red Sox Full-A (Salem)
Nick Yorke is currently on a three-game hitting-streak and just had his best game of the year on Sunday. The 19-year-old went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, three runs scored, and two steals. He’s now hitting .250 with six doubles and one triple on the season. Yorke has driven in 10 runs and scored 14 more, stealing seven bases in eight attempts. First-round pick for a reason.
Gilberto Jimenez has been slumping pretty hard recently. It makes sense as the 20-year-old clearly wasn’t going to hit .400 all year. He’s dropped all the way down to .282 but there’s no need to be worried. Like I just said, he’s 20. Jimenez still has a lot of growing in his game, so slumps are expected. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back.
Ceddanne Rafaela might be one of my favorite players to watch. Just the other night he hit a triple and showed off his absolute wheels, then hit a double on a pop up to the pitcher. Seriously, it landed next to the pitchers mound. No one decided to catch it and Rafaela showed off his speed, hustle, and awareness and legged it to second. It was impressive to see the 20-year-old not just put his head down after popping it up, he was sprinting out of the box and I love that. On the year, the right-handed hitter has a .245/.310/.363 slash line with three doubles, three triples, and one home run. He’s driven in nine runs and scored 18 more, stealing nine bases in nine attempts.
Jaxx Groshans is slashing .299/.432/.494 with five doubles and four home runs. He has driven in 15 runs and scored 21 more. The catcher is absolutely having a career-year and at just 22 is making a name for himself at the position. It’s a loaded spot for the Red Sox but it’s getting really hard to ignore Groshans.
Joe Davis continues to just absolute mash Full-A pitching. The first baseman is slashing .340/.391/.544 with nine doubles and four home runs. He’s driven in 24 runs and scored 18 more. Davis seems to have mastered this challenge, maybe it’s time for a promotion.
Wil Dalton is quietly having a very solid overall year. The outfielder holds a .256/.352/.411 slash line with five doubles and three home runs. He has driven in 16 runs and scored 10 more, while stealing two bases. Dalton has clearly made strides from his first season and the 23-year-old could develop a nice all-around game.
Matthew Lugo continues to have an up-and-down season. At the moment the shortstop is hitting just .224. However did just see the end of a nice little four-game hitting-streak. If he can piece some more of those together it could help him find his swing and get hot. It’s also important to remember he is still just 20. The right-handed hitter has two doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored, and six steals on seven attempts.
Aldo Ramirez is a stud. He’s a star. An ace. The 20-year-old is too dominant for Full-A. Ramirez now holds a 2.03 ERA after two fantastic starts this week. Those two starts saw him combine for nine shutout innings, allowing just six hits and three walks compared to 11 strikeouts in that time. In fact, Ramirez has yet to allow a run in 14 innings in June so far. He’s given up just seven hits and three walks compared to 16 strikeouts in the month. The right-handed pitcher now has a 2.03 ERA, .221 BAA, 1.13 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts over 31 innings.
Jeremy Wu-Yelland had his first bad start of the year this week. The 21-year-old left-hander gave up six runs on three hits and four walks over 2 1/3 innings. That ballooned his ERA from 1.96 to 4.35. Still not terrible honestly. Meanwhile, his BAA is still a fantastic .200 and his WHIP is 1.35. Wu-Yelland has struck out 27 batters in 20 2/3 innings pitched.
Next. Red Sox: 3 bizarre plays from a wild series finale with Astros. dark
Cody Scroggins must be having fun. The 24-year-old threw three shutout innings this week, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out four. That has dropped Scroggins ERA to 1.00. Meanwhile, he has a .227 BAA and a 1.33 WHIP. The right-handed pitcher has 18 strikeouts over 18 innings so far this year.