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

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 07: Jeter Downs #20 of the Boston Red Sox at bat against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning of a Grapefruit League spring training game on March 07, 2020 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 07: Jeter Downs #20 of the Boston Red Sox at bat against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning of a Grapefruit League spring training game on March 07, 2020 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Boston Red Sox Nick Yorke
FT. MYERS, FL – FEBRUARY 24: Nick Yorke #80 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the MGM Sox at Sundown spring training team night workout on February 24, 2021 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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.

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