Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Introducing Juan Chacon

Juan Chacon headlines this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch

The Boston Red Sox prospect watch got a nice boost this week as some of the top prospects in the system enjoyed breakout performances. No one was able to outshine Single-A outfielder Juan Chacon, though.

Chacon's big week featured multiple defensive gems, with plenty of offense. We'll get to him in a later slide, though. We're talking about the prospects at the Major League level right now.

The Red Sox have gotten hot. They're now 12-11 and are getting some serious contributions from a lot of the younger talent.

Masataka Yoshida has been quietly breaking out over the last few days. He entered Sunday working on a three-game hitting streak. Starting the game 0-for-2, Yoshida got two at-bats in the eighth inning. The left-handed hitter smoked two homers (including a grand slam). Yoshida's now slashing .231/.329/.400 with two doubles and three home runs. The outfielder has driven in 15 runs, scored 11 more, and stolen two bases.

Jarren Duran appears to have arrived. The left-handed hitter is slashing .391/.429/.565 with four doubles in the Majors this season. He's driven in six runs, scored four more, and stolen two bases. It's a small sample size (seven games), but it's hard not to be encouraged by what the outfielder has shown this season.

Triston Casas is slashing .129/.276/.274 with three doubles and two home runs. He's driven in seven runs and scored nine more. The left-handed hitter has been known to start slow before. It's understandable if you're discouraged, but he's shown plenty of positives that have you thinking it's just a weak spell.

Connor Wong holds a .191/.255/.277 slash line with four doubles so far. The right-handed hitter has driven in six runs and scored six more. He's been phenomenal defensively behind the plate, adding extra value there.

Josh Winckowski continues to be a stud out of the bullpen. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.65 ERA, .186 BAA, and 0.92 WHIP over 16 1/3 innings of work. Winckowski has 15 strikeouts compared to just four walks and has only allowed one home run. His starting background means he can eat innings out of the bullpen.

Brayan Bello struggled in his first start but looked much better in start number two. There's still plenty for him to work on, but the improvements are there. The righty has allowed eight runs over 7 1/3 innings so far. He's walked three batters but has struck out eight.

Kutter Crawford has been phenomenal since his first start of the year. This week saw the righty make two appearances out of the bullpen. The first was 6 1/3 shutout innings, striking out five while allowing just one hit and no walks. His second outing saw Crawford throw two more shutout innings, walking none and allowing one hit while striking out two. Crawford's down to a 3.98 ERA, .215 BAA, and 0.93 WHIP over 20 1/3 innings this season.

Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)

David Hamilton continues to be unreal in Triple-A. The left-handed hitter is slashing .338/.397/.600 with three doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He's driven in 10 runs, scored 13 more, and stolen 11 bases. Hamilton's a great defensive second baseman who can hold his own at shortstop. He's knocking on the Major League door.

Enmanuel Valdez burst through that door this week for a game. Valdez went 2-for-4 in his first MLB debut with the Red Sox before being sent back to Triple-A. The left-handed hitter is slashing .184/.298/.347 with three doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in seven runs, scored five more, and stolen one base.

Wilyer Abreu is getting a little more comfortable. The left-handed hitter holds a .152/.300/.242 slash line with one home run in nine games. Abreu has three RBI, six runs scored, and one steal on the year. He missed the start of the season due to injury and made the jump from Double-A to Triple-A, so a slow start isn't worrying.

Ryan Fitzgerald is slashing .302/.380/.465 with four doubles and one home run. The left-handed hitter has driven in eight runs, scored five more, and stolen two bases. Fitzy gives you a lot of defensive versatility and has proven to be a dangerous bat.

Chris Murphy had that big start that he desperately needed. The lefty gave up two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings of work, striking out five batters. Murph saw his ERA drop to 10.45, his BAA fall to .383, and his WHIP lower to 2.52. There's still work to do, but this was a massive step in the right direction.

Bryan Mata had an encouraging start and a rough start this week. The right-handed pitcher continues to struggle with his command, leading to issues. He has a 6.91 ERA, .273 BAA, and 2.09 WHIP with 15 strikeouts compared to 15 walks in 14 1/3 innings.

Brandon Walter had two solid starts this week. The left-handed pitcher threw 10 innings in those two games. He gave up four earned runs on 10 hits and four walks while striking out seven batters. Walter hasn't looked as sharp this year, but he's still very early into his Triple-A career. Don't forget he's coming off an injury. There's a lot to like.

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Red Sox fans should be excited. Shane Drohan is now 3-0 as he continues to dominate. The left-handed pitcher gave up one run on five hits and two walks over six innings. He also set a season-high with eight strikeouts. That one run was the first he allowed all year. Drohan now has a 0.53 ERA, .186 BAA, and 0.82 WHIP over 17 innings.

Brian Van Belle allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over five innings. The righty only picked up two strikeouts, but once again, Van Belle was effectively efficient. BVB has a 0.82 ERA, .167 BAA, and 0.82 WHIP over 11 innings.

Sterling Sharp made two starts this week. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits and four walks in 12 innings while striking out six batters. Sharp has a 1.00 ERA, .133 BAA, and 0.67 WHIP over 18 innings this season.

Brendan Nail has yet to allow a run in 7 1/3 innings. The lefty reliever has given up only three hits and three walks while racking up nine strikeouts. He has a save and a win this year.

Luis Guerrero has given up one run in six innings this season. The right-handed reliever is four-for-four when it comes to save opportunities this year. He's walked five batters but has only allowed three hits and has picked up six strikeouts.

Theo Denlinger has a 1.29 ERA, .160 BAA, and 0.71 WHIP over seven innings this year. The righty reliever has been dominating batters all year, racking up 10 strikeouts compared to just one walk.

Jacob Webb has already thrown 8 1/3 innings over five appearances this season. The right-handed reliever has a 2.16 ERA, .194 BAA, and 1.34 WHIP, with 11 strikeouts already.

Nick Yorke's .227 batting average may not excite a lot of people. However, the right-handed hitter has a .414 OBP and a .432 slugging percentage. Yorke's walked as many times (12) as he's struck out. Meanwhile, the second baseman has three doubles and two home runs. Yorke's driven in two runs and scored 13 more.

Matthew Lugo's been an extra-base machine. The right-handed hitter is slashing .267/.283/.489 with seven doubles and one home run. Lugo's driven in 10 runs, scored seven more and stolen two bases. It's great to see him looking comfortable at third base, too.

Ceddanne Rafaela's numbers keep creeping up. The right-handed hitter is slashing .264/.304/.321 with three doubles. He's driven in seven runs, scored eight more, and stolen five bases. Rafaela's getting most of his time in center field but is still appearing at shortstop. Either way, the defense plays.

Phillip Sikes has been a consistent bat for Portland in the leadoff spot. The right-handed hitting outfielder has a .267/.377/.444 slash line with three doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in three runs, scored seven more, and stolen five bases.

Corey Rosier holds a .353/.405/.441 slash line with three doubles. The left-handed hitter has driven in five runs, scored four more, and stolen eight bases in nine attempts. Rosier's also flashed the leather in the outfield quite a few times.

Niko Kavadas doesn't have a home run yet, but he's made some great contact. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .195/.370/.220 with one double. He's driven in three runs, scored three more, stolen one base, and walked 11 times.

Stephen Scott is slashing .205/.326/.308 with two doubles and one triple. The left-handed hitting catcher has driven in four runs, scored seven more, and stolen one base. Scott's had slow starts before, so this is nothing to worry about.

Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Blaze Jordan has completely erased that slow start. The right-handed hitter is working on a seven-game hitting streak at the moment. That included a four-hit day. Jordan is now slashing .250/.304/.404 with three doubles, one triple, and one home run. The corner infielder has driven in nine runs and scored four more.

Marcelo Mayer has also put a slow start behind him. The left-handed hitter has a .255/.375/.404 slash line with two doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in nine runs, scored six more, and stolen two bases. Mayer also made an eye-popping defense play at shortstop to remind everyone that he's an all-around talent.

Nathan Hickey is currently riding a three-game hitting streak. The left-handed hitter holds a .273/.455/.394 slash line with four doubles. He's driven in two runs and scored four more. The catcher has also walked as many times (10) as he's struck out.

Max Ferguson has looked great at the plate this year. The left-handed hitting second baseman/outfielder is slashing .286/.434/.429 with three doubles and one home run. He's driven in seven runs and scored six more while stealing eight bases.

Tyler Miller returned this week for his season debut. The left-handed hitting corner infielder went 5-for-12 with two doubles. He's driven in one run, scored one more, and stolen one base.

Jonathan Diaz also returned this week to make his season debut. The left-handed hitting catcher went 2-for-5 with a home run and a walk. He drove in three runs and scored three more.

Chase Meidroth missed a few games this week and had a bit of a slump, but the overall numbers are still absurd. The right-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .324/.531/.441 with one double and one home run. He's driven in six runs, scored 10 more, and stolen one base. Meidroth has more walks (14) than strikeouts (10). He's also getting time at third base to keep him on the field as much as possible.

Gilberto Jimenez is slashing .250/.250/.425 with four doubles and one home run. The switch-hitting outfielder continues to hit the ball hard. He's driven in four runs, scored six more, and stolen two bases. Jimenez needs to cut back on the Ks (12) and work some walks. Outside of that, you have to love what he's done this year.

Eddinson Paulino holds a .164/.207/.255 slash line with one triple and one home run. The left-handed hitter has driven in three runs, scored five more, and stolen three bases. Paulino's numbers aren't great, but he's shown signs of breaking out. The fact that he can play all over the diamond helps too.

Angel Bastardo had his best start of the year. The 20-year-old righty gave up two runs on two hits and two walks over six innings of work. He also set a new career-high with 11 strikeouts. Bastardo has a 5.93 ERA, .212 BAA, and 1.32 WHIP over 13 2/3 innings this season. He's young for High-A, and his 21 punchouts show something's working.

Isaac Coffey continues to pump out strong starts. The right-handed pitcher took the mound twice this week. He combined to allow four runs on six hits and one walk over 11 innings. Coffey racked up 14 strikeouts in that time. He has a 3.38 ERA, .203 BAA, 0.88 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 16 innings this season.

Juan Daniel Encarnacion struggled with his command this week, and it led to a rough outing (four runs in four innings). On the year, Encarnacion has a 6.08 ERA, .184 BAA, and 1.35 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings. The BAA shows you that he's not getting hit around. It's just some untimely bad luck and loss of command at points. He'll be fine.

A healthy Aaron Perry continues to impress. The righty reliever has allowed one run on two hits and three walks over four innings of work. He's struck out six batters in that time.

Christopher Troye has been a wild ride this year. He's only allowed one run on three hits over 7 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. The right-handed pitcher has walked nine batters in that time, though. Luckily, he's offset those walks with an insane 15 strikeouts.

Nate Tellier has a 1.80 ERA, .211 BAA, and 2.20 WHIP over five innings of work this season. The righty reliever has only allowed four hits and has eight strikeouts, but the seven walks have ballooned his WHIP.

Jordan DiValerio has been quietly strong out of the bullpen. The right-handed pitcher has a 3.68 ERA, .250 BAA, and 1.09 WHIP in 7 1/3 innings. He's struck out six batters while only walking one.

Robert Kwiatkowski has thrown six innings of work over four appearances this season. The righty bullpen arm has a 3.00 ERA, .217 BAA, and 1.00 WHIP in that time. Kwiatkowski has one save and seven strikeouts compared to just one walk.