Red Sox Prospect Update: 'Big Three' news steals headlines, scary Blaze Jordan moment
The Boston Red Sox made a massive move on Sunday. They promoted the "Big Three" prospects from Double-A to Triple-A. If you somehow don't know, the "Big Three" consists of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel.
Mayer is a left-handed hitting shortstop who's slashing .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles and eight home runs this season. He's driven in 38 runs, scored 60 more, and stolen 13 bases.
Mayer has been dealing with an injury recently, but the swing has looked great and has led to a lot of extra bases.
Anthony is a left-handed hitting outfielder who slashed .269/.367/.489 with 20 doubles, three triples, and 15 home runs in Double-A this season. He drove in 45 runs, scored 60 more, and stole 16 bases.
Anthony has the lowest average of the three but has been impressive with his ability to hit the ball incredibly hard consistently.
Teel is a left-handed hitting catcher who slashed .298/.390/.462 with 20 doubles and 11 home runs. He drove in 60 runs, scored 65 more, and stole nine bases.
Teel hasn't hit the ball the hardest, but he's been the most consistent of the Big Three. He's shown a great ability to drive in runs and has been showing more power recently.
The Red Sox have been slumping a bit since the trade deadline. That's put a damper on the fanbase for the time being. However, this is something that will certainly light a fire under a lot of fans.
Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel could be cornerstones of the franchise for the next decade-plus. They're now a single step away from the Majors Leagues.
Don't expect to see them in Boston before the end of the 2024 season. This feels like a clear indication that the Red Sox have the Big Three in their 2025 plans.
Boston Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Mickey Gasper is slashing .401/.515/.664 with 12 doubles and eight home runs in 40 games since being promoted to Triple-A. He's driven in 32 runs, scored 36 more, and stolen one base. Gasper has 29 walks compared to 16 strikeouts. Is there a path for him to be promoted to the Majors this season? Gasper's a switch-hitting catcher who can play first and has been appearing more at second base. It seems like he'd fill a few holes for the Red Sox.
Chase Meidroth's astronomically high on-base percentage continues to be a marvel. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .294/.439/.398 with 18 doubles and six home runs. He's driven in 44 runs, scored 72 more, and stolen 11 bases. Meidroth has walked 81 times while only striking out 47 times.
Nathan Hickey has been fantastic since around the trade deadline. The left-handed hitting catcher has a hit in eight of the last 10 games he's appeared in, with four home runs in that stretch. Hickey has a .211 batting average with 15 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs. He's driven in 54 runs, scored 53 more, and stolen four bases.
Richard Fitts has been looking better in recent starts, and you love to see it. The right-handed pitcher has allowed three runs with 14 strikeouts over 12 innings in his two August starts. Fitts has a 4.56 ERA, .264 BAA, and 1.37 WHIP in 20 games (19 starts). In 94 2/3 innings, he has 88 strikeouts compared to 34 walks.
Luis Guerrero only made one appearance out of the bullpen this week, but he made it count. The righty reliever tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits. He did walk two batters but also struck out two. Guerrero has a 3.89 ERA, .216 BAA, and 1.45 WHIP in 34 appearances. His 29 walks and nine HBP in 44 innings need work. However, he's kept teams from hitting him too often and does have 60 strikeouts.
Boston Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
The "Big Three" might have moved on to Triple-A, but there's still "Nut Town" representation in Portland. Kristian Campbell has homered in three straight games. The right-handed hitting utility man is slashing .380/.484/.592 with 16 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs since being promoted to Double-A. He's driven in 32 runs, scored 43 more, and stolen 17 bases in 49 games.
Elih Marrero had a massive 4-for-5 game that featured two doubles and two home runs. The switch-hitting catcher is slashing .280/.337/.462 with eight doubles and three home runs in Double-A. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 11 more, and stolen five bases. Marrero's fantastic athleticism and defense took a back seat to a scorching hot bat.
Luis Ravelo's been making fantastic plays in the field since being promoted to Double-A. His bat hasn't been bad either. The switch-hitting infielder is 8-for-36 with four RBI and six runs scored. He's drawn six walks, leading to a decent .333 OBP.
Drew Ehrhard has been phenomenal in his short stint in Double-A. The right-handed hitting utility man is 12-for-31 (.387) with five doubles and one home run. He's driven in three runs and scored nine more. Ehrhard has drawn five walks compared to seven strikeouts and boasts a .513 OBP.
Phillip Sikes is slashing .258/.346/.432 with 21 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 36 runs, scored 51 more, and stolen 19 bases. Sikes has been his usual great defensive self this year, and the bat has really picked it up in recent weeks.
Alex Binelas is quietly having a strong season in Double-A and launched a baseball 7,500 feet this week. The left-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .249/.357/.424 with 10 doubles, four triples, and six home runs. He's driven in 45 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen eight bases.
Blaze Jordan's week was cut short when he went on the IL after taking a 97 MPH fastball off his face. The terrifying incident could've been a lot worse, so I guess (?) he's lucky. The right-handed hitting corner infielder is hitting .253 with 18 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He's driven in 51 runs, scored 29 more, and stolen two bases.
Isaac Coffey had his most dominant start of the season this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed five hits over five shutout innings. He hit two batters but didn't walk any. Meanwhile, he tied a career high with 11 strikeouts. Coffey has a 3.62 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 87 innings this season.
Christopher Troye tossed three innings over two appearances this week. The righty reliever didn't allow a run or a hit in those three innings. He walked two batters and struck out four. Troye is down to a 5.12 ERA, .211 BAA, and 1.52 WHIP in 31 2/3 innings. He's struck out 42 batters compared to 24 walks.
Brendan Cellucci didn't allow a run over four innings in two appearances this week. He has a 0.00 ERA in six innings in August. The left-handed reliever has a 3.65 ERA, .221 BAA, and 1.53 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He's struck out 66 batters compared to 32 walks in 44 1/3 innings.
Robert Kwiatkowski allowed one run on two hits over five innings in two appearances this week. The righty reliever walked three batters and struck out seven. He has a 3.15 ERA, .230 BAA, and 1.20 WHIP in 60 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.
Boston Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Jhostynxon Garcia might be a robot, and he earned the promotion to Double-A he got on Sunday. He is 9-for-17 over his last four games. The right-handed hitting outfielder slashed .311/.371/.627 in 53 games in High-A. He drove in 37 runs, scored 44 more, and stole one base. Garcia is getting the same treatment Roman Anthony got last year, going from Single-A to Double-A in the same season.
Allan Castro also earned his promotion thanks to a scorching hot run since the calendar flipped to July. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .243/.363/.449 with 21 doubles, four triples, and 14 home runs this season. He's driven in 48 runs, scored 65 more, and stolen 11 bases.
2024 draft pick Zach Ehrhard made his High-A debut this week and went 3-for-11 with a double. The right-handed hitting outfielder drove in one run and scored one run, also drawing one walk.
Another 2024 draft pick, Hudson White, also made his High-A debut this week and went 2-for-7. The right-handed hitting catcher drew one walk and struck out one time in two games.
Okay, last 2024 draft pick on the hitter side of things. Will Turner went 1-for-9 with a triple. The left-handed hitting outfielder drew four walks, scored two runs, and drove in two runs.
Eduardo Lopez has been quietly one of Greenville's best hitters since July (17-for-45 since the start of July). The switch-hitting outfielder/first baseman is slashing .253/.363/.474 with 10 doubles, three triples, and six home runs. He's driven in 22 runs, scored 28 more, and stolen four bases.
Bryan Gonzalez collected a hit in all four games he appeared in this week. The right-handed hitting first baseman has a .242 average with nine doubles, two triples, and 17 home runs. He's driven in 49 runs, scored 49 more, and stolen nine bases.
Ronald Rosario went 3-for-15 this week but added two walks and two more RBI to his already career-high total. The right-handed hitting catcher has a .258 average with 17 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He's driven in 57 runs, scored 39 more, and stolen two bases.
Juan Montero has been phenomenal since getting a chance to play in High-A. The right-handed hitting catcher/corner infielder is 5-for-16 with a double since being promoted. He's driven in four runs and scored four more. Montero's walked more times (5) than he's struck out (2).
Justin Riemer is quickly becoming a favorite player to watch. The right-handed hitting infielder is 11-for-38 with two doubles and six walks compared to six strikeouts in High-A. He's driven in one run, scored nine more, and stolen one base.
Andy Lugo is 9-for-28 since being promoted to High-A. The right-handed hitting utility player has driven in three runs, scored three more, and stolen two bases. Lugo brings a lot of flexibility to the lineup and should continue to get consistent ABs. Expect the power to start showing up.
Yordanny Monegro allowed one unearned run on two hits over five innings this week. The right-handed pitcher didn't walk any and struck out six. Mongero has a 3.52 ERA, .206 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP in High-A. He's struck out 55 batters compared to 17 walks in 46 innings. The Aura God hasn't allowed an earned run in 26 1/3 innings.
Elmer Rodriguez gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits in four innings this week. The righty struck out four batters and walked two (hit one). He has allowed three earned runs in 13 innings since being promoted to High-A.
Bryce Bonnin didn't allow a hit over two scoreless innings this week. The right-handed reliever has allowed one run over 11 2/3 innings combined in his last five appearances. Bonnin has a 4.02 ERA, .152 BAA, and 1.02 WHIP in 17 appearances. He's struck out 36 batters compared to 16 walks in 31 1/3 innings.
Boston Red Sox Single-A (Salem)
Juan Valera didn't allow a hit over four shutout innings this week. The right-handed pitcher struck out five batters and walked two. Valera has now allowed just one hit in 12 scoreless innings since being promoted to Single-A.
Matt Duffy tossed five scoreless innings on Sunday. The righty gave up three hits and didn't walk anyone while striking out a career-high seven batters. Duffy has a 3.18 ERA, .223 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP in 18 starts. He's struck out 75 batters compared to 25 walks in 79 1/3 innings.
Luis Cohen allowed three hits over five shutout innings this week. The right-handed pitcher walked three batters and didn't strike anyone out. Cohen has a 3.65 ERA, .213 BAA, and 1.11 WHIP in 79 innings.
2024 draft pick Cole Tolbert made his Single-A debut this week. The righty allowed one run on three hits over two innings. He didn't walk anyone (one HBP) and struck out five batters.
Danny Kirwin allowed one unearned run on one hit over four innings this week. The right-handed pitcher didn't walk anyone and struck out five batters. Kirwin has a 2.96 ERA, .186 BAA, and 1.04 WHIP in 54 2/3 innings.
Michael Sansone tossed three perfect innings this week. The lefty reliever has a 2.59 ERA, .235 BAA, and 0.97 WHIP in 16 appearances (two starts). He's racked up 54 strikeouts compared to just seven walks in 55 2/3 innings.
Eduardo Rivera allowed two unearned runs on five hits over four innings this week. The left-handed reliever struck out three batters without walking any. Rivera has a 0.00 ERA, .231 BAA, and 1.14 WHIP in seven innings for Salem.
Andruw Musett had a walk-off in his Single-A debut this week and went 3-for-10 with two walks. The right-handed hitting catcher/first baseman drove in one run and scored one run. Expect to see him get a lot of playing time down the stretch.
Freili Encarnacion had a hit in all four games he appeared in this week, going 7-for-14 with a double and four RBI. The right-handed hitting infielder has a .256 average with 13 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He's driven in 26 runs, scored 36 more, and stolen 15 bases.
Nelly Taylor went 6-for-17 with two doubles and two RBI this week. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .225/.328/.341 with 23 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. He's driven in 37 runs, scored 56 more, and stolen 29 bases.
Stanley Tucker went 2-for-10 this week but made the most of his hits. The left-handed hitting utility smoked a three-run triple that played a large part in a Salem win. Tucker is slashing .195/.315/.268 with six doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He's driven in 25 runs, scored 23 more, and stolen 23 bases.
Get ready for another big week down on the farm. We'll have the Big Three's first Triple-A recap in our next update!