Boston Red Sox prospects: Nick Decker starts 2023 with a bang

Things were trending in the right direction for Nick Decker headed into 2022. The Boston Red Sox prospect was coming off a breakout year in Single-A. His performance in 2021 helped catapult Decker to number 23 in the Red Sox prospect rankings.

Then came 2022, though. And with it came disaster for Decker.

The left-handed hitter slashed .122/.275/.239 with 112 strikeouts in 222 at-bats in High-A. His performance during the year raised a lot of questions surrounding his future. Was he going to last through the offseason? Would the outfielder have to work back into any legitimate playing time? How short would the leash be?

To answer the first question, he made it through the offseason and was again assigned to High-A. It's safe to say Decker's future was anything but clear, though. He was in desperate need of a hot start to 2023.

Through three games for the Greenville Drive, Decker has only appeared once. So there's your answer on the playing time.

But what about the length of his leash? Hopefully, we never have to find out. In his first at-bat of the season, Decker launched a solo home run.

His next at-bat saw him get good wood on the ball again. This time he flew out to the warning track in center field.

Decker would finish the game 1-for-3 with that home run and a walk. He put a jolt into the ball multiple times and didn't strike out. It was a positive start to the season.

Nick Decker is still only 23. He's one year removed from a promising breakout year and features good raw power with decent defense and great base running despite some not-great speed.

2022 was tough, and it will take more than one good game to erase that year. Every season is a clean slate, though, and Nick Decker appears ready to show the Boston Red Sox that he's still a prospect to invest in.