Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Teel says hi and Abreu say bye
Kyle Teel introduces himself to Boston Red Sox fans, and Wilyer Abreu says goodbye to a lot of baseballs in this week's prospect watch.
Kyle Teel and Wilyer Abreu steal the show in this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch
The Boston Red Sox had a pretty solid week, going 4-2 and making headway in the Wild Card race. The minor leagues followed suit with some monster performances.
Kyle Teel made his High-A debut this week and already has fans salivating. Wilyer Abreu refused to keep balls in the ballpark. Noah Song looked good in two appearances. And, of course, we got more fireworks from Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony. Who else made waves, though?
Triston Casas has become one of the best hitters in the Red Sox lineup. In fact, he's becoming one of the better hitters in all of baseball. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .251/.354/.482 with 16 doubles, two triples, and 19 home runs. He's driven in 45 runs and scored 52 more.
Jarren Duran is slashing .297/.349/.491 with 33 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 40 runs, scored 44 more, and stolen 23 bases in 25 attempts. Duran has legitimate 50-double potential and has the speed to swipe 50 bags.
Connor Wong holds a .244/.296/.393 slash line with 21 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. The right-handed hitting catcher has driven in 27 runs, scored 41 more, and stolen five bases. Wong has hot-and-cold streaks, but the defense always keeps him effective.
Masataka Yoshida has gone a little cold, but the numbers are still fantastic. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .300/.357/.468 with 26 doubles, three triples, and 12 home runs. He's driven in 56 runs, scored 58 more, and stolen eight bases.
Brayan Bello made two starts this week. The first start was phenomenal, but he struggled in the second appearance. Bello has a 3.81 ERA, .257 BAA, and 1.26 WHIP in 113 1/3 innings. The right-handed pitcher has struck out 96 batters compared to 30 walks.
Chris Murphy had his first miserable outing in the Major Leagues last week. This week, he was electric. The left-handed reliever tossed three shutout innings. He didn't allow a hit and walked two batters compared to four strikeouts. It was also Murph's first career save. Murphy has a 2.94 ERA, .225 BAA, and 1.31 WHIP in 33 2/3 innings. He's struck out 34 batters compared to 15 walks.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Wilyer Abreu has been elite since the calendar turned to August. The left-handed hitting outfielder is 18-for-40 (.450) with two doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBI, and one steal in 11 games. Abreu is slashing .268/.380/.521 with nine doubles, one triple, and 20 home runs. He's driven in 58 runs, scored 60 more, and stolen six bases.
Ceddanne Rafaela continued to be otherworldly this week and hit another home run. The right-handed hitting centerfielder is slashing .324/.373/.662 in Triple-A. Overall, he's slashing .305/.347/.524 with 28 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs. Rafaela's driven in 70 runs, scored 68 more and stolen 34 bases.
Stephen Scott had a hit in all four games he appeared in this week. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .287/.373/.626 in Triple-A. He's slashing .267/.371/.533 with 14 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs overall on the season. Scott's driven in 57 runs, scored 47 more and stolen six bases.
Enmanuel Valdez is back and still raking. The left-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .269/.392/.580 with six doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. He's driven in 29 runs, scored 25 more, and stolen two bases.
David Hamilton is slashing .247/.361/.444 with 15 doubles, three triples, and 13 home runs. The left-handed hitting middle infielder has driven in 40 runs, scored 59 more, and stolen 44 bases. Hamilton's drawn a solid 54 walks, which you love to see from a speedster.
I feel bad talking about Ryan Fitzgerald on here because he should have gotten a shot in the Major Leagues already. The left-handed hitting utility is slashing .293/.356/.537 with 22 doubles, four triples, and 11 home runs in Triple-A. He's driven in 54 runs, scored 44 more, and stolen seven bases.
Brandon Walter tossed three more scoreless innings out of the bullpen this week. The left-handed reliever now has 6 1/3 straight scoreless innings over his last two outings. Walter seems to have embraced a bullpen role, and it's working wonders for him. He'll be back in the Major Leagues, making an impact, this season.
Ryan Fernandez has settled down nicely in Triple-A. The right-handed reliever has tossed six scoreless innings in August. He's allowed just one hit and two walks in that time while striking out eight batters. Fernandez needed a minute to adjust to the level, but he's back to dominating.
Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Brainer Bonaci was promoted to Double-A and looked phenomenal in his first week with Portland. The switch-hitting shortstop went 7-for-20 (.350) with two doubles and one home run. He drove in one run, scored five more, and stole one base. Bonaci walked more times (4) than he struck out (3). Portland Bones is fun.
Nathan Hickey crushed a pair of home runs this week. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .278/.367/.537 with 17 doubles, one triple, and 18 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He's driven in 48 runs, scored 49 more, and stolen three bases. Hickey's bat will force its way to the Majors potentially as early as next season.
Blaze Jordan keeps driving in runs. The right-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .302/.359/.501 with 26 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He's driven in 74 runs, scored 57 more, and stolen two bases.
Elih Marrero is slashing .255/.377/.333 with eight doubles. The switch-hitting catcher has driven in nine runs, scored 15 more, and stolen eight bases. I sound like a broken record, but the defense is fantastic. If he can produce like that at the plate, Marrero deserves more attention.
Matthew Lugo returned earlier this month, and he's healthy again. The right-handed hitting third baseman is on a five-game hitting streak. In that time, Lugo has drastically risen his slash line from .232/.289/.370 to the current .246/.299/.384. Lugo has 21 doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He's driven in 31 runs, scored 39 more, and stolen six bases.
Nick Yorke had a six-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday. The right-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .269/.346/.446 with 16 doubles, five triples, and 12 home runs. He's driven in 47 runs, scored 58 more, and stolen eight bases.
Chase Meidroth had a strong week that included two multi-hit games. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .269/.401/.385 with 13 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs between High-A and Double-A. He's driven in 44 runs, scored 58 more, and stolen 11 bases. Meidroth had just 68 ABs in Single-A and 74 ABs in High-A before being promoted to Double-A, so the production dip shouldn't shock anyone. Double-A is a massive jump.
Isaac Coffey allowed two runs (only one earned) on two hits over six innings in his lone start this week. The right-handed pitcher struck out four batters compared to just one walk. Coffey has a 2.89 ERA, .215 BAA, and 1.07 WHIP between High-A and Double-A. He's struck out 133 batters compared to 26 walks in 99 2/3 innings. Most impressive is the fact that Coffey's numbers are nearly identical between High-A and Double-A.
Wikelman Gonzalez made two starts this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed four runs (three earned) over 9 2/3 innings. He surrendered nine hits and six walks, but did strike out 16 batters. Gonzalez has a 2.03 ERA, .161 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP in 26 2/3 innings in Double-A. He's struck out 39 batters compared to 15 walks at the level.
Luis Guerrero had two dominant outings this week. The righty reliever tossed two shutout innings on two seperate occassions. He didn't allow a hit in either, and only one walk compared to six strikeouts combined. Guerrero has a 1.67 ERA, .144 BAA, and 1.19 WHIP in 43 innings. He's struck out 47 batters compared to 30 walks.
Christopher Troye had another shutout inning this week, striking out two more batters. The right-handed reliever has a 3.19 ERA, .182 BAA, and 1.34 WHIP between High-A and Double-A. He's struck out 67 batters compared to 24 walks in 36 2/3 innings. It took a few outings, but Troye has begun to really dominate in Double-A.
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Kyle Teel is here, and he's glorious. The right-handed hitting catcher and first-round pick wasted no time endearing himself to Boston Red Sox fans. How did he do that? By going 10-for-18 in his first four High-A games. Teel hit two doubles, drove in six runs, scored six runs, and walked as many times as he struck out (3). He collected a hit in all four games and started with three straight three-hit performances. Teel also caught both attempted base stealers against him. Talk about a debut.
Cutter Coffey has made his way to High-A and looked solid in his first week. The right-handed hitting shortstop went 2-for-12. He drove in two runs, scored two runs, and stole one base. Coffey struck out five times but also walked five times.
Roman Anthony is slashing .285/.415/.611 with 10 doubles, two triples, and 11 home runs in High-A. He's driven in 29 runs, scored 31 more, and stolen two bases. Anthony is up to 70 walks on the season between Single-A and High-A combined. It's great to see that he's drawing walks even at a higher level.
Allan Castro is working on a five-game hitting streak and hit his second High-A home run this week. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .274/.354/.440 with six doubles, one triple, and two home runs with Greenville. He's driven in nine runs, scored 14 more, and stolen one base.
Eduardo Lopez had a big week and is 5-for-11 with three walks in his last three games. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .276/.365/.403 with 14 doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He's driven in 42 runs, scored 46 more, and stolen 12 bases.
Eddinson Paulino is slashing .246/.330/.402 with 21 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs. The left-handed hitting utility has driven in 47 runs, scored 57 more, and stolen 23 bases. Paulino's season is seen as a failure by some, but the production is solid, and he's barely 21.
Bryan Gonzalez is slashing .260/.322/.428 with 14 doubles, six triples, and 10 home runs. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 49 runs, scored 62 more, and stolen nine bases. There's a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, but he also possesses phenomenal raw power.
Max Ferguson had a pair of multi-hit games this week. The left-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .233/.348/.326 with 12 doubles, one triple, and four home runs in High-A. He's driven in 27 runs, scored 46 more, and stolen 26 bases.
Tyler Miller is slashing .275/.333/.450 with 17 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs. The left-handed hitting corner infielder/corner outfielder has driven in 43 runs, scored 40 more, and stolen 14 bases.
Felix Cepeda was having a great year in Single-A, but it's nothing compared to his High-A performance so far. The right-handed reliever has yet to allow a run in 11 innings. He's surrendered just four hits and two walks while striking out 12 batters. This has led to Cepeda being a perfect 3-for-3 on save opportunities.
Noah Song is back in the Boston Red Sox organization and has looked stellar in two appearances. The right-handed pitcher has allowed no runs on one hit over four innings of work. He's struck out six batters and walked just one. Song came out of the bullpen his first time out but started the next game. It will be interesting to see what direction the Red Sox go in with him.
Brock Bell's dominant ways continue. The right-handed reliever has a 2.28 ERA, .221 BAA, and 1.05 WHIP in High-A. He's struck out 29 batters compared to six walks over 27 2/3 innings. Bell has a 3-1 record and has notched two saves.
Red Sox Single-A (Salem)
Yordanny Monegro had another one of his dominant starts this week. The right-handed pitcher tossed five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out 11 batters. Monegro has a 2.56 ERA, .223 BAA, and 1.29 WHIP in Single-A. He's struck out 47 batters compared to 14 walks in 31 2/3 innings. Monegro's swagger on the mound has made him an instant fan favorite.
Christian Nunez made his first Single-A appearance of the season. The righty didn't allow a run over four innings of work. He gave up one hit but didn't walk anyone and struck out six batters.
Noah Dean was trying to convert from a reliever to a starter this season. We saw a few good outings, but for the most part, it featured a lot of struggles. The lefty made his first appearance out of the bullpen this week and cooked. Dean fired off four shutout innings on Sunday. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out six batters.
Luis De La Rosa allowed one unearned run on one hit and one walk over three innings this week. The righty reliever also struck out five batters. De La Rosa has a 3.60 ERA, .212 BAA, and 1.36 WHIP in 55 innings. He's struck out 65 batters compared to 33 walks.
Gabriel Jackson surrendered one run on two hits over four innings this week. He didn't walk anyone and struck out three batters. Jackson has a 3.12 ERA, .269 BAA, and 1.32 WHIP in 60 2/3 innings. He's struck out 38 batters compared to 19 walks.
Albertson Asigen is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .342/.458/.456 with two doubles, two triples, and one home run in Single-A. He's driven in seven runs, scored 14 more, and stolen five bases.
Marvin Alcantara was promoted to Single-A this week and appeared in his first three games. The right-handed hitting shortstop went 1-for-11 with a double. He drove in two runs as well.
Mikey Romero is slashing .217/.288/.304 with four doubles and two triples in Single-A. The left-handed hitting shortstop has driven in nine runs, scored 11 more, and stolen two bases. There has been plenty of bad luck, with Romero hitting balls on the screws, but right to a defender.
Jhostynxon Garcia is on a seven-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .223/.315/.347 with 11 doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He's driven in 19 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen four bases.
Alexis Hernandez is on a seven-game hitting streak of his own. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .255/.338/.376 with eight doubles and three home runs in Single-A. He's driven in 30 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen nine bases.
Luis Ravelo had a solid week and hit his first home run since May 10. The switch-hitting shortstop is slashing .220/.315/.296 with 13 doubles and four home runs. He's driven in 38 runs, scored 42 more, and stolen six bases.
Yorberto Mejicano boosted his numbers with a strong week. The right-handed hitting catcher/first baseman is slashing .277/.354/.445 with seven doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He's driven in 21 runs, scored 30 more, and stolen four bases.
Albert Feliz hit another tank this week and added a few doubles. The right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder is slashing .236/.316/.371 with 15 doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He's driven in 31 runs and scored 30 more.
Endero Lira is moving his numbers up as well. The right-handed hitting catcher is slashing .253/.275/.309 with seven doubles and one home run. He's driven in 23 runs and scored 16 more.
Lyonell James was uplifted by a three-hit game this week. The right-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .245/.315/.327 with 12 doubles and three home runs. He's driven in 40 runs, scored 32 more, and stolen two bases.
manual