The Boston Red Sox sent eight prospects to the Arizona Fall League. Two of those players made the All-Star rosters, and we'll recap the whole season, which is now over.
Of the eight players, five were pitchers and three were position players. One pitcher and one position player made the All-Star game.
The two hitters who didn’t get the honor were catcher Johanfran Garcia and outfielder Nelly Taylor. Taylor slashed .139/.289/.139 in 13 games. The left-handed hitter drove in two runs, scored six more, and went 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts. Garcia slashed .224/.350/.388 with five doubles and two home runs in 19 games. The righty hitter drove in 10 runs and scored nine more.
The four pitchers who didn’t make the All-Star rosters were Jojo Ingrassia, Brandon Neely, Jay Allmer, and Isaac Stebens.
Ingrassia posted a 9.00 ERA, .311 BAA, and 2.30 WHIP in five games (two starts). The left-handed pitcher struck out 13 batters compared to nine walks in 10 innings. Ingrassia missed most of the season due to injury, so it was just good to see him back out there, even for a short time.
Neely finished with a 10.80 ERA, .364 BAA, and 2.40 WHIP in five games (one start). He fanned 11 batters and walked eight in 10 innings. Neely was a third-round pick in 2024 but has yet to pitch in the minors due to injury, so like Ingrassia, it was nice to just see him on the mound.
Allmer posted a 10.80 ERA, .211 BAA, and 2.60 WHIP in seven games. The right-handed pitcher struck out three batters while walking nine in five innings.
Luis Perales, Stanley Tucker stand out among the Red Sox's eight AFL players
Stebens recorded a 3.86 ERA, .286 BAA, and 2.00 WHIP in eight games. The righty allowed six walks and struck out seven batters in seven innings.
Now for the two All-Stars. Luis Perales didn’t make his season debut until September, tossing one inning in Double-A and another 1 1/3 innings in Triple-A. Therefore, it’s not surprising that he was sent to the AFL. The right-handed pitcher had a 10.32 ERA, .333 BAA, and 2.38 WHIP in six starts. He walked 11 batters and struck out another 19 in 11 1/3 innings.
The numbers don't jump off the page, but Perales has two things going for him — he’s one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, so the name recognition is there. The 22-year-old’s strikeout total was also among the best. His 19 strikeouts were six away from the league-high of 25.
Don’t be discouraged. The AFL is a great opportunity to give players some extra work and to try different things. Perales hit 100 MPH on his fastball. He struggled with consistency/command on his other pitches, but we saw positives, especially out of his splitter.
Stanley Tucker was the position player All-Star. Tucker suffered an injury in spring training that forced him to miss the entire regular season. For a 2023 19th-round draft pick with a career OPS of .570, missing a full season is rough. Tucker getting an AFL roster spot felt like a vote of confidence from the Red Sox, and it was awesome to see him capitalize on the opportunity.
The right-handed hitting utility player (has played second base, third base, and all three outfield spots in the minor leagues) slashed .278/.374/.316 with three doubles. Tucker drove in 15 runs, scored 10 more, and stole 13 bases. The 23-year-old’s 13 steals were the most on the team (Salt River Rafters) and were tied for the fourth-most in the AFL.
With the AFL season officially over, the Red Sox have to be thrilled with the showing from Tucker. Now, we’re officially in offseason mode. Things could be about to get wild down on the farm.