Boston Red Sox prospect watch: New challenges, same results

This week’s Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch brings new challenges for prospects

A weird season for the Boston Red Sox continues, and that leads to a pretty strange Prospect Watch as the summer winds down.

How will the team’s success (or lack thereof) mix up the minor leagues down the stretch?

Last weekend, the Sox struggled with the fourth-place Kansas City Royals, but then, they took 2-out-of-3 from the first-place New York Yankees (and won a one-game series against the fourth-place Baltimore Orioles).

The star players carried the team for a while, but now they are slumping. Rafael Devers had a much-needed big game on Sunday and Alex Verdugo’s been great lately. Tommy Pham looks like a sneaky-good pickup at the deadline as well, and having a first baseman who can actually play the position in Eric Hosmer is nice.

But overall, this season has been painful, so it’s nice to see some of the younger guys making contributions. Kutter Crawford has been one of the best young players on the team. The right-handed start has a 4.18 ERA, .231 BAA, and 1.22 WHIP over 64 2/3 innings pitched in the Majors this season. He’s picked up 65 strikeouts compared to 23 walks in that time and gets featured on Pitching Ninja nearly every start.

Josh Winckowksi continues to look like he could be a really strong back-end starter. The righty has a 4.69 ERA, .288 BAA, and 1.49 WHIP in the Majors this season. He’s only struck out 34 batters compared to 20 walks in 55 2/3 innings so far. However, that was never really a big part of his game. Wink is here to eat innings and get weak contact outs. His rookie campaign has been a success so far, as no one was expecting him to come in and put up dominant numbers or anything.

Jarren Duran is slashing .225/.285/.376 with 12 doubles, three triples, and three home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder has 15 runs driven in, 22 more runs scored, and seven steals. It’s frustrating because he clearly has the talent. There’s just the whole “can he figure it out” thing.

Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)

Triston Casas will be in the Majors by this time next week. There’s my big bold prediction. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .249/.355/.463 with 17 doubles and nine home runs in Triple-A this year. He’s driven in 28 runs and scored 33 more despite injuries limiting his playing time. Most importantly, Casas is slashing .314/.442/.600 in the month of August.

Enmanuel Valdez has certainly made a statement in his short time in the Red Sox organization. The left-handed hitting infielder was part of the Christian Vazquez return. He’s slashing .297/.372/.649 with one double and four home runs with Worcester. Valdez has stolen one base and scored nine runs, while driving in 15 runs in just 10 games.

Ronaldo Hernandez could be in he Majors soon as well. The right-handed hitting catcher holds a .276/.304/.452 slash line with 24 doubles and 11 home runs. He’s driven in 50 runs and scored 38 more. Hernandez has been unstoppable after a rocky first month-and-a-half of the year. His only issue has been walks (just 14), but everything else is there.

Connor Wong could also be a catcher in the Majors soon (although he’s already been there). The right-handed hitter is back from injury and has a home run in both games he’s played since then. Wong is slashing .268/.332/.415 with 15 doubles and eight home runs. He’s driven in 25 runs, scored 35 more, and stolen seven bases. Wong’s athleticism has already been on display in his short time back, with a great play behind the plate to get an out at first.

Pedro Castellanos has been phenomenal in Triple-A. The right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder holds a .319/.344/.474 slash line with seven doubles, one triple, and three homer runs at the level. He’s driven in 15 runs and scored 15 more. His 57 total RBI on the year is the second-most he’s ever had in a season.

Kole Cottam is 2-for-8 with two doubles and a walk since being called-up to Triple-A. Cottam has proven himself defensively and looked good at the plate in the small sample size. Hopefully the right-handed hitting catcher will get more playing time soon, because he’s earned it. When we see some promotions to the Majors, that should clear up a spot for Cottam in the lineup.

Devlin Granberg has been great all year, no matter if he’s been in Double-A or Triple-A. The right-handed hitting outfielder/first baseman is slashing .279/.375/.417 with 21 doubles, five triples, and four home runs between the two levels. He’s driven in 28 runs, scored 45 more, and stolen eight bases.

There was a promotion of a veteran reliever this week and it didn’t make sense to me. A few names felt more deserving. Like Zack Kelly, who has been outstanding over the last two seasons. The right-handed reliever has a 3.00 ERA, .195 BAA, and 1.20 WHIP in 45 innings this year. He’s racked up 66 strikeouts in that time.

Frank German went from having a great year in Double-A to an elite year in Triple-A this season. The right-handed reliever was good in Double-A earlier in the year but has cranked it up in Triple-A. He holds a 2.54 ERA,.158 BAA, and 1.06 WHIP at the level. German has 36 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched.

Andrew Politi continues his breakout year. The right-handed reliever holds a 2.91 ERA, .213 BAA, and 1.10 WHIP between both Double-A and Triple-A this year. He has 65 strikeouts compared to 18 walks in 52 2/3 innings so far.

Brain Keller tossed six innings in his start this week, giving up zero earned runs on just three hits. The righty pitcher continues his domination over the last few months. Keller now has a 3.05 ERA, .211 BAA, and 1.17 WHIP this year. All of those have dropped drastically since the calendar turned to June. He’s struck out 94 batters compared to 32 walks in 79 2/3 innings pitched.

Chris Murphy had a strange start this week. The lefty gave up four runs in the second inning. However, he didn’t allow anything else in the rest of his appearance. Murph finished with those four runs over 6 2/3 innings. It was impressive to see him keep his team in the game and give them such a long outing after the hiccup. He has a 3.14 ERA, .191 BAA, 1.14 WHIP, and 120 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings this season.

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Ceddanne Rafaela seems to be making an effort to work counts a little bit more. That’s a game-changer because it’s one of his few weaknesses at the moment. If he gets that going it will be hard for anyone to deny he’s elite. The right-handed hitting utility-man is slashing .305/.354/.551 with 28 doubles, seven triples, and 18 home runs between High-A and Double-A this year. He’s driven in 63 runs, scored 71 more, and stolen 25 bases.

Stephen Scott continues his trend of playing better during a season after being promoted. The left-handed hitting catcher/utility-man is slashing .250/.400/.468 with seven doubles, one triple, and six home runs in 37 games with Portland. He’s driven in 20 runs, scored 28 more, and stolen two bases. Scott also has 31 walks compared to 32 strikeouts.

Christian Koss holds a .277/.320/.440 slash line with 18 doubles (tied for a career-high), four triples, and 12 home runs. The right-handed hitting shortstop has driven in a career-high 65 runs, scored 52 more, and stolen a career-high 12 bases. Koss gives you something in every aspect of the game, and could see Triple-A by the end of the year.

Tyler Dearden may not be showing the power numbers, but he’s gotten hotter-and-hotter as the year goes on. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .268/.376/.398 with 15 doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He’s driven in 38 runs and scored 31 more. Dearden hit .286 in June, .296 in July, and is hitting .350 in August.

David Hamilton continues to impress despite the lower batting average. The left-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .223/.303/.369 with 10 doubles, eight triples, and nine home runs. He’s driven in 31 runs, scored 54 more, and stolen 51 bases in just 55 attempts. Yes, the average is low. Hamilton has shown decent pop, good defense, and ridiculous speed this season though.

Wilyer Abreu is still new to the organization with just 11 games under his belt. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .229/.400/.314 with three doubles in that time. He’s driven in four runs, scored eight more, and stolen two bases.

Alex Binelas continues to hit pitches a mile. The left-handed hitting corner infielder may not be collecting a ton of hits, but he’s doing the rest well offensively. Binelas is slashing .207/.316./448 with 12 doubles, two triples, and 23 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He’s driven in 71 runs, scored 59 more, walked 57 times, and is a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts.

Nick Northcut picked it up a bit this week, which is great to see. The right-handed hitting corner infielder holds a .221/.279/.506 slash line with 15 doubles and 28 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He’s driven in 66 runs, scored 47 more, and stolen one base.

Bryan Mata’s outing this week saw the right-handed pitcher toss six scoreless innings, allowing just five hits while striking out six batters. Most importantly, he did not walk anyone for the first time this season. El Idolo has a 2.64 ERA, .188 BAA, 1.22 WHIP, and 59 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings this season between multiple levels. Mata’s return from Tommy John has been insanely successful.

Brayan Bello made a rehab start in Double-A. He allowed one run on two hits over 3 2/3 innings. The righty didn’t walk anyone and struck out six batters in that time. Bello looked dominant, which is just so nice to see. Hopefully he can get back to the Majors this season and try to work on his numbers there.

Thad Ward is also working back from Tommy John this season. The right-handed pitcher threw five scoreless innings, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out four this week. Ward now has a 1.35 ERA, .170 BAA, 1.05 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings between multiple levels this season. Things couldn’t be going much better for him on the mound right now.

Michael Gettys performing like this in Double-A has to be shocking to most people. The former outfielder had a solid 3.34 ERA in High-A. However, he was working out of a lot of trouble with a .325 BAA and 1.55 WHIP in 29 2/3 innings. To be fair to him, he was lowering those pretty rapidly towards the end of his run. Now in Double-A, the righty reliever has a 0.00 ERA, .226 BAA, and 0.96 WHIP in 9 1/3 innings pitched.

Oddanier Mosqueda has been phenomenal in his last few outings. The left-handed reliever has tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings over his last three appearances combined. Mosqueda now has a 3.83 ERA, .216 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP on the year. In 47 innings pitched he has 55 strikeouts compared to 16 walks.

Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Marcelo Mayer has finally made the jump to High-A after putting up a fantastic .286/.406/.504 slash line with 26 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs in Low-A. The left-handed hitting shortstop had 40 RBI, 46 runs scored, 16 steals, and 51 walks. He’s 4-for-24 with one home run, two RBI, three runs scored, and four walks. The numbers don’t look great but he’s hit the ball hard often.

Blaze Jordan also got a much-deserved promotion. The right-handed hitting corner infielder slashed .286/.357/.446 with 29 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs. He had 57 runs driven in, 48 runs scored, and four steals in Low-A. He’s 6-for-18 with two home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored in High-A. Jordan continues to rake no matter the level.

Nick Yorke has struggled this year but he’s finally healthy and starting to turn it around. The right-handed second baseman is 11-for-33 with two doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, and three walks since August 6. He’s slashing .237/.306/.376 with eight doubles, one triple, and nine home runs. Yorke’s driven in 38 runs, scored 39 more, and stolen five bases. He hasn’t made an error this season either.

Niko Kavadas is slashing .319/.483/.619 in High-A. Holding a near-.500 OBP in 35 games is wild. The left-handed hitting first baseman has 22 doubles, one triple, and 24 home runs between Low-A and High-A this year. He’s driven in 74 runs, scored 61 more, stolen one base, and drawn an incredible 84 walks.

Matthew Lugo deserves credit for such a great year. The right-handed hitting shortstop’s power improvement from last season is extremely impressive. He’s slashing .267/.322/.474 with 21 doubles (tied for a career-high), nine triples (career-high), and 13 home runs (career-high). Lugo’s also driven in 60 runs (career-high), scored 57 more, and stolen 12 bases. Despite playing at a higher level and having a slightly lower average than he did last season (.270), Lugo’s slugging percentage has jumped over .100 points (.364 to .474).

Nathan Hickey is having a strong first full season. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .261/.416/.482 with 17 doubles and nine home runs between Low-A and High-A. Hickey’s driven in 48 runs and scored 38 more this season. He’s also walked (53) nearly as many times as he’s struck out (57).

Gilberto Jimenez is slashing .268/.310/.380 with 17 doubles, two triples, and five home runs. The switch-hitting outfielder has driven in 29 runs, scored 41 more, and stolen 15 bases. The doubles and home runs are both career-highs. However, the other numbers (outside of steals) have dipped a bit. Jimenez has shown recently he can use his elite speed though. Hopefully that starts to translate a bit more.

Tyler McDonough is just 3-for-27 in August, which has hurt the slash line a bit. The switch-hitting second baseman/outfielder is slashing .236/.326/.365 with 19 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs. He’s driven in 44 runs, scored 53 more, and stolen 19 bases. The average seems low but McDonough brings a lot to the table offensively, and gives you nice defensive versatility.

Phillip Sikes’ great first full season continues. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .259/.370/.514 with 24 doubles, five triples, and 10 home runs between Low-A and High-A. He’s driven in 43 runs, scored 49 more, and stolen 15 bases. Sikes has a great glove in the outfield and a strong arm. He tends to hit the ball hard as well.

Max Ferguson is 7-for-27 since joining Greenville. The left-handed hitting utility-man has one double, two RBI, seven runs scored, and three steals in that time. He’s now up to some wildly impressive run production numbers on the year with 52 RBI, 84 runs scored, and 58 steals in 63 attempts. Ferguson has slumped a bit since joining the Red Sox organization. But that speed never slumps.

Corey Rosier is 3-for-19 with two doubles, one RBI, two runs scored, and five steals since joining Greenville. The left-handed hitting outfielder has 38 steals on the year. And even though he’s struggled a bit since joining the Red Sox, he’s shown glimpses of why he could be such an asset down the line.

Shane Drohan had the best start of his career on Sunday. The left-handed starter tossed five no-hit innings. He allowed no runs on no hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Drohan now holds a 4.00 ERA, .226 BAA, and 1.24 WHIP on the season. In 105 2/3 innings he’s racked up an impressive 136 strikeouts.

Maceo Campbell has looked phenomenal since joining High-A. The right-handed reliever has thrown four innings over three appearances. He’s allowed just one run on one hit and three walks, while striking out six batters. His season in Low-A was a rollercoaster. Maybe he can even it out while at a higher level for the rest of the year.

Tyler Uberstine’s great High-A run continues. The righty has a 2.45 ERA, .194 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings pitched at the level. He’s struck out 29 batters compared to 12 walks. And now has 95 strikeouts in 87 2/3 innings between Low-A and High-A this season.

Joey Stock has dominated between Low-A and High-A this season. The right-handed reliever has a 2.44 ERA, .196 BAA, and 1.15 WHIP between the two levels. He’s recorded 71 strikeouts compared to 27 walks in 59 innings pitched. Stock has heavily impressed since being an undrafted pick up last season.

Jacob Webb has quickly fixed his numbers in High-A after a bad outing. The righty reliever has tossed 8 2/3 innings over his last eight appearances, giving up no earned runs. He’s down to a 2.89 ERA, .211 BAA, and 1.42 WHIP in 43 2/3 innings between Low-A and High-A. Webb has 69 strikeouts and six saves in that time.