This week, the bats came alive down on the farm, making for an exciting edition of the Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch.
Tyler McDonough led a trio of Worcester prospects in Lehigh Valley who dominated at the plate. Ahbram Liendo and Stanley Tucker ran the show in Portland, which saw offense from just about everyone, as seven different players hit home runs. Even Greenville got into the fun on Sunday after struggling most of the week.
Meanwhile, the usual suspects carried things on the pitching side. We have all the highlights for you here.
Ahbram Liendo's scorching month leads Boston Red Sox prospect watch
Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A)
Tyler McDonough’s bat was otherworldly in Allentown this week. The switch-hitter went 7-for-17 with a double, two home runs, and six RBI. McDonough is slashing .333/.395/.667 with two doubles and three home runs since being promoted to Triple-A. He’s driven in eight runs, scored six, and stolen one base in 12 games.Â
Allan Castro went 9-for-23 with a double and a home run. He drove in two runs, scored three, and stole one base. The switch-hitting outfielder is up to a .227/.299/.338 slash line with five doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He’s driven in 31 runs, scored 28, and stolen 13 bases.
Mikey Romero went 7-for-19 with a double, three RBI, and a run scored. He also drew as many walks (3) as he had strikeouts (3). The left-handed-hitting infielder is slashing .238/.299/.353 with 11 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. He has 28 RBI, 25 runs scored, and one steal.
Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
Ahbram Liendo went 6-for-18 with two doubles and two home runs. He drove in five runs and scored five more. Liendo is now hitting .309 with four home runs and 20 RBI in the month of June. The right-handed-hitting infielder is slashing .215/.296/.362 with seven doubles, two triples, and five home runs. Liendo’s driven in 34 runs, scored 28, and stolen 11 bases. His defense continues to be ridiculous.
Stanley Tucker got promoted to Double-A all the way from Single-A and clearly doesn’t want to go back. The right-handed-hitting utility player is terrorizing Eastern League pitching. Tucker went 5-for-11 with three doubles, two RBI, four runs, and three steals this week. He’s slashing .277/.348/.482 with seven doubles, two triples, and six home runs between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A this season. Tucker has 26 RBI, 33 runs, and 19 steals in 20 attempts.
Marvin Alcantara, Franklin Arias, Brooks Brannon, Nate Baez, Will Turner, and a rehabbing Romy Gonzalez all hit home runs as well this week.
Gage Ziehl set a career-high this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed two runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out a career-best nine batters without walking any. Ziehl has a 4.56 ERA, .284 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP in 11 starts. He has 61 strikeouts and 10 walks in 53 1/3 innings. The 23-year-old boasts a 2.25 ERA over 16 innings in June.
Anthony Eyanson allowed three hits over four shutout frames on Sunday. The right-handed pitcher struck out five batters and walked one. Eyanson has a 1.00 ERA, .147 BAA, and 0.84 WHIP in 11 starts between High-A and Double-A. He has 62 strikeouts and 16 walks in 45 innings.
Greenville Drive (High-A)
Devin Futrell had arguably his best start of the season this week. The left-handed pitcher allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings. He struck out five batters without walking any. Futrell is 5-0 with a 3.42 ERA, .206 BAA, and 0.94 WHIP in 11 games (seven starts) between Single-A and High-A. He has 51 strikeouts and eight walks in 50 innings.
Kyson Witherspoon took another step forward. The right-handed pitcher allowed two runs on four hits over five innings in his start. He walked two batters and struck out a career-high eight. Witherspoon has a 5.12 ERA, .255 BAA, and 1.45 WHIP in 12 starts. He has 54 strikeouts and 27 walks in 51 innings.
Alex Bouchard had his best start in a few weeks. The right-handed pitcher allowed one run on three hits in five innings. He struck out five batters and didn’t walk any en route to picking up his first career win. Bouchard has a 5.26 ERA, .238 BAA, and 1.50 WHIP in 10 games (six starts). He has 34 strikeouts and 24 walks in 39 1/3 innings.
Yoeilin Cespedes went 5-for-18 with a double, a home run, and four RBI this week. The right-handed-hitting infielder is slashing .292/.345/.517 with 18 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs. He’s driven in 42 runs, scored 41, and stolen one base.
Ronny Hernandez went 4-for-13 with a double, a home run, and two RBI. He walked more times (4) than he struck out (2). The left-handed-hitting catcher/first baseman is slashing .338/.470/.692 with five doubles and six home runs. He’s driven in 15 runs and scored 16. Hernandez has just seven strikeouts and 16 walks.
Justin Gonzales went just 3-for-18 this week, but drew six walks and crushed two home runs. Meanwhile, Yophery Rodriguez, Luke Heyman, and Isaiah Jackson all hit home runs as well.
Salem RidgeYaks (Single-A)
Justin Barry made his Single-A debut this week. The right-handed-hitting outfielder went 2-for-10 with two walks and an RBI. He scored two runs and stole two bases.
Kleyver Salazar went 5-for-15 with an RBI this week. He drew more walks (3) than he struck out (2). The right-handed-hitting catcher is up to a .243/.355/.387 slash line with 10 doubles and five home runs. He’s driven in 26 runs, scored 25, and stolen four bases. Salazar is slashing .310/.380/.452 in June.
Leighton Finley allowed one hit over five shutout innings in his start this week. The right-handed pitcher walked four batters and struck out six. Finley holds a 3.42 ERA, .254 BAA, and 1.48 WHIP in 11 appearances (nine starts) this season. He has 46 strikeouts and 29 walks in 50 innings.
Cole Tolbert tossed three innings in his lone appearance this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed one unearned run and no hits. He struck out two batters and walked one. Tolbert boasts a 2.55 ERA, .172 BAA, and 1.02 WHIP in six games (five starts). He has 20 strikeouts and eight walks in 17 2/3 innings.
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