Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Final prospect watch of the season
By Hunter Noll
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Niko Kavadas had a strong week, picking up a hit in four of the five games he appeared in. The left-handed hitting first baseman popped a double and two home runs in that time. Kavadas is slashing .199/.374/.404 with 15 doubles and 18 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He's driven in 58 runs, scored 57 more, and stolen two bases.
David Hamilton is slashing .250/.370/.451 with 15 doubles, four triples, and 17 home runs. The left-handed hitting middle infielder has driven in 52 runs, scored 70 more, and stolen 55 bases. Hamilton's offensive production has been phenomenal this season. He's positioned himself to fight for a spot in Spring Training.
Ronaldo Hernandez is slashing .243/.333/.459 with 15 doubles and 17 home runs. The right-handed hitting catcher has driven in 67 runs, scored 45 more, and stolen one base. Hernandez's bat has been awesome, but can it carry his rough defense?
Stephen Scott has hit a slump in Triple-A but has really strong numbers overall. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .240/.359/.474 with 14 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs (career-high) between Double-A and Triple-A. He's driven in 63 runs, scored 56 more, and stolen six bases.
Christian Koss is slashing .235/.275/.341 with seven doubles and one triple in Triple-A. The right-handed hitting utility has driven in eight runs, scored 10 more, and stolen one base in 26 games. Koss has had injuries derail his season.
Chris Murphy has been fantastic since going back to Triple-A. He's allowed one run on five hits in 8 1/3 innings over two appearances. Murph has 12 strikeouts compared to four walks in that time. The left-handed pitcher doesn't have the best numbers in Triple-A, but he's looked great since the start of June.
Brain Van Belle allowed two earned runs over four innings this week. The right-handed starter has a 4.37 ERA, .265 BAA, and 1.35 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A. He's struck out 121 batters compared to 44 walks in 131 2/3 innings.