Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Are there big changes on the horizon?

Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)

I don’t think Jarren Duran knows how to have a truly bad week. Even when he struggles in some ways, he does something else to make up for it. This week, Duran’s slash line dropped slightly to .276/.372/.573 but he did hit another double to now has eight on the season, pairing with his one triple and 15 home runs. The big thing was that the outfielder picked up two more steals and now has 12 of those on the season. Meanwhile, he now has 32 RBI and 37 runs scored. Just a fantastic all-around year.

Johan Mieses is a stud. The outfielder is slashing .295/.381/.641 with seven doubles, one triple, and 15 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. His average and OBP have actually risen since he moved up to the higher level too. Mieses has driven in 34 runs and scored 30 more. All-around offensive potential with real power. He’s exciting to watch.

Marcus Wilson had himself a great week and is now slashing .269/.399/.511. The outfielder has eight doubles, three triples, and 10 home runs. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 29 runs and scored 30 more, even stealing nine bases.

Jeter Downs is still hitting .234 but did add a little bit to some of his other stats. The infielder still has three doubles and seven home runs, as well as 17 RBI. He picked up a pair of runs though, and is now up to 22 on the season. Meanwhile, Downs added another steal and now has 12 steals in 14 attempts.

Chad De La Guerra is up to a .235/.395/.441 slash line with two doubles, one triple, and one home run. DLG has five RBI and five runs scored, as well as two stolen bases. The left-handed hitter just has 34 at-bats this season, so that should really let you know just how good he has been this year.

Josh Ockimey is down to a .170 average. He has a decent enough .299 OBP and .393 slugging percentage though. This week he hit another home run to give him eight on the year (to go along with one double). Ockimey has driven in 15 runs and scored 16 more.

Jose Adames was called up to Triple-A after posting a 2.33 ERA, .169 BAA, and 0.98 WHIP over 19 1/3 innings in Double-A. He had 10 saves in 11 attempts, and 27 strikeouts compared to eight walks. Now in Triple-A, the righty has thrown two innings. He’s allowed just one hit and two walks in that time, not giving up a run and striking out two more.

Tanner Houck had his worst appearance since returning from injury this week. The right-hander went 3 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on three hits and four walks (striking out three). The funny thing is, he might be getting called up after that start, instead of some of the great ones he’s had in the past. For the most part, Houck has been really good this year. Certainly better than his 5.14 ERA, .241 BAA, and 1.24 WHIP would imply.

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Triston Casas is slashing .269/.352/.394 on the season. He hit his fourth double of the year this week and had two triples and four home runs. The left-handed hitter added some RBI and runs scored as well and now has 26 RBI, 30 runs scored, and four steals on the year. He’ll be in the Olympics so we might not see him in Portland for a bit.

Ronaldo Hernandez had a really good week and is now hitting .238. The catcher hit another double and another home run, giving him seven and eight respectively. Hernandez came into the week with just 12 RBI on the year but managed five this week to boost his number to 17. Meanwhile, he has 17 runs scored thanks to four more this week.

Pedro Castellanos enjoyed another great week. The right-handed hitter now has a really strong .294/.366/.472 with six doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. He’s driven in 27 runs and scored 34 more, stealing one base. Castellanos hit .241 in May but mashed to a .333 average in June and is doing even better in July with a .364 at the moment.

Devlin Granberg is rocking a .300 average in Triple-A and has a .316 (.383 OBP and .594 slugging percentage) combined between that and Double-A at the moment. The right-handed hitter has 12 doubles, two triples, and a career-high nine homers already. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 37 runs and scored 31 more, stealing four bases.

Ryan Fitzgerald is having an absolutely fantastic year. The shortstop is slashing .266/.355/.511. That OBP and slugging percentage would both be career-highs, with the slugging absurdly higher than his previous best of .396. Fitzgerald already has 17 doubles, two triples, and eight homers (tied for his career-high). He’s driven in 24 runs and scored 26 more, stealing two bases.

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• Jeter Downs’ official departure will continue to haunt Red Sox

Hudson Potts is down to a .187/.276/.347 slash line with four home runs. He’s driven in 11 runs and scored nine more. The numbers aren’t really a concern though. Potts is still working his way back from an injury and only has 75 at-bats on the year. It takes a lot more time than that to evaluate a season. A couple good games and there’s an entirely different narrative.

Jeisson Rosario is slashing .242/.330/.296 with seven doubles and one home run. The outfielder has driven in 22 runs and scored 25 more, while stealing six bases. Rosario is on-pace to set a new career-high in RBI, but his run scoring is down at the moment. It will be interesting to see how that plays out the rest of the way. He’s good at getting on-base so the runs might start coming.

Alex Scherff got a much deserved promotion this week. The reliever had posted a 2.78 ERA, .198 BAA, and 1.24 WHIP in Advanced-A. That went with 37 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings as well. The right-hander already has two innings in Double-A and has yet to give up a run. Scherff has allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out two in that time.

Brayan Bello had a great but brief appearance this week. The right-hander went just two innings, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk while striking out three. Bello now has a 2.55 ERA between Advanced-A and Double-A. That pairs with a 1.09 WHIP and a .217 BAA, as well as 67 strikeouts over 49 1/3 innings.

Kutter Crawford with his second straight phenomenal start. This time, the righty allowed two runs on just three hits in six innings, on and he struck out a season-high 10 batters. Crawford now has a 3.67 ERA on the season to go along with a ridiculous .190 BAA and 0.82 WHIP. He’s struck out 47 batters compared to just five walks over 34 1/3 innings pitched.

Dominic LoBrutto saw all of his numbers drop nicely this week. After two scoreless innings in-which he allowed just one hit and no walks (three strikeouts), the lefty is down to a 3.22 ERA. His BAA lowered a bit to .276 and his WHIP followed suit at 1.39. LoBrutto has 20 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings pitched and has picked up three saves to go along with a 1-1 record on the season.

Durbin Feltman gave up one run in two innings this week, raising his ERA to 3.20. He lowered his other stats though. The right-handers BAA is now down to .232 (from .239 last week) and his WHIP lowered from 1.29 to 1.22. He also picked up another win and is now 5-0 on the season. Feltman has 33 strikeouts compared to nine walks in 25 1/3 innings pitched.

Denyi Reyes had another great week. The right-handed pitcher now has a 2.90 ERA. Meanwhile, his WHIP is down to a 1.09 and his BAA is at .245. All of those numbers continue to drop. Reyes has a 3-1 record and 43 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings, while only walking six batters.

Red Sox Advanced-A (Greenville)

What a week for Kole Cottam. Last week, I mentioned that he was slumping a bit but the numbers still weren’t terrible or anything. He turned it around quickly. Entering with a .233/.357/.422 slash line, he left with a .260/.370/.449 line. The catcher now has nine doubles and five home runs, to go along with 19 RBI and 19 runs scored. An elite offensive catching prospect, it’s good to see he can work out of slumps.

Cameron Cannon wasn’t to be outdone and had himself a phenomenal week as well. He’s been seeing that average climb for a while and it took another massive boost this week, up to .284 (was .270 last week). Cannon has 17 doubles and six home runs on the year. Meanwhile, the shortstop has driven in 28 runs, scored 32 more, and stolen seven bases.

Tyler Dearden has been one of Greenville’s best players all year long. And honestly, he is not recognized nearly enough as one of the Red Sox better all-around prospects. The 23-year-old is slashing .287/.423/.553 with 13 doubles and nine home runs on the season. He’s driven in 37 runs and scored 36 more. The outfielder can do it all.

Tyreque Reed is slashing .287/.385/.557 with six doubles, one triple, and 13 homers this year. He’s driven in 45 runs in 46 games and has 36 runs scored and four steals to go along with it. Reed is definitely someone that should be called up once slots open due to the Olympics.

Brandon Howlett is enjoying a career-year. The 21-year-old is slashing .282/.376/.529 and already has career-highs in triples (2) and home runs (9) to go along with 12 doubles. Meanwhile, he has 32 RBI (three off his career-best) and 36 runs scored, as well as a new career-best two steals.

Christian Koss has been a solid pickup. The slash line is nothing to go crazy over (.247/.321/.371) but it isn’t bad either. Meanwhile he has nine doubles, three triples, and three homers to go along with 18 RBI and 27 runs scored. Koss has four steals and plays a phenomenal shortstop flashing a good glove and solid arm.

Jaxx Groshans got the call-up to Advanced-A this week and that was extremely deserved. So far, Groshans has played in just three games so it’s hard to get into the numbers too much. The catcher is 1-for-11 with a run scored. His Full-A numbers were superb though (.298/.417/.454 slash) and he definitely earned this.

Dominic D’Alessandro enjoyed a good week. His average actually went down from .281 to .269 but the slugging percentage sky-rocketed from .391 to .449. That’s thanks to a two-homer game that included an absolute mammoth shot (as well as a double later in the week). D’Alessandro now has three doubles, one triple, and three home runs on the year. He has also scored eight runs and driven in 13 more. In just 78 at-bats, those are pretty solid numbers.

Nick Sogard went 0-for-7 in his first two games this week but ended with a solid 2-for-5 performance. His slash line is down to .256/.328/.450 – still really solid. The infielder has hit eight doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 22 runs and scored 26 more, while stealing five bases.

Chris Murphy did not have his best game this season. The left-hander allowed six runs on seven hits and one HBP. However, there were a number of positives. First of all, he settled down nicely after giving up four runs in the first inning and five runs over the first two innings. In fact, all six runs came over the first three innings. If it wasn’t for that first, it was a solid start. Murph also struck out seven batters. He now has a 3.79 ERA, .228 BAA, and 1.15 WHIP on the year. All still really strong numbers. The 23-year-old also has 60 strikeouts over 54 2/3 innings pitched.

Jay Groome gave up just two runs on one hit and two walks over 5 1/3 innings pitched. Oh and he struck out nine – for the second game in a row. The lefty now has his ERA all the way down to 5.16, to go along with a 1.32 WHIP and .227 BAA. He has a phenomenal 75 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings as well. I keep saying it but Groome’s return to form this year has been amazing to watch.

Jose Espada has only thrown 13 2/3 innings this year, but he’s been absolutely lights-out in that time. The right-hander has given up just one run (0.66 ERA) and has a .133 BAA and 1.02 WHIP. He’s struck out 16 batters in that time and is definitely deserving of a bigger opportunity.

Cody Scroggins was called up to Advanced-A as well after superb numbers in Full-A (1.33 ERA, .224 BAA, 1.26 WHIP) and now has one shutout inning under his belt as his new level. The righty did allow a walk and a hit, but also managed a strikeout in that time. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to a new level.

He didn’t come alone though as Brandon Walter joined Scroggins and Groshans in the call-up party. Walter had 1.45 ERA, .178 BAA, and 0.87 WHIP in Full-A. In Advanced-A, he has thrown 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out six. The left-hander dominated at the last level so one not-so-stellar appearance isn’t worrisome. It was still pretty solid.

Red Sox Full-A (Salem)

Gilberto Jimenez is officially hot again. This was a great week for the outfielder that saw him go 10-for-24 with two doubles, one home run, five RBI, five runs scored, and three steals. That’s how you get the numbers up right there. Jimenez is now slashing .305/.336/.400 with 10 doubles, two triples, and two homers on the season. He has 30 RBI, 36 runs scored, and 10 steals as well.

Nick Yorke is having fun isn’t he? Clearly he’s figured things out as the 19-year-old is now up to a .295/.382/.409 slash line. Yorke hit another home run this week to give him three on the season, going with nine doubles and one triple. The second baseman has 21 RBI, 28 runs scored, and nine steals on the year.

Joe Davis should not be in Full-A. It’s sort of ridiculous at this point. He 100% should be promoted and if they wanted to just throw him into Double-A I wouldn’t be upset honestly (obviously they won’t but I mean come on). Davis is slashing .339/.391/.565 with 16 doubles and eight home runs. The first baseman has 45 RBI in 45 games, as well as 29 runs scored. Get him to a new level already.

Nick Decker is back and he wasted no time getting hot. The left-handed hitter went 5-for-16 with two doubles and one home run this week. He is now up to a .246/.378/.459 slash line in Salem. Decker has five doubles, one triple, and two home runs. Meanwhile he has driven in eight runs and scored 11 more, stealing three bases.

The upward trend of Nicholas Northcut continues. Northcut had another solid week and the right-handed hitter is now up to a .223/.333/.425 slash line. He has 13 doubles, one triple, and seven homers on the season. Meanwhile, Northcut has driven in 34 runs and scored 29 more. Since June 29, Northcut is 12-for-37 (.324) with one double, four home runs, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored.

Matthew Lugo saw his batting average drop, but only slightly – from .237 to .236. His OBP went from .279 to .280 and his slugging percentage from .299 to .295. So in reality, not much changed when it comes to the slash line. However, the shortstop did add a double (he now has five to go along with one triple and two homers). He now has 18 RBI and 27 runs scored. Lugo also stole two more bases and is now 12-for-13 on attempts.

Ceddanne Rafaela had a good week. Yes his average went from .219 to .214 but he’s showing signs of life at the plate (four-game hitting-streak), so that’s good. He also added his fifth double of the year and his second home run (also has three triples). Rafaela continues to play all over the field as well. Oh, and he had three more steals. Rafaela is now 16-for-16 on stolen base attempts. He’s now also gone from first to home on a pickoff attempt and on a steal of second with a throwing error. When he gets on, he’s a demon. Rafaela has 15 RBI and 29 runs scored.

Luke Bandy is hitting just .156 in Salem at the moment. However, could he be starting to wake up the bat? I’ve always loved Bandy’s game when watching him. He has a ton of potential and seems to be someone that will bring a little of everything to the field. The 23-year-old was out to prove that on Sunday when he went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, three RBI, two runs scored, and a steal. Let’s see if that starts something for Bandy.

Jake MacKenzie hasn’t had many opportunities but makes the most of them when he gets them. The infielder is slashing .246/.366/.362 with two doubles and two home runs. He has driven in three runs and scored nine more, while stealing one base. That doesn’t seem like much but MacKenzie’s only had 69 at-bats so far.

Stephen Scott is slashing .263/.387/.463 to this point. That’s really good, especially for someone that really doesn’t get much fanfare. Scott has 11 doubles and seven home runs to this point. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 28 runs and scored 37 more – even stealing one base.

Chih-Jung Liu made his first start of the year for Salem. In it the right-hander went five innings, allowing no runs on just two hits and one walk while striking out two. Liu has all the makings of a star pitcher and it should be incredibly fun to watch him get a chance in the minors and see where the 22-year-old can go from here.

Jeremy Wu-Yelland was un-hittable this week. No, seriously … un-hittable. The lefty went four innings allowing no runs on no hits and just two walks while striking out two. That gives Wu-Yelland a 3.55 ERA on the year to go with a 1.24 WHIP and .169 BAA. He has struck out 43 batters in 38 innings pitched.

Ryan Fernandez has thrown 20 1/3 innings so far this season and has 24 strikeouts compared to just four walks. Somehow that’s the least impressive of his stats. The right-hander has a 0.44 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and .218 BAA. He has a 2-1 record and two saves as well, doing it all.

Casey Cobb’s ERA sky-rocketed nearly 0.50 points this week. Oh no, whatever will he do – no holding a 1.35 ERA. Okay, wait so he’s fine – never mind. The right-hander has a .193 BAA and 0.87 WHIP so far. He has also struck out 38 batters (compared to six walks) in 33 1/3 innings and has a 2-0 record as well as one save.

Devon Roedahl threw two shutout innings this week, allowing just one hit and striking out three. The right-hander now has a 1.82 ERA, as well as a .173 BAA and a 0.78 WHIP. Roedahl is 1-1 with four saves and has 28 strikeouts compared to just four walks in 29 2/3 innings pitched this season.