Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Stars getting hot at the right time
This week’s Red Sox prospect watch sees some stars heating up
The Boston Red Sox are in a weird position. They have a great record, but they have a lot of holes. Their starting rotation has not been great, the bullpen has a number of non-contributors, and the lineup has plenty of those as well.
With that being said, they still have just two prospect type players up. However, we might be seeing more in the not-so-distant future. There are quite a few players that we will be talking about in a little bit that could get a promotion to the Majors at some point this season. In fact, there are a few players that could get a promotion very soon. The Red Sox have some very specific needs and certain prospects could be immediate fixes.
However, for now it is just Bobby Dalbec and Garrett Whitlock in the Majors. And Dalbec is finally getting hot. Last week, his average rose from .195 to .198. This week it saw a much bigger jump. The first baseman is now hitting .219 thanks to a current four-game hitting-streak. Dalbec now has nine doubles, three triples, and nine home runs on the year. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 32 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen one base. The production is there and now the average is rising fast.
Whitlock just continues to be one of the best bullpen arms in all of baseball. He threw another 3 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run this week. That puts the right-hander at a 1.57 ERA over 34 1/3 innings. He holds a 1.19 WHIP and .240 BAA while striking out 36 batters in that time. Whitlock has a 2-1 record and one save on the season. It’s crazy to think where the Red Sox would be without him this year, he’s been that important.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
There are a few big things to talk about in Triple-A this week, but let’s start with Tanner Houck. He returned at the perfect time. Boston is in terrible need of some pitching, and the righty is right at the top of the list. Houck threw three shutout innings in his return, striking out six. He walked just one batter while not allowing a hit. A call-up could be in the cards very soon.
What a week it was for Jarren Duran. The outfielder ended the week on a four-game hitting-streak and collected a hit in 5-of-6 games. His average rose from .260 to .286 and he now has seven doubles and 12 homers on the year. Funnily enough, for the second week in a row he mashed a home run on Sunday – this time it was a three-run walk-off. Duran has 24 RBI, 26 runs scored, and six steals on the year. He’s doing everything. The Red Sox have some dead bats, could he be a solution soon?
Marcus Wilson is down to .269 but did end the week on a nice little three-game hitting-streak. The outfielder has a .399 OBP and six doubles, two triples, and eight home runs on the season. He has 24 RBI, 25 runs scored, and seven steals in eight attempts. Wilson plays good defense, has plus speed, and a fantastic bat. Another candidate for a call-up if the Red Sox need help at some point.
Jeter Downs had a pretty solid week. He saw his average go up from .220 to .227, and he added another double and home run to his season totals. The 22-year-old now has three doubles to go along with six homers on the year. Meanwhile, he has 13 RBI, 15 runs scored, and is 8-for-10 in steal attempts. Still not the best year for him but Downs is starting to pick things up nicely at the plate.
Johan Mieses only appeared in two games this week, going 3-for-7 with two walks, a triple, and three runs scored. He’s slashing .293/.375/.585 in his short time in Triple-A so far. Overall, Mieses has a .288/.371/.672 slash line with four doubles, one triple, and 14 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He has driven in 28 runs and scored 28 more. An absolute monster offensively.
Josh Ockimey only appeared in three games this week, but they were all very encouraging. He collected at least one hit in all three games, and rose his average from .155 to .183 in that time. Ockimey also walked twice and now has a .313 OBP to go along with a .451 slugging percentage. He hit two more home runs this week and now has seven on the season (one double). Meanwhile, he has driven in 13 runs and scored 15 more. It definitely hasn’t been a great year but Ockimey has shown major signs of life lately. He has four home runs in just 24 at-bats in June.
Connor Wong is down to a .148/.188/.246 slash line on the year. No real worry though honestly. He’s still working back from an injury that kept him out for quite some time. Meanwhile, he’s only had 61 at-bats so far this year. A short hitting-streak could boost him right back over .200 in no time.
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Triston Casas saw his numbers drop this week, as his slash line is now .287/.374/.463 at the moment. Still really good numbers but obviously down from what he’s been. At the moment, the power numbers aren’t exactly where you would expect either. Through 28 games, he has three doubles, two triples, and four home runs. Not bad, but not where he was at in 2019. That being said, Casas has driven in 21 runs and scored 22 more (stealing one base). He’s having a very strong season at the highest level of the minors he’s ever been at. The 21-year-old is a star.
Devlin Granberg got the promotion to Double-A that he absolutely deserved. In three games with Portland so far, Granberg is 4-for-12 (.333) with one double, one RBI, and one run scored. He’s slashing .327/.408/.617 on the season and already has a fantastic 30 RBI and seven home runs (one off his career-high) in just 30 games. It’s exciting to see what he can do with a new challenge.
Quick note on Pedro Castellanos, who did not play this week due to injury. Hopefully he makes a quick recovery.
Jeisson Rosario continues to boost the numbers fast. His average saw another pretty big bump this week, going from .254 to .268. He did that thanks to a 6-for-16 with one double and two runs scored. Most importantly, he came into the week with just 11 RBI on the year. He picked up another five. Rosario now has six doubles on the year to go along with 16 RBI, 18 runs scored, and two steals. The outfielder has been great these last two weeks and could be finding his swing.
Ronaldo Hernandez was just 1-for-17 this week. However, that one hit was a home run so that helps it not hurt so much. Hernandez saw his average drop down to .215. He now has a solid five doubles and six home runs on the year though. The catcher has driven in just eight runs and scored 11 more. You could argue that run production has more to do with batters not getting on in front of him (eight RBI on six homers is wild) but it goes both ways. Hernandez needs to capitalize more with runners on. Still showing plenty of great positive signs so nothing to worry about.
Hudson Potts is just 3-for-32 on the year. However, he has only appeared in eight games since returning from injury. Being out that long certainly will hurt someone’s swing. Give him time. The positive is that Potts did manage to hit a home run this week and does have three RBI on the year. He’ll be fine.
Ryan Fitzgerald’s average dipped from .262 to .239 thanks to a 1-for-16. However, like Hernandez that one hit was a home run. Fitzgerald also drew four walks. He’s a really solid bat and you shouldn’t be worried about the numbers much. He’s proven in the past that he doesn’t let a few bad games get to him.
Grant Williams recorded at least one hit in four-of-five games this week. That helped the infielder work his way back up to a .300 average. While he does not have a home run on the year, Williams has been great at getting on-base. He has five doubles, one triple, and two RBI on the year. He also has two steals and a really solid 20 runs scored though.
Brayan Bello needs and nickname – oh, and he’s proven that he more than deserved that promotion. After a strong first Double-A start last week, Bello went out and absolutely dominated this week. The righty threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on two hits and one walk while striking out 10. That’s ridiculous and it’s scary how quickly it took the 22-year-old to get acclimated to a new level. Between Double-A and Advanced-A, Bello has a 2.20 ERA, .216 BAA, and 1.02 WHIP with 57 strikeouts (10 walks) over 41 innings pitched.
Frank German had a fantastic week. In two appearances the righty threw eight innings, allowing just three runs on nine hits and two walks (striking out nine). German is down to a 5.66 WHIP, .271 BAA, and 1.06 WHIP on the season. He has struck out 25 batters compared to 16 walks over 35 innings. That might not sound good but so far in June he has just four walks compared to 16 strikeouts, so German is clearly making some corrections.
Josh Winckowski didn’t have the best start this week, allowing four runs on six hits over just three innings. He walked two while striking out two in that game as well, so nothing was really all that promising. However, one bad start doesn’t define someone. The 22-year-old has a 3.10 ERA, .226 BAA, and 1.16 WHIP on the year. He has struck out 35 batters (12 walks) over 40 2/3 innings. Like I said, one bad start doesn’t define someone.
Zack Kelly threw two more shutout innings this week. He had some serious command issues (walking three batters and hitting two more) while striking out three, but managed to leave unscathed. On the year, the right-handed pitcher has a 1.28 WHIP – that’s by far the worst of his numbers. He also has a ridiculously low .189 BAA and an absurd 0.57 ERA. Kelly has 27 strikeouts over 15 2/3 innings.
Denyi Reyes slightly dropped his numbers this week thanks to three innings of work where he allowed just one run. The right-handed pitcher has a 3.55 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and .261 BAA on the season. He has struck out 28 batters compared to just five walks over 28 1/3 innings pitched.
Durbin Feltman threw two scoreless innings this week and now has his lowest ERA since May 25. The right-handed pitcher has a solid 3.79 ERA with a respectable .250 BAA and 1.32 WHIP. He has struck out 25 batters over 19 innings and importantly has only walked six so far.
What a great week for Dominic LoBrutto. The left-handed pitcher made two appearances. In those two appearances he threw a total of two innings, allowing no runs on just two hits and one walk while striking out one. Oh, and he picked up two saves. LoBrutto now has a 3.86 ERA, .277 BAA, and 1.41 WHIP. The numbers are steadily improving as he gets more-and-more comfortable in Double-A.
Red Sox Advanced-A (Greenville)
When Brayan Bello got promoted to Double-A, I said Chris Murphy was the undisputed ace of Greenville. He has taken that mantle and run with it. In his lone start last week, Murph threw five shutout innings. This week he threw six innings, allowing just one run on two hits and no walks while striking out a season-high eight. In June, the left-hander has allowed just three runs in 16 innings (1.69 ERA). He has a .158 BAA and 0.69 WHIP in that time. Murphy has a 3.46 ERA, .221 BAA, 1.18 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts in 39 innings.
Jay Groome dropped his numbers heavily this week. That was thanks to the lefty allowing just three runs over 10 innings in two starts this week. Groome struck out 15 batters in that time. The 22-year-old now has a 5.66 ERA, .268 BAA, and 1.63 WHIP. That BAA is really starting to look decent and the ERA and WHIP drops are significant. He also has 49 strikeouts in 35 innings, which is a major positive.
Alex Scherff is now down to a 3.06 ERA, to go along with a .191 BAA and 1.25 WHIP. He has struck out 29 batters over 17 2/3 innings. Clearly the move to the bullpen has done wonders for Scherff. It allows him to put everything into his pitches, adding some velocity and movement. That BAA is absolutely phenomenal.
Dylan Spacke has thrown 24 2/3 innings this season. The right-handed pitcher somehow still has a 1.82 ERA, .167 BAA, and 0.93 WHIP in that time. Those are absolutely dominant numbers and 24 2/3 innings is no small sample size for a relief pitcher. What’s crazy is he seems to be getting better lately. The 23-year-old has 30 strikeouts already, not just pitching to contact.
Brandon Howlett is scorching hot. Once again he rose his average. Now the third baseman is rocking a .299/.391/.545 slash line with 11 doubles, two triples, and six doubles. Meanwhile he’s driven in 28 runs, scored 29 more, and stolen two bases. That’s right, Howlett had five RBI last week and eight more this week. He’s quickly becoming one of the most must-see prospects in the entire system for the Red Sox.
Cameron Cannon continues to raise his average as well. The shortstop is now up to .277 with 12 doubles and four home runs. Cannon has 25 runs scored, 22 more driven in, and five stolen bases. Over the last basically two weeks, the right-handed hitter has risen his average .032 points.
Tyler Esplin had one of the best weeks of all the Red Sox prospects. The 21-year-old outfielder appeared in four games and had at least one hit in all of them. Esplin went 9-for-16 with three doubles, two walks, three RBI, and two runs scored. The left-handed hitter rose his average from .252 to .288 in that time. He also has a ridiculous .419 OBP to go along with 10 doubles and one home run. Esplin has 21 RBI, 32 runs scored, and is 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Underrated.
Kole Cottam also had a strong week. The catcher appeared in just three games, but collected a hit in all three. One of those hits was an absolute rocket of a home run that went 110 MPH off the bat. Cottam is slashing .253/.382/.448 with five doubles and four home runs on the year. He has driven in 14 runs and scored 15 more. Could a hot-streak be coming?
Nick Sogard went 1-for-11 in the first three games he appeared in this week. In his last game he went 4-for-5 though. Sogard is slashing .278/.360/.454 with five doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He has driven in 12 runs and scored 18 more, stealing four bases in five attempts.
Tyreque Reed had been on a cold-streak since coming back from injury. His average dropped from .322 to .275. However, on Sunday Reed managed a nice 2-for-5. Not only that, but the two hits came in his last two at-bats. First, a single to start the bottom of the ninth where Reed came around to tie the game on a wild pitch. Then a single in the bottom of the tenth to walk it off. Reed is still slashing a very strong .281/.387/.553 with five doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. He has driven in 35 runs (in 30 games), scored 26 more, and stolen two bases.
Red Sox Full-A (Salem)
Great bounce-back week from Gilberto Jimenez. He was slumping hard but went 9-for-23 with one double, six RBI, three runs scored, and two steals. Jimenez is back up to a .299 average to go along with seven doubles, one triple, and one home run. The 20-year-old has 21 RBI, 22 runs scored, and six steals. I told you not to worry about the slump, and Jimenez delivered quickly.
Nick Yorke continues to stay hot. The 19-year-old boosted his average from .250 to .254 this week and had a few big games. That included a 2-for-5 day on Sunday that saw him hit a double and his first-career home run. Yorke has seven doubles and a triple to go along with that homer and now has 13 RBI, 19 runs scored, and nine steals. The Red Sox saw greatness in him and he’s proving their point.
Ceddanne Rafaela is slashing .244/.326/.345 on the year. Despite his average dipping one point this week, his OBP rose .016. That was thanks to one of the more impressive games I’ve seen in a while. The 20-year-old went 0-for-0 with four walks, one RBI, one run scored, and two steals. Going 0-for-0 with four walks amazes me from someone that age. The patience, discipline, and eye it shows is just incredible. Rafaela now has three doubles, three triples, and one home run. Meanwhile he has 12 RBI, 20 runs scored, and is 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts.
A great week from Jaxx Groshans has his slash line up to .311/.439/.515 with six doubles and five home runs. The 22-year-old catcher has 18 RBI and 23 runs scored, as well as one steal. Every time it feels like Groshans is hitting a bump in the road, he has a few big games and shuts that down real quick. It’s been extremely fun watching him so far.
Matthew Lugo’s numbers are eerily similar to where they were last week. He is still hitting .224 with two doubles, one triple, and one home run. Lugo even still has 14 runs scored. I swear the 20-year-old played though. And he did manage to get another RBI (to move up to 11) and another steal (giving him seven).
Jeremy Wu-Yelland had that really bad start last week but came back strong this week. The left-handed pitcher made two starts. His first start saw him go three innings, allowing just one run on one hit. He did walk four, but struck out six. Then the next start saw Wu-Yelland throw four no-hit innings. In fact, he didn’t walk anyone either (although there was an error that allowed a man on). Wu-Yelland struck out four that time. On the year, he now has a 3.58 ERA, .165 BAA, and 1.19 WHIP. He has struck out 37 batters over 27 2/3 innings.
dark. Next. Martinez crushes the 100th homer of his Boston career
Aaron Perry allowed seven earned runs over his first three appearances (7 2/3 innings pitched). Since then, the right-handed pitcher has allowed zero earned runs in his last six appearances (8 2/3 innings pitched). This has lowered Perry’s ERA to a solid 3.86. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old has a .239 BAA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has struck out 25 batters (six walks) over his 16 1/3 innings so far.