Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch 9/12/22: Final week of 2022 season
By Hunter Noll
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Ceddanne Rafaela hasn’t really done anything wrong this year. The right-handed hitting centerfielder (and utility-man) is slashing .300/.345/.545 with 32 doubles, 10 triples, and 20 home runs. He’s driven in 79 runs and scored 73 more while stealing 27 bases. Rafaela’s been excellent defensively, and his all-around offensive game is next-level.
David Hamilton’s September has been phenomenal. The left-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .412/.524/.735 this month, really boosting his numbers. Hamilton now holds a .240/.332/.397 slash line with 15 doubles, nine triples, and 12 home runs on the season. He’s driven in 40 runs, scored 76 more, and stolen a Portland Sea Dogs’ record 66 bases.
Wilyer Abreu has been an interesting addition. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .245/.398/.426 with 28 doubles and 17 home runs between two teams. He’s driven in 69 runs and scored another 101. Abreu’s also stolen 29 bases, but most impressively has 110 walks. He gets on base at an incredible clip and has a good combination of power and speed.
Christian Koss is slashing .266/.316/.435 with 21 doubles, five triples, and 16 home runs. The right-handed hitting shortstop (and utility-man) has driven in 82 runs, scored 67 more, and stolen 16 bases. Koss is underrated. He possesses a lot of speed, plays great defense, has good pop, and has fantastic run production.
Hudson Potts has a hit in all four games he’s appeared in this month. And three of those were multi-hit contests. The right-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .230/.295/.437 with 16 doubles and 12 home runs. He’s driven in 40 runs, scored 33 more, and stolen one base.
Tyler Dearden has been hot as of late. The left-handed hitting outfielder is up to a .262/.369/.384 slash line with 16 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He’s driven in 42 runs and scored 35 more. The power from last year hasn’t been there, but Dearden’s quietly put together another strong campaign.
Niko Kavadas has slumped a little bit since moving up to Double-A. That should have been expected though. Remember, he started the year all the way down in Low-A. His jump-up through the ranks has been impressive. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .280/.446/.562 with 25 doubles, one triple, and 26 home runs between three levels. He’s driven in 83 runs, scored 69 more, and stolen one base. Kavadas has also reached the magic number, with 100 walks.
Taylor Broadway has made a great first impression in the Red Sox organization. The right-handed reliever has tossed 3 2/3 innings for Portland so far. He has a 0.00 ERA, .091 BAA, and 0.27 WHIP in that time. Broadway’s already racked up seven strikeouts compared to zero walks.
Ryan Zeferjahn wasn’t having the best year in High-A. However, the right-handed reliever has been lock-down since getting the promotion to Double-A. Zeferjahn has a 0.00 ERA, 0.91 BAA, and 0.68 WHIP over 7 1/3 innings so far. He’s struck out five batters compared to three walks, and only two hits.
Michael Gettys is now up to 16 2/3 innings pitched in Double-A. The righty reliever has a 0.54 ERA, .170 BAA, and 1.02 WHIP in that time. He’s only struck out eight batters compared to eight walks. However, his ability to get outs has been extremely impressive. And he’s doing it in high-leverage situations lately as well, now 6-for-6 in save opportunities at the level.
Shane Drohan hasn’t been getting the strikeout numbers in Double-A, and his walks have gone up as well. However, the left-handed starter actually has a lower ERA at the level than he did in High-A. Overall he has a 3.94 ERA, .227 BAA, and 1.25 WHIP between the two levels. He’s struck out 149 batters compared to 49 walks over 125 2/3 innings pitched.
Brendan Nail had a 1.42 ERA over 12 2/3 innings in August, and now a 2.45 ERA in 3 2/3 innings in September. The left-handed pitcher has a 3.72 ERA, .228 BAA, and 1.37 WHIP over 38 2/3 innings in total this season. Nail has managed 47 strikeouts compared to 20 walks, and has looked great since coming back from injury.
Jacob Wallace has turned his season around thanks to a 1.76 ERA in 15 1/3 innings in August and a 1.80 ERA in five innings in September. The righty reliever has a 3.95 ERA, .183 BAA, and 1.46 WHIP in 54 2/3 innings this season. He’s struck out 74 batters in that time, walking 45.