Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Who is stepping up?
By Hunter Noll
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.