BoSox Injection
Fansided

Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Big week for power hitters

By Hunter Noll

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Boston Red Sox Tyler Esplin
FORT MYERS, FL – FEBRUARY 22: Tyler Esplin #30 of the Boston Red Sox makes a diving catch on the ball hit by Vidal Brujan #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays for the final out of the game on February 22, 2020 at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida. The Red Sox defeated the Rays 4-3. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

Red Sox Advanced-A (Greenville)

What a week for Tyreque Reed. His average rose from .278 to .295 (.395 OBP and .596 slugging percentage), thanks to a now nine-game hitting-streak. They weren’t all singles either. Reed hit four more homers this week and is now up to 13 on the season. He also has six doubles and one triple and has 35 runs scored, 44 RBI, and three steals in 41 games.

Brandon Howlett is back up to a .288/.388/.545 slash line to go along with 12 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. That’s right, Howlett hit a homer this week too. The third baseman has driven in 30 runs and scored 33 more, stealing two bases.

Tyler Dearden is slashing .284/.420/.560 with 13 doubles and eight home runs. He did not hit a homer this week but it was still very productive with a nice boost in average. Dearden has driven in 36 runs and scored 32 more on the season. The outfielder has been very consistent most of the year and has new career-highs in virtually every category.

Nick Sogard has a strong .264/.339/.473 slash line at the moment. The second baseman has eight doubles, one triple, and seven home runs on the year (of course he hit one this week). Sogard’s driven in 22 runs and scored 26 more, stealing five bases.

Tyler Esplin has a .276/.400/.362 slash line at the moment with 10 doubles and one home run. He’s driven in 23 runs and scored 32 more, stealing three bases. I always say Esplin has a nice all-around game, and that’s what excites me. He has more power than this. Maybe not 25-homer power but expect the doubles to start coming in bunches and the homers to pick up nicely.

Cameron Cannon had a great week. His average rose to .270, he added three doubles (now has 16), and of course he added one homer (now has six). The shortstop has 28 RBI and 31 runs scored, to go along with six steals.

Kole Cottam is slumping a bit and is now down to a .233/.357/.422 slash line. Still not terrible, and he did manage another double (his seventh of the year) and two more RBI this week. The catcher has five home runs, 17 RBI, and 17 runs scored on the season.

Christian Koss wanted to join in on the home runs. But with just one on the year it was going to be difficult. So he went unconventional with it and hit his second of the year without leaving the field of play, going with an inside-the-parker. The shortstop is slashing .240/.311/.354 with eight doubles, three triples, and two homers on the year. He has driven in 15 runs and scored 25 more, stealing four bases.

Chris Murphy maybe shouldn’t be in Advanced-A anymore. And when I say maybe, I mean definitely. The left-handed pitcher had another phenomenal start this week (one run in five innings). He now has a 3.08 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and .216 BAA. Murph has 53 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings pitched. Might be time for a new challenge, because outside of one bad start and one “eh” start (both back-to-back even), he’s been insane.

Jay Groome had a phenomenal start this week as well. The lefty threw six innings, allowing just two runs on two hits. Groome is now down to a 5.36 ERA. Meanwhile his BAA took a major dip down to .243 and his WHIP dropped all the way to 1.40. Those are suddenly really decent numbers. It didn’t take long for him to correct his season – incredible.

Alex Scherff is now down to a 2.78 ERA. His WHIP dropped back down to a 1.24 and his BAA is a fantastic .198. The right-handed pitcher has 37 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings so far. And suddenly looks like a legitimately elite bullpen prospect, which is really exciting.

Home/Red Sox Prospects