Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Promotions galore
This week’s Red Sox Prospect Watch is headlined by a few promotions
Not only have the Boston Red Sox been extremely hot lately, but they’re getting massive contributions from some prospects during this run.
Jarren Duran has been getting some more steady playing time in the Majors and has made the most of it. The left-handed hitting outfielder has had a few big games and now holds a .327/.386/.500 slash line with five doubles and two triples. Duran’s driven in three runs and scored nine more. He’s already second on the team with four steals.
Josh Winckowski continues churning out great starts. The right-handed pitcher is now 3-1 in his four career starts, having won his last three. Over 20 innings pitched, Wink has a 3.60 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and .295 BAA with 13 strikeouts compared to six walks. While the numbers aren’t exactly great, he’s kept runs off the board and given the Red Sox innings.
Meanwhile, we saw a wild week in the minor leagues. A lot was going on, but nothing created more headlines than the insane amount of movement.
We’ve reached the midpoint of the MiLB season. And with it came a flurry of promotions. This wasn’t just one or two though. There were promotions all throughout the minor leagues. We’re talking from Low-A to High-A, High-A to Double-A, and Double-A to Triple-A.
What’s really crazy is that might not be the end of it. There are plenty of players outperforming their level. And the Red Sox might be forced to promote a few more prospects in the coming weeks if they continue their fantastic play.
For now though, we need to focus on what’s happening now. So let’s take a look at who got those promotions, and who’s fighting for one.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Brayan Bello really seems like he could go to the Majors tomorrow and immediately be a great starter. That’s a bad idea though. Give him time to work in Triple-A before making the leap. No reason to rush him right now. The right-handed pitcher has a 3.13 ERA, .219 BAA, and 1.20 WHIP in 46 Triple-A innings. He’s struck out 64 batters in that time and has 106 strikeouts total in 79 2/3 innings this season.
Connor Seabold will be in the Majors when you read this. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.09 ERA, .197 BAA, 0.99 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings this year. Seabold would likely have been called-up much earlier if it was for an injury halting his season for a bit. When he returned, it made sense for the Red Sox to let him ramp back up in Triple-A and wait until they need him.
Frank German is a bullpen star. I know I talk about this all the time but the career-renaissance that he’s received from the move to a reliever is insane. The righty has a 3.22 ERA, .169 BAA, 0.99 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
Zack Kelly has done nothing but produce since joining the Red Sox organization last season. This year the righty has a 3.29 ERA, .198 BAA, and 1.28 WHIP in 27 1/3 innings pitched this year. Kelly does have 37 strikeouts, but 15 walks as well. However, he’s only walked two batters this month and 9-of-15 walks came in three appearances (seven in two). So that’s not really the issue it sort of seems.
Andrew Politi is in a similar situation to the one German is in. He spent most of his career as a reliever. But last year was mainly a starter, and it didn’t work for him. Back as a reliever, the right-handed pitcher is putting up phenomenal numbers in 2022. He has a 2.79 ERA, .210 BAA, 1.03 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched between Double-A and Triple-A.
Devlin Granberg was the first promotion to Triple-A in recent memories (last week). And the outfielder (who can also play first), has looked comfortable so far. The right-handed hitter is 10-for-36 with two doubles, two walks, three runs scored, two RBI, and two steals. He hasn’t shown the type of power he had last year, but everything else is going so well that it’s easy to not mind that.
Pedro Castellanos got a promotion a couple days ago after a ridiculous run over the last two months in Double-A. The first baseman/outfielder took no time to get things going in Triple-A. Castellanos is 2-for-5 with a walk in two games. The right-handed hitter already has a double and a home run to go along with two RBI and two runs scored. If there’s one thing you need to know about Castellanos, it’s that he hits the ball very hard at all times.
Ronaldo Hernandez looked completely lost for the first month-and-a-half of the season. He’s done nothing but hit since then. The right-handed hitting catcher even drew a walk on Sunday (something he almost never does). In fact, he has just 19 walks over the last two years combined. Hernandez is now slashing .268/.295/.447 with 16 doubles and six home runs. He’s driven in 24 runs and scored 22 more.
Ryan Fitzgerald continues to prove himself in Triple-A. The left-handed hitting shortstop (although he can play all over the field) is slashing .258/.320/.488 with 12 doubles, four triples, and 13 home runs. He’s driven in 51 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen two bases. Fitz is already closing in on career-highs in homer and RBI.
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Ceddanne Rafaela has hit a short little slump. And that should tell you how absurd of a season the utility-man is having. The gold glove defense at basically every position is one thing. Slashing .316/.354/.605 with 22 doubles, six triples, and 14 home runs is just ridiculous though. The right-handed hitter’s run production is absurd too – with 50 RBI, 47 runs scored, and 15 steals.
The overall numbers for third/first baseman Hudson Potts still don’t look all that great. He’s been fantastic over the last month though. Slashing .215/.304/.450 on the year, he’s slashed .321/.406/.518 in June. The right-handed hitter has 11 doubles and eight home runs, to go along with 23 RBI and 21 runs scored. He’s stolen one base but don’t expect that to be a part of his game at all.
Kole Cottam gets a lot of praise from me for his phenomenal talents behind the plate. The catcher did come in as a hitter-first though, it’s important to remember that. And the right-handed hitter is having another great year with a .264/.343/.346 slash line with 10 doubles and one home run. Cottam’s had a lot of hard-hit balls that just haven’t landed, leading to the power numbers being a little low, but it’s not something to worry about too much. He’s driven in 14 runs and scored 17 more.
David Hamilton’s numbers are still dipping. The left-handed hitting second baseman is down to a .206/.275/.346 slash line with five doubles, six triples, and five home runs. He’s driven in 20 runs and scored 26 more. The slash line doesn’t look great but he does do a lot of things right. And the 25 steals in 28 attempts tell you how elite his speed is. If Hamilton can get it going at the plate again, that speed is undeniable.
Alex Binelas was called-up to Double-A after slashing .245/.355/.495 with 10 doubles, one triple, and 14 homers. The left-handed hitting corner infielder has 43 runs batted in and 41 more scored, to go along with eight steals. He’s 0-for-5 in Double-A but does continue to get on-base thanks to three walks.
Stephen Scott also got the promotion to Double-A. The catcher/first baseman/outfielder didn’t have the best numbers in High-A (.188/.305/.336) but he did already have two walk-off home runs this season. He’s got a lot of versatility, and did have a really strong breakout campaign in 2021. The left-handed hitter is 0-for-7 with a walk in two games in Double-A.
Chris Murphy hasn’t moved up to Triple-A yet, likely due to that rotation already having too many pitchers. But the left-handed pitcher really really needs to get the call. Murph tossed six shutout innings in his last game, allowing just one hit and three walks while striking out eight. He now holds a 2.58 ERA, .170 BAA, and 1.00 WHIP in 76 2/3 innings pitched. Murphy’s also racked up 91 strikeouts and has only allowed six home runs.
Jake Thompson is another pitcher that needs a promotion. The right-handed reliever looks bored in Double-A. What do I mean by that? Well he currently has a 0.82 ERA, .147 BAA, and 0.91 WHIP in 22 innings pitched. Thompson’s struck out 25 batters, which is more than his hits (11) and walks (9) allowed combined.
Jay Groome had a great start to open the week but struggled a bit on Sunday (coming out of the bullpen). Still though, in 9 1/3 innings this week the left-handed pitcher racked up 15 strikeouts. That’s great to see as Ks haven’t been as common for him this year as opposed to last year. He could be getting back on track though. Groome has a 3.84 ERA, .213 BAA, 1.28 WHIP, and 67 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings.
Oddanier Mosqueda has some absolute filth in his bag. The left-handed pitcher is using that to put together his best season in the minors. Mosqueda has a 2.60 ERA, .179 BAA, and 0.98 WHIP in 27 2/3 innings pitched. He’s struck out 33 batters compared to 10 walks.
Rio Gomez doesn’t have numbers that would jump out at your for positive reasons. The left-handed reliever has a 11.12 ERA, .375 BAA, and 2.29 WHIP. However, he’s done that in just 5 2/3 innings pitched. And in his last five outings Gomez has allowed just one run in 4 1/3 innings. He was great last year and he’s starting to get into a groove again.
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Niko Kavadas was on one of the more insane runs in Low-A for the last month. So this promotion to High-A was actually well past due. Even before the hot-streak, the first baseman looked too comfortable at the plate for Low-A. Then came a stretch where he seemingly hit a home run every game for two weeks. The left-handed hitter finished Low-A with a .286/.453/.609 slash line with 18 doubles, one triple, and 14 home runs. He’s driven in 48 runs and scored 35 more, even stealing a base. Oh and he had 54 walks. In High-A, Kavadas is 6-for-10 with two doubles and two homers. He’s already driven in five runs, scored three more, and walked once.
Nathan Hickey also got a promotion thanks to some phenomenal hitting. The left-handed hitting catcher was slashing .271/.429/.507 with 12 doubles and seven home runs in Low-A. He had 39 RBI and 31 runs scored, and walked as many times (39) as he had struck out (39). In High-A, Hickey is 2-for-4 with two doubles already.
Nick Northcut still hits nukes. The right-handed hitting third baseman is slashing .228/.298/.552 with nine doubles and 22 home runs. Kid Cutty has driven in 50 runs and scored 37 more. The strikeouts are still high (93) and the walks are still low (18). But he’s improved a bit there. And as long as he keeps hitting balls to the next state, people won’t care about anything else.
How many home runs can one team have? I ask because first baseman Big Joe Davis is hitting them at a scary rate too. The right-handed hitter is slashing .281/.336/.612 with one double and 13 home runs. He’s driven in 26 runs and scored 24 more. Davis has had just 121 at-bats this year. That means that every 9.3 at-bats he hits a home run. Absurd.
Nick Yorke has struggled a bit this year, and the injuries haven’t helped. The second baseman has shown some signs of life though. He’s currently slashing .233/.302/.349 with five doubles and five home runs. The right-handed hitter has driven in 21 runs, scored 29 more, and stolen five bases. No reason to worry about the 20-year-old.
Matthew Lugo’s having a breakout year that sees the shortstop show a major power uptick. The right-handed hitter has 17 doubles, seven triples, and nine home runs. While the doubles are almost a career-high, the triples and homers have easily set new marks. Lugo has 41 RBI, 37 runs scored, and six steals.
Tyler McDonough continues to have a solid all-around year. The switch-hitting second baseman/outfielder is slashing .248/.339/.395 with 11 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs. He’s driven in 34 runs, scored 40 more, and stolen 14 bases. The slash line may not jump out at you, but he’s been effective in every category.
Bryan Mata had his first “hiccup” during his rehab assignment when he gave up three runs on four hits and a walk (while striking out two), over two innings. Who cares though honestly? The right-handed pitcher was hitting over 100 MPH with his fastball and his breaking stuff has looked amazing in other games. Excited to see him get the move to Double-A.
Jacob Webb was promoted recently after a strong start to the year in Low-A. The right-handed reliever has been even better in High-A though. In six innings he holds a 1.50 ERA, .190 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP. He’s walked four batters but racked up 11 strikeouts and now has 50 in 30 2/3 innings combined this year.
Shane Drohan has had an impressive season so far. The left-handed pitcher holds pretty solid numbers. Boasting a 3.92 ERA, .218 BAA, and 1.23 WHIP so far. Those numbers alone are great. Throw in the fact that he’s logged a ridiculous 87 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings though and you realize just how nasty his stuff is.
Red Sox Low-A (Salem)
Blaze Jordan has to be seeing all these promotions and thinking “where the hell is mine?” The right-handed hitting third baseman is mashing. After a slow start he’s suddenly up to an impressive .311/.364/.502 slash line with 20 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. He’s driven in 42 runs and scored 39 more, stealing two bases. The power has arrived in a big way and the 19-year-old already looks too mature for Low-A.
Marcelo Mayer has slumped a bit but he had a big game on Saturday that included three hits, a steal, and a home run. Hopefully that can get him going again. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .269/.352/.468 with 16 doubles and five home runs. He’s driven in 24 runs and scored 25 more, while stealing nine bases in nine attempts. The numbers are still good and he’s 19. No worries here.
Eddinson Paulino’s great all-around year continues. The left-handed hitting utility-man is slashing .247/.338/.436 with 18 doubles, eight triples, and five home runs. He’s driven in 32 runs, scored 48 more, and stolen 13 bases. Paulino gets a lot of extra-base hits, and the run production is phenomenal.
Eduardo Lopez has been hot lately. The switch-hitting outfielder has brought his numbers up fast, and now holds a .240/.342/.388 slash line with seven doubles and four home runs. He’s driven in 12 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen six bases.
Yorberto Mejicano has shown a lot this year, and now with Hickey in High-A the catcher might get more playing time. The right-handed hitter is slashing .255/.300/.412 with four doubles and four home runs in 102 at-bats. He’s driven in 13 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen one base.
Brainer Bonaci continues to put together a strong year, even if he might never hit a homer. The switch-hitting shortstop is slashing .255/.382/.317 with seven doubles and three triples. He’s driven in 19 runs, scored 39 more, and stolen 10 bases. Meanwhile, Bonaci has nearly as many walks (43) as strikeouts (44).
Phillip Sikes had a monster game on Sunday that included two doubles and a home run. The right-handed hitting outfielder is now up to a .248/.392/.496 slash line with 14 doubles, four triples, and four home runs. He’s driven in 22 runs, scored 31 more, and stolen 11 bases. The slash line has risen nicely and he’s put together a sneaky strong season.
Reidis Sena only has four outings so far, but he’s impressing early. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.69 ERA, .205 BAA, and 1.03 WHIP in 10 2/3 innings pitched. He’s struck out 13 batters compared to three walks, and tossed three no-hit innings in his last appearance.
Joey Stock has now thrown 14 innings in the month of June. The right-handed reliever has yet to give up an earned run in that time. Stock is down to a 2.09 ERA, .182 BAA, and 1.00 WHIP on the year. In 43 innings he’s already piled up 53 strikeouts compared to 15 walks.
Maceo Campbell tossed three shutout innings in two total appearances this week. In fact, he didn’t even allow a hit, while striking out five. The right-handed reliever is down to a 2.76 ERA, .213 BAA, and 1.43 WHIP on the year. He’s reeled in 38 strikeouts compared to 19 walks in 29 1/3 innings pitched.
Angel Bastardo gave up a lot of baserunners this week, allowing nine hits and three walks in eight innings. However, he gave up just two runs in that time and amassed 13 strikeouts. The right-handed pitcher now has a 3.92 ERA, .265 BAA, and 1.56 WHIP this year. In 43 2/3 innings he’s struck out 50 batters compared to 24 walks.
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