Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Who is stepping up?
Who is stepping up in this week’s Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch?
We’ve got some action when it comes to the Major League squad in the Boston Red Sox prospect watch this week. That’s something new.
Boston has been much better as of late. The trio of Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, and Xander Bogaerts has been unstoppable. Trevor Story is turning things around. Christian Vazquez is suddenly hitting over .300. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been really solid, and Franchy Cordero has taken advantage of his second chance.
That’s not it though. We actually got to see a prospect get the call up to the Majors. The Red Sox had a double-header on Saturday. And in game two, Josh Winckowski made his Major League debuting, getting the start.
The right-handed pitcher struggled. He gave up four runs on six hits and three walks (striking out three), in three innings. This isn’t the end for the pitcher though. I know a lot of people love to overreact to a couple outings (or in this case just one). And it’s even worse when it’s a situation like this.
Winckowski is back in the minors now, so he doesn’t have a chance at redemption for a little bit. And people get to stew on that bad outing.
But Winckowski really isn’t that type of pitcher. Yes, he’s not going to strike out a ton of batters. He’s also not going to walk many batters either though. So that was certainly an anomaly. Weak-hit balls and staying in the strike zone. That’s his usual game.
Don’t let a single bad appearance turn you sour against Winckowski. He deserves a lot more than that. Now the question is, which prospect is next to get their chance?
Meanwhile in the minors, we have quite a few big time prospects out. Some missed a few games this week. While others (like Triston Casas and Marcelo Mayer) didn’t play at all. So who stepped up in their absence?
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Brayan Bello is having zero issues adjusting to Triple-A. The right-handed pitcher has made three starts, and he’s already 3-0. Bello has a 3.18 ERA, .219 BAA, 1.29 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in just 17 innings pitched. The expectations were very high after the promotion and somehow he’s exceeding all of them.
Frank German has also been promoted to Triple-A and hasn’t had any issues. German has made three appearances so far. In that time he has allowed just one hit and zero runs in three innings. The right-handed pitcher has walked three batters but has four strikeouts as well. He’s been a revelation since transitioning into a reliever. The Red Sox might have a bullpen star on their hands.
Andrew Politi is the third of those promotions. I’ll give you one guess how that’s gone for him. The right-handed pitcher has allowed just one run on three hits in four innings over four appearances. He’s struck out six batters and walked two in that time.
Eduard Bazardo continues to impress. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.16 ERA, .270 BAA, and 1.32 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings pitched this season. He’s struck out 17 batters compared to five walks, and has yet to give up a home run.
Zack Kelly made two great appearances out of the bullpen this week. The right-handed pitcher now has a 3.44 ERA, .209 BAA, and 1.42 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings. He’s walked 12 batters so far, but that’s not really an area of concern. Most walks came in two/three of the outings. And that’s never been an issue for Kelly in the past. He’s also racked up 24 strikeouts to keep himself out of too much trouble.
Ronaldo Hernandez has flipped a switch. Coming into May 21, the catcher had a .119 average on the year. He’s on a six-game hitting streak since then. This isn’t some normal hitting streak though. The right-handed hitter is 14-for-24 in that time. He’s now slashing .222/.257/.370 with seven doubles and three home runs. Hernandez has driven in 15 runs and scored 13 more. He needs to work on his eye, but these last few days have been insanely encouraging.
Ryan Fitzgerald is slashing .290/.348/.568 with nine doubles, four triples, and 10 home runs. The left-handed hitter has driven in a ridiculous 39 runs, and scored 21 more, stealing one base. He’s been a fantastic power bat from the left side and it’s going to be interesting to see when he gets a shot in the Majors.
Jarren Duran is slashing .305/.384/.525 with 11 doubles, four triples, and four home runs. He’s driven in 20 runs and scored 27 more, stealing 10 bases. Even though the homers are down this year, it’s been a major positive. His slugging percentage is up because he already has as many doubles and more triples than he had last season. The left-handed hitter has looked locked in for most of this season.
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
What a month of May for Pedro Castellanos. After a dreadful April, Castellanos did everything right to get back on track. The right-handed hitter is slashing .329/.348/.612 in May. And now on the year he’s up to .234/.267/.435 with eight doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He’s scored 13 runs and leads the team with 33 RBI.
Devlin Granberg is slashing .317/.438/.500 with 11 doubles, four triples, and one home run. He’s driven in 10 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen four bases. The home runs and RBI haven’t really showed up yet this year. He was great in both categories last season though. And the right-handed hitter’s average and OBP are insanely promising.
Christian Koss is such a great all-around offensive threat. The right-handed hitter has been pretty consistently great all year. He’s slashing .299/.333/.449 with four doubles, three triples, and four home runs. The run production has been great too, with 25 RBI and 18 runs scored to go along with six steals.
Nick Sogard has spent most of his time in Double-A this year (with a little stint in Triple-A). The middle infielder has really impressed in both. Sogard’s slashing .290/.380/.371 with four doubles and two home runs between the two levels. The switch-hitter has driven in 12 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen five bases.
David Hamilton’s production has slowed down a bit, but there’s still a lot to love. Oh, and he’s still got just stupid speed. The left-handed hitter is slashing .242/.317/.409 with three doubles, five triples, and four home runs. He’s driven in 19 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen 20 bases. In 38 games he has 20 steals.
Kole Cottam is slashing .265/.353/.382 with nine doubles and one home run. The right-handed hitting catcher has driven in seven runs, and scored 14 more. He just has one homer, but it really feels like he should have a lot more. Some of the harder hit balls I’ve seen this year have been absolute ropes by Cottam that just so happen to hit the “Maine Monster”. Yes, there’s a Monster in Fenway too, but the point here is more to let you know the lack of homers isn’t an issue – he’s still hitting the ball hard.
Chris Murphy has now tossed 47 1/3 innings this season. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.47 ERA, .176 BAA, and 1.08 WHIP in that time. He’s also struck out 55 batters compared to 21 walks, while limiting the home runs to just three. It really feels like he shouldn’t be in Double-A for much longer.
Brandon Walter is in the same boat as Murphy. I really don’t see how they can justify keeping either in Double-A much longer. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.88 ERA,.191 BAA, and 0.78 WHIP in 50 innings this year. He’s struck out 68 batters and only walked three. Seriously.
Jay Groome is the perfect example of “numbers don’t tell the whole picture”. The left-handed pitcher had a sub-3.00 ERA heading into his start on Sunday. However, he gave up eight runs in two innings, and suddenly has a 4.58 ERA. One bad start doesn’t mean the rest of the year has been bad though. Groome has a .245 BAA, 1.32 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings pitched.
Jake Thompson has been electric since he got healthy. The righty’s year didn’t start until May 6. He’s already tossed 11 1/3 innings since then. And Thompson has a 1.59 ERA, .175 BAA, 1.06 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts in that time.
Jacob Wallace has been untouchable in May. He exited April with a 6.75 ERA, but hasn’t given up an earned run in 9 2/3 innings this month. The right-handed pitcher now has a 3.06 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, .194 BAA, and 23 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings pitched.
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Ceddanne Rafaela hasn’t played since May 25. They haven’t announced anything though so hopefully it’s nothing. The right-handed hitter is riding a five-game hitting-streak and slashing .316/.357/.573 with 13 doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. He’s driven in 30 runs, scored 35 more, and stolen 11 bases in just 39 games.
Gilberto Jimenez had some big games this week. Two three-hit games to be exact. The switch-hitter is now slashing .273/.320/.448 with eight doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He’s driven in 20 runs, scored 23 more, and stolen eight bases. Jimenez also cut back on the strikeouts this week, which is great to see.
Nick Yorke hasn’t played since May 26. Again, hopefully nothing serious. The right-handed hitter is slashing .245/.319/.361 with five doubles and four home runs. He’s driven in 18 runs and scored 25 more, stealing five bases.
Matthew Lugo had a cool week but he’s still putting up great numbers overall. The right-handed hitter has a .301/.360/.532 with 11 doubles, five triples, and five home runs. He has 29 RBI and 24 runs scored, to go along with six steals.
Alex Binelas has a .254/.392/.493 slash line with three doubles and 10 home runs. The left-handed hitter has driven in 31 runs and scored 30 more, stealing six bases. Binelas has a great eye to, already drawing an impressive 33 walks.
Tyler McDonough has done a little bit of everything so far this year. He’s slashing .236/.333/.412 with seven doubles, two triples, and six home runs. The switch-hitter has 23 runs batted in and 30 runs scored, to go along with 10 steals. He’s struck out a bit too much this year (54), but has drawn 20 walks as well – showing a great eye.
Nicholas Northcut slumped this week. The third baseman has been winning over a lot of fans with his ridiculous power. But he’s in a pretty steep 0-for right now, and suddenly has a .227/.280/.560 slash line. The five doubles and specifically 15 home runs are still ridiculous. He’s also driven in 33 runs and scored 20 more. A lot of strikeouts (61) and few walks (8) have led to problems. The insane power is there though and if he can start to draw a few more walks, Northcut could really be a menace.
Ryan Zeferjahn has been criminally underrated this year. The right-handed pitcher already has 23 innings out of the bullpen. He’s posted a 3.13 ERA, .214 BAA, and 1.26 WHIP in that time. Zeferjahn has 11 walks on the season, but has been mowing them down too – racking up 28 strikeouts.
Brian Van Belle’s numbers on the year aren’t great. But he’s been fantastic lately. The right-handed pitcher has allowed just three earned runs over 17 innings in his last three games. Van Belle has lowered the stats a bit in that time. He now has a 6.34 ERA, .343 BAA, and 1.63 WHIP in 49 2/3 innings. Obviously a lot of work still needs to be done, but it’s been promisingly lately. Another promising stat is the 45 strikeouts compared to just seven walks.
Shane Drohan with a phenomenal start this week, giving up just two hits and two walks while striking out six in five shutout innings. The left-handed pitcher is down to a 4.81 ERA, .246 BAA, and 1.35 WHIP this season. He has 50 strikeouts compared to 17 walks in 43 innings pitched.
Red Sox Low-A (Salem)
Nathan Hickey is trying to prove he’s one of the top catching prospects. That bat is deadly. The left-handed hitter is slashing .271/.452/.482 with six doubles and four home runs. He’s driven in 20 runs and scored 18 more. Most impressively, Hickey has 28 walks compared to 24 strikeouts.
Niko Kavadas is slashing .244/.423/.449 with 12 doubles, one triple, and four home runs. The left-handed hitter has driven in 22 runs and scored 17 more, stealing one base. Kavadas has plenty of power and incredible patience at the plate. He’s struck out 49 times but has 34 walks as well.
Blaze Jordan is slashing .250/.295/.384 with 13 doubles and three home runs. The right-handed hitter has driven in 22 runs, scored 24 more, and stolen one base. Jordan has really looked great the last month. And that power is starting to show up too, with the doubles coming in bunches. Wait until those home runs really start up too.
Eddinson Paulino continues to have that strange year. His .243/.323/.416 slash line seems a little unassuming. However, the left-handed hitter has done a lot. He’s hit 14 doubles, five triples, and two home runs. The run production is there too, with 19 RBI and 32 runs scored – going along with four steals. He plays a lot of positions, which gives the team plenty of flexibility.
Brainer Bonaci is currently rocking a six-game hitting-streak. The switch-hitter is now slashing .268/.391/.325 with three doubles and two triples. He’s driven in 14 runs and scored 24 more, stealing five bases. Bonaci has had no power, but the 25 walks compared to 29 strikeouts has been encouraging.
Tyler Miller is really starting to flash the home run power. The left-handed hitter is now slashing .223/.306/.417 with four doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He’s driven in 20 runs, scored 21 more, and stolen three bases. Miller’s hit four home runs since May 21, and his average has sky-rocketed at the same time.
Maceo Campbell has been lights-out. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.21 ERA, .176 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP in 20 1/3 innings pitched. He’s had a little bit of an issue with walks (14), but the 23 strikeouts he’s racked up have kept him out of trouble.
Jacob Webb holds a 2.75 ERA, .220 BAA, and 1.73 WHIP in 19 2/3 innings pitched. The right-handed pitcher is really struggling with walks (17). However his absolutely absurd 35 strikeouts are the real story here.
Wikelman Gonzalez has a 3.86 ERA, .230 BAA, and 1.44 WHIP over 32 2/3 innings pitched. The right-handed pitcher has 42 strikeouts compared to 19 walks in that time. He’s had some ups-and-downs this season but it’s important to remember he’s just 20 and has absolutely exceeded expectations for someone his age with his experience.
Joey Stock is down to a 3.10 ERA this season. The right-handed pitcher also has a .220 BAA and 1.21 WHIP with a 1-1 record, one hold, and two saves. In 29 innings pitched, he’s struck out 35 batters compared to 11 walks.
Next. Winckowski’s debut didn’t quite go according to plan. dark