Red Sox prospect watch: Pitchers steal the show

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Nick Yorke is slashing .274/.401/.466 with six doubles, two triples, and six home runs. The right-handed hitting second baseman has driven in 18 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen five bases. Yorke is riding a four-game hitting streak and has a hit in 9-of-his-last-10.

Ceddanne Rafaela showed life in his bat this week, working on a four-game hitting streak. He also smoked two home runs, including a game-tying solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of a game. The right-handed hitting centerfielder is slashing .261/.308/.373 with nine doubles and three home runs. He's driven in 24 runs, scored 26 more, and stolen 20 bases.

Niko Kavadas continues his power surge. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .240/.400/.464 with four doubles and eight home runs. He's driven in 26 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen one base. All eight homers for Kavadas have come in May.

Stephen Scott celebrated his birthday on May 23 by hitting two home runs, including a walk-off blast. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .267/.374/.505 with five doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He's driven in 20 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen two bases.

Nathan Hickey is slashing .277/.370/.546 with nine doubles, one triple, and seven home runs between High-A and Double-A. The left-handed hitting catcher has driven in 19 runs and scored 20 more.

Chase Meidroth holds a .303/.463/.410 slash line with four doubles and three home runs between High-A and Double-A. The right-handed hitting second baseman/third baseman has driven in 21 runs, scored 25 more, and stolen six bases. Meidroth has walked more times (32) than he's struck out (29).

Corey Rosier is slashing .313/.379/.438 with six doubles, one triple, and two home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 12 runs, scored 20 more, and stolen 22 bases. Rosier has used his speed to get a lot of infield singles and turns them into extra bases with the steals.

Tyler McDonough also hit a walk-off this week, singling home a run in extra innings. The switch-hitting utility is slashing .221/.296/.328 with five doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 16 runs, scored 13 more, and stolen eight bases.

Christian Koss has gotten hot. He continues to make great plays at shortstop, and now the right-handed hitting is slashing .224/.283/.336 with seven doubles, one triple, and two home runs. Koss has driven in 10 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen 11 bases in 12 attempts.

Phillip Sikes is slashing .243/.323/.364 with nine doubles, one triple, and two home runs. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 12 runs, scored 24 more, and stolen 19 bases in 22 attempts.

Brian Van Belle allowed two unearned runs over 6 1/3 innings this week. He only gave up five hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.80 ERA, .232 BAA, and 1.20 WHIP in 45 innings. BVB has struck out 38 batters and walked 16.

CJ Liu got roughed up for the first time in a long time this week. The righty did have a strong start before that, though. Liu has a 3.92 ERA, .229 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP in 43 2/3 innings. He's struck out 50 batters and walked 22.

Grant Gambrell looked good again this week and now has two strong Double-A starts under his belt. The right-handed pitcher has allowed two runs on five hits over 10 2/3 innings at the level. He's struck out 12 batters and only walked three.

Brendan Nail has a 1.14 ERA, .173 BAA, and 1.01 WHIP over 23 2/3 innings. The lefty has 23 strikeouts compared to 10 walks. Nail has been put in a weird spot where he keeps getting these random starts because Portland doesn't have enough starting pitchers. Despite not having a defined role, he's looked great.

Ryan Fernandez is down to a 2.16 ERA, .175 BAA, and 0.90 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings between Single-A and Double-A. The right-handed reliever has struck out 22 batters and walked five. Fernandez has electric stuff, and Ian Cundall of SoxProspects made a good point. Boston doesn't have a lot of pitching depth in Triple-A that could be viable MLB options. He would like to see the Red Sox push him up because of his arm talent, and with his injury history, now feels like the right time to do it.

Luis Guerrero is has a 1.37 ERA, .138 BAA, and 1.17 WHIP in 19 2/3 innings. The righty reliever has struck out 12 batters and walked 14. He's 3-0 and has seven saves. Guerrero is another potential candidate for a promotion, but he needs to show he can consistently keep the walks down.

Ryan Zeferjahn allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks in his first inning with Portland this week. The right-handed pitcher has made five scoreless appearances (5 1/3 innings) since then. He's allowed just two hits and three walks in that time, striking out 12 batters. Zeferjahn has a 2.89 ERA, .229 BAA, and 1.39 WHIP in 9 1/3 innings between Single-A and Double-A. He's struck out 14 batters and walked five.