Boston Red Sox prospect watch 8/29/22: Injury scare and lack of call-ups
By Hunter Noll
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Ceddanne Rafaela gave us a big scare this week. He was hit on the wrist by a pitch and ended up coming out of the game. This has kept him out of the last handful of games. The good news is, that it appears the injury isn’t as severe as it could have been. So let’s keep our fingers crossed that he’s healthy and can come back soon. The right-handed hitting centerfielder (and utility-man) is slashing .303/.352/.551 with 32 doubles, eight triples, and 19 home runs between High-A and Double-A this season. He’s driven in 68 runs, scored 75 more, and stolen 26 bases.
Niko Kavadas hit his first home run in Double-A this week! The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .289/.456/.587 with 24 doubles, one triple, and 25 home runs between three levels (wild that he’s been promoted twice). Kavadas has driven in 79 runs, scored 65 more, and stolen one base. He’s also closing in on 100 walks, with 92 now on the season.
Christian Koss really deserves to play the last month of the season in Triple-A. The right-handed hitting shortstop holds a .274/.321/.440 slash line with 21 doubles, three triples, and 13 home runs in Double-A. He’s driven in 71 runs, scored 59 more, and stolen 13 bases as well. Koss gives you everything offensively and has a very underrated glove.
David Hamilton had a big day on Sunday to end the week. The left-handed hitting second baseman went 2-for-3 with a walk, a steal, and a home run. He also made an incredible diving play to take away a hit at second base. Hamilton is slashing .224/.308/.369 with 12 doubles, eight triples, and 10 home runs this season. He’s driven in 32 runs, scored 64 more, and stolen 58 bases in just 64 attempts.
Wilyer Abreu has struggled since joining the Red Sox organization (.205/.341/.288) but he did hit his first home run in the system on Sunday. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .241/.388/.428 with 27 doubles and 16 home runs on the year. He’s driven in 61 runs, scored 92 more, and stolen 25 bases.
Nick Northcut is slashing .222/.279/.504 with 17 doubles and 29 home runs between High-A and Double-A this season. The right-handed hitting corner infielder has driven in 69 runs, scored 49 more, and stolen one base. Kid Cutty hits absolute tank jobs, which makes him intriguing at the very least. His low walk rates and high strikeouts hurts a bit though. If he can show improvements in those areas next year, he could shoot up the rankings with that insane power.
Shane Drohan got the promotion to Double-A and looked pretty solid his first time out there, but had a few hiccups. This week, the left-handed starter made his second appearance and fixed those problems. Drohan tossed five innings, giving up just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
Sterling Sharp joined the Red Sox organization a couple of weeks ago, and has made a strong first impression. Not only does dude have an incredible name, but he can apparently PUMP on the mound. The left-handed starter has a 2.12 ERA, .258 BAA, 1.18 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts (compared to four walks) over 17 innings (three starts) with Portland.
Michael Gettys finally gave up an earned run in Double-A. The right-handed reliever has a 0.73 ERA, .195 BAA, and 1.14 WHIP in 12 1/3 innings at the level. He doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts and his overall .292 BAA might not look great. But Gettys was untouchable his last few weeks in High-A and has only gotten better in Double-A. The former outfielder may have had something click. He’s even being put in high-leverage situations consistently.
Thad Ward had a hiccup a week ago, but his start this week was pure dominance. Ward allowed one run on three hits and one walk, while striking out 10 batters over five innings of work. The left-handed starter is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and he’s looked great so far. Ward has a 2.63 ERA, .207 BAA, and 1.15 WHIP over 41 innings. He’s picked up 51 strikeouts compared to 16 walks between three levels in that time.
Brendan Nail has been really strong out of the bullpen this year. The lefty reliever had a few rough outings after coming back from an injury, but he’s been incredible outside of those few turns. Nail has a 3.97 ERA, .228 BAA, 1.41 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts over 34 innings of work in Double-A this season.
Brian Van Belle continues to be a reliable arm. In his last start, the righty didn’t allow an earned run over five innings of work. Van Belle gave up just three hits and two walks, while picking up five strikeouts. He’s down to a 4.15 ERA, .262 BAA, and 1.20 WHIP in Double-A. Van Belle has 67 strikeouts compared to just 11 walks in 65 innings in that time.