Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Farm system beyond Mayer, Teel & Anthony is promising

The Boston Red Sox prospect watch returns to show off the depth of the farm system beyond the "Big 3." Boston's prospect pool is loaded with talent besides the first rounders Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel and Roman Anthony, and its depth picks flashed their skills this week.

Chase Meidroth continues to boost his numbers to impressive heights. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .282/.453/.338 with one double and one home run. He's driven in 10 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen four bases. Meidroth has 20 walks compared to just nine strikeouts.

Nathan Hickey had a big five-RBI day on Saturday. The left-handed hitting catcher has just a .226 average, but he's hit three doubles, one triple, and three home runs. Hickey's already up to 12 RBI. He's also now appeared in three games at first base this year.

Nick Sogard recently saw a 10-game hitting streak end, but the numbers are still solid. The switch-hitting utility player boasts a .362 OBP with five doubles and one home run. He's driven in 10 runs, scored 14 more, and stolen two bases.

Red Sox prospect watch showcases the depth past the "Big 3"

Niko Kavadas has been the nicest surprise in Triple-A this season. The left-handed hitting is slashing .278/.459/.630 with four doubles and five home runs. He's driven in 11 runs and scored 16 more.

Karson Simas got the surprise call to Triple-A from High-A this week due to injuries. He was only meant to be there for a short time, but Simas is making it hard for the Red Sox to send him back down. The right-handed hitting utility player is 4-for-7 with a walk, three runs, and a steal in two games for Worcester.

Elih Marrero hit his first Triple-A home run this week. The switch-hitting catcher is 2-for-10 with a double and a home run. He's got a lot of athleticism for the position, and he's still one of the best defensive catchers in the organization.

Corey Rosier is struggling this year (.130 average), but the left-handed hitting outfielder had a potential breakout game on Saturday. He went 3-for-4 with his first Triple-A home run.

Grant Gambrell allowed three runs over six innings in his lone start this week. The right-handed pitcher struck out a career-high nine batters without walking anyone.

Luis Guerrero tossed four scoreless innings over two appearances this week. The right-handed reliever has a 1.86 ERA, .147 BAA, and 1.03 WHIP in 9 2/3 innings in Triple-A this season. He's struck out 13 batters compared to five walks.

Robert Kwiatkowski dominated Double-A to start the season and kept that trend going in Triple-A. The righty reliever struck out three batters over 2 2/3 scoreless innings with Worcester this week.

Brendan Cellucci has already been promoted to Triple-A after a strong start to the season in Double-A. In his first relief appearance for Worcester, the left-handed reliever allowed one run on two hits over three innings.

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Blaze Jordan had a monster week, going 12-for-17 with four doubles and two home runs. The right-handed hitting corner infielder is on a nine-game hitting streak. When the streak started, Jordan was hitting .103. Ten days later, he's already up to .265.

Matthew Lugo is looking like an early candidate for a promotion. The right-handed hitting left fielder is on an 11-game hitting streak and has a hit in 12-of-14 games. He's slashing .313/.411/.792 with four doubles, two triples, and five home runs. Lugo's driven in 16 runs and scored seven more.

Nick Yorke is on a seven-game hitting streak that's included three doubles and two home runs. The right-handed hitting second baseman/left fielder went from a .231 average to a .284 average in that time. With questions about his progression, Yorke responded perfectly.

Marcelo Mayer boasts a .315/.354/.479 slash line with six doubles and two home runs this season. The left-handed hitting shortstop has done everything right, except maybe the strikeout-to-walk ratio. Even that has seen a positive turn lately, though. Mayer has three walks compared to three strikeouts in his last four games.

Roman Anthony is seeing the effects of being a 19-year-old (with under 162 games in the minor leagues under his belt) in Double-A. The strikeouts are rising, up to 26 compared to 10 walks, and his batting average is down to .217. However, there's little reason to be worried. It's a short slump, and Anthony can hit Double-A pitching.

Kyle Teel is also slumping a bit, going 2-for-18 this week. The left-handed hitting catcher holds a .211 average with 19 strikeouts, but he has walked 10 times. It's early in the season, and Teel tends to put the bat on the ball, meaning his average could skyrocket quickly.

Eddinson Paulino was in a bit of a slump before his current five-game hitting streak. The left-handed hitting infielder even has back-to-back multi-hit games. Paulino is slashing .258/.352/.484 with five doubles and three home runs this season.

Wikelman Gonzalez had his best start of the season this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed two runs on one hit and one walk over five innings. He also struck out a season-high eight batters. Gonzalez still has a 7.59 ERA, but the BAA is already a low .184. He'll be fine.

Angel Bastardo also dazzled with his best outing of the season this week. The righty tossed six scoreless innings, walking none and allowing just three hits while striking out five batters. Bastardo has a 2.89 ERA, .111 BAA, and 0.86 WHIP in 18 2/3 innings.

Hunter Dobbins went six innings for the second straight start. The right-handed pitcher allowed two runs on five hits and three walks. Most importantly, he struck out nine batters after striking out just two in his first 10 innings of the season. Dobbins has a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings.

Helcris Olivarez tossed five scoreless innings in his lone start this week. The lefty allowed just one hit but walked five batters (compared to a season-high six strikeouts. Olivarez is having a strange season. He's posted a 2.53 ERA and .161 BAA. However, he's walked 15 batters (exactly five in each start) in just 10 2/3 innings.

Jonathan Brand was promoted to Double-A this week after posting a 0.00 ERA in 11 2/3 innings in High-A to start the season. The right-handed reliever allowed one hit over two scoreless innings in his Double-A debut. He struck out one batter and walked none.

Ryan Zeferjahn is pitching like he wants a promotion. The right-handed reliever struck out four batters over two innings this week. He now has a 0.00 ERA, .189 BAA, and 0.93 WHIP in 9 2/3 innings. He's struck out 15 batters, walked two, and is a perfect 2-for-2 in save opportunities.

Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Tyler Miller collected a hit in all five games he appeared in this week, including two three-hit games. The left-handed hitting corner infielder/outfielder is slashing .305/.349/.492 with five doubles and two home runs. He's driven in seven runs and scored 11 more.

Miguel Ugueto is on a four-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting outfielder only hit .216 last year but flashed plenty of potential in June before an injury ended his season. Picking up where he left off, Ugueto is hitting .316 in 11 games this season.

Allan Castro entered the week hitting .158. However, a five-game hitting streak (including three multi-hit games) has bumped that average up to .241. Castro's 16 walks give him a strong .395 OBP to go along with four doubles and a triple. Now that he's swinging a good bat again, expect to see his raw power shown off quite a bit.

After a slow start to the year, Juan Chacon has a 12-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting outfielder is up to a .259 average with four doubles and a triple. He's driven in four runs, scored 10 more, and stolen four bases.

Cutter Coffey went apartment hunting for the first time this season, hitting his first home run. The right-handed hitting infielder is only hitting .219, but that average has been bumping up lately. He's hit four doubles, stolen three bases, and scored 12 runs.

Caden Rose entered the week with a .182 average, but a four-game hitting streak boosted that to .208. The right-handed hitting outfielder has one triple and two home runs while driving in nine runs and scoring seven more.

Luis Perales made his best start of the season after returning from an injury. The right-handed pitcher allowed one unearned run on three hits over four innings. He walked one batter and struck out a season-high seven. Expect to see more dominant performances from Perales this season.

Juan Daniel Encarnacion had a bad start to the season but has locked in since then. This week, he allowed three hits in five scoreless innings. The righty struck out six batters without walking anyone and is down to a 4.38 ERA.

Hayden Mullins tossed four shutout innings in his lone start this week. He struck out a career-best eight batters compared to three walks and two hits. The left-handed pitcher has a 3.60 ERA, .235 BAA, and 1.40 WHIP in 15 innings.

David Sandlin had his best start of the season. The righty allowed two runs on four hits over four innings. He struck out five while only walking one. The numbers don't reflect it, but Sandlin (6.75 ERA) has looked great this season.

Cade Feeney had his best week of the season, allowing just one hit over 3 1/3 innings this week. The right-handed reliever struck out five batters compared to zero walks over the two appearances. Feeney holds a 5.40 ERA but has a .205 BAA and 0.80 WHIP.

Caleb Bolden had two more scoreless innings this week. He struck out four batters over two innings. The righty has a 0.00 ERA, .136 BAA, and 0.92 WHIP in 13 innings. He's struck out 20 batters compared to six walks. Bolden's also 3-0 and 3-for-3 on save opportunities. Bolden has appeared in six of Greenville's seven wins.

Red Sox Single-A (Salem)

Nazzan Zanetello is back, and he's already making magic. The right-handed hitting shortstop went 4-for-8 with a walk this week. One of those hits was an inside-the-park home run, his first professional homer. Zanetello is crazy athletic and could fly up the rankings quickly.

Freili Encarnacion made his Single-A debut this week and already has a hit in all four games he's appeared in. The right-handed hitting third baseman/shortstop is 5-for-15 with a double and a steal. Encarnacion struggled in the FCL last season but has quickly made headlines this year.

Andy Lugo continues to be one of the most consistent hitters in the Red Sox organization. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .308/.438/.385 with four doubles. He's driven in six runs, scored eight more, and stolen four bases.

Miguel Bleis was on a four-game hitting streak before an injury sidelined him for a few days. The right-handed hitting outfielder returned on Sunday and went 0-for-5. He's hitting .197, but has limited the strikeouts (13) and already has nine walks. Bleis has been much better than the numbers show.

Nelly Taylor has risen the average nicely (from .189 to .224) thanks to a four-game hitting streak. Taylor's hit four doubles and stolen four bases, but the star of the show for the left-handed hitter has been his defense in the outfield.

Marvin Alcantara has struggled this year (.157 batting average), but he's shown signs of breaking out recently. That included the right-handed hitting shortstop's first home run of the season on Sunday.

Albert Feliz holds just a .118 batting average this season, but he's known as "Big Al" for a reason. The right-handed hitting first baseman leads the team with two home runs and is third with 10 RBI (just two behind the leader). Feliz had four RBI and a home run this week.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz had another great start this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed one run on three hits over five innings to earn his first win of the season. He struck out seven batters compared to one walk. ERC has a 3.38 ERA, .217 BAA, and 1.38 WHIP in four starts. He's struck out 27 batters compared to nine walks in 16 innings.

Jedixson Paez also allowed one run (this time on four hits) in five innings this week. The righty struck out five batters compared to zero walks. Paez has a 3.21 ERA and 17 strikeouts (with two walks) in 14 innings this season.

Blake Wehunt went five innings for the first time this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed three hits and one walk while striking out five batters. Wehunt has surrendered just two runs on 10 2/3 innings this season.

Matt Duffy had his best start of the season this week. The righty allowed one run on three hits over five innings. He struck out six batters without walking any. Duffy's numbers haven't been great this season, but he's shown signs of breaking out (and gone longer) in his last two outings.

Luis Cohen also had his best start of the season this week. The right-handed pitcher tossed five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks in that time. Cohen only struck out one batter, but going five innings for the first time this year feels more important.

Trennor O'Donnell with another great appearance this week. The right-handed reliever struck out five batters over two scoreless innings. He has a 0.00 ERA, .154 BAA, and 0.86 WHIP in three appearances. O'Donnell has struck out 12 batters compared to two walks in seven innings.

Royman Blanco has quietly been fantastic this season. After allowing two runs in one inning in his first appearance, Blanco's barely been touchable. The righty reliever tossed three scoreless innings this week. He's down to a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings.

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