Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Week of the walk-off in the minors

Red Sox Low-A (Salem)

I’ve said this so many times, but I’ll say it as many times as I feel necessary. Nick Yorke continues to prove that the Red Sox scouting department knows what it was doing. The 19-year-old is slashing .295/.386/.405 with 10 doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He has driven in 25 runs, scored 32 more, and stolen 10 bases. There’s a legitimate chance Yorke hits .300 in his first year in the minors. That’s amazing for anyone let alone someone that many questioned as the 17th overall pick.

Gilberto Jimenez is slashing .294/.332/.379 with 11 doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Admittedly, the power is not there like some expected. Jimenez bulked up quite a bit this offseason and it was thought that he would boost the power numbers. It hasn’t happened yet but it’s hard to complain about his season so far. The switch-hitter has 35 RBI, 40 runs scored, and 11 steals.

If you follow me on Twitter you know that I love two things. Liv Morgan and Ceddanne Rafaela. Rafaela is a 20-year-old listed shortstop. I say listed because he plays shortstop, second base, third base, and the outfield. He plays them all extremely well too. Oh, and he has elite speed (16-for-16 on steal attempts this season). Rafaela had a fantastic week that saw solid number boosts (including two triple and two doubles. On the year, he is slashing .230/.296/.373 with eight doubles, five triples, and four homers. He’s driven in 20 runs and scored 40 more. Electric factory.

Matthew Lugo’s numbers continue to rise rapidly. The shortstop is up to a .251/.313/.310 slash line with seven doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He has 23 RBI and 35 runs scored. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old already has 13 steals in just 15 attempts. Lugo’s really hitting his stride. A .307 average in July shows he’s improving fast.

Nicholas Northcut had a nice numbers boost this week. His average went up to .230 (.341 OBP and .432 slugging percentage). Meanwhile, he has 17 doubles, one triple, and eight home runs on the year. The third baseman has driven in 42 runs and scored 39 more. Northcut’s average is the only thing keeping this from being an elite-level production year, and that’s starting to climb,.

Jeremy Wu-Yelland did something special this week. He threw four perfect innings, striking out seven. This is the third time this season that the left-hander has thrown four no-hit innings. He has a 3.32 ERA, .172 BAA, and 1.18 WHIP. Wu-Yelland has 53 strikeouts compared to 24 walks in 43 1/3 innings pitched.

Ryan Fernandez is special. I don’t really know why he’s still in Salem. The right-hander has thrown 29 1/3 innings so far. To this point, he has a 0.31 ERA, .194 BAA, and 0.95 WHIP. Yes, you heard those numbers right. Fernandez has a 3-1 record, three holds, is 2-for-2 in saves, and has 33 strikeouts compared to seven walks.

Devon Roedahl has thrown 36 2/3 innings so far. The right-hander is rocking a 1.72 ERA, .187 BAA, and 0.85 WHIP. Insane numbers. Roedahl has 33 strikeouts compared to just six walks. Meanwhile, he holds a 2-1 record and is 6-for-6 in save opportunities.

Jorge Rodriguez has a 4.94 ERA in 51 innings so far. Nothing to really go crazy over. His .330 BAA and 1.65 WHIP aren’t great either. However, the 20-year-old had an extremely promising start this week. On Sunday, the left-hander threw five shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and one HBP while striking out eight. Could this be a start of a turnaround for Rodriguez?

Jacinto Arredondo continues to have a really strong season. The 23-year-old righty has thrown 29 1/3 innings so far in this, his debut season. Arredondo has a 3.07 ERA, .232 BAA, and 1.43 WHIP. He has 24 strikeouts compared to 16 walks, which has been a bit of a problem. However, he has done a fantastic job of limiting the damage and has one hold and three saves in four opportunities this season.