Infield prospect Cutter Coffey proved to be the difference maker in the Red Sox’ split-squad win over the Nationals at JetBlue Park on Saturday afternoon.
Called up by the big-league club for the first time this spring, Coffey was inserted into the Grapefruit League contest as a defensive replacement for starting third baseman Rafael Devers in the top of the sixth. A half-inning later, he stepped up to the plate for the first time with two outs and one runner on base following a Tyler Heineman single.
Matched up against Nationals reliever Cole Henry, who was added to Washington’s 40-man roster last November, Coffey worked a 1-0 count before taking the right-hander way deep over the faux Green Monster in left field for a towering go-ahead, two-run home run.
Coffey’s blast lifted the Sox from a 2-1 deficit to a 3-2 lead. Fellow minor-league infielder added some insurance with a solo homer of his own an inning later as Boston went on to defeat Washington by a final score of 4-2 to remain unbeaten at home this spring.
Coffey, who finished the day 1-for-2 after flying out in the eighth inning, is looking to bounce back this year after a relatively underwhelming first full season in pro ball. The 19-year-old was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 23 prospect in Boston’s farm system at this time last spring but has since dropped from the outlet’s top 30 list completely.
Originally selected by the Red Sox with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Liberty High School in Bakersfield, Coffey forwent his commitment to the University of Texas by signing with Boston for $1.85 million that July. The California native then made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, where he went 4-for-32 (.125) with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in a brief 11-game sample.
After playing his way onto a full-season roster last spring, Coffey broke camp with Low-A Salem to kick off the 2023 campaign. In 81 games for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate, the right-handed hitter batted .226/.341/.348 with 14 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 30 RBIs, a team-high 51 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 45 walks, and 79 strikeouts over 349 plate appearances.
Though a .689 OPS may be far from eye-popping, Coffey’s under-the-hood numbers with Salem were more encouraging. Among 44 qualified hitters in the Carolina League last year, for instance, Coffey produced the highest line-drive rate (29.4 percent) and 1oth-lowest swinging-strike rate (8.9 percent). He also ranked 11th in walk rate (12.9 percent), 17th in on-base percentage and isolated power (.122), 15th in speed score (6.6), and 19th in wRC+ (102), per FanGraphs.
In light of that production, Coffey received a promotion to High-A Greenville in early August. Unlike Roman Anthony, who made the jump from Salem about two months prior, Coffey’s production at Greenville did not catch up to his underlying metrics. Instead, Coffey closed out the 2023 season by slashing just .136/.253/.167 with two doubles, five RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base, 11 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 18 games (79 plate appearances) with the Drive.
Altogether, Coffey hit .210/.325/.315 (88 wRC+) with 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 35 runs driven in, 59 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, 56 walks, and exactly 100 strikeouts over 99 total games (428 plate appearances) between Salem and Greenville last year. Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder saw playing time at every infield position besides first base with both the Red Sox and Drive. He committed a total of 20 errors in 281 chances between second base (where he logged 69 innings), third base (326 1/3 innings), and shortstop (379 1/3 innings), which translates to a .929 fielding percentage.
Coffey, who does not turn 20 until May, profiles best as a third baseman moving forward given his arm strength (he pitched in high school). Though he has soft hands and adequate body control, there are questions regarding his range as he continues to add size to his frame.
Barring a surprise in the weeks leading up to Opening Day, Coffey is expected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. There, he should have the chance to get back on track and maybe even work his way up to Double-A Portland before the year is over.
(Picture of Cutter Coffey: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
Blogging the Red Sox 