The Red Sox added catcher/first baseman Mickey Gasper from the Yankees in the minor-league phase of Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft. He has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.
Gasper, 28, spent the last five seasons in the Yankees organization after originally being selected by New York in the 27th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I. As a senior, the Merrimack, N.H. native signed with the club for just $5,000 and made his professional debut in the rookie-level Appalachian League that June.
Never touted as a top prospect in New York’s farm system, Gasper split the 2023 campaign between Double-A Somerset (where he caught Richard Fitts) and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In 52 games with the Patriots, the switch-hitter batted .269/.388/.423 with six doubles, six home runs, 24 RBIs, 30 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 26 walks, and 27 strikeouts over 188 plate appearances. With the RailRiders, he slashed .191/.295/.265 with two doubles, one homer, four runs driven in, seven runs scored, two stolen bases, eight walks, and 16 strikeouts across 22 games spanning 78 trips to the plate.
On the other side of the ball, Gasper has varying levels of experience at four different defensive positions. As a catcher this past season, the 5-foot-9, 205-pound backstop threw out three of 30 potential base stealers while logging 91 total innings behind the plate. He also appeared in 26 games as a first baseman, 16 as a second baseman, and one as a third baseman.
Gasper, who does not turn 29 until next October, becomes the latest ex-Yankees farmhand to join the Red Sox via the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He will look to join right-handers Kaleb Ort and Raynel Espinal as those in that group who made their respective big-league debuts with Boston.
While the Red Sox welcomed Gasper to the organization, they also bid adieu to several of their own players in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday. Ryan Fitzgerald, a fan favorite in Worcester, was most notably plucked by the Royals while Jose Ramirez (White Sox), Johnfrank Salazar (Cardinals), Alexis Hernandez (Blue Jays), Railin Perez (Astros), Ryan Miller (Angels), and Brock Bell (Reds) were all scooped up by other clubs as well.
(Picture of Mickey Gasper: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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