Boston Red Sox prospect watch: A fireman is leading the way

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Nick Yorke is rocking a five-game hitting streak at the moment. The right-handed hitter went 9-for-23 with two doubles, two triples, and a home run this week. He's now slashing .284/.415/.552 with five doubles, two triples, and three home runs. The second baseman has driven in six runs, scored 19 more, and stolen three bases. One of the youngest players in Double-A is reminding us how good of a prospect he is now that he's healthy.

Ceddanne Rafaela has a .429 average during his current nine-game hitting streak. That's helped raise his slash line to .303/.338/.408 with five doubles and one home run. The right-handed hitting centerfielder (and shortstop) has driven in 13 runs, scored 14 more, and stolen eight bases.

Stephen Scott probably wishes he could play Erie every week. The left-handed hitter went 7-for-11 with two walks, a double, and a home run in three games against them. Scott has a .300/.407/.460 slash line with three doubles, one triple, and one home run. The catcher has driven in seven runs, scored 11 more, and stolen two bases.

Tyler McDonough's numbers were looking rough before back-to-back three-hit games this week. The switch-hitting utility man is slashing .203/.286/.362 with three doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 14 runs, scored nine more, and stolen five bases.

Matthew Lugo only appeared in two games this week, but one was a monster game on Sunday. The right-handed hitting third baseman is slashing .283/.309/.509 with nine doubles and one home run. He's driven in 13 runs, scored eight more, and stolen two bases. Lugo's looked good defensively and has been an extra-base machine.

Corey Rosier is slashing .310/.344/.466 with four doubles, one triple, and one home run. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in eight runs, scored nine more, and stolen 10 bases in 11 attempts.

Tyler Dearden hasn't gotten much playing time this year, but he's thrived when on the field. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .317/.404/.415 with two doubles and one triple. He's driven in nine runs and scored two more in just 11 games.

Alex Binelas has a five-game hitting streak at the moment. The left-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .214/.274/.375 with six doubles and one home run. He's driven in nine runs and scored eight more.

Niko Kavadas is slashing .200/.392/.218 with one double. The left-handed hitting first baseman hasn't shown much power, but he does have 17 walks. He's driven in six runs and scored six more while stealing one base.

Phillip Sikes is slashing .246/.329/.369 with three doubles, one triple, and one home run. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in three runs, scored 10 more, and stolen eight bases.

Elih Marrero has a .182/.419/.182 slash line. The switch-hitting catcher has driven in one run, scored three more, and stolen one base. The offense has been a struggle, but he does have more walks (9) than strikeouts (7). He thrives on defense.

Shane Drohan with another dominant start this week. The left-handed pitcher has a 0.78 ERA, .163 BAA, and 0.74 WHIP in 23 innings. He's struck out 26 batters and only walked four.

Brian Van Belle has been just as impressive, just more under the radar. The righty has a 0.53 ERA, .161 BAA, and 0.71 WHIP in 17 innings. He's struck out nine and walked three.

CJ Liu had a bounce-back start. The right-handed pitcher threw five shutout innings, tying a season-high with eight strikeouts. Liu has a 5.09 ERA, .284 BAA, 1.58 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts (nine walks) over 17 2/3 innings.

Theo Denlinger continues his reign of filthiness. The righty reliever has a 0.87 ERA, .162 BAA, and 0.68 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings. He's struck out 13 batters and only walked one.

Ryan Fernandez is back in Double-A and already dominating. He threw three shutout innings over two appearances this week. The righty hasn't allowed a run on two hits and one walk over 6 1/3 innings between Single-A and Double-A. He's already picked up nine strikeouts.

Luis Guerrero has a 2.00 ERA, .188 BAA, and 1.56 WHIP this season. The right-handed reliever has eight strikeouts and eight walks over nine innings and is a perfect 4-for-4 on save opportunities. You could point to the walks as an issue, but the 22-year-old has looked great in his first taste of Double-A.

Brendan Nail made his first start on Sunday. It was only three innings, but that's still something to keep an eye on. The lefty has a 0.87 ERA, .167 BAA, and 0.97 WHIP in 10 1/3 innings. He's struck out nine batters and walked four.

Dylan Spacke has a 1.00 ERA, .226 BAA, and 1.56 WHIP in nine innings. The right-handed pitcher has eight strikeouts and seven walks in that time. Spacke was great in 2021 and had his moments while adjusting to Double-A last season. You have to be happy with what he's shown this year.

Rio Gomez has a 3.86 ERA, .129 BAA, and 0.86 WHIP. The lefty has struck out 15 batters compared to four walks in 9 1/3 innings. Although the ERA isn't elite, the other numbers are untouchable.