Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Big week for power hitters

BOSTON, MA - MAY 11: Jarren Duran #24 of the Worcester Red Sox hits a solo home run during the seventh inning of the inaugural game at Polar Park against the Syracuse Mets on May 11, 2021 in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was the first game ever played at Polar Park. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 11: Jarren Duran #24 of the Worcester Red Sox hits a solo home run during the seventh inning of the inaugural game at Polar Park against the Syracuse Mets on May 11, 2021 in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was the first game ever played at Polar Park. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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Red Sox prospect Triston Casas
Red Sox prospect Triston Casas.. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

The Portland Sea Dogs started a game on Sunday but it was suspended. In that game, a few players have some nice number bumps but since it’s not official, I’m not counting them. Just throwing that out there.

Triston Casas saw a slight bump in his average, up to .269. He’s working with a solid .348 OBP and .400 slugging percentage as well. The 21-year-old has three doubles, two triples, and four home runs. He’s hit a power slump, but Casas can start racking up the extra-base hits in a hurry, so there’s no concern.

Pedro Castellanos hit another homer this week and now has eight to go along with six doubles and one triple. He is slashing a phenomenal .285/.363/.487 on the year and has 25 RBI and 31 runs scored. The right-hander went 8-for-16 this week. It appears he’s getting very comfortable.

Ronaldo Hernandez had himself a phenomenal week, going 5-for-11. The catcher is now slashing .229/.265/.417 with six doubles and seven home runs. He’s driven in 12 runs (three this week) and scored 13 more. Maybe Hernandez is finally starting to heat up.

Jeisson Rosario is now slashing .259/.345/.318 after a strong week. He’s hit seven doubles and (to prove how great of a power week this has been) one home run. That’s right, Rosario finally got one. The outfielder has 19 RBI and 21 runs scored, to go along with five steals.

Ryan Fitzgerald had a solid week that saw his slash line rise to .248/.342/.461. The shortstop can thank a triple and a home run for the big boost in slugging percentage. He now has 13 doubles, two triples, and six homers on the year. Fitzgerald’s scored 20 runs and driven in 19 more, to go along with two steals. The uptick in power has been a really nice addition to his offensive game.

Grant Williams is hitting .312 with seven doubles and two triples. The power isn’t big but you have to love what Williams does. He gets on base and scores runs. Williams has just six RBI but he’s stolen five bases and has 24 runs scored so far.

Hudson Potts is only hitting .190 through 18 games but has decent numbers. He’s ripped four home runs already, and has nine RBI and seven runs scored. Most importantly the average did rise a little bit this week and he managed two of those homers. So the power has been there.

More from Red Sox Prospects

Brayan Bello has a 2.66 ERA between both Advanced-A and Double-A so far. That is paired with a 1.10 WHIP and a .221 BAA. The right-hander has struck out 64 batters (compared to 14 walks) in 47 1/3 innings pitched. Bello is just 22 and already impressing even in Double-A. Legitimate ace potential.

Zack Kelly has a 0.46 ERA through 19 2/3 innings. Let me say that again, a 0.46 ERA through 19 2/3 innings. Absolutely wild. The right-hander has a 1.17 WHIP and a hilariously low .167 BAA. He’s struck out 31 batters as well, good luck hitters.

Kutter Crawford returned from injury last week and had an “eh” game. This week he was back to his normal dominance. The right-hander threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and one walk. Oh, and he struck out seven. Crawford now holds a 3.81 ERA, .200 BAA, and phenomenal 0.88 WHIP. He’s racked up 37 strikeouts compared to five walks over 28 1/3 innings pitched.

Durbin Feltman threw another 2 1/3 shutout innings this week. He’s all the way down to a 3.09 ERA on the year now. The right-hander has a solid .239 BAA and 1.29 WHIP, and has 31 strikeouts compared to nine walks in 23 1/3 innings pitched. We could be getting the reliever that we saw when he was first drafted by the Red Sox.

Dominic LoBrutto is lowering his ERA once again. The left-hander is now down to a 3.54 ERA. His .284 BAA and and 1.48 WHIP are not great, I’ll admit that. However, I’ll say it again. It shows that LoBrutto is able to get himself out of jams. Hopefully he can stop getting himself into them though. The 25-year-old has a great track record though, so I’m not worried at all.

Denyi Reyes was one of the more dominant pitchers in the Red Sox system a few years ago. He slipped a little bit but is back to dominating in 2021. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.97 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and .262 BAA. He’s struck out 34 batters in 33 1/3 innings, while walking just five.

Schedule