Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: End of another minor league season

Red Sox Low-A (Salem)

Ceddanne Rafaela had himself a damn year. All season long I’ve bragged about his defense. The 20-year-old plays so many positions, and he plays them all at an elite level. Well he was named the Red Sox MiLB defensive player of the year. Meanwhile, Rafaela slashed .251/.305/.424 with 20 doubles, nine triples, and 10 home runs. He drove in 53 runs, scored 73 more, and stole 23 bases.

Gilberto Jimenez slashed .306/.346/.405 with 16 doubles, six triples, and three home runs. The outfielder didn’t show off as much power as people were expecting after bulking up in the offseason. However, he had a phenomenal season. The run production was great, driving in 56 runs and scoring 64 more – stealing 13 bases.

Tyler McDonough has been fantastic since getting drafted. The switch-hitting utility-man slashed .296/.397/.491 with four doubles, four triples, and three home runs in Low-A. He picked up 14 RBI and scored 23 runs, stealing three bases. Great start to his career.

Speaking of starts to a career, Tyler Miller was dominant. The third baseman slashed .359/.419/.615 with two doubles, one triple, and two home runs in nine games. Miller drove in eight runs and scored nine more, stealing one base. The left-handed hitter has already built a good (albeit short) resume in the minors.

Nicholas Northcut had an underrated but fantastic season. The right-handed hitter got really hot to end the year, and rose his average nicely. He finished with a .261/.352/.513 slash line. Meanwhile Northcut hit career-highs in doubles (32), triples (2), and home runs (17). He also set new marks in RBI (77) and runs (68). Great season and it’s wild to me that he didn’t get more attention.

Nick Decker slashed .276/.377/.452 with 18 doubles, one triple, and eight home runs in just 68 games (250 at-bats) for Low-A. The left-handed hitting outfielder drove in 39 runs and scored 55 more, stealing four bases. Decker was a consistent bat and put together a really solid season, showing a good bat with solid power.

Matthew Lugo ended up having a great season at the plate. The shortstop struggled defensively but managed to slash .270/.338/.364 with 21 doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He’s driven in 50 runs and scored 61 more, stealing 15 bases.

Wilkelman Gonzalez made four starts in Low-A. The 19-year-old righty threw 17 2/3 innings pitched. In that time, he posted a 1.53 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and .206 BAA. Gonzalez struck out 20 batters in that time. He’s seen as a raw prospect, so the fact that he’s able to put up those numbers this early on is pretty wild.

Chih-Jung Liu had another great start this week. The right-handed pitcher went 4 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and four walks, striking out six. Liu finished the year with a 4.29 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and .257 BAA. He struck out 54 batters in 50 1/3 innings pitched. Liu had one or two blowup starts, but was untouchable most of the year.

Jacob Webb was a 14th-round pick this year. The right-handed pitcher posted a 0.90 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and .143 BAA in 10 innings for Salem. In those 10 innings, Webb walked six batters – a little bit of an issue. However, he only gave up five hits and had 12 strikeouts.

Wyatt Olds was also a 2021 draft pick, being selected in the seventh round. The right-handed pitcher posted a 2.45 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and .268 BAA in 11 innings in Low-A. Olds had two holds and struck out 20 batters in that time.

Joey Stock threw 13 innings in Low-A this season. The right-handed pitcher posted a 2.08 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and .235 BAA in that time. Stock did win a game, and managed to strikeout a solid 15 batters in that time.