Boston Red Sox prospect watch: 2022 Trade deadline shakes things up

Red Sox Low-A (Salem)

Marcelo Mayer has a hit in five-of-six games this month. More impressively, Mayer has a walk in 10 straight games. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .286/.406/.504 with 26 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs. He’s driven in 40 runs, scored 46 more, drawn 51 walks, and is a perfect 16-for-16 on stolen base attempts. Mayer’s also been phenomenal defensively.

Blaze Jordan continues to put up big numbers at the plate. The right-handed hitting third baseman has a .286/.357/.446 slash line with 29 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs. He’s driven in 57 runs, scored 48 more, and stolen four bases. Jordan is clearly advanced when it comes to run production and the power is legit, even if you don’t see the homers yet.

Brainer Bonaci needs more love. The switch-hitting shortstop is slashing .265/.401/.377 with 17 doubles, six triples, and two home runs. He’s driven in 37 runs, scored 67 more, and stolen 21 bases. Bones is an elite defender and incredibly patient at the plate. He’s drawn 72 walks compared to 73 strikeouts.

Eddinson Paulino is slashing .244/.338/.432 with 26 doubles, 10 triples, and eight home runs. The left-handed hitting utility-man has driven in 44 runs, scored 69 more, and stolen 22 bases. Paulino plays all over the field and has made plenty of nice plays at different positions. He’s got speed for days and a sneaky amount of power. Keep an eye on him.

Bryan Gonzalez continues to look really good in Low-A. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .278/.337/.367 with four doubles and one home run in 22 games. He’s driven in eight runs and scored seven more, stealing three bases. Gonzalez has come up with a few big hits lately and is clearly starting to get the hang of Low-A.

Yorberto Mejicano holds a .256/.294/.381 slash line with 10 doubles and four home runs. The right-handed hitting catcher has driven in 24 runs, scored 25 more, and stolen four bases. Meji has looked really good since gaining more playing time and is definitely an exciting player to keep an eye on as the year winds down.

Luis De La Rosa is one of the pieces from the Andrew Benintendi trade. The 20-year-old right-handed pitcher has been incredible this season. He holds a 2.12 ERA, .180 BAA, and 0.88 WHIP over 17 innings in Low-A so far. De La Rosa has managed to rack up 19 saves compared to just four walks in that time, and is 1-for-1 in save opportunities.

Luis Guerrero is on an incredible run right now. The right-handed pitcher gave up two runs in two innings on July 1. Since then, he’s tossed 12 innings without allowing an earned run. Guerrero has a 3.10 ERA, .153 BAA, and 1.18 WHIP in 20 1/3 innings in Low-A. He’s walked 13 batters in that time, but also has an impressive 30 strikeouts and is 6-for-7 in save opportunities.

Angel Bastardo had a great start this week. The righty starter tossed five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five. He now has a 3.97 ERA, .260 BAA, and 1.52 WHIP over 70 1/3 innings this season. The 20-year-old has 71 strikeouts compared to 38 walks so far.

Hunter Dobbins is one of the more under-appreciated pitchers in the Boston Red Sox system. The right-handed starter has been really strong in his first year so far. He has a 3.86 ERA, .275 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP over 44 1/3 innings pitched in Low-A to this point. Dobbins has also managed to put up 47 strikeouts compared to 12 walks.

Adenys Bautista had a fantastic outing this week. The righty reliever tossed 2 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings. In fact, the only base runner he allowed was via an HBP.  Bautista also picked up four strikeouts in that game. He now holds a 3.35 ERA, .193 BAA, 1.33 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings pitched in Low-A this season.