Red Sox prospect watch: Pitchers steal the show
Pitching prospects steal this show in this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch
The Boston Red Sox prospect watch featured some insane pitching performances at the lower levels. However, that didn't stop the hitters from showing out as well.
At the Major League level, we're seeing some bats start to heat up, and some pitchers continue a string of dominance.
Masataka Yoshida is slashing .303/.379/.474 with 10 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 29 runs, scored 28 more, and stolen three bases. Yoshida draws walks (19) and puts the bat on the ball (21 strikeouts). He's been better than advertised.
Connor Wong has a six-game hitting streak going, smacking five doubles and one home run in that time. The right-handed hitting catcher is slashing .243/.294/.477 with 11 doubles and five home runs. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen one base. That's great offensive production to go along with his top-tier defense.
Triston Casas is figuring things out. The left-handed hitting first baseman is up to a .200/.317/.371 slash line with six doubles and six home runs. He's driven in 16 runs and scored 23 more. Casas has a four-game hitting streak and is slashing .277/.360/.462 in May.
Enmanuel Valdez holds a .243/.291/.419 slash line with four doubles and three home runs. The left-handed hitting second baseman has driven in 10 runs, scored six more, and stolen three bases. Valdez has also looked better defensively recently, which is a great development.
Jarren Duran has cooled off a bit but still has fantastic overall numbers. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .297/.348/.469 with 13 doubles and three home runs. He's driven in 19 runs, scored 16 more, and stolen seven bases in seven attempts.
Brayan Bello tossed a career-high seven innings this week. The right-handed pitcher gave up two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six batters. Bello is down to a 4.05 ERA, .281 BAA, and 1.44 WHIP in 35 1/3 innings. He's struck out 37 batters and walked 12.
Josh Winckowski has a 2.23 ERA, .217 BAA, and 0.99 WHIP in 32 1/3 innings pitched. The righty reliever is 2-0 with seven holds and two saves. He's struck out 23 batters and walked six. Winckowski is extremely useful out of the bullpen, with the ability to eat a bunch of innings if needed.
Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)
Shane Drohan has struggled in his two Triple-A starts. The left-handed starter has allowed 10 runs on 10 hits and six walks over 7 2/3 innings. He's given up four home runs and struck out seven batters. Drohan will be fine. There's no need to panic. He's suddenly facing lineups filled with MLB players. It shouldn't be a shock that he needs to adjust.
David Hamilton is slashing .262/.340/.514 with seven doubles, three triples, and 11 home runs. The left-handed hitting second baseman/shortstop has driven in 25 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen 25 bases. Sweet Feet even played a game in centerfield this week. He's done that twice this year, and it's great to get him more versatility.
Wilyer Abreu is slashing .270/.389/.474 with five doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 22 runs, scored 29 more, and stolen three bases. Abreu has a great all-around game, and you have to love the seven home runs in 38 games.
Nick Sogard hit his first home run of the year this week. The switch-hitting utility is slashing .272/.396/.368 with six doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen six bases. Sogard has nearly as many walks (23) as strikeouts (28).
Ryan Fitzgerald holds a .292/.372/.533 slash line with 10 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. The left-handed hitting utility has driven in 31 runs, scored 21 more, and stolen four bases. Fitzy gets on base, hits for power, and plays solid defense all around the field. He'd make a great utility guy in the Majors. At this point, Fitzy deserves a shot somewhere.
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.
Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Wikelman Gonzalez had the most dominant start of his season. The right-handed pitcher gave up one unearned run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out a career-high 12 batters and walked none. That's massive. Gonzalez has a 6.19 ERA, .231 BAA, and 1.75 WHIP in 32 innings. He's struck out 54 batters and walked 28.
Hunter Dobbins made his fourth start of the year and was locked in. The righty tossed seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out a career-high 10 batters. He has a 3.27 ERA, .228 BAA, and 1.00 WHIP in 22 innings. Dobbins has struck out 21 batters and walked four.
Isaac Coffey tossed six shutout innings in his lone start this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed three hits and no walks while tying his career-high (which he's done three times this year) with 11 strikeouts. Coffey has a 2.89 ERA, .218 BAA, and 0.98 WHIP in 43 2/3 innings. He's struck out 61 batters and walked seven.
Dalton Rogers earned a promotion to High-A after dominating Single-A for his first six starts. The righty surrendered one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out seven batters and walked four.
Christopher Troye allowed one run on 2 2/3 innings pitched over two appearances this week. The right-handed reliever struck out five batters and walked none. He has a 1.96 ERA, .152 BAA, and 1.04 WHIP. Troye has struck out 37 batters and walked nine in 18 1/3 innings.
Angel Bastardo made two starts this week. The righty allowed three runs (two earned) over nine innings combined. He allowed just six hits and seven walks while striking out 12. Bastardo has a 4.40 ERA, .204 BAA, and 1.30 WHIP in 43 innings. He's struck out 59 batters and walked 24.
Marcelo Mayer has a .290/.366/.524 slash line with 11 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. The right-handed hitting shortstop has driven in 34 runs, scored 23 more, and stolen five bases in 35 games. Slim Shady's averaging nearly one RBI per game, so the run production has been phenomenal. That's the last we'll see of Mayer in High-A.
Blaze Jordan is slashing .309/.350/.506 with 12 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. The right-handed hitting corner infielder has driven in 31 runs, scored 24 more, and stolen one base. Jordan's answering all the questions about his bat while showcasing solid defense at first and third.
Brainer Bonaci started this week by snapping a six-game hitting streak. He's already on another five-game hitting streak. The switch-hitting infielder is slashing .318/.375/.489 with seven doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 16 runs, scored nine more, and stolen three bases.
Eddinson Paulino is slashing .247/.339/.407 with nine doubles, three triples, and three home runs. The left-handed hitting utility has driven in 16 runs, scored 29 more, and is a perfect 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts.
Max Ferguson holds a .250/.372/.340 slash line with seven doubles and two home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder/second baseman has driven in 15 runs, scored 30 more, and stolen 22 bases in just 25 attempts.
Tyler Esplin made his season debut this week. The left-handed hitting outfielder went 3-for-16 with one double and one walk in five games. He's scored two runs. Esplin has flashed some potential in the past but has only played in over 80 games once in his MiLB career.
Eduardo Lopez is slashing .263/.343/.389 with four doubles, one triple, and two home runs. The switch-hitting outfielder has driven in 19 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen 10 bases in 11 attempts.
Kier Meredith only appeared in two games this week but went 2-for-5 with a triple and two walks in that time. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .250/.500/.400 with one double and one triple. He's driven in three runs, scored six more, and stolen seven bases in eight games.
Nick Decker is slashing .177/.363/.339 with three doubles, two triples, and one home run. He's driven in four runs, scored 14 more, and stolen two bases. The left-handed hitting outfielder has looked much better in May, slashing a strong .233/.410/.367 over 30 ABs.
Bryan Gonzalez holds a .226/.309/.444 slash line with two doubles, five triples, and five home runs. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 20 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen two bases.
Red Sox Single-A (Salem)
Luis Perales had easily the best start of his career this week. On the same day as Gonzalez's gem, the right-handed pitcher allowed one run on four hits over five innings of work. He struck out a career-high 10 batters and didn't walk anyone. Perales has a 5.18 ERA, .274 BAA, and 1.77 WHIP in 24 1/3 innings. He's struck out 31 batters and walked 17. Things are trending up.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz gave up three runs on four hits and one walk over five innings in his lone start. The righty also set a career-high with 10 strikeouts. He had 13 all season before the start. ERC has a 2.63 ERA, .245 BAA, and 1.54 WHIP over 27 1/3 innings. He's struck out 23 batters and walked 17.
Bradley Blalock appeared in his first game since 2021 due to Tommy John surgery. The right-handed pitcher allowed one run on one hit and one walk over four innings, striking out three batters. Amazing start considering it was his first game in well over a year.
Jedixson Paez gave up one run on two hits over four innings this week. He struck out two batters and walked none. The righty has a 5.79 ERA, .243 BAA, and 1.23 WHIP in 18 2/3 innings. He's struck out 18 batters and walked five. Paez might not have overpowering stuff, but the command is there.
Jose Ramirez allowed one earned run (three runs total) on three hits in five innings. The right-handed pitcher struck out six batters and walked two. He has a 1.30 ERA, .162 BAA, and 0.92 WHIP in 34 2/3 innings. Ramirez has struck out 30 batters and walked 13.
Felix Cepeda only made one appearance out of the bullpen this week but made it a good one. The righty reliever tossed two perfect innings, striking out three batters. He has a 1.56 ERA, .190 BAA, and 1.62 WHIP in 17 1/3 innings. He's walked 16 batters but does have 17 strikeouts.
Roman Anthony had a strong week and is currently riding a four-game hitting streak. His slash line is up to .256/.401/.355 with nine doubles and one home run. He's driven in 16 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen 11 bases. Anthony has 30 walks compared to 27 strikeouts. He's building something special.
It's been a tough stretch for Miguel Bleis. He looked like he was starting to turn things back around, then an injury sidelined him for a week. The right-handed hitter came back and has struggled since. He's slashing .238/.290/.336 with three doubles, three triples, and one home run. The outfielder has driven in 16 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen 11 bases. Bleis will be fine. These are just some growing pains.
Juan Chacon had some fun this week. That included a game with two triples. Little Papi told me that the celebration the team does after getting hits came from Randy Arozarena, whose game Chacon loves. The right-handed hitting outfielder holds a .273/.407/.388 slash line with four doubles and five triples. He's driven in 11 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen 14 bases.
Ahbram Liendo showed major signs of life this week. They included a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning and a 2-for-2 with two walks game. The switch-hitting infielder is slashing .188/.354/.256 with three doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in 11 runs, scored 23 more, and stolen 20 bases.
Allan Castro continues to slowly build his numbers back up. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .214/.349/.324 with 10 doubles and two home runs. He's driven in 17 runs, scored 25 more, and stolen 12 bases.
Cutter Coffey has a hit in 6-of-his-last-7 games. The right-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .212/.361/.271 with seven doubles. He's driven in 12 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen 11 bases. Coffey has walked nearly as many times (27) as he has struck out (32).
Enderso Lira continues to hit since being promoted to Single-A. The right-handed hitting catcher is slashing .313/.353/.375 with two doubles. He's driven in three runs and scored two more in nine games.
Yorberto Mejicano is slashing .323/.380/.484 with five doubles, one triple, and one home run. The right-handed hitting catcher/first baseman has driven in eight runs, scored 12 more, and stolen three bases. I've said it before, Mejicano needs more playing time. Having 62 at-bats is wild for someone hitting like Mejicano, especially since he's looked solid defensively.
Luis Ravelo is slashing .265/.369/.382 with seven doubles and three home runs. The switch-hitting infielder has driven in 23 runs, scored 20 more, and stolen six bases. His power and run production has been a pleasant surprise.
Karson Simas is slashing .253/.360/.349 with two doubles and three triples. The right-handed hitting utility has driven in 11 runs, scored 13 more, and stolen seven bases.