Boston Red Sox prospect watch 8/22/22: Milestones being reached

Milestones are being reached in this week’s Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch

The Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch saw some milestones get reached and some big performances for a couple of prominent names in the system. We’re also about to see some more crazy shake-ups.

On August 23, the season will end for the FCL (Florida Complex League). That’s going to mean a couple of names from there will move up to Low-A. Some Low-A names will need to move up to High-A, and so on throughout the levels in the organization.

Not only will this cause promotions throughout the minor leagues, but could we also see some new names head up to the Majors?

The Red Sox could certainly use some new blood to get things going. They seem to be stuck in this miserable cycle. A short stretch will see them look dominant and like they could find themselves back in a playoff spot, just for them to fall apart and look far from a playoff team for the next stretch.

The young talent on the team didn’t have the best week. Jarren Duran made some plays with his legs, but he had another defensive blunder as well. Kutter Crawford had an implosion game as well. Meanwhile, Josh Winckowski got sent down to the minor leagues again after a rough outing.

We did see Franchy Cordero return and blast a home run in a pinch-hit scenario as the “27th man” for the Little League Classic though.

Right now it feels like even with the Red Sox just a few games away, something drastic will need to happen for them to actually be in the playoff hunt. And with that in mind, it feels like a great time to look at the minor leagues and get excited about some of the names that could help the team in the not-so-distant future.

Luckily for everyone, Boston’s farm system delivered once again this week.

Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)

Triston Casas continues to build his legend as his Major League debut could happen at any moment. Not only has he been boosting his numbers lately, but Casas added a walk-off hit this week. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .258/.367/.458 with 18 doubles and nine home runs in Triple-A this season. He’s driven in 31 runs and scored 37 more.

Connor Wong returned from injury this week and decided to go on a power spree. Since August 13, the right-handed hitting catcher has three doubles and four home runs. He’s slashing .272/.338/.439 with 18 doubles and 10 home runs this season. Wong has driven in 29 runs, scored 38 more, and stolen seven bases. His athleticism makes him a fun catcher to watch, and he should be in the Majors again soon.

Ronaldo Hernandez is another name that could/should be in the Majors soon. The right-handed hitting catcher is slashing .275/.304/.452 with 25 doubles and 12 home runs. He’s driven in 53 runs and scored 39 more. Hernandez has a great arm as well. And with catcher not being a strong spot, it wouldn’t be crazy for Boston to call up two.

Quick note on Kole Cottam. He is still 2-for-8 with a walk and two doubles. I get it that they have Wong and Hernandez, but they need to find some playing time for Cot.

Enmanuel Valdez is slashing .211/.333/.456 with two doubles and four home runs in his short stint in Worcester so far. The average may seem low but the run production has been phenomenal for the left-handed hitting second baseman. Valdez has 15 RBI, 10 runs scored, and one steal in 16 games.

Pedro Castellanos doesn’t get much attention but all he does is hit. Between Double-A and Triple-A this season, the right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder is slashing .284/.311/.451. He’s hit two triples and 11 home runs, to go along with a career-high in doubles with 25. Castellanos has also managed 57 RBI, 40 runs scored, and one steal.

Ryan Fitzgerald holds a .226/.311/.422 slash line with 17 doubles, four triples, and 15 home runs. He’s driven in 60 runs, scored 43 more, and stolen five bases. The average doesn’t look great, but he’s been getting on-base recently, and his 60 RBI are just five away from tying his career-high. Fitzgerald also had a walk-off, showing the clutch gene.

Devlin Granberg is slashing .279/.375/.417 with 21 doubles, five triples (career-high), and four home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. The right-handed hitting outfielder/first baseman has driven in 28 runs, scored 45 more, and stolen eight bases (career-high). Granberg has more power than he’s shown and gets on-base. Just a consistently reliable bat.

Jeter Downs has had a strange season. He’s slashing .197/.316/.412, not exactly great. However, he’s managed 11 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs. The right-handed hitting infielder has driven in 33 runs, scored 56 more, and stolen 18 bases. Despite playing in just 81 games he’s four homers and two steals away from a 20/20 season.

Frank German has now tossed 31 1/3 innings in Triple-A. The right-handed reliever has a 2.30 ERA, .144 BAA, and 0.96 WHIP in that time. He’s struck out 39 batters and has four saves. German seems to get better every outing, and there’s no reason to not give him a look in the bullpen (that needs help) before the end of the year.

Andrew Politi should be right there with German. The righty reliever has a 2.75 ERA, .203 BAA, and 1.04 WHIP in 55 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s struck out 69 batters compared to 18 walks and is a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities.

Zack Kelly should also get a look in the Majors this season. The right-handed reliever has a 2.83 ERA, .198 BAA, and 1.22 WHIP in 47 2/3 innings in Triple-A this season. He’s struck out 67 batters compared to 24 walks and has been one of the best relievers in the minor leagues over the last two seasons.

Chris Murphy was on his way to a good start, but a rain delay ended it early. The left-handed starter gave up one run on four hits and three walks while striking out two, over four innings. He’s down to a 3.11 ERA, .193 BAA, and 1.16 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A this season. Murphy has 122 strikeouts over 121 2/3 innings so far.

Brayan Bello made a rehab start in Triple-A this week. The righty threw 4 1/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks, compared to five strikeouts. Bello’s looked great in his rehab back up to this level, and it would be great to see him back in the Majors soon.

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Niko Kavadas has made the jump to Double-A. I can’t stress how wild that is. He’s started the year in Low-A, and was doing so good he was promoted to High-A. Then crushed it there so quickly that they promoted him to Double-A. In one season, two promotions. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .294/.462/.594 with 23 doubles, one triple, and 24 home runs between the three levels. Kavadas has driven in 77 runs, scored 62 more, stolen one base, and drawn a ridiculous 89 walks.

Ceddanne Rafaela is closing in on a milestone. The right-handed hitting centerfielder (utility-man) is slashing .303/.350/.550 with 31 doubles, seven triples, and 19 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He’s driven in 66 runs, scored 72 more, and stolen 25 bases. That puts Rafaela just one home run away from a 20/20 season. In just his second full season in the minors, he could already have a 20/20 under his belt. Insanity.

There are going to be some promotions very soon with the FCL (Florida Complex League) ending. When that happens, Christian Koss needs to get a look in Triple-A. The right-handed hitting infielder (who has also spent some time in the outfield) is slashing .273/.317/.429 with 19 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs. He’s driven in 67 runs, scored 55 more, and stolen 12 bases.

David Hamilton continues to be one of the fastest prospects I’ve seen in a while. The left-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .224/.303/.366 with 12 doubles, eight triples, and nine home runs. He’s driven in 31 runs and scored 59 more. Hamilton’s stolen 54 bases in just 48 attempts and continues to create runs with his legs.

Nick Northcut has looked pretty good since moving up to Double-A. The average still isn’t great, but he’s striking out at a lower rate than he was in High-A. The right-handed corner infielder is slashing .223/.281/.501 with 16 doubles and a career-high 28 home runs. He’s driven in 68 runs and scored 47 more, stealing one base.

Alex Binelas is slashing just .201/.312/.435 with 12 doubles, two triples, and 23 home runs. The left-handed hitting corner infielder has driven in 71 runs and scored 59 more, stealing eight bases in eight attempts. Binelas may not have a great average, but the power is there and he’s had great run production.

Bryan Mata continues his dominant run. The right-handed pitcher gave up no earned runs over six innings, striking out seven while giving up four hits and three walks. This lowers his numbers on the year from great, to great. Mata has a 2.35 ERA, .188 BAA, and 1.21 WHIP while rehabbing between three levels. He has 66 strikeouts over 53 2/3 innings.

Michael Gettys becoming a bullpen ace in Double-A was not on my bingo card for the 2022 season. The righty reliever has tossed 10 1/3 innings at the level so far. In that time he has a 0.00 ERA, .206 BAA, 1.06 WHIP, and five strikeouts.

Shane Drohan made his Double-A debut this week. The left-handed starter gave up four runs on five hits in five innings, striking out four batters. He only really had one bad inning though. And is up to an impressive 140 strikeouts in 110 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A this season.

Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Matthew Lugo has seen a major uptick in his power this year, and he put that into overdrive this week with two separate two home run and five RBI performances. The right-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .273/.328/.504 with 23 doubles, nine triples, and 17 home runs. He’s driven in 70 runs, scored 66 more, and stolen 14 bases. So the power and run production have both improved massively. He should be in Double-A soon.

Tyler McDonough also had a signature performance this week, hitting for the cycle on Saturday. The switch-hitting outfielder/second baseman now holds a .241/.325/.377 slash line with 20 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs on the season. McDonough has driven in 46 runs, scored 57 more, and stolen 19 bases as well.

Blaze Jordan has been phenomenal in High-A. The right-handed hitting third baseman has reached base safely in 9-of-10 games so far. He’s slashing .297/.370/.466 with 30 doubles, three triples, and 11 home runs between Low-A and High-A. Jordan has driven in 65 runs, scored 57 more, and stolen four bases.

Marcelo Mayer has picked up the production in High-A. He’s still not putting up big numbers but he’s been hitting the ball hard. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .276/.394/.481 with 26 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs between Low-A and High-A this season. He’s driven in 45 runs, scored 54 more, and is a perfect 16-for-16 on stolen base attempts.

Nick Yorke continues to give us signs of a resurgence, but can’t seem to sustain a long run. The right-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .228/.294/.358 with eight doubles, one triple, and nine home runs this season. He’s driven in 39 runs, scored 41 more, and stolen five bases. Yorke has been hitting the ball hard lately, hopefully, that starts translating to more hits.

Max Ferguson hit his first home run in the Boston Red Sox organization this week. The left-handed hitting utility-man is slashing .225/.392/.325 with one double and one home run in Greenville. He’s driven in six runs, scored 10 more, and stolen three bases. On the season he has 58 steals in just 63 attempts.

Nathan Hickey has shown that his bat is certainly an elite tool at the catcher position this season. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .263/.417/.4684 with 17 doubles and 10 home runs between Low-A and High-A. He’s driven in 51 runs and scored 43 more in just 63 games. Meanwhile, he’s walked nearly as many times (56) as he’s struck out (62).

Gilberto Jimenez has done a lot of good things this season, even if the average is down. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .272/.311/.380 with 18 doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He’s driven in 33 runs, scored 45 more, and stolen 16 bases. Barring a ridiculous run, this will be the first season he hits under .300. However, he has a career-high in doubles and home runs. And his 16 steals are tied for a career-best.

Phillip Sikes holds a .259/.379/.515 slash line with 25 doubles, five triples, and 11 home runs between Low-A and High-A this season. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 47 runs, scored 53 more, and stolen 15 bases in 16 attempts. Those are pretty stellar numbers for someone’s first full season in the minor leagues. Especially when you add in his great play on the defensive end.

Big Joe Davis grew his legend more this week by hitting a ball so far and so hard that when it finally landed it bounced high and out of sight once again. The right-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .248/.293/.474 with two doubles and 17 home runs. He’s driven in 36 runs and scored 33 more.

Wikelman Gonzalez got the promotion to High-A after tossing six no-hit innings in his final Low-A start. The right-handed pitcher gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in four innings, while striking out six. He’s had command issues most of the year, but still just 20, it’s great to see Gonzalez already getting a taste of High-A.

Luis Guerrero made his High-A debut this week as well and impressed heavily. The righty reliever tossed two shutout innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two batters. Guerrero threw 2 1/3 innings in Rookie Ball and just 23 2/3 innings in Low-A before making the jump to High-A. Clearly, the Red Sox think he can be fast-tracked through the minor leagues.