Category: Baseball

Red Sox prospects Stephen Scott, Nick Yorke off to hot starts in Arizona Fall League

Red Sox prospects Stephen Scott and Nick Yorke were named to Baseball America’s Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet on Monday.

Playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions out west, both Scott and Yorke enjoyed productive weeks at the plate. The former went 4-for-11 (.364) with two home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored, one walk, and three strikeouts. The latter went 7-for-17 (.412) with three doubles, three RBIs, three runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts.

Since the Arizona Fall League season began on October 3, Scott has batted .400/.432/.800 with one triple, four homers, 12 runs driven in, 13 runs scored, one stolen base, two walks, and seven strikeouts over nine games spanning 37 trips to the plate.

Among qualified AFL hitters coming into play on Monday, the left-handed hitting 25-year-old ranks fifth in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, second in OPS (1.303), and second in isolated power (.400). He is currently in a three-way tie for the league lead in home runs.

Defensively, Scott has split time at catcher with the Giants’ Andy Thomas and Adrian Sugastey in his brief tenure with the Scorpions. The 5-foot-11, 207-pound backstop has logged a team-leading 64 innings behind the plate and has thrown out three of 17 base stealers.

Scott, who does not turn 26 until next May, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 10th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Vanderbilt University. After splitting the 2022 minor-league season between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland, the North Carolina native is a candidate to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November since he can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this winter.

Yorke, meanwhile, is also enjoying offensive success in Arizona. The right-handed hitting infielder is now slashing .340/.439/.472 to go along with a league-leading seven doubles, 10 RBIs, 14 runs scored, 10 walks, and 11 strikeouts across 14 games (66 plate appearances) for the Scorpions.

Coming into play this week, Yorke ranks first among qualified AFL hitters in doubles and runs scored, 11th in RBIs, fifth in walks, 15th in batting average, 17th in on-base percentage, 21st in walk rate (15.2 percent) and 21st in OPS (.911), per MLB.com.

On the other side of the ball, Yorke has shared second base responsibilities with the Angels’ Kyren Paris and the Braves’ Cade Bunnell in Scottsdale. In similar fashion to Scott, the 6-foot, 200-pounder has logged a team-high 99 innings at the keystone and has committed just one error.

At just 20 years old, Yorke is one of the youngest players in the Arizona Fall League this year. The native Californian was originally taken by the Sox with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. He spent the entirety of the 2022 campaign at Greenville and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Both Scott and Yorke figure to have a good chance to represent the Red Sox in the Fall Stars Game, which takes place on Sunday, November 6. The Arizona Fall League regular season runs through Nov. 10 and the championship game will take place two days later.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Shane Drohan has swing-and-miss stuff

Because Jeremy Wu-Yelland underwent Tommy John surgery in April, Shane Drohan was the only member of the Red Sox’ 2020 draft class to pitch competitively this season.

Drohan, who was taken in the fifth round out of Florida State University two years ago, broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring after spending the entirety of the 2021 campaign at Low-A Salem.

In 22 appearances (20 starts) for the Drive, the left-hander posted a 4.00 ERA and 4.21 FIP to go along with 136 strikeouts to 40 walks over 105 2/3 innings of work. He allowed just two earned runs in his final three outings with Greenville before earning a promotion to Double-A Portland on August 16.

With the Sea Dogs, Drohan pitched to a 3.38 ERA with 21 strikeouts to 11 walks over five starts (24 innings). While he gave up runs less frequently, the 23-year-old southpaw saw his strikeout rate fall and his walk rate rise, which led to a higher FIP of 5.75.

It was certainly an adjustment period for Drohan, but he at least ended the year on a strong note by fanning eight of the 20 batters he faced in a 10-9 win over the Somerset Patriots in mid-September.

Between the two stops (Greenville and Portland), Drohan produced a cumulative 3.89 ERA and 4.49 FIP with 157 strikeouts to 51 walks across 27 appearances (25 starts) and 129 2/3 innings pitched. His 28.5 percent punchout rate ranked 50th among the 311 minor-league pitchers who threw at least 100 innings this season. His 16 percent swinging-strike rate ranked 15th, per FanGraphs.

On the heels of such a productive year on the mound, Drohan was named to SoxProspects.com’s 2022 All-Star team earlier this week. The Fort Lauderdale native is now regarded by the site as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 10th pitchers in the organization.

What makes Drohan so effective and capable of inducing whiffs in bunches? Well, he stands at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 88-92 mph four-seam fastball that tops out at 94 mph, a 75-77 mph curveball, and a 78-81 mph changeup.

Drohan, who turns 24 in January, will be entering an important season in 2023 as the former Seminole can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his career. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland next spring and the Red Sox will have until next November to add him to their 40-man roster.

As things stand now, Drohan has the upside to a be a back-end starter at the big-league level. Pitching his way onto Boston’s 40-man roster next season would certainly go a long way in solidifying — or maybe even surpassing — that projection.

(Picture of Shane Drohan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox catching prospect Nathan Hickey turns in impressive first full pro season

Nathan Hickey came into his first full professional season ranked by Baseball America as the top catching prospect in the Red Sox farm system. He showed why he was worthy of that ranking over the last six months.

Selected by Boston in the fifth round of last year’s amateur draft out of the University of Florida, Hickey broke camp this spring with Low-A Salem, which is where he ended things in 2021.

In 41 games with Salem this season, the left-handed hitter batted .271/.429/.507 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 31 runs scored, 39 walks, and 39 strikeouts over 182 plate appearances. That level of production prompted a promotion to High-A Greenville in late June.

With the Drive, Hickey hit for more power, though he also got on base less frequently. The 22-year-old slashed .252/.397/.539 with six doubles, nine homers, 23 runs driven in, 19 runs scored, 24 walks, and 39 strikeouts across 34 games (146 plate appearances). He was sidelined for a week in early August due to a concussion.

Between the two affiliates, Hickey produced a cumulative .263/.415/.522 slash line to go along with 18 doubles, 16 home runs, 62 RBIs, 50 runs scored, a walk rate of 19.2 percent, and a strikeout rate of 23.8 percent. Overall, his 155 wRC+ ranked third among minor-league catchers who made at least 100 trips to the plate this season, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Hickey made 57 starts at catcher for Salem and Greenville this year. The 6-foot, 210-pound backstop logged 4585 2/3 innings behind the plate and threw out 10 of 75 base stealers. He also committed eight errors and allowed 10 passed balls.

Defense has been an issue with Hickey since before being drafted. The Jacksonville native came up as an infielder in high school but moved to catcher with the Gators so that he could regularly get his bat into the lineup.

Despite the lack of experience at a demanding position, the Red Sox still drafted Hickey as a catcher and signed him to an over-slot deal of $1 million. The doubts people had about his defensive abilities did not sit well with Hickey, as he explained to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier earlier this summer.

“I just hadn’t had enough time behind the plate to be able to show that was the spot for me,” Hickey said. “But I learned in one day more things about catching being here with Boston than I ever did at Florida.”

As detailed by Speier, Hickey did not call pitches at Florida and instead received the calls from his coaches. Since going pro, however, the Red Sox have let him call pitches on his own, which requires him to study up, implement a game plan, and be adaptable during games.

“It was a big step. Pitch-calling was kind of the thing that was stumping me a little bit at the beginning [of the season],” said Hickey. “But [being a catcher] is not really [about] me being successful, it’s making [the pitcher] look as successful as you can.”

In a separate, more recent piece for Baseball America, Speier relayed that pitchers enjoyed throwing to Hickey this season. And while Hickey has embraced becoming a game-caller, there is still more work to do in order to improve as a defender.

Hickey, who turns 23 in November, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system. That unsurprisingly ranks tops among catchers in the organization. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Greenville for the start of the 2023 minor-league season next spring.

With that being said, it certainly seems feasible for Hickey to make the jump to Double-A Portland before the end of the next campaign. We will have to wait and see on that.

(Picture of Nathan Hickey: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Triston Casas dealing with knee discomfort in winter ball

Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is dealing with minor knee discomfort as he plays for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League, the team announced on Wednesday night.

Casas has been held out of Licey’s lineup since Monday. The team disclosed in a tweet that the 22-year-old underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage. They are optimistic that he will be able to return to action for Friday’s contest against the Toros del Este.

While it is not yet known if Casas will be back in the lineup on Friday, the Red Sox do not appear to be too concerned about his injury. That is what a source with knowledge of the information told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo on Friday. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier also reported that Casas is expected to be able to play again before the Dominican Winter League season comes to a close.

Casas played three games for Licey before getting hurt. The left-handed hitter went 2-for-9 (.222) with an RBI, five walks, and three strikeouts. Red Sox third base coach Carlos Febles is serving as Licey’s bench coach this winter, so someone from the club will be able to keep tabs on Casas’ knee and exercise caution if necessary moving forward.

Still regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system, Casas made his major-league debut for the Sox at the beginning of September. The former first-round pick batted .197/.358/.408 with one double, five home runs, 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, one stolen base, 19 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 27 games (95 plate appearances) to close out the season.

Before getting called up from Triple-A Worcester, though, Casas missed nearly two month of the minor-league season due to a high right ankle sprain. The lack of seeing live pitching over the summer was likely a factor in the Red Sox opting to have Casas play winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

Casas, who turns 23 in January, is expected to have a strong chance at emerging as Boston’s everyday first baseman nest season, though he may have to compete with Eric Hosmer and Bobby Dalbec for the starting job in the spring.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts named Gold Glove Award finalist

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been named a finalist for a Gold Glove Award, Major League Baseball and Rawlings announced earlier Thursday afternoon.

Bogaerts was named an American League finalist for the second time in his career and for the first time since 2015. The 30-year-old infielder will be vying for his first Gold Glove Award while going up against Astros rookie Jeremy Pena and Twins star Carlos Correa.

Between the three of them this season, Bogaerts ranked first in games started (146), innings played (1,249 2/3), putouts (171), assists (401), double plays (74), Ultimate Zone Rating (4.9), and tied for first in fielding percentage (.983). He also ranked second in Defensive Runs Saved (4) and Outs Above Average (5), per FanGraphs.

As those numbers indicate, it was a standout year for Bogaerts defensively. The 6-foot-2, 218-pounder out of Aruba has been regularly critiqued for his fielding abilities since breaking in with the Red Sox as a 20-year-old in 2013. But he proved the doubters wrong this season by putting up career highs in Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating, and Outs Above Average.

Bogaerts, who is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this winter, will be looking to become the first Red Sox player to win a Gold Glove Award since Mookie Betts did so in 2019. Pena is also going for his first while Correa will be aiming to win it for the second year in a row.

Betts, meanwhile, was once again named a finalist in the National League for the defensive work he did in right field for the Dodgers this season. Circling back to the American League, two more former Red Sox outfielders were named finalists as well.

Jackie Bradley Jr., who closed out the year with the Blue Jays after being released by Boston in August, has the chance to win his second Gold Glove Award. Andrew Benintendi, who was traded from the Royals to the Yankees in July, has the chance to go back-to-back after taking home his first Gold Glove Award in Kansas City last season.

Gold Glove Awards have been handed out since 1957 to honor the best defenders at each position in each league. Voting is conducted by major-league managers and coaches (who are only allowed to vote within their league and cannot vote for players on their own teams) as well the sabermetrics community. The former accounts for 75 percent of the vote while the latter makes up the other 25 percent.

This year’s winners will be unveiled during an hour-long special edition of ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” leading up to Game 4 of the 2022 World Series on Tuesday, November 1.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Who is Eybersson Polanco? Get to know the Red Sox’ Latin Program Pitcher of the Year

In similar fashion to Andy Lugo, Eybersson Polanco was named the Red Sox’ Latin Program Pitcher of the Year last month.

Polanco, 19, made 12 starts for the Dominican Summer League Red Sox Red this season. The right-hander posted a 1.78 ERA and 2.96 FIP to go along with 50 strikeouts to 17 walks over 50 2/3 innings of work. He led his team in strikeouts and WHIP (0.95) and represented them in the Dominican Summer League All-Star Game in July.

Among 31 qualified DSL pitchers this year, Polanco ranked 15th in walks per nine innings (3.02), 13th in strikeout rate (25.8%), fourth in batting average against (.177), fifth in WHIP, 13th in groundball rate (46.2%), fourth in ERA, third in FIP, and 11th in xFIP (3.42), per FanGraphs.

Like Lugo, there is not much information available on Polanco since he only just completed his first professional season. The Red Sox originally signed the 6-foot, 170-pound righty out of Venezuela last July. He received a $50,000 bonus while fellow countryman Jedixson Paez netted $450,000, making him the highest-paid pitcher from the club’s 2021 international signing class.

Paez, who earned Latin Program Pitcher of the Year last season, was signed by Angel Escobar in January 2021. Polanco, on the other hand, was signed by Lenin Rodriguez six months later.

Given that he just turned 19 in September, it feels safe to assume that Polanco still has plenty of room to grow. That applies to his physical maturation, mechanics, and pitch arsenal, among other things.

Polanco is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2023. Paez made strides in Fort Myers this year and is now regarded by the site as the No. 12 pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. Perhaps Polanco can do the same beginning next summer.

(Picture of Eybersson Polanco via his Facebook)

Who is Andy Lugo? Get to know the Red Sox’ Latin Program Position Player of the Year

Last month, Andy Lugo was named the Red Sox’ Latin Program Position Player of the Year after a successful debut season in the Dominican Summer League.

Appearing in 56 games for the club’s DSL Blue affiliate, Lugo batted an impressive .318/.368/.414 to go along with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 30 RBIs, 52 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 11 walks, and 35 strikeouts. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old led his team in hits (70), total bases (91), runs scored, and stolen bases.

Among those in the Dominican Summer League who made at least 200 trips to the plate this season, Lugo ranked ninth in batting average, 19th in strikeout rate (14.5%), 10th in speed score (8.4), 33rd in line-drive rate (21.8%), and 47th in wRC+ (114), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Lugo saw playing time at four different positions over the summer. The versatile 5-foot-11, 160-pounder logged 18 innings at second base, 51 innings at third base, 123 2/3 innings in left field, and 179 innings in center. His six outfield assists were tied for second-most on the DSL Red Sox Blue behind only Albertson Asigen’s eight.

The Red Sox originally signed Lugo as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic last July. The San Cristobal native netted a modest $10,000 signing bonus, which pales in comparison to what the club’s top signee from the 2021 class — fellow countryman Miguel Bleis — received ($1.5 million). Bleis was signed by Jonathan Cruz while Lugo was signed by Esau Medina.

Given that his professional career has only just begun, there is not too much information available when it comes to Lugo’s scouting profile. He is unsurprisingly not yet regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

While that could certainly change with time, Lugo does not turn 19 until next March and presumably still has room to grow both physically and developmentally. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2023, so perhaps he will benefit from more exposure stateside.

(Picture of Andy Lugo via his Instagram)

Red Sox’ Rafael Devers named finalist for Hank Aaron Award

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been named a finalist for the 2022 Hank Aaron Award, Major League Baseball announced on Monday.

Since 1999, the Hank Aaron Award has been presented to the player voted as the most outstanding regular-season offensive performer from each league. There are 16 finalists in total.

From the American League, Devers will be joined on ballots by the likes of Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, Houston’s Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez, Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, New York’s Aaron Judge, and Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez.

National League nominees include Atlanta’s Austin Riley, Los Angeles’ Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, New York’s Pete Alonso, Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber, St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, and San Diego’s Manny Machado.

The winners from each league will be determined by a combination of fan votes and the votes from a panel made up of Hall of Famers like Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Pedro Martínez, John Smoltz, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Eddie Murray and Robin Yount.

Voting began on Monday and runs through October 24. Fans can vote for who they believe should receive the award from each league by heading over to MLB.com/aaron.

Devers will be looking to become the fifth Red Sox player to win the Hank Aaron Award since its inception 23 years ago. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz went back-to-back in 2004 and 2005. Kevin Youkilis took home the award in 2008 before Ortiz did so again in 2016. J.D. Martinez won it after becoming the first player to collect two Silver Slugger Awards in the same season in 2018.

In 141 games for the Red Sox this season, Devers batted .295/.358/.521 with 42 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs, 88 RBIs, 84 runs scored, three stolen bases, 50 walks, and 114 strikeouts over 614 plate appearances. The left-handed hitter earned his second straight All-Star selection, but he was hampered by a right hamstring injury during the second half that resulted in his production taking a dip.

Still, among qualified American League hitters, Devers ranked fourth in doubles, tied for third in extra-base hits (70), fourth in slugging percentage, fourth in OPS (.879), seventh in isolated power (.225), and eighth in wRC+ (140), per FanGraphs.

Devers, who turns 25 next week, can become eligible for free agency after the 2023 season. He is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $16.9 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox offseason: Eduard Bazardo elects free agency after clearing waivers

Eduard Bazardo has cleared waivers and was outrighted off the Red Sox’ major-league roster, the club announced earlier Monday afternoon. Rather than accept an assignment to Triple-A Worcester, Bazardo has elected to become a free agent.

Bazardo, 27, was designated for assignment on Thursday after fellow reliever Jake Reed was claimed off waivers from the Orioles. Because he had previously been outrighted in his career, the right-hander had the ability to reject a minor-league assignment in favor of free agency if he went unclaimed.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for just $8,000 in July 2014, Bazardo first burst onto the scene in the wake of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Although there was no Minor League Baseball in 2020, the Maracay native impressed at fall instructs in Fort Myers and was ultimately added to the Sox’ 40-man roster that November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

The following April, Bazardo made his big-league debut in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Twins at Target Field. He tossed a scoreless seventh inning and was sent back down to Worcester. His only other appearance of the 2021 season came on May 12, when he tossed two scoreless frames of relief against the Athletics while filling in for a sick Nick Pivetta.

Shortly after returning to the WooSox, Bazardo suffered a right lat strain that resulted in him being sidelined for nearly three months. The Red Sox placed him on the 60-day injured list last July and did not activate him until mid-September.

On the heels of an up-and-down debut season, Bazardo came into spring training this year with a chance to earn a spot in Boston’s Opening Day bullpen. But the righty was optioned on April 2 and was designated for assignment five days later.

After clearing waivers for the first time, Bazardo was outrighted to Worcester. He spent the majority of the 2022 campaign with the WooSox before having his contract selected again last month. In his second go-around with the Red Sox, the 6-foot, 165-pound hurler posted a 2.76 ERA and 6.05 FIP to go along with 11 strikeouts to four walks over 12 relief appearances spanning 16 1/3 innings of work.

While the ERA is encouraging, the peripherals certainly say otherwise and likely played a role in Bazardo losing his 40-man roster spot to Reed last week.

Given that he does not turn 28 until next September, though, it seems likely that Bazardo will have plenty of suitors (the Red Sox included) this winter if he is willing to entertain minor-league offers. He has, after all, produced a 4.33 ERA across 48 appearances (four starts) and 68 2/3 innings in parts of the last two seasons with the WooSox.

(Picture of Eduard Bazardo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox offseason: Abraham Almonte, Jaylin Davis elect free agency

Two veterans who provided the Red Sox with outfield depth this season have recently opted for free agency.

Abraham Almonte, who was designated for assignment on Tuesday, cleared waivers on Saturday and was outrighted off Boston’s major-league roster. Rather than accept an assignment to Triple-A Worcester, the 33-year-old elected to become a free agent.

Fellow outfielder Jaylin Davis was designated for assignment in September and spent the rest of the 2022 campaign with the WooSox after clearing waivers. The 28-year-old became a minor-league free agent last Thursday.

Almonte was acquired from the Brewers in exchange for cash considerations in late July. The switch-hitter appeared in 32 games for Worcester before being selected to the major-league roster on September 7. He then proceeded to bat .257/.297/.400 with one home run, two RBIs, seven runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and 12 strikeouts in 15 games (37 plate appearances) with Boston while seeing playing time at all three outfield positions.

Now a veteran of 10 big-league seasons, Almonte was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $900,000 in arbitration next year. The native Dominican is now free to sign with whichever team he chooses. Considering that he posted a .951 OPS in 80 Triple-A contests last season, Almonte could be of interest to clubs looking to add experienced outfielders on minor-league deals this winter.

Davis, meanwhile, was originally claimed off waivers from the Giants in late April. He appeared in two games for the Red Sox right out of the gate before being optioned to Worcester when rosters shrunk from 28 to 26 players in size. Less than two weeks later, he was designated for assignment.

After going unclaimed, Davis spent the next two months with the WooSox. The North Carolina native had his contract selected from Worcester on July 23 and remained with the big-league club before being optioned again on August 15.

Exactly four weeks later, the Red Sox claimed infielder Yu Chang off waivers from the Rays. They needed to create a spot on the 40-man roster for Chang, and they did so by designating Davis, who yet again cleared waivers.

All told, Davis went 8-for-24 (.333) with one double, two RBIs, four runs scored, three walks, and 11 strikeouts in 12 games with the Sox this season. Like Almonte, he played all three outfield positions during his two stints in Boston. With the WooSox, the right-handed hitter slashed .203/.312/.335 with 12 doubles, three triples, seven homers, 24 runs driven in, 43 runs scored, one stolen base, 43 walks, and 107 strikeouts across 88 games spanning 346 trips to the plate.

Almonte and Davis will soon be joined on the open market by other minor-leaguers who spent the 2022 season in the Red Sox organization. Johan Mieses, Christin Stewart, and Izzy Wilson are among the outfielders who are expected to become free agents.

With that being said, it should be interesting to see how the Sox go about addressing their upper-minors outfield depth in the coming weeks and months.

(Picture of Abraham Almonte: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images0