Red Sox prospect Jeter Down made his MLB debut at Fenway Park
The box score will show an 0-for-4 performance with three strikeouts but Boston Red Sox prospect Jeter Downs was focused on the positive aspects of a special night at Fenway Park when he made his major league debut.
With their infield depth depleted by injuries and illness, the Red Sox called up Downs from Triple-A on Monday. After a couple of day to acclimate to his new environment and learn from the big league players by watching them from the dugout, Downs finally got his turn to start for the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Downs struck out swinging on three pitches in his first career plate appearance. He saw 11 pitches, only one of which was taken for a ball, during the three at-bats that ended with a strikeout.
It’s clear that Downs was amped up for his first major league game and he was perhaps a bit overaggressive, swinging at almost everything he saw. In fairness, most of his swinging strikes were on pitches that were in the zone so he wasn’t chasing an abundance of bad pitches.
The strikeouts aren’t exactly uncharacteristic for a player who was hitting .180 with a 31.1% strikeout rate at Triple-A.
Downs has some pop in his bat, smashing 11 home runs for Worcester this year. He came close to his first major league hit in the sixth inning. The only ball that Downs put in play during this game traveled 323 feet to Fenway’s shallow left field with an 87.6 mph exit velocity, per Baseball Savant. It went down as a fly out but he made solid contact. On a night with the breeze blowing out more, maybe that ball scrapes the wall.
Ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Red Sox farm system by MLB Pipeline, Downs was a key piece in the package acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade. Fans are eager to see Downs produce in order to help provide some semblance of justification for trading away a superstar.
The Fenway Faithful showed their support for Downs when a “Let’s Go, Jeter!” chant broke out during his final at-bat in the eighth inning. He ended up striking out, but certainly appreciated the support, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
"“I’ve never had something like that happen before,” Downs said. “That was definitely surreal to have the whole Fenway chanting my name, chanting for a Jeter. It was super cool.”"
It was a surreal moment to hear Red Sox fans cheering for a guy named Jeter. Red Sox fans always respected Derek Jeter but would never root for a player who was the face of the franchise for their most bitter rival for two decades.
Downs, who is named after the Yankees legend, was congratulated on his promotion to the big leagues in a Tweet from Jeter wishing him luck.
Had the chance to meet @jeter2downs a few years ago (he wasn’t with the Red Sox then). Congratulations and good luck… unless you are playing the Yankees.
— Derek Jeter (@derekjeter) June 22, 2022
The results weren’t what we were hoping for but there are positives with Downs gaining the experience at this level that contributes to his growth as a prospect.
Downs also deserves credit for filling in at third base, a position he hasn’t played in his professional career. He handled everything that was hit his way. The additional versatility will go a long way toward opening paths for more playing time, especially since the top of the Red Sox farm system is stacked with infield talent.
The Red Sox aren’t expected to keep Downs around for much longer. He could be optioned back to Worcester as soon as Friday if Christian Arroyo is ready to be activated. Even if his cup of coffee in the big leagues resulted in only one appearance, it’s still an unforgettable experience for the young prospect.
Downs hasn’t found much success since arriving in the Red Sox system but we have to remember that he’s only 23 years old. He barely had a taste of Double-A in 2019 while he was still in the Dodgers organization, sat out during the cancelled 2020 MiLB season, then jumped straight to Triple-A. It’s an overwhelming learning curve that Downs is still adapting to.
The five-tool talent is still evident and he’s flashed his potential in Triple-A. Downs still has plenty to work on in the minor leagues before he can solidify a permanent spot on a major league roster but he can still have a bright future.