Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Promotions galore

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.