Red Sox second base prospect Jeter Downs
2021 was a down year for Jeter Downs. The middle infield prospect slashed .190/.272/.333 over 357 at-bats in Triple-A. There are a few things to remember though.
First of all, it was the first time Downs ever played at the Triple-A level. In fact, he had just 12 career games in Double-A before the season. It was also his first year in the Red Sox system, and it was after taking that year off that all minor leaguers had to deal with in 2020. So the cards were stacked against him. Oh, and the right-handed hitter spent most of the year as a 22-year-old in Triple-A. Not exactly easy.
Downs also started to swing a much better bat towards the end of the year. Then he was crushing it in the Arizona Fall League. It was almost like he needed to adjust to such a big jump after a year off and barely having any time at the level below.
Downs is still very much an elite-potential prospect. And oh, look at that! He plays a position of need for the Red Sox, second base.
Downs will have to perform though. If he’s hitting under .200 again, it’s unlikely Boston is going to be too pressed to give him the call-up. However, even if he isn’t exactly killing it, Downs should be on the shortlist.
I’ll take it a step further than that actually. If the Red Sox don’t make a big splash signing, Downs will go into Spring Training with a chance to win a roster spot. It will be an outside chance, absolutely. But it’s still a chance. That right there shows how close he could be to the Major Leagues.
That being said, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Downs hit .190 last season. Boston will want to give him some more time to mature. They saw what happened when they threw him into Triple-A before he was ready. Why run the risk in the Majors? Let him start in Triple-A and earn the promotion.
It seems insanely likely that it will happen at some point in 2022 though. So with that being said, Jeter Downs starts off this list with a “hot” rating. Not a sure thing, but he feels pretty close to it.