Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Brayan Bello tossed a no-no last week. So what did he do for an encore this week? Twirled another gem. This time, the right-handed hitter threw six shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and one walk in that time, striking out five. Bello has a 1.60 ERA, .138 BAA, and 0.83 WHIP in 33 2/3 innings on the year. He’s struck out 42 batters compared to just 12 walks. It’s just not fair when he’s on the mound right now.
Chris Murphy isn’t getting talked about because of Bello. And that’s criminal. The left-handed pitcher is barely behind him in every stat. Murphy has a 1.97 ERA, .152 BAA, and 0.97 WHIP in 32 innings this year. He’s struck out 41 batters in that time, walking 14. Murph has limited the home runs (just two so far), and that’s helped him dominate early on.
Brandon Walter made two starts this week and things didn’t go great for the lefty. Walter allowed 11 earned runs in 7 combined innings. All of his numbers sky-rocketed due to this week. That speaks volumes to just how dominant he’s been. Walter still has a 3.50 ERA, .218 BAA, and 0.94 WHIP in 36 innings. He’s struck out 49 batters compared to just three walks.
Jay Groome had a strong start this week, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up two runs on two hits while striking out seven (one walk). The lefty has a 4.26 ERA, .206 BAA, and 1.18 WHIP on the year. In 25 1/3 innings, he struck out 28 batters.
Chase Shugart has made three appearances in May. The right-handed reliever has tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings in that time. Shugart is down to a 2.25 ERA, .193 BAA, 1.06 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 16 innings. It’s still early but it looks like the move to the bullpen this season has done wonders for him.
Andrew Politi might be in Triple-A by the time you read this. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.03 ERA, .152 BAA, and 0.75 WHIP in 13 1/3 innings. Politi is 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has 20 strikeouts compared to just three walks.
Christian Koss is riding a six-game hitting-streak and has hits in nine-out-of-the-last-ten games. The right-handed hitter has a .279/.308/.405 slash line with three doubles, one triple, and three home runs. Koss has 19 RBI, 13 runs scored, and three steals.
David Hamilton has been insanely impressive. The second baseman was seen as mainly a speed guy. However, he’s proven to be able to do it all. The left-handed hitter has a .287/.381/.481 slash line with three doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He’s driven in 17 runs and scored 17 more, stealing 17 bases.
Devlin Granberg has a .333/.465/.494 slash line with six doubles, two triples, and one home run. The right-handed hitter has six RBI and 14 runs scored, stealing four bases. The home runs haven’t come yet like they did last year, but everything else has been phenomenal. It’s hard to see Granberg in Double-A for much longer.
Kole Cottam is slashing .289/.393/.421 with seven doubles and one home run. The right-handed hitter has driven in seven runs and scored 11 more. Cottam has been incredibly consistent in his career. He’s gotten so much better defensively too. In fact, Cottam might be leaping frogging his way all the way up to the number one spot when it comes to catching prospects in the Red Sox organization.
Nick Sogard has been on a tear lately. And suddenly the switch-hitter is putting up big numbers between Double-A and Triple-A. Sogard has a .292/.376/.360 slash line with three doubles and one home run between the two levels. He’s driven in nine runs and scored 16 more, stealing two bases.