Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut named South Atlantic League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Nick Northcut has been named South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of June 6-12, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In High-A Greenville’s latest series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field, Northcut went 7-for-22 (.318) with two doubles, four home runs, 11 RBIs, seven runs scored, three walks, and nine strikeouts over six games. All four of those homers were hit within a two-day stretch on Friday and Saturday.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, the right-handed hitter is batting .231/.286/.574 with seven doubles, a team-high 20 home runs and 46 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 12 walks, and 79 strikeouts over 50 games (210 plate appearances) for the Drive. He has put up those numbers while primarily playing both corner infield positions.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Northcut ranks first in home runs, second in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.860), first in isolated power (.344), and 17th in wRC+ (124), per FanGraphs.

Northcut, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday on Monday, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 60th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Ohio native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Mason High School.

While power has been his standout tool this season, Northcut is working to become more selective at the plate. His 37.6% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate are among the worst marks in the Sally League, but the Red Sox have otherwise been pleased with what they have seen from the young slugger.

As he inches closer towards setting a new single-season home run record in Greenville, Northcut becomes the first member of the Drive to earn South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors since Ceddanne Rafaela did so on April 18.

Rafaela has since been promoted to Double-A Portland. Perhaps Northcut is not too far behind him.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Brian Van Belle to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Brian Van Belle from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per his agent Gavin Kahn of EnterSports Management.

Van Belle, 25, has made 12 appearances (9 starts) for the Drive this season, posting a 6.14 ERA and 6.03 FIP with 55 strikeouts to eight walks over 58 2/3 innings pitched.

While those numbers may not seem all that encouraging, Van Belle has pitched better as of late. Going back to May 18, the right-hander has pitched to a 2.77 ERA to go along with 24 strikeouts to just three walks over his last five outings (2 starts) that span 26 total innings of work.

Among qualified South Atlantic League pitchers, Van Belle ranks first in walks per nine innings (1.23), first in walk rate (3.1%), and eighth in xFIP (3.90), per FanGraphs.

After not being selected in the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft, Van Belle signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent that June. The University of Miami product had been viewed as one of the top college seniors who was passed over in that draft and ultimately signed with Boston for $20,000.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Van Belle — a Miami-area native himself — is equipped with a repeatable delivery and a three-pitch mix that consists of a 90-92 mph fastball that tops out at 93 mph, an 82-85 mph changeup, and a 77-80 mph curveball that is labeled as a “work in progress,” according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Van Belle, who turns 26 in September, will presumably join a Sea Dogs’ starting rotation that has seen two of its top starters in Brayan Bello and Brandon Walter earn promotions to Triple-A Worcester within the last month.

Since he last pitched for Greenville on Friday, it feels safe to assume that Van Belle will make his Double-A debut on the road in Portland’s upcoming series against the Reading Fightin Phils.

(Picture of Brian Van Belle: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut has homered 4 times in last 2 games as he approaches High-A Greenville’s single-season record

Nick Northcut became the first Red Sox minor-leaguer to reach the 20 home run plateau this season in High-A Greenville’s 3-2 win over the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field on Saturday night.

After going deep three times on Friday, Northcut went 1-for-3 on Saturday with two RBIs, one scored, and one strikeout while batting third and starting at first base for the Drive.

His latest homer came with one out and one runner on in the sixth inning. Matched up against Tourists starter Rhett Kouba, Northcut took the right-hander deep over everything in left field to give the Drive a 3-2 lead.

Prior to Friday’s outburst, Northcut was in the midst of a 12-for-77 (.156) slump over his last 20 games dating back to May 15. Following Saturday’s performance, the right-handed-hitting slugger is now batting .229/.278/.573 with six doubles, those 20 home runs, 45 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 10 walks, and 77 strikeouts across 49 games (205 plate appearances) this season.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Northcut ranks first in home runs, tied for first in RBIs, second in slugging percentage, eighth in OPS (.851), first in isolated power (.344), and first in at-bats per home run (9.6), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 205 pound infielder has logged 190 innings at first base (9 of which came on Saturday), 200 1/3 innings at third base, and six innings at shortstop for the first time in his professional career.

Northcut, who turns 23 on Monday, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 60th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the Ohio native in the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Mason High School and swayed him away from his commitment to Vanderbilt University by signing him for $565,000.

In addition to the power he possesses from the right side of the plate, there is a fair amount of swing-and-miss in Northcut’s game as indicated by his 38.1% strikeout rate (fifth-highest in the Sally League) and 4.9% walk rate (third-lowest in the Sally League).

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, however, the Red Sox are not too concerned about Northcut’s strikeout tendencies since he is generally doing a quality job of swinging at the right pitches and staying away from the ones out of the zone.

“He’s missing some pitches that we think he can hit, but he’s doing a fantastic job not chasing,” hitting coordinator Reed Gragnani told Speier last month. “We can coach that. … If he gets better at making contact in the zone, even at an average rate in MLB or even at this level, then you’re talking about a premium power hitter that can hit .270 with the damage.”

With 20 home runs already under his belt, Northcut is fast-approaching Greenville’s single-season home run record of 24, which was set by outfield prospect Tyler Dearden, who is now with Double-A Portland, just last year.

It took Dearden 91 games and until September 12 to accomplish that feat. At the pace he is currently on, it will not take Northcut nearly as long to etch his name into Drive history.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox select Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A Worcester, place Garrett Whitlock on 15-day injured list in slew of roster moves

Before opening a three-game series against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Friday night, the Red Sox made a series of roster moves.

First off, outfielder Rob Refsnyder had his contract selected from Triple-A Worcester. To make room for Refsnyder on both the 26-man and 40-man roster, infielder Jonathan Arauz was designated for assignment.

Secondly, right-hander Garrett Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list with right hip inflammation, retroactive to June 9. Fellow righty Phillips Valdez was recalled from Worcester to take Whitlock’s spot on the active roster, the club announced.

Refsnyder joins the Red Sox for the second time this season after previously appearing in three games as a COVID-related substitute in late April. The right-handed hitting 31-year-old went 2-fot-5 at the plate with two doubles, one RBI, and one walk.

With the WooSox this year, Refsnyder has batted .306/.429/.524 with 14 doubles, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 31 runs scored, four stolen bases, 28 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 42 games spanning 182 plate appearances. He will hit leadoff and start in right field against the Mariners on Friday.

Arauz, meanwhile, has lost his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster after appearing in just six games with the big-league club this season. The versatile switch-hitter failed to record a hit in his 10 trips to the plate, though he did drive in and score one run.

Originally acquired from the Astros in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, Arauz could appeal to other teams given the fact that he is still just 23 years old and has two minor-league options remaining. The Red Sox will have the next seven days to either trade, release, or sneak the Panamanian national through waivers.

Turning to the other side of these transactions, Whitlock heads to the injured list after experiencing hip issues in his last start against the Angels on Tuesday. The soon-to-be 26-year-old hurler was slated to get the ball in Sunday’s series finale with the Mariners, but the Red Sox will now have to look elsewhere for a starter.

Since his stint on the 15-day injured list was backdated to June 9, Whitlock would first be eligible to be activated on Friday, June 24. That would line him up to make his return against the Guardians in Cleveland.

With Whitlock sidelined for the time being, the Sox recalled Valdez, who was just sent down to make room on the roster for Hansel Robles on Thursday. Valdez owns a 5.84 ERA and 3.71 FIP in 10 appearances (12 1/3 innings) with Boston this season.

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Shohei Ohtani steals the show yet again as Red Sox fall to Angels, 5-2, to snap 7-game winning streak

The Red Sox saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday night following a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

Boston was unable to complete the four-game sweep of Los Angeles, who put an end to a historic 14-game losing streak with its first win since May 24.

Nick Pivetta and two-way star Shohei Ohtani opposed one another on the mound and traded zeroes through the first four innings of Thursday’s contest.

In the top of the fifth, Franchy Cordero drew a leadoff walk and came into score from third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bobby Dalbec. In the bottom half, Ohtani took things into his own hands by crushing a 394-foot two-run home run that came on a 1-1, 92 mph heater from Pivetta at the top of the zone.

Pivetta continued on, but ran into some trouble in the sixth when he issued back-to-back walks to lead off the inning. That prompted Red Sox manager Alex Cora to go to his bullpen and pull the right-hander in favor of Hirokazu Sawamura.

Sawamura, in turn, recorded the first two outs of the sixth before serving up a back-breaking, three-run homer to Andrew Velazquez that gave the Angels a commanding 5-1 lead.

Pivetta was charged with four of those five runs. In addition to four earned runs, the 29-year-old gave up six hits and two walks over five-plus innings. He also plunked one batter while striking out a season-high of 11. 67 of the 97 pitches he threw went for strikes.

Ohtani, on the other hand, wound up yielding just one earned run over seven strong innings. The 27-year-old phenom finishes the regular season having allowed just one run in 14 innings of work against the Red Sox.

Once Ohtani came out, the Sox responded when Christian Arroyo led off the eighth inning with a line-drive single off Angels reliever Ryan Tepera. Arroyo proceeded to steal second base and scored from there on a 104.5 mph RBI single from Alex Verdugo.

That made it a 5-2 game, which would go on to be Thursday’s final score after Austin Davis and Hansel Robles each tossed a scoreless frame of relief for Boston and Halos closer Raisel Iglesias retired the side in order in the ninth. The Red Sox as a team went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left a total of six runners on base.

With the loss, Boston falls to 30-28 on the season and 6-1 on the west coast road trip that concludes this weekend.

Next up: On to Seattle

The Red Sox will now travel north for a three-game series against the Mariners in Seattle. Veteran lefty Rich Hill will get the start for Boston on Friday night while fellow southpaw Marco Gonzalez will do the same for Seattle.

First pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Shohei Ohtani: John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox to select contract of Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A Worcester, per report

The Red Sox are going to add outfielder Rob Refsnyder to their major-league roster this weekend, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Christopher Smith.

Refsnyder, who was with Triple-A Worcester in Buffalo, flew from western New York to Anaheim on Thursday but did not make it in time to be activated for the Red Sox’ series finale against the Angels at Angel Stadium.

The 31-year-old is therefore expected to be added to to the big-league roster ahead of Boston’s three-game series in Seattle that begins Friday night. The Red Sox will subsequently need to open a spot on the 26- and 40-man roster for Refsnyder, though they could do both at the same time by designating a player on the major-league roster for assignment.

Boston originally signed Refsnyder to a minor-league deal last December. The right-handed hitter made a brief cameo with the club in late April, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI, and one walk while appearing in three games as a COVID-related substitute. The Sox did not need to expose Refsnyder to waivers when they removed him from the 40-man roster and returned him to Worcester on April 29.

With the WooSox this season, Refsnyder has excelled to the tune of a .306/.429/.524 slash line to go along with 14 doubles, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 31 runs scored, four stolen bases, 28 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 42 games spanning 182 plate appearances.

On the other side of the ball, the 6-foot, 205 pounder has seen playing time at both center and right field. He does have past experience in left field and around the infield (sans shortstop) as well.

(Picture of Rob Refsnyder: Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Hansel Robles from injured list, option Phillips Valdez to Triple-A Worcester

Before wrapping up their four-game series against the Angels in Anaheim on Thursday night, the Red Sox activated right-handed reliever Hansel Robles from the 15-day injured list.

In order to make room for Robles on the active roster, fellow reliever Phillips Valdez was optioned to Triple-A Worcester, the team announced.

Robles, who was initially placed on the injured list because of back spasms on May 28, returns to the Sox on the first day he was eligible to since his stint on the IL was backdated to May 25.

The 31-year-old hurler was sent out on a rehab assignment with the WooSox and was scheduled to make an appearance against the Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday. But that game got rained out and he instead threw a bullpen session at Sahlen Field before flying to Anaheim on Wednesday.

Prior to being placed on the IL, Robles had posted a 2.65 ERA and 5.20 FIP with 11 strikeouts to six walks over 16 appearances (17 innings) out of the Red Sox bullpen this season.

Valdez, meanwhile, was recalled from Worcester when Robles went on the injured list on May 28. The 30-year-old made back-to-back appearances against the Orioles that day and the next, but had not been used since.

With the Red Sox this season, Valdez has pitched to a 5.84 ERA and 3.71 FIP with 13 strikeouts to five walks over 10 relief outings spanning 12 1/3 innings of work. With the WooSox, he has allowed just one earned run across six appearances and 7 2/3 innings pitched.

(Picture of Hansel Robles: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Should Red Sox consider taking Oregon State outfielder Jacob Melton with top pick in this year’s draft?

With the 2022 MLB Draft fast approaching, the Red Sox continue to be linked to college outfielders in recently-published mock drafts from industry experts.

MLB.com’s Jim Callis, for instance, has the Red Sox taking University of Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert with their top pick in his latest mock that was released on Wednesday night.

Last week, Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo had Boston selecting University of California, Berkeley outfielder Dylan Beavers with the 24th overall pick.

Needless to say, there seems to be some speculation within the industry that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. could be leaning towards taking a college bat when the Red Sox are first on the clock on July 17.

Taking that into consideration, Oregon State outfielder Jacob Melton should probably be viewed as a potential Red Sox target as well. In fact, Collazo wrote that the Oregon native “is being scouted throughout the back of the first round.”

Melton, 21, is currently regarded by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the 25th- and 54th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft class, respectively.

In 60 games with the Beavers (who are currently in the super regionals of the College World Series) this season, the left-handed hitting junior batted a stout .360/.422/.668 with 21 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 81 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 24 walks, and 47 strikeouts over 282 plate appearances en route to being named the Pac-12 Conference’s Player of the Year.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Melton’s “production is prettier than his swing, which is described as ‘unorthodox’ and features plenty of moving parts. He starts with an open stance and features a leg kick in his load, with a long load that includes a barrel dump on the back half and an arm bar. Despite those mechanics, Melton has plenty of bat speed and the athleticism to make it work. While his bat path might not be ideal, his barrel stays in the zone for a long time and he has the strength to drive the ball with authority, with a frame that suggests more could be coming.”

MLB Pipeline, on the other hand, notes that the 6-foot-3, 208 pounder “has the chance to do some damage from the left side of the plate. He has an advanced approach at the plate and makes a ton of contact. He also has a good amount of juice to his pull side, and he’s tapped into that power even more in 2022, leading some scouts to think he might have better than average pop in the future.”

Defensively, Melton has moved from first base to the outfield over the course of his collegiate career and has now established himself as Oregon State’s everyday center fielder. Baseball America labels his arm strength as average while MLB Pipeline indicates that he is capable of playing all three outfield positions given his plus speed, which also helps him on the basepaths.

Melton, who turns 22 in September, is projected to go to the Giants at No. 30 by Collazo and to the Astros at No. 28 by Callis. The recommended slot value for both of this picks ($2.485 million and 2.62 million, respectively) is a bit lower than the $2,974,900 attached to the Red Sox’ first-round selection.

Because of this difference, the Sox could look to cut an underslot deal with Melton if they were to take him at No. 24, though that remains to be seen for a number of reasons.

Boston last used a first-rounder on an Oregon State player in 2005, when speedy outfielder Jacoby Jacoby Ellsbury was selected with the 23rd overall pick. Unlike Ellsbury at that time, though, Melton has never been drafted before.

(Picture of Jacob Melton: Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Nathan Eovaldi grinds through 5 scoreless innings Wednesday night while dealing with tightness in right hip

Nathan Eovaldi made his 12th start of the season for the Red Sox against the Angels on Wednesday night.

Coming into play on Wednesday, the right-hander was averaging 96.7 mph on his four-seam fastball — his most-frequently used pitch.

In his latest outing at Angel Stadium, 32 of the 84 pitches Eovaldi threw were four-seamers, but he only averaged 94 mph and topped out at 97.1 mph with it, per Baseball Savant. It was Eovaldi’s lowest average fastball velocity in a start since 2012.

Nevertheless, the 32-year-old grinded through five scoreless innings, yielding just six hits and no walks to go along with five strikeouts en route to picking up his fourth win and lowering his ERA on the season to 3.16.

Following Boston’s 1-0 victory over Los Angeles, manager Alex Cora revealed that Eovaldi has been dealing with right hip tightness, which likely attributed to the dip in fastball velocity.

“Yeah, probably that’s it,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). “He pitched well. He got us five scoreless innings. The stuff wasn’t great but he did a good job changing speeds, using his off-speed pitches.”

While his fastball velocity was down, Eovaldi still proved effective elsewhere. He induced seven swings-and-misses with the 24 splitters he threw, three swings-and-misses with the 13 curveballs he threw, and three more whiffs with the 10 sliders he threw.

Cora indicated that Eovaldi should not need to miss his next start since the Red Sox will enjoy an off day back in Boston on Monday, which will give the veteran righty an extra day of rest.

“It’s part of it sometimes,” said Cora. “The traveling and the beds, whatever. He should be OK.”

For his part, Eovaldi was ready to come back out for the sixth inning even after receiving a visit on the mound from Cora and a member of the training staff in the bottom of the fifth.

That ultimately did not happen, and Eovaldi revealed afterwards that he first began experiencing tightness in his hip when he woke up on Tuesday. It is not believed to be a serious injury.

“Yesterday, I woke up and it was a little tight, but I did some treatment and it felt better,” Eovaldi said, via MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I came in and played catch, went about my normal business and today, during the game, it just got a little tighter as the game went on. But we were able to make big pitches when we needed to and the defense was great tonight, and we were able to come out on top.”

Assuming Eovaldi makes his next start as scheduled, that should come against the Athletics at Fenway Park next Tuesday.

(Picture of Nathan Eovaldi: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Bobby Dalbec’s RBI double lifts Red Sox to another 1-0 win over Angels

For the second time in three games, the Red Sox squeaked out a 1-0 win over the Angels in Anaheim on Wednesday night.

They did not get a complete game from their starting pitcher this time around, but they still held on to win their seventh straight game and improve to 30-27 on the season.

The game’s lone run came in the sixth inning. Up until that point in the contest, the Rafael Devers-less Red Sox lineup had been held in check by Angels pitching despite squandering a number of scoring opportunities.

With two outs in the sixth, though, Alex Verdugo drew an eight-pitch walk off Halos reliever Jimmy Herget. Three pitches later, Verdugo scored all the way from first when Bobby Dalbec laced a 93 mph double down the left field line.

Dalbec then attempted to score from second on a Kevin Plawecki single, but was thrown out at home plate. Still, the damage had already been done.

In the middle of the sixth, Red Sox manager Alex Cora elected to turn to his bullpen after getting five scoreless innings from Nathan Eovaldi. While Eovaldi scattered six hits without walking a batter and struck out five in his 12th start of the season, the right-hander’s velocity was noticeably down.

Of the 84 pitches (56 strikes) Eovaldi threw, 32 were fastballs. He averaged 94 mph with the pitch, down from the 96.7 mph he averaged with it coming into play on Wednesday. The 32-year-old also induced seven swings-and-misses with his splitter, a pitch he threw 24 times in the process of lowering his ERA on the season to 3.16.

In relief of Eovaldi, Tyler Danish received the first call from Cora out of the Boston bullpen. With a brand new 1-0 lead to work with, Danish tossed a scoreless frame in the bottom of the sixth before plunking the first batter he faced in the seventh.

That prompted Cora to call upon Jake Diekman, who got the pinch-hitting Max Stassi to ground into a 6-4-3 double play that was capped with a nice scoop at first base by Christian Vazquez, who was making his first start of the year at the position.

Diekman then fanned the dangerous Shohei Ohtani to retire the side in the seventh and make way for John Schreiber in the eighth. Schreiber, in turn, got the next four outs before Cora pulled him in favor of Matt Strahm.

Tasked with recording the final two outs of the ballgame, Strahm did just that on five pitches to earn the save and seal the win.

According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, this is the first time the Red Sox have won two games in the same series by a final score of 1-0 since July 18 and 19 of 2006 against the Royals.

Browne also notes that Eovaldi was dealing with a tight right hip on Wednesday, which likely led to the dip in velocity.

Next up: Pivetta vs. Ohtani in series finale

The Red Sox will look to keep their perfect west coast road trip going by completing a four-game sweep over the Angels on Thursday night. Boston will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta while Los Angeles will roll with fellow righty Shohei Ohtani.

First pitch from Angel Stadium is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Christian Vazquez and Bobby Dalbec: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)