Boston Red Sox prospect watch 8/29/22: Injury scare and lack of call-ups
By Hunter Noll
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Blaze Jordan playing out of his mind in High-A has been fun. The right-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .361/.466/.525 in his 17 games since the promotion. That’s boosted his season slash line to .297/.373/.457 with 30 doubles, three triples, and 11 home runs. The inferno’d one has driven in 67 runs, scored 59 more, and stolen five bases so far.
Nathan Hickey has four home runs over his last six games, and hit three this week. The right-handed hitting catcher seems to have had something click in High-A. He’s now slashing .269/.428/.520 with 17 doubles and 13 home runs between Low-A and High-A this season. Hickey’s driven in 57 runs and scored 46 more. Meanwhile, he’s walked almost as many times (61) as he’s struck out (65).
Matthew Lugo had a monster performance last week, and he kept it rolling this week as well. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .283/.335/.508 with 24 doubles, nine triples, and 18 home runs. He’s driven in 72 runs, scored 71 more, and stolen 15 bases so far. The improvements have been noticeable in every facet of his game this season.
Gilberto Jimenez had a really strong week, and the switch-hitting outfielder is up to a .271/.310/.377 slash line with 18 doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He’s driven in 34 runs, scored 46 more, and stolen 18 bases. A few of those are career-highs, but the most important is the steals category. Jimenez has elite speed, an absolute burner. But his base running isn’t the best yet. So seeing him get steals is always a major plus.
Phillip Sikes is a dude. The outfielder is constantly making plays. Sometimes it’s a diving catch, other times it’s showing off the cannon. And on offense, the right-handed hitter is slashing .253/.370/.498 with 27 doubles, five triples, and 11 home runs between Low-A and High-A this year. He’s driven in 47 runs, scored 53 more, and stolen 15 bases in 16 attempts.
Tyler McDonough is slashing .242/.324/.379 with 23 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs. The switch-hitting outfielder/second baseman has driven in 48 runs, scored 59 more, and is now up to 20 steals on the year. He’s prone to some hot-and-cold streaks, but when he puts it all together for stretches it’s showtime.
Marcelo Mayer has one of the prettier swings I’ve seen. When he connects on a ball it’s just a thing of beauty. The left-handed hitting shortstop has struggled in High-A so far. But he’s actually produced a lot of hard-hit outs, so it’s not really a concern. Oh, and he’s 19. Mayer is slashing .267/.387/.473 with 27 doubles, one triple, and 12 home runs between Low-A and High-A. He’s driven in 47 runs, scored 56 more, and stolen 16 bases in 16 attempts. Smooth defense too.
Nick Yorke continues to hit the ball hard with little to show for it too. And there’s a little more frustration sprinkled on here as he’s dealt with injuries most of the season. The right-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .223/.291/.356 with nine doubles, one triple, and 10 home runs so far. He’s driven in 42 runs, scored 42 more, and stolen five bases. Yorke’s defense has been flawless though.
Wikelman Gonzalez put out a gem in his second outing in High-A. The 20-year-old right-handed starter tossed four shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk in that time. Meanwhile, he picked up five strikeouts. Gonzalez had an “eh” season in Low-A but looked phenomenal in his last few turns there. Now he’s giving us glimpses of greatness in High-A as well.
Tyler Uberstine made his first appearance in two weeks this week, and looked sharp. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on four hits and two walks over four innings, mixing in six strikeouts. Uberstine has been fantastic in High-A, to the tune of a 2.43 ERA, .203 BAA, 1.17 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings at the level.
Luis Guerrero has now appeared in three games at the High-A level. The right-handed has allowed just two earned runs on six hits and two walks over six innings in that time. He’s picked up nine strikeouts as well. Guerrero spent almost no time in Rookie Ball (2 1/3 innings), and barely more time in Low-A (23 2/3 innings). And now he’s already impressing in High-A.