Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: A lot of changes as season nears end
Changes come in the Red Sox Prospect Watch as season nears the end
The Boston Red Sox are still doing that really annoying thing where they can’t seem to get those much needed wins and they are keeping the Wild Card race much closer than it needs to be.
However, there are plenty of positives. Boston is still in line for a postseason spot. Meanwhile, they are getting really solid contributions from a lot of young players. At the same time, there are a lot of prospects in the minors that seem prepared for a new challenge. With all that in mind, it’s going to be a busy end of the season as the MiLB year winds down.
There was another big debut for the Red Sox this week. In fact, it was another pitching prospect that got the call. This time around, it was Connor Seabold. The right-handed pitcher made his first-career start, so how did it go? Seabold gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over three innings, nothing wild but he got his feet wet. It’s great to see him get a chance and hopefully he can build on that in the future.
Garrett Whitlock is 8-4 with 12 holds and two saves. In 70 1/3 innings pitched he has 78 strikeouts compared to 16 walks. He boasts a 1.92 ERA, .238 BAA, and 1.12 WHIP. Whitlock has been absolutely phenomenal all year. Being a reliever it won’t happen, but he deserves some love when the Rookie of the Year is announced. Whitlock leads the team in ERA and is fourth in wins. He has the most innings pitched out of the bullpen as well.
Tanner Houck now has 53 1/3 innings pitched this year. He still doesn’t have a win but has that one save despite 11 of his 13 appearances being starts. Houck has 63 strikeouts compared to 15 walks. He holds a 3.54 ERA, .243 BAA, and a 1.20 WHIP. Things can get rocky every once in a while but it’s pretty clear that Houck’s stuff is dominant and he could be a dangerous pitcher.
Bobby Dalbec now has a .241/.297/.483 slash line on the season. He’s mashed 18 doubles, five triples, and 21 home runs. Dalbec has driven in 71 runs and scored 44 more, stealing one base. His 71 RBI are fourth on the team. It’s actually a really impressive overall rookie campaign, just imagine if he put it all together a little sooner – he’d be a legitimate ROY candidate.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Durbin Feltman needs to be in the bullpen next year. He’s proven he’s ready. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings in Triple-A this season. Feltman has a .189 BAA and 0.90 WHIP to go along with that. Meanwhile, he’s struck out 21 batters and only walked four. He boasts a 2-0 record, with three holds and one save. Get him to Boston.
Zack Kelly has spent time in Double-A and Triple-A this season. In that time, the right-hander has risen his stock astronomically. Between the two levels, Kelly has a 2.33 ERA, .216 BAA, and 1.22 WHIP. He has 58 strikeouts compared to 17 walks in 38 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Kelly has a 4-1 record with eight holds and six saves.
Connor Wong is slashing .247/.280/.402 in Triple-A with 12 doubles and five home runs in just 174 at-bats. The catcher has 22 RBI, 16 runs scored, and six steals. He’s even impressed in a short stretch in the Majors, with a 4-for-13 with a double, a triple, a walk, one RBI, and three runs scored. The only reason Wong isn’t in the Majors right now is likely that the Red Sox want him to get as many reps as possible. So wait until the Triple-A season is over to bring him back to Boston.
Jeter Downs showed some signs of life this week, so that’s a positive. The second baseman is now slashing .176/.260/.304 with eight doubles and 11 home runs. He has 31 RBI and 35 runs scored. Meanwhile, he’s stolen 17 bases in 20 attempts. That’s a big positive as Downs has shown that even with trouble getting on-base, he can still impact the game a little bit. He’ll be fine.
Josh Ockimey is slashing .230/.363/.430 with nine doubles and 15 home runs. The first baseman has driven in 42 runs and scored 34 more. Ockimey has a strong eye and has the ability to draw a lot of walks. He also has plenty of power and has brought up his average nicely after a bad couple of months to start the season. That eye and power combo will serve him well in the future.
Johan Mieses has a .234/.322/.496 slash line on the season. He’s struggled in Triple-A, especially since returning from the Olympics. However, the overall numbers are still solid. The outfielder has 10 doubles, one triple, and 18 home runs. He’s driven in 46 runs and scored 43 more, while stealing two bases. Hard to complain about that production for the most part.
Jeremy Rivera is producing very nicely in Triple-A. The utility-man has a .271/.356/.372 slash line with Worcester so far. In 41 games the switch-hitter has seven doubles and two home runs. He’s driven in 12 runs and scored 23 more, stealing three bases. His ability to play any outfield position as well as third base, second base, and shortstop makes Rivera rather valuable and underrated.
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Triston Casas is your favorite prospect’s favorite prospect. The 21-year-old is slashing .286/.393/.484 in 71 games. He’s hit 10 doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs. Casas has 48 RBI, 51 runs scored, and six steals. The left-handed hitter has done all of this while also dominating in the Olympics during the middle of the season. Elite.
Ronaldo Hernandez is slashing .278/.320/.494 with 26 doubles and 14 home runs. This season’s getting kind of ridiculous. I’ve talked about it a bunch but just go back and look at his numbers just a few months ago. The catcher turned it around MASSIVELY. Hernandez has 44 RBI and 41 runs scored as well. Overall, one of his best years.
Kole Cottam mashed a home run on Sunday and reached 10 home runs for the first time. The catcher has a .273/.367/.500 slash line between High-A and Double-A. Cottam has 18 doubles, one triple, and 10 home runs. He’s scored 30 runs and driven in 33 more. Most importantly, he seems to be catching a whole lot of great games.
Hudson Potts had a strong week and continues to boost his numbers pretty quickly. The third baseman is up to a .220/.268/.392 slash line with 17 doubles and nine home runs. He’s driven in 43 runs and scored 30 more. That’s really solid run production for the slash line, especially in just 255 at-bats.
Ryan Fitzgerald’s power year continues. The shortstop is slashing .269/.353/.509 between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s absolutely MASHED with three triples to go along with career-highs in doubles (30) and home runs (15). Fitz has 52 RBI and 51 runs scored, as well as four steals.
Devlin Granberg’s played in both High-A and Double-A this season. In that time, the outfielder is working with a .287/.349/.497 with 21 doubles, two triples, and 15 home runs. He’s driven in 68 runs and scored 64 more, even stealing five bases.
Tyreque Reed had a good week and bumped up his numbers a little bit. Between High-A and Double-A, Reed is slashing .276/.382/.502 with 15 doubles, one triple, and 17 home runs. The right-handed hitter has tied his career-highs in both runs (57) and RBI (67), as well as steals (4). Overall, this will end up being his best season so far.
Cameron Cannon is picking it up. The shortstop is now up to a .285/.331/.445 slash line with 29 doubles and 11 home runs between High-A and Double-A. Cannon has solid run production with 49 runs driven in and 58 more runs scored. He’s stolen nine bases as well.
Jay Groome got called up to Double-A last week and has done nothing but dominate since then. The left-handed pitcher made one start this week and went six innings, giving up no runs on just two hits and one walk, striking out nine. Groome now has zero runs on four hits and one walk in 11 Double-A innings, striking out a ridiculous 19 batters. One of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Fight me.
Speaking of one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Chris Murphy was lights-out this week. The left-handed pitcher gave up no runs on two hits in six innings. He walked no one and struck out 11 batters (tied for a career-high). Murph is down to a 3.86 ERA, .212 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP in 32 2/3 innings in Double-A. He’s struck out 128 batters in 101 total innings this season.
Rio Gomez continued his scoreless streak this week with another shutout inning. The left-handed reliever is now up to 23 straight scoreless innings since the start of July. This has helped Gomez get down to a 3.38 ERA, .243 BAA, and 1.23 WHIP in Double-A. He’s struck out 49 batters in 37 1/3 innings pitched.
Joan Martinez threw one inning this week, giving up no runs and picking up his fourth save of the season. Martinez now has a 2.62 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and insane .189 BAA. He’s walked 19 batters in 34 1/3 innings but has just five in 19 innings since the start of July. Martinez has also racked up 47 strikeouts and has yet to blow a save.
Frank German continues his dominance since turning into a reliever. In fact, he picked up a save in each of his last two outings. In three outings since moving to the bullpen, German has allowed no runs on one hit in three innings. He’s struck out five batters in that time. The righty is down to a 5.25 ERA, .290 BAA, and 1.55 WHIP in 82 1/3 innings pitched this season.
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Nick Yorke has been unstoppable in High-A. Overall between Low-A and High-A on the year, the second baseman is slashing .332/.420/.528 with 18 doubles, five triples, and 14 home runs. He’s driven in 61 runs and scored 74 more, stealing 13 bases. That’s just ridiculous run production. Another amazing stat? 51 walks compared to 62 strikeouts. He’s 19.
Tyler Dearden is having a star-making year. Showing amazing power. The outfielder is slashing .267/.374/.542 with 19 doubles and 24 home runs. He hit five of those homers this week. Dearden’s driven in 79 runs and scored 70 more, stealing one base.
Brandon Howlett had four straight multi-hit games this week. That helped a lot. The third baseman is now slashing .258/.351/.476 with 19 doubles, three triples, and 17 home runs. He’s driven in 56 runs and scored 62 more, stealing two bases. Everything I just told you outside of the doubles are career-highs.
Stephen Scott is slashing .291/.402/.525 between Low-A and High-A. The outfielder has shown tons of power with 29 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs. He’s scored 72 runs and driven in 71 more, stealing three bases. Scott wasn’t the highest-regarded prospect entering the season but he’s done a lot for his stock this year.
Christian Koss holds a .279/.331/.465 slash line this season. He’s tied a career-high with 10 steals as well. Other than that, all Koss has done is set new career-marks in everything else. He has 17 doubles, seven triples, and 11 home runs. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 53 runs and scored 64 more. Offensive juggernaut, and a solid defender at shortstop too.
Joe Davis holds a .305/.353/.524 slash line between Low-A and High-A. The first baseman has an impressive 21 doubles and 19 home runs in that time. Davis has driven in 76 runs and scored 55 more. A heavy hitter, Davis is going to get you some extra-base hits.
Elih Marrero is slashing .303/.395/.418 with 14 doubles, one triple, and one home run. The catcher’s season is only getting more-and-more impressive as he starts to get serious reps. Up to 165 at-bats, Marrero isn’t working with all that small of a sample size anymore. He’s driven in 22 runs, scored 32 more, and stolen 14 bases.
Jaxx Groshans is dominating offensively from the catcher position as well. Groshans is slashing .288/.383/.460 with 13 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs between Low-A and High-A. He’s driven in 34 runs, scored 38 more, and stolen one base.
Jeremy Wu-Yelland now has eight innings pitched in High-A and 75 innings overall. The left-handed pitcher holds a 3.72 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and .196 BAA in those 75 innings so far. He’s walked 42 batters, which is a bit of an issue – but has 90 strikeouts as well.
Casey Cobb has thrown 16 innings in five appearances in High-A. In that time, the righty has a 1.69 ERA, .193 BAA, and 0.88 WHIP. Cobb has struck out 21 batters compared to just three walks. Overall between two levels he’s been completely untouchable. Could we see him start the year in Double-A next season?
Chase Shugart had a phenomenal week. Overall, the numbers aren’t amazing (4.84 ERA, .296 BAA, and 1.41 WHIP). Like I’ve said though, it’s all about showing growth. Shugart did that this week. In two starts he allowed just one run on 12 hits in 10 innings. Shugart walked just one batter in that time, while striking out nine.
Brandon Walter’s September has been fantastic. The right-hander has allowed no earned runs on four hits and three in 10 innings (two starts). He’s also struck out eight in that time. Overall between Low-A and High-A, Walter now has a 2.99 ERA, .204 BAA, and 1.01 WHIP. He’s struck out 124 batters compared to 20 walks in 84 1/3 innings pitched.
Red Sox Low-A (Salem)
Tyler McDonough is slashing .310/.408/.464 in 21 games for Salem. The utility-man has three doubles, two triples, and two home runs in that time. Meanwhile, the switch-hitter has 12 runs driven in and 18 more runs scored. He’s even stolen three bases. A great start to his career.
Let’s stick with the Tyler’s, as Tyler Miller is slashing .400/.438/.867 in three games in Low-A. The third baseman has already hit two doubles, one triple, and one home run in those three games. He’s driven in three runs and scored five more, stealing one base.
Gilberto Jimenez continues his strong season, as he hit a home run this week. The outfielder is slashing .306/.346/.405 with 16 doubles, six triples, and three home runs so far. His run production has been elite too, with 56 RBI and 64 runs scored. The switch-hitter has 13 steals as well, showing off some of his phenomenal speed.
Nick Northcut is on a tear right now. The third baseman is now up to a .249/.346/.492 slash line with a fantastic 29 doubles, two triples, and 15 home runs. He’s driven in 70 runs and scored 64 more runs in 90 games. Northcut’s shown power all year, and now he’s starting to get that average up nicely.
Ceddanne Rafaela is elite defensively at multiple difference positions. He’s also incredibly fast with 21 steals. Those are two things we talk about a lot. The whole package is there though. Rafaela is slashing .249/.304/.431 with 19 doubles, nine triples, and 10 home runs. Meanwhile, he’s driven in 49 runs and scored 68 more. That’s a season.
Matthew Lugo is now slashing .271/.339/.359 with 20 doubles, three triples, and three home runs. The shortstop has driven in 48 runs and scored 57 more, stealing 15 bases. Those are fantastic offensive numbers and he’s really brought that average up nicely. There’s a lot to love about his game, and Lugo showing this much growth mid-season at just 20 speaks volumes.
Nick Decker’s strong campaign continues. The outfielder has a .273/.376/.458 slash line with 16 doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. He’s scored 50 runs and has 36 RBI, stealing three bases. Most impressively, Decker’s done that in just 227 at-bats.
Wilkelman Gonzalez is insane. The 19-year-old pitcher is now up to three starts in Low-A. In that time, he has thrown 13 2/3 innings pitched. The right-handed pitcher has a 0.66 ERA, .208 BAA, and 1.10 WHIP so far. Gonzalez has struck out 13 batters and has looked really strong and very mature in a short amount of time.
Chih-Jung Liu once again went out and did his thing. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on three hits and one walk (compared to four strikeouts) in five innings. He’s now down to a 4.50 ERA, .263 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP in Low-A. Liu has 48 strikeouts compared to 15 walks in 46 innings for Salem.
Jacob Webb has now thrown six innings for Salem. In that time, the right-handed pitcher has allowed zero runs on just two hits and four walks, while striking out six batters. That comes out to a 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and .100 BAA. Webb was drafted in the 14th-round in 2021 and is already looking really good.
Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi is finally having his career year. dark. Next
Wyatt Olds has a .313 BAA and a 1.75 WHIP. However, his other numbers haven’t suffered due to that. In eight innings, Olds has two holds and a 2.25 ERA. Oh, and he’s made a lot of batters look stupid with 16 strikeouts already. For those that don’t want to do the quick math, that’s an 18 K/9. Wild.