The Boston Red Sox prospect watch continues to lose names, as we saw the promotions of Jhostynxon Garcia and Payton Tolle to the big leagues over the last couple weeks.
Garcia is already back in Triple-A, with Rob Refsnyder being activated off the IL. However, Tolle might be done with the minor leagues. He looked fantastic in his MLB debut and could be a serious piece of the puzzle for Boston’s playoff push.
Tolle is the perfect example of why you should pay attention to the minor leagues, though. In a single year, he went from never having played in a minor league game to being a key contributor in a postseason run. Could we see more big-league contributors soon?
Red Sox Prospect Update: Brooks Brannon, Shane Drohan, Freili Encarnacion
Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A)
Shane Drohan made his first Triple-A appearance since May 7. The left-handed pitcher didn’t allow a hit over 3 2/3 scoreless innings. He only walked one batter and struck out a season-high nine. Drohan has a 1.78 ERA, .159 BAA, and 0.96 WHIP in eight appearances (seven starts) with Worcester. He has 47 strikeouts compared to 12 walks in 30 1/3 innings.
Connelly Early gave up three unearned runs on three hits in five innings. The left-handed pitcher struck out six batters and only walked one. Early has a 2.67 ERA, .200 BAA, and 1.14 WHIP in 20 appearances (17 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A. He has 122 strikeouts compared to 40 walks in 94 1/3 innings.
Tyler McDonough ended the week on a high note, hitting two home runs and driving in six runs on Sunday. The switch-hitting utility is slashing .263/.332/.383 with 10 doubles and five home runs. He’s driven in 23 runs, scored 23 more, and stolen five bases.
Max Ferguson hit his first Triple-A home run on Sunday. The left-handed hitting utility man is slashing .273/.385/.500 with two doubles and one home run since being promoted to Triple-A. He’s driven in three runs, scored two more, and stolen one base.
Mikey Romero went 6-for-25 this week, but did hit four doubles. The left-handed hitting infielder is slashing .243/.305/.432 with 26 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s driven in 59 runs, scored 48 more, and stolen five bases.
Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
Brooks Brannon had another big week and is now on a nine-game hitting streak. He has four home runs during that stretch. The right-handed hitting catcher/first baseman is slashing .248/.297/.396 with 15 doubles, two triples, and 10 home runs between High-A and Double-A. He’s driven in 46 runs, scored 50 more, and stolen three bases.
Ahbram Liendo continues to have a productive season, and he hit a milestone on Sunday. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .231/.310/.300 with 12 doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He’s driven in 31 runs and scored 48 more. Liendo stole his 40th base of the season on Sunday, hitting that benchmark for the first time in his career.
Juan Chacon raised the numbers again this week, going 5-for-17 with five walks. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .237/.336/.299 with six doubles in Double-A. He’s driven in nine runs, scored 12 more, and stolen one base.
Tyler Miller is on a five-game hitting streak that features two doubles, a triple, and a home run. The left-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .208/.271/.362 with 11 doubles, four triples, and seven home runs. He’s driven in 32 runs, scored 30 more, and stolen two bases.
Dalton Rogers gave up one run on three hits in six innings. The left-handed pitcher struck out nine batters and walked two. Rogers has a 3.32 ERA, .222 BAA, and 1.35 WHIP in 21 games (14 starts) between High-A and Double-A. He has 118 strikeouts compared to 51 walks in 95 innings.
John Holobetz allowed two runs on three hits over six innings. The right-handed pitcher struck out six batters and walked two. Holobetz is down to a 3.16 ERA, .220 BAA, and 0.94 WHIP in four starts in Double-A. He has 18 strikeouts compared to just four walks in 25 2/3 innings at the level.
Hayden Mullins gave up one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings this week. He struck out six batters and walked two. Mullins has a 2.04 ERA, .169 BAA, and 1.06 WHIP in 20 appearances (19 starts) between High-A and Double-A. The left-handed pitcher struck out 113 batters and walked 44 in 92 2/3 innings.
Eduardo Rivera had his best start since being promoted to Double-A this week. The left-handed pitcher allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings. He struck out six batters and walked three. Rivera has a 2.43 ERA, .180 BAA, and 1.17 WHIP in 18 games (13 starts) between High-A and Double-A. He has 101 strikeouts compared to 41 walks in 77 2/3 innings.
Greenville Drive (High-A)
Justin Gonzales made his High-A debut this week. The right-handed hitting outfielder went 4-for-22 with one walk. He drove in two runs, scored one, and stole one base. Gonzales was on fire in Single-A before his promotion, and now the 18-year-old gets a chance to work in High-A for the rest of the season.
Freili Encarnacion had easily his best week since being promoted to High-A. The right-handed hitting infielder went 7-for-19 with three walks, a double, and two home runs. He drove in five runs, scored six more, and even stole a base. Encarnacion is slashing .248/.311/.445 with 21 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs between Single-A and High-A. He’s driven in 57 runs, scored 64, and stolen 10 bases.
Johanfran Garcia went 6-for-18 this week. The right-handed hitting catcher hit home runs in back-to-back games, including a walk-off. Garcia is up to a .250/.321/.433 with three doubles and nine home runs since being promoted to High-A. He’s driven in 26 runs, scored 26 more, and stolen one base at the level.
Franklin Arias went 6-for-19 with a double and three RBI this week. He walked more times (4) than he struck out (3). The right-handed hitting shortstop has been drawing walks and a much better rate recently. Arias is slashing .279/.343/.383 with 25 doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He’s driven in 58 runs, scored 58, and stolen 11 bases.
Maximus Martin collected a hit in all four games he appeared in this week. The right-handed hitting infielder now has a hit in each of the seven games he’s played in since being promoted to High-A. Martin is slashing .333/.467/.333 since being promoted to High-A. He’s driven in four runs, scored three, and stolen two bases at the level.
Juan Valera made his first appearance in over three months this week. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on one hit in two innings. He walked one batter and struck out three. Valera was hitting 99 MPH on his fastball and looked great in the short outing.
Joe Vogatsky made two relief appearances this week. The right-handed pitcher gave up six hits in six shutout innings. He struck out six batters and didn’t walk any. Vogatsky has a 2.45 ERA, .250 BAA, and 1.00 WHIP in six appearances since being promoted to High-A. He has 14 strikeouts and zero walks in 11 innings at the level.
Salem Red Sox (Single-A)
Yhoiker Fajardo racked up more strikeouts this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed one run on six hits over four innings. He walked two batters and struck out seven. Fajardo has a 2.09 ERA, .204 BAA, and 1.06 WHIP in 18 outings (16 starts) between the FCL and Single-A. He has 77 strikeouts compared to 23 walks in 69 innings.
D’Angelo Ortiz went 6-for-20 with one double and two RBI this week. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .229/.313/.257 with two doubles since being promoted to Single-A. He’s driven in seven runs and scored six at the level.
Skylar King went 6-for-20 with two doubles and two steals this week. The left-handed hitting outfielder went .271/.370/.386 with two doubles and three triples. He’s driven in four runs, scored 11, and stolen four bases. King’s also been a phenomenal defensive outfielder since showing up in Salem.
Natanael Yuten went 6-for-18 with four walks this week. He hit two doubles and drove in two runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder is up to a .274/.332/.396 slash line with 20 doubles, five triples, and three home runs. He’s driven in 37 runs, scored 40, and stolen 10 bases.
Kleyver Salazar finished the week with three straight two-hit games. The right-handed hitting catcher has been productive in August and has had a handful of massive games. Salazar has a .211/.318/.274 slash line with nine doubles and four home runs. He’s driven in 35 runs, scored 30 more, and stolen four bases.