Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Return of Triston Casas highlights week
Triston Casas highlights this week’s Red Sox Prospect Watch
With the Olympics over, the Boston Red Sox got some of their big-name prospects back. That included Triston Casas. Obviously, this gives a big jolt of energy into the minor league system. It also makes the Prospect Watch a little more interesting, which I’ll never complain about.
In the Majors, Bobby Dalbec had a fantastic week. The first baseman went 0-for-4 on Sunday but before that had a three game stretch that saw him go 7-for-11 with two walks, two doubles, one triple, and three homers. He also drove in 11 runs and scored five more in that time. This has helped to bring up his overall stats nicely. Dalbec is now slashing .230/.280/.437 with 14 doubles, four triples, and 14 home runs. He’s driven in a solid 52 runs and scored 32 more.
Jarren Duran has been playing better as well. The outfielder is currently slashing .215/.232/.367 but has shown plenty signs of life recently. Duran has two doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He’s also driven in eight runs, scored 11 more, and stolen one base. It shouldn’t be that surprising that he needs adjusting to the Majors, it’s a different animal. So there’s nothing to worry about, let him get his footing.
Garrett Whitlock had an incredibly rare bad outing earlier this week, giving up two runs in 1 2/3 innings. So of course he dominated his next time out, throwing 1 2/3 perfect innings and striking out three. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.41 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and .238 BAA on the season. In 57 1/3 innings pitched he has 62 strikeouts. Meanwhile, he has a 4-1 record, 11 holds, and one save.
Tanner Houck has a 2.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and .239 BAA on the season. He has 44 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings pitched. There’s really no other way around it, the 25-year-old has been one of the best pitchers for the Red Sox this year in his limited time with the team. It’s fun to think how good he can be with a regular role. Especially considering just how nasty some of his pitches are.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Yairo Munoz needs to get some mention. I stayed away from him for a while on here because he’s played in over 200 games in the Majors. But who cares. Munoz is still just 26 and the big thing is, he shouldn’t be in the minors right now. The utility-man is currently on a 35-game hitting-streak. That’s a new record for the Red Sox organization. I’ve talked about it a lot on Twitter, but why isn’t he with Boston? Yes he’s not on the 40-man but he’s hitting .317 and there are a few dead bats in Boston.
Johan Mieses is back. He’s struggled in the few games since returning, but is still putting up fantastic numbers on the year. The outfielder has a .264/.349/.571 slash line between both Double-A and Triple-A. He has 15 home runs and 37 RBI over 50 games, which are absolutely fantastic numbers.
Josh Ockimey is slashing .233/.374/.435 with three doubles and 12 home runs. The first baseman has driven in 29 runs and scored 29 more. Overall, the numbers are fantastic considering how cold he was to start the season. Ockimey’s got a very good eye which has allowed that fantastic .374 OBP.
Ryan Fitzgerald is slashing .277/.358/.536 between Double-A and Triple-A so far this year. The slugging percentage has been a fantastic surprise. He already has new career-highs in doubles (26) and home runs (13) to go along with three triples. Fitzgerald has also driven in 43 runs, scored 44 more, and stolen three bases.
Jeter Downs is hitting just .181. He’s struck out 95 times in 259 at-bats. There’s no point in pretending like those numbers are good. However, there are a lot of things to remember. He just turned 23 and he had just 12 games in Double-A before this season. Clearly this is a big step up. All the tools are there, let him figure it out.
Connor Seabold could very well see the Majors at some point this season. He only has 24 1/3 innings pitched in Triple-A so far in 2021 due to injury. But he has looked great for moments. He hasn’t been perfected, but that’s to be expected with the injuries. The right-handed pitcher has the ability to dominate and could help the Red Sox pitching.
Kutter Crawford has thrown 66 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season. The right-hander has a 3.82 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .238 BAA. He has struck out 89 batters compared to just 11 walks, showing incredible control.
Durbin Feltman is looking very strong in Triple-A so far. The relief pitcher has 10 2/3 innings pitched over seven appearances. He has a 3.38 ERA, .200 BAA, and 0.94 WHIP in that time. Meanwhile, he’s struck out 10 compared to just two walks. Feltman has also picked up one win, one hold, and one save.
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
It’s already been said, but let’s talk about it again. Triston Casas is back. That’s fun. He’s gotten right back into hitting too. The 21-year-old is slashing .271/.355/.411 with five doubles, two triples, and six home runs. He’s driven in 32 runs and scored 36 more, stealing five bases. It will be fun to see how he performs after mashing in the Olympics.
Kole Cottam had a massive game on Sunday that included his first Double-A home run. The catcher is now slashing .288/.385/.497 with 17 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs overall on the season. He’s driven in 28 runs and scored 25 more.
Devlin Granberg is hitting .301 in Double-A and slashing .310/.362/.549 overall on the season. He already has 18 doubles, two triples, and a career-high 14 home runs. Granberg also already has 50 runs scored and a career-best 62 RBI, even stealing five bases. It’s been an incredible year for the 25-year-old and he’s continuing to show he deserves more attention.
Tyreque Reed had a good week and is back up to a .263/.358/.463 slash line in Double-A. Overall, he has 15 doubles, one triple, and 17 home runs on the season. That’s just one homer shy of tying his career-high. Reed’s driven in 65 runs and scored 50 more in 73 games, stealing four bases. The run production has been absolutely elite.
Cameron Cannon is slumping a bit in Double-A but overall on the year still has a .294/.343/.444 slash line. The shortstop has 26 doubles and eight home runs so far. Meanwhile, he’s scored 49 runs and driven in 39 more – while stealing nine bases. Cannon’s just getting started in Portland, so let him get it figured out.
Pedro Castellanos is slashing .275/.350/.446 with 12 doubles, two triples, and a career-high 11 home runs. He has 39 RBI and 53 runs scored, as well as two steals. Castellanos is showing good power this year and more importantly, playing a solid outfield.
Ronaldo Hernandez has struggled in August so far, but is still having a pretty decent season overall. The catcher is slashing .239/.281/.429 with 14 doubles and 11 home runs. He has 27 RBI and 26 runs scored so far. The position is a little crowded in Double-A at the moment, but Hernandez shouldn’t be worried about losing too many ABs.
Casas isn’t the only player that returned from the Olympics to Portland, Roldani Baldwin is back as well. The 25-year-old is slashing .240/.331/.394 on the year, and has been great since his return. In three games in August, Baldwin is 3-for-13 (not great) but has two home runs and four RBI. On the year, he now has five doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He’s driven in 11 runs and scored 14 more.
Grant Williams hit his first home run of the year, so that’s fun. The infielder is now slashing .284/.315/.365 with 10 doubles, two triples, and one home run in Double-A this year. He has 12 RBI, 34 runs scored, and eight steals as well.
Chris Murphy now has two starts in Double-A. In that time he has allowed four runs over 10 innings pitched (3.60 ERA). He has struck out 14 batters in that time. Murph now has at least five strikeouts in nine straight starts, a really impressive streak. Overall on the year, he has 95 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings pitched this season.
Brayan Bello had an absolutely fantastic start this week. The 22-year-old gave up just one run on seven hits over six innings, striking out nine. Bello now has a 3.64 ERA over 76 2/3 innings pitched between two levels this year. In that time, he has struck out an absolutely wild 112 batters.
Joan Martinez has been phenomenal lately. Since the start of June, the right-hander has allowed one run on six hits and five walks in 14 1/3 innings pitched, striking out 20. Overall on the year, Martinez has a 3.03 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and ridiculous .187 BAA. In 29 2/3 innings pitched he has struck out 43 batters, and is now 3-for-3 on save opportunities.
Rio Gomez continues his dominance. The left-hander is now up to 4 2/3 scoreless innings in August, after throwing nine scoreless innings in July. The streak has allowed Gomez to lower his ERA in Double-A to 4.50. Meanwhile, he is down to a 1.36 WHIP and .273 BAA. Gomez has also struck out 36 batters in 28 innings so far.
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Stephen Scott’s High-A numbers are just absolutely ridiculous. The outfielder is slashing .418/.484/.836 in 14 games. He has eight doubles, five home runs, 12 runs scored, and a ridiculous 17 RBI. Overall, Scott is rocking a .292/.401/.532 slash line with 25 doubles and 13 home runs. he has driven in 59 runs and scored 61 more, stealing three bases.
Elih Marrero is working with a nine-game hitting-streak at the moment. That’s helped to raise his average nearly .050 points. The catcher is slashing .285/.393/.398 with 11 doubles and one home run. He has 12 RBI, 24 runs, and an impressive 11 steals in 12 attempts.
Joe Davis has been slumping a little bit lately, but the first baseman did homer on Sunday. It wouldn’t be surprising if that helped to break him out of his slump and we got the masher back soon. On the year, Davis is slashing .320/.357/.573 with 20 doubles and 17 home runs over two levels. He has driven in 67 runs in 70 games, as well as scored another 47.
Tyler Dearden continues to absolutely mash this season. The outfielder is slashing .261/.385/.529 through 73 games. In that time he has set new career-highs in basically every category. That includes doubles (18), home runs (17), RBI (60), and runs scored (57). Most impressively, most of those stats are well above his previous career-highs.
Jaxx Groshans has been adjusting pretty well to High-A. And with it, he is starting to flash a little bit more power at the moment. Overall on the year between Low-A and High-A, Groshans is slashing .279/.381/.447 with nine doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. The catcher has 31 RBI and 34 runs scored, as well as one steal.
Nick Sogard was playing very well in Double-A but the returns of Casas and Baldwin from the Olympics saw Sogard go back to High-A. On the season, the infielder is slashing .280/.345/.445 with 11 doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. He has 32 RBI and 43 runs scored, as well as eight steals.
Jake MacKenzie is currently riding a six-game hitting-streak that has seen his average with Greenville rise from .176 to .297. Overall on the year, MacKenzie has a .250/.376/.345 slash line with five doubles and two home runs. He has seven RBI and 22 runs scored, as well as three steals.
Brandon Howlett’s average has been dipping recently, but overall his numbers are still very good. It’s been great to see his power continue to improve this year. Howlett is slashing .243/.344/.453 with 13 doubles as well as career-highs in both triples (2) and home runs (13). The third baseman has also tied his career-mark for runs with 48, while setting a new one in RBI with 45. He also has two steals.
Jay Groome did not have his best start of the year this week, but it wasn’t miserable. While he did allow four runs in 5 1/3 innings, it was on just five hits. The issue was the long ball, as the lefty gave up three home runs. He did manage eight strikeouts though. On the year, Groome has a 5.15 ERA to go along with really strong numbers in WHIP (1.27) and BAA (.228). He also has 92 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings.
Dylan Spacke currently holds a 2.79 ERA on the season. In 51 2/3 innings pitched, the right-hander has a .232 BAA and a 1.14 WHIP. Spacke has struck out 64 batters compared to 15 walks. What’s impressive is that he has made 24 appearances this year, but only one start (and that was actually on Sunday). It seems like the Red Sox want to take their time with him and give him longer-type relief outings. Stretch him out and soon get him into a long-term starting role.
Chase Shugart is finding his footing again after four straight really strong starts. The right-hander has been phenomenal in August specifically. Over two starts, Shugart has a 1.54 ERA, .163 BAA, and 0.86 WHIP in 11 2/3 innings pitched. Overall on the year, he has a 5.14 ERA, .281 BAA, and 1.38 WHIP. The numbers aren’t amazing but something important to look for in prospects is progress. And he’s improved tremendously over the last few weeks.
Brandon Walter continues his dominant stretch in High-A. The right-hander gave up two earned runs over five innings, striking out eight this week. In August he has allowed just three earned runs in 16 innings, racking up 21 strikeouts. Overall in High-A Walter has a 3.97 ERA, .231 BAA, and 1.15 WHIP with 54 strikeouts in 34 innings. That’s not counting his utterly dominant numbers in Low-A this season either.
Red Sox Low-A (Salem)
Just to start off the Salem slide, Blaze Jordan still hasn’t made his debut. That’s a little disappointing, but also just building up anticipation. Jordan is an extremely exciting prospect and everyone should keep an eye out for when he gets into the games.
Nick Yorke’s hitting-streak ended at 21 straight games. However, his fantastic season is still going strong. The second baseman is slashing .310/.406/.458 with 13 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs. He has 37 RBI and 48 runs scored, as well as 11 steals. Yorke has only struck out 45 times compared to 39 walks.
Gilberto Jimenez is slashing .303/.345/.390 with 15 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. The power that people were expecting from him this year hasn’t really come, but the run production has been fantastic. Jimenez has 45 RBI, 50 runs scored, and 11 steals.
Ceddanne Rafaela is slashing .236/.303/.406 with 12 doubles, seven triples, and seven home runs. He has driven in 30 runs and scored an impressive 51. The wild stat is his 21 steals in 21 attempts. Rafaela continues to play fantastic defense no matter what position he plays as well.
Nicholas Northcut is slashing .234/.338/.449 with 22 doubles, two triples, and 11 home runs. The right-handed hitter has 51 RBI and 51 runs scored. He has shown a lot of power so far this season, which is something that we’ve been expecting from him.
Matthew Lugo has a .247 batting average. The shortstop has struggled with errors this year, but his offense has been really solid. Lugo has 13 doubles, one triple, and two home runs. Meanwhile, he has driven in 34 runs and scored 38 more – while stealing a very solid 14 bases.
Chih-Jung Liu continued his strong run of starts this week. The right-handed pitcher gave up just one run on one hit and two walks over five innings, striking out 10 batters. Liu has a 5.53 ERA, .272 BAA, and 1.37 WHIP in seven starts for Salem. Most of that is due to a lone miserable outing that saw him give up eight runs in 2/3 of an inning. Other than that, Liu has looked fantastic.
Jeremy Wu-Yelland made two starts this week. The first one was a major struggle, giving up four runs on four hits and three walks in just 1 1/3 innings pitched. However, in his second start the lefty allowed no runs on one hit and three walks while striking out five over five innings. On the year, Wu-Yelland has a 3.99 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and .200 BAA. He has 67 strikeouts over 58 2/3 innings pitched.
Devon Roedahl continues to put up just absolutely ridiculous numbers. The right-handed pitcher has thrown 45 innings this year, striking out 43 batters compared to just seven walks. Roedahl has a 1.80 ERA, .199 BAA, and 0.89 WHIP. It’s really hard to decide which of those is most impressive, but any pitcher would kill to have any of them.
Next. Travis Shaw changes first base plan. dark
Casey Cobb is still right on Roedahl’s heels when it comes to the stats. The righty has a 2.31 ERA, .204 BAA, and 0.99 WHIP. He has 55 strikeouts compared to 13 walks in 50 2/3 innings so far this year. He is 2-0 with three holds, and three saves. It is weird that he is still in Low-A honestly. Cobb is 25 and utterly dominating at the level. Why not move him up? There’s no reason to wait.