Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Marcelo Mayer erupts
This week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch saw Marcelo Mayer go crazy
The Boston Red Sox saw their eight-game winning streak end on Sunday. That should tell you how great things have been going for them lately.
What's even better is that success has moved throughout the minor leagues. This week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch features big performances, including a no-hitter.
No one was able to do what Marcelo Mayer did, though. That's because he reached a level at the plate that's impossible to duplicate. Mayer showed why he's the top prospect in the system and possibly the top prospect in baseball.
Masataka Yoshida led the way in the Major Leagues. The left-handed hitting outfielder is on a 16-game hitting streak. 10 of those games have been multi-hit performances. Yoshida is slashing .321/.403/.536 with six doubles and six home runs. He's driven in 24 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen two bases. Yoshida's walked more times (13) than he's struck out (11). There's nothing negative to even think about.
Jarren Duran is slashing .366/.413/.606 with 11 doubles and two home runs. The left-handed outfielder has driven in 13 runs, scored 12 more, and stolen four bases. Duran looks more comfortable and relaxed this season, and it's translated to every facet of his game, including defense.
Enmanuel Valdez has looked slightly better defensively recently. Meanwhile, the bat is still there. The left-handed hitting second baseman has a .324/.342/.486 slash line with three doubles and one home run. He's driven in six runs, scored four more, and stolen three bases in 11 games.
Connor Wong is slashing .257/.313/.459 with six doubles and three home runs. The right-handed hitter has driven in 10 runs, scored 12 more, and stolen one base. Wong has also been great defensively at catcher and has caught eight would-be base runners.
Triston Casas has shown positive signs lately and has an 18-game on-base streak. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .163/.295/.326 with three doubles and four home runs. He's driven in 12 runs and scored 17 more.
Brayan Bello has made two strong starts in a row. The right-handed pitcher has a 5.71 ERA, .338 BAA, and 1.73 WHIP in 17 1/3 innings. He's struck out 19 batters and walked six. The numbers aren't great, but Bello's looked better recently and has the stuff to make it work.
Josh Winckowski has a 1.57 ERA, .200 BAA, and 0.96 WHIP in 23 innings out of the bullpen. The right-handed pitcher has a 2-0 record, four holds, and one save. He's also struck out 18 batters compared to five walks and has only allowed one home run.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Wilyer Abreu went 8-for-19 with three walks this week. He had one double, one home run, and drove in nine runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder is now slashing .303/.402/.474 with four doubles and three home runs in 21 games. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen one base. Abreu's only 23, and he's the other piece (with Enmanuel Valdez) in the Christian Vazquez deal.
David Hamilton is slashing .311/.398/.557 with six doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 25 more, and stolen 20 bases. Hamilton's played decent defense at shortstop and has elite speed. The numbers have been insanely encouraging.
Ryan Fitzgerald has a .282/.367/.500 slash line with six doubles, one triple, and three home runs. The left-handed utility has driven in 19 runs, scored 11 more, and stolen two bases.
Nick Sogard slumped for a bit but went 7-for-15 in his last five games. The switch-hitting utility is slashing .265/.419/.368 with five doubles and one triple. He's driven in three runs, scored 12 more, and stolen four bases.
Bryan Mata had a strange start this week. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on two hits in four innings but walked six batters. El Idolo has a 4.63 ERA, .233 BAA, and 1.89 WHIP in 23 1/3 innings. He's walked 24 batters and struck out 21.
Chris Murphy has had good outings in three of his last four starts. The left-handed starter has a 7.88 ERA, .327 BAA, and 2.08 WHIP. He's struck out 22 batters and walked 18 in 24 innings. The numbers are slowly improving.
Brandon Walter has a 5.16 ERA, .299 BAA, and 1.58 WHIP in six starts. The lefty has 22 strikeouts compared to 12 walks over 29 2/3 innings. We haven't seen the dominant Walter that we saw all of last season, but he's given glimpses.
Chase Shugart had a rough outing a few weeks ago. Since then, the right-handed reliever has tossed five scoreless innings over his last five outings. Shugart has a 4.05 ERA, .296 BAA, and 1.55 WHIP. He's struck out 10 batters compared to three walks in 13 1/3 innings and is a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities.
Andrew Politi has a 3.77 ERA, .273 BAA, and 1.53 WHIP in 14 1/3 innings. The righty reliever has struck out 16 batters and walked seven. Five of the six runs he's allowed came in back-to-back outings in mid-April. Outside of that, he's been phenomenal.
Oddanier Mosqueda has a 3.38 ERA, .220 BAA, and 1.35 WHIP this season. The left-handed reliever has 12 strikeouts compared to four walks in 13 1/3 innings.
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Chih-Jung Liu had the best start of his MiLB career. The right-handed pitcher tossed a seven-inning no-hitter on Friday, only walking two batters and striking out six. Liu has a 3.65 ERA, .216 BAA, and 1.22 WHIP in 24 2/3 innings. He's struck out 29 batters and has 11 walks.
When Shane Drohan threw an absolute GEM on Thursday, the lefty probably thought he had the game of the week. Drohan gave up just one hit and two walks over six scoreless innings, striking out four batters. He has a 0.62 ERA, .140 BAA, and 0.69 WHIP in 29 innings. Drohan's struck out 30 batters and only walked six.
Brian Van Belle continues to impress. The right-handed starter has a 1.23 ERA, .178 BAA, and 0.86 WHIP in 22 innings. He's only struck out 12 batters but has walked just six. BVB is the very definition of a strike-thrower.
Ryan Fernandez has made his way back up to Double-A after rehabbing an injury. The righty reliever has a 3.00 ERA, .138 BAA, and 0.67 WHIP over two levels. He's struck out 14 batters and walked two in nine innings. Fernandez has elite stuff.
Theo Denlinger has been filthy. The right-handed reliever has a 0.73 ERA, .143 BAA, and 0.65 WHIP in 12 1/3 innings. He's struck out 14 batters and only walked two.
Luis Guerrero has a 1.80 ERA, .171 BAA, and 1.40 WHIP in 10 innings. The righty has struck out nine batters but walked eight. He's managed to stay out of trouble and is a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities.
Jacob Webb bounced back from a rough outing last week to toss two scoreless frames in his lone appearance this week. The right-handed reliever has a 2.51 ERA, .185 BAA, and 1.19 WHIP in 14 1/3 innings. He's struck out 14 batters and walked seven.
Brendan Nail has now made two starts in a row. Neither has seen him go more than three innings, but it's an intriguing development. The lefty has a 0.71 ERA, .163 BAA, and 0.87 WHIP in 12 2/3 innings. He's struck out 12 batters and walked four.
Dylan Spacke has a 0.87 ERA, .200 BAA, and 1.55 WHIP this season. The right-handed reliever has struck out 10 batters and walked nine in 10 1/3 innings. Yes, the walks are high. But you can't argue with the results so far.
Nick Yorke finished off his week with back-to-back multi-hit games. The right-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .291/.419/.500 with five doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He's driven in 10 runs, scored 24 more, and stolen four bases.
The power has arrived for Niko Kavadas. Entering the week, the left-handed hitter had just one double on the season. He hit another one this week, as well as his first two homers. The first baseman is now slashing .250/.421/.361 with two doubles and two home runs. He's driven in 11 runs, scored 10 more, and stolen one base. Kavadas has 21 walks in 22 games.
Corey Rosier needs to have some more conversations around him. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .324/.368/.493 with four doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in nine runs, scored 12 more, and stolen 15 bases in 16 attempts.
Phillip Sikes continues to be consistently good. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .271/.344/.400 with six doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in seven runs, scored 13 more, and stolen 10 bases.
Ceddanne Rafaela is slashing .260/.290/.354 with six doubles and one home run. The right-handed hitting centerfielder has driven in 16 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen eight bases. His OBP and slugging percentage could use a little boost, but the run production is phenomenal.
Matthew Lugo has been an extra-base machine. The right-handed hitting third baseman is slashing .268/.284/.478 with 10 doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 10 more, and stolen three bases.
Elih Marrero is the best defensive catcher in the system, and the bat has woken up. The switch-hitter is slashing .250/.462/.357 with three doubles. He's driven in one run, scored four more, and stolen two bases. Marrero has more walks (11) than strikeouts (9) and is riding a four-game hitting streak. Unfortunately, he appeared to hurt his ankle while sliding into second base on Saturday. Hopefully, everything's fine.
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Marcelo Mayer may have just had the best week you'll see in a long time. The left-handed hitting shortstop collected a hit in all six games, going 16-for-31 with six doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI, eight runs scored, and one steal. That sounds fake, but I promise it's not. The 20-year-old is slashing .337/.414/.582 with 10 doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He's driven in 23 runs, scored 17 more, and stolen four bases.
Nathan Hickey's offense continues to impress. The left-handed hitting catcher has a .294/.402/.588 slash line with six doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He's driven in nine runs and scored 13 more. Hickey's made some improvements defensively but still has to make strides. He's allowed 37 steals on 37 attempts already this season.
Blaze Jordan is slashing .289/.350/.500 with five doubles, one triple, and four home runs. The right-handed hitting corner infielder has driven in 17 runs, scored 12 more, and stole one base.
Chase Meidroth holds a .338/.495/.459 slash line with three doubles and two home runs. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen four bases. The right-handed hitting second baseman has more walks (21) than strikeouts (20).
Tyler Miller is slashing .333/.366/.641 with six doubles and two home runs. The left-handed hitting first baseman has driven in eight runs, scored seven more, and stolen two bases. Miller's done all of that in just 10 games.
Eduardo Lopez is slashing .291/.400/.436 with two doubles and two triples. The switch-hitting outfielder has driven in 12 runs, scored 13 more, and stolen seven bases.
Bryan Gonzalez has had some big games over the last 10 days. They've boosted his slash line to .224/.297/.448 with two doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He's driven in 12 runs, scored 13 more, and stolen one base.
Eddinson Paulino has a .234/.280/.372 slash line with five doubles, one triple, and two home runs. The left-handed hitting utility has driven in eight runs, scored 14 more, and is a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen base attempts.
Max Ferguson is slashing .224/.371/.329 with six doubles and one home run. He's driven in nine runs and scored 17 more. Ferguson has a low average, but he gets on base. That's great news, as he has 15 steals already.
Brainer Bonaci is slashing .217/.250/.348 with three doubles in six games. He's driven in two runs and scored one more. Bones missed the first few weeks due to a visa issue and now is a 20-year-old in High-A for the first time. Don't be shocked if he struggles a bit.
Hunter Dobbins made his season and High-A debut on Sunday. The right-handed pitcher allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over four innings, striking out two batters. That's a lot of twos. Dobbins was an eighth-round pick in 2021.
Nathan Landry was promoted to High-A this week after dominating Single-A (no runs allowed in 10 1/3 innings). The left-handed reliever got hit around a bit in his first High-A appearance (three runs in one inning) but threw a perfect 1 1/3 innings his next time out, striking out three batters.
Wikelman Gonzalez had his best start of the season this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed one run on three hits and one walk over five innings, striking out nine. Gonzalez has a 10.54 ERA, .255 BAA, and 2.20 WHIP in five starts. He's struck out 23 batters and walked 17 in 13 2/3 innings.
Grant Gambrell had his best start of the week. The righty allowed two runs (both unearned) on seven hits and no walks in six innings, striking out a season-high eight batters. Gambrell has a 5.18 ERA, .291 BAA, and 1.60 WHIP in 24 1/3 innings. He's struck out 29 batters and walked nine.
Isaac Coffey has a 3.71 ERA, .218 BAA, and 1.01 WHIP in 26 2/3 innings. The right-handed pitcher has struck out 33 batters compared to just five walks. Coffey's surrendered nine home runs, but the strikeouts and low walks have kept things from hurting him too much.
Maceo Campbell struggled in his first few outings, but the righty reliever has dominated his last three times out. Campbell has given up just two hits and one walk in five shutout innings in that time, striking out 10 batters. The 23-year-old is down to a 4.50 ERA, .256 BAA, and 1.60 WHIP. He's struck out 19 batters and walked six.
Nate Tellier tossed two perfect innings out of the bullpen this week. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.13 ERA, .172 BAA, and 1.50 WHIP in eight innings. He's walked seven batters but has 11 strikeouts and has yet to give up a home run.
Christopher Troye has a 1.80 ERA, .162 BAA, and 1.50 WHIP. The right-handed reliever has nine walks in 10 innings, but he's struck out a ridiculous 21 batters.
Jordan DiValerio has a 3.68 ERA, .259 BAA, and 1.30 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. The righty has struck out 13 batters while only walking four.
Red Sox Single-A (Salem)
Miguel Bleis had a tough week, but there were some positives. Those positives included five steals. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .247/.300/.351 with three doubles, two triples, and one home run. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 16 more, and stolen 11 bases. Bleis has a lot of strikeouts (32), but he's 19 and perhaps a little too patient at the moment.
Luis Ravelo continues to show an impressive bat. The switch-hitting shortstop is slashing .275/.372/.388 with three doubles and two home runs. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 14 more, and stolen four bases. Ravelo's known mainly for his defense (and made some great plays this week). So the offense has been a nice surprise.
Cutter Coffey holds a .212/.409/.258 slash line with three doubles. The right-handed hitting shortstop has driven in four runs, scored 14 more, and stolen six bases. He's walked more times (21) than he's struck out (18).
Roman Anthony had a monster three-hit game on Sunday that included two doubles and three RBI. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .221/.378/.294 with five doubles. He's driven in nine runs, scored 12 more, and stolen seven bases. Anthony has 17 walks compared to 18 strikeouts.
Yorberto Mejicano is slashing .393/.452/.571 with five doubles. The right-handed hitting catcher/first baseman has driven in three runs, scored five more, and stolen one base. Mejicano made some phenomenal defensive plays at first base this week and has caught three-of-seven base stealers as a catcher. He needs more playing time.
Ronald Rosario is slashing .250/.389/.429 with five doubles, one triple, and one home run. The right-handed hitting catcher has driven in 11 runs and scored 10 more.
Juan Chacon slumped a bit this week and is slashing .209/.386/.313 with one double and three triples this season. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in nine runs, scored 10 more, and stolen nine bases. Even with a struggling bat, though, Chacon continues to dazzle defensively.
Lyonell James had a big week, collecting hits in all four games and going 6-for-17 (.353) with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .243/.321/.311 with two doubles and one home run. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 12 more, and stolen two bases.
Karson Simas is slashing .238/.365/.286 with one triple. The right-handed hitter has driven in five runs, scored five more, and stolen three bases. Simas plays all over the field and made some nice plays at second base this week.
Allan Castro is in a deep slump and slashing .184/.349/.276 with five doubles and one home run. The switch-hitting outfielder has driven in 13 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen six bases. In his first 14 at-bats, Castro had seven hits (two doubles and a home run) and seven RBI. It's been tough since then. Castro's had some good swings, has 20 walks compared to 20 strikeouts, and is 19. Don't panic.
Ryan Zeferjahn was activated this week and is rehabbing in Single-A. The right-handed pitcher has thrown three scoreless innings over two outings. He gave up three hits and no walks, striking out two batters.
Jose Ramirez gave up two runs (neither earned) on two hits and three walks over five innings this week, striking out six batters. The right-handed pitcher has a 0.50 ERA, .123 BAA, and 0.83 WHIP in 18 innings. He's struck out 18 batters and walked eight.
Noah Dean had his best start of the season. The left-handed pitcher tossed five shutout innings, earning his first win. Dean has a 5.27 ERA, .213 BAA, and 2.12 WHIP in 13 2/3 innings. He's walked 19 batters and stuck out 23.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz went five innings for the second start in a row. The righty has a 2.03 ERA, .226 BAA, and 1.50 WHIP in 13 1/3 innings. He's struck out seven batters and walked eight. Five walks came in his first start of the year (three innings), though.
Felix Cepeda gave up two runs (one earned) in one inning in his first appearance this season. The right-handed reliever hasn't allowed another run since then (10 1/3 innings). Cepeda has a 0.79 ERA, .214 BAA, and 1.50 WHIP in 11 1/3 innings. He's struck out 11 batters and walked eight.
Luis De La Rosa has a 3.00 ERA, .197 BAA, and 1.22 WHIP in 18 innings. The right-handed pitcher has 17 strikeouts compared to nine walks, and he's yet to surrender a home run.
Dalton Rogers has a 3.55 ERA, .146 BAA, and 1.18 WHIP in 12 2/3 innings. The left-handed pitcher has struck out 25 batters compared to eight walks and has yet to give up a homer.
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