Red Sox two-way prospect identified as potential 2025 breakout candidate

The Red Sox have several prospects who could break out in 2025, including those who have yet to make their professional debuts.

Conrad Cason, the club’s eighth-round selection in last summer’s draft, is one such name to watch. MLB.com’s Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Sam Dykstra recently identified the two-way talent as a potential breakout candidate within Boston’s farm system this year.

Cason, 18, was taken with the 237th overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Greater Atlanta Christian School. The Georgia native forwent his commitment to Mississippi State by signing with the Red Sox for a well over-slot $1.25 million. However, he did not play for one of Boston’s minor-league affiliates after putting pen to paper at Fenway Park on July 29.

To cap off his high school career at Greater Atlanta Christian, Cason shined as both a pitcher and a shortstop en route to earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Georgia last spring. On the mound, the right-hander posted a 0.48 ERA with 99 strikeouts over 43 2/3 innings. At the plate, the right-handed hitter batted .364/.519/.545 with three home runs, 28 RBIs, 32 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases.

As a senior, Cason flashed a three-pitch mix that consisted of a 93-95 mph fastball that reached 97-98 mph, a low-80s split-grip changeup, and a tight slider with similar velocity, per his MLB.com scouting report. The athletic 6-foot-1, 190-pounder also possesses solid speed and power potential, which he put on display while showcasing his abilities as a shortstop at the MLB Draft Combine.

Though most teams preferred him as a pitcher during the pre-draft process, the Red Sox will provide Cason with an avenue to develop on both sides of the ball at the outset of his pro career. Devin Pearson, Boston’s director of amateur scouting, made that much clear when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) shortly after Cason was drafted.

“Our group was actually a little bit split on it. We had some guys that liked him better as a pitcher and other guys that liked him better as a hitter,” Pearson said. “On both sides, you have an elite athlete who can throw 100 mph and hit balls very far. We will take that bet and see where he best fits but we’re going to develop him as a two-way player.”

Cason, who does not turn 19 until August, comes into the new year ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 15 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is currently projected by SoxProspects.com (which has him ranked 16th) to open the 2025 minor-league season at Low-A Salem. How his workload is managed will presumably come into focus closer to Opening Day.

(Picture of Conrad Cason via his Instagram)

Why Juan Valera took the biggest leap of any Red Sox pitching prospect in 2024

The case can be made that Juan Valera took the biggest leap of any Red Sox pitching prospect in 2024.

Originally signed for $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023, Valera posted a 5.93 ERA (4.67 FIP) over 27 1/3 innings as part of his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year. As such, the young right-hander came into the 2024 season with very little fanfare.

Transitioning from the Dominican Summer League to the Florida Complex League, Valera impressed out of the gate in his stateside debut. The 18-year-old forged a 1.79 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 outings (nine starts) spanning 40 1/3 innings for the FCL Red Sox. He held opposing hitters to a .128 batting average and leveraged his performance into a promotion to Low-A Salem in late July.

The trade deadline passed shortly thereafter, but not before Valera saw three teammates (fellow teenage righties Gilberto Batista, Ovis Portes, and Yeferson Vargas) get moved elsewhere. The Red Sox, however, elected to hold onto Valera, who proceeded to post a 2.35 ERA (3.54 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in seven starts (23 innings) for Salem to close out the year. Opposing hitters in the Carolina League batted just .120 against him in that stretch.

Altogether, Valera pitched to a 1.99 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to 28 walks in 18 appearances (16 starts) spanning 63 1/3 innings between the FCL and Salem this past season. Among the 39 Red Sox minor-leaguers who threw at least 60 innings in 2024, Valera ranked first in ERA, batting average against (.125), WHIP (0.85), line-drive rate (10.3 percent), and groundball rate (56.6 percent), fifth in swinging-strike rate (15.9 percent), eighth in FIP, 12th in strikeout rate (27.9 percent), and 13th in xFIP (3.76), per FanGraphs.

As far as post-season accolades are concerned, Valera was recognized as a 2024 Florida Complex League All-Star by Minor League Baseball. He was also named a 2024 SoxProspects.com All-Star and the 2024 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and around 225 pounds, Valera throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and utilizes a side-step delivery. This past season, the projectable hurler operated with a four-pitch mix that consisted of a 93-96 mph fastball that reached 99 mph, an 85-88 mph slider that featured 10-to-4 break, an 82-85 mph sweeper, and an 89-92 mph changeup that is still viewed as a work progress.

Lauded by club officials for his strong work ethic and teachability, Valera is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization. MLB Pipeline has the righty ranked 20th on its top 30 Red Sox prospects list while Baseball America has him unranked, though that will likely change soon.

“We’re super high on this kid,” Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard said of Valera when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Sarah Barber back in August. “He’s starting to get to some pretty cool shapes from a pitch-design standpoint. We’re very excited about this kid, and he’s only continued to go out there and kind of hammer the things that he needs to for his long-term development as well.”

Valera, who turns 19 in May, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Salem for the start of the 2025 minor-league season. He should, however, have the opportunity to advance to High-A Greenville before the end of the summer depending on how aggressive the Red Sox are willing to be.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Craig Breslow on trade addition Carlos Narvaez: ‘He’s a guy that we’re really excited about’

The Red Sox did not pluck a player from the Yankees organization in the major- or minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft earlier this month, but they did swing a rare trade with their division rivals on the final day of the Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas.

In exchange for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez and $250,000 in international bonus pool space, Boston acquired catcher Carlos Narvaez from New York on December 11. The move came just hours after the Red Sox included top catching prospect Kyle Teel in the five-player trade that netted them frontline starter Garrett Crochet from the White Sox.

Narvaez, who turned 26 late last month, comes to the Red Sox with just six games of major-league experience under his belt. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Yankees for $50,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2015. He made his professional debut the following June and — in the process of working up the minor-league ladder — was added to New York’s 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection in November 2023.

Narvaez opened the 2024 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was not called up for his big-league debut until mid-July. The right-handed hitter appeared in six games for the Yankees from July 20 through August 10, going 3-for-13 (.231) with three singles, two walks, and six strikeouts. From behind the plate, he threw out one of two possible base stealers before being optioned on August 13.

Narvaez would close out the year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, finishing with a .254/.370/.412 slash line with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 58 RBIs, 54 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 56 walks, and 105 strikeouts in 96 games (403 plate appearances) for the RailRiders. Defensively, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound backstop gunned down 15 of 83 would-be base stealers. He also logged 114 innings at first base and three innings at third base.

Equipped with a strong arm and solid framing and receiving skills, Narvaez has spent his winter with the Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP). Despite dealing with visa issues that resulted in him being away from the team for a bit, Narvaez still batted a stout .357/.456/.662 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 23 regular-season games (90 plate appearances) for the Cardenales, who are now in the LVBP playoffs.

Having said that, it is worth noting that Venezuelan journalist Carlos V. Rodriguez reported on Monday that — regardless of how far the Cardenales advance in the playoffs — Narvaez will only play until January 7 because the Red Sox want him back in the United States to take part in team activities. That tracks with Narvaez being among the players expected to attend the first-ever Fenway Fest fan event in Boston on January 11.

Barring any other catching additions in the coming days or weeks, Narvaez will likely enter his first spring training with the Red Sox as the club’s top backup option behind Connor Wong. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged as much when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) via Zoom earlier Monday afternoon.

“He’s a guy that we’re really excited about,” Breslow said of Narvaez. “What we saw out of him in winter ball I think only enhances or reinforces that we think he’s a great complement to Connor. That doesn’t mean that we’ll stop looking but I think we brought Narvy in because of what he brings offensively but also more specifically in terms of pitch framing and receiving. We feel really good about that.”

(Picture of Carlos Narvaez: Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Red Sox agree to minor-league deal with ex-Rockies righty Noah Davis

The Red Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with free-agent right-hander Noah Davis, a team source confirmed to BloggingtheRedSox.com. The deal, which is pending a physical, comes with an invite to major-league spring training.

Davis, who turns 28 in April, first announced his joining the Red Sox organization on Friday night via an Instagram post. The California native had spent parts of the last three seasons (2022-2024) with the Rockies before being outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster in September, which allowed him to reach free agency two months later.

A former 11th-round draft selection of the Reds coming out of UC Santa Barbara in 2018, Davis was traded to the Rockies for veteran reliever Mychal Givens in July 2021. The righty was added to Colorado’s 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection that November and entered the 2022 season ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s No. 21 prospect. He then made his big-league debut that October.

Davis owns a 7.71 ERA and 5.65 FIP with 43 strikeouts to 23 walks in 18 outings (six starts) spanning 51 1/3 innings for his career at the major-league level (all with Colorado). That includes a 5.75 ERA (4.64 FIP) with 15 strikeouts to seven walks in nine relief outings (20 1/3 innings) for the Rockies in which opposing hitters batted .352 against him this past season. At the Triple-A level, he most recently pitched to a 5.77 ERA (4.72 FIP) with 72 strikeouts to 31 walks over 19 appearances (68 2/3 innings) for the Albuquerque Isotopes of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in 2024.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Davis flashed seven different pitches this year, per Baseball Savant. A client of Driveline Baseball, which was founded by Red Sox special advisor/interim director of baseball sciences Kyle Boddy, Davis relied heavily upon his mid-90s sinker (thrown 46 percent of the time) while also mixing in a sweeper, cutter, screwball, changeup, curveball, and four-seam fastball.

Davis should get an opportunity to compete for a spot in Boston’s Opening Day bullpen alongside fellow non-roster invitees Austin Adams, Isaiah Campbell, Michael Fulmer, Bryan Mata, and Wyatt Mills once camp begins in February. If he does not make the team, he figures to provide the Red Sox with versatile pitching depth at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 season since he has experience as both a starter and reliever.

(Picture of Noah Davis: Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox agree to minor-league deal with veteran reliever Austin Adams

The Red Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with free-agent reliever Austin Adams, as was first reported by KPRC’s Ari Alexander. The deal, which is still pending a physical, includes an invite to major-league spring training and would be worth $1.5 million if Adams makes Boston’s active roster.

Adams, 33, is a veteran of eight big-league seasons who spent all of 2024 with the Athletics after being acquired from the Mets for cash considerations in March. The right-hander posted a 3.92 ERA (4.47 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 23 walks over 56 relief appearances (41 1/3 innings) before being shut down with forearm tendinitis in mid-August. He was outrighted off Oakland’s 40-man roster in late October, which allowed him to reach free agency.

A Tampa native, Adams was originally selected by the Angels in the eighth round of the 2012 draft out of South Florida. The righty was traded to the Nationals in December 2016 and debuted for Washington the following July. He has since forged a lifetime 4.10 ERA (3.98 FIP) with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate and 13.9 percent walk rate in 188 career outings (155 2/3 innings) between the Nationals (2017-2019), Mariners (2019), Padres (2020-2022), Diamondbacks (2023) and Athletics (2024).

Although he has struggled with his command in the past (42 hit batsmen since 2021), Adams has proven to be effective when throwing strikes, as evidenced by the fact that opposing hitters have batted just .199 against him throughout his career. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound hurler relies heavily upon his upper-80s slider (thrown nearly 74 percent of the time this past season) and can mix in a lower-90s fastball and an occasional sinker as well.

Adams, who turns 34 in May, should get an opportunity to compete for a spot in Boston’s Opening Day bullpen alongside fellow non-roster invitees Isaiah Campbell, Michael Fulmer, Bryan Mata, and Wyatt Mills once camp begins in February. If he does not make the team, he will likely provide the Red Sox with an experienced depth option at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 season.

(Picture of Austin Adams: Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Red Sox trade lefty reliever Cam Booser to White Sox for pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo

The Red Sox simultaneously created a 40-man roster spot and added a young pitching prospect to the organizational pipeline by connecting on their second trade in as many weeks with the White Sox on Saturday evening.

In exchange for left-handed reliever Cam Booser, who forged a 3.38 ERA in 43 relief appearances (42 2/3 innings) as a 32-year-old rookie this past season, Boston acquired right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo from Chicago.

Fajardo, 18, made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League this year after signing with the White Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in February. The Villa de Cura native earned DSL Mid-Season All-Star honors en route to posting a 3.91 ERA (2.50 FIP) with 64 strikeouts to eight walks in 13 starts (50 2/3 innings) for Chicago’s rookie-level affiliate. Opposing hitters batted .260 against him.

Among the 19 Dominican Summer League pitchers who eclipsed the 50-inning mark in 2024, Fajardo ranked first in FIP and xFIP (2.33), third in strikeouts per nine innings (11.37), strikeout rate (30.2 percent), and swinging-strike rate (43.4 percent), and fourth in walks per nine innings (1.42), walk rate (3.8 percent), and groundball rate (55.6 percent), per FanGraphs. He also produced the highest BABIP (.365) of that group, which suggests that luck may not have necessarily been on his side.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 181-185 pounds, Fajardo has been described by Baseball America’s Ben Badler as “a good athlete with an easy delivery that he repeats well from a consistent release point on all of his pitches.” The projectable righty still has plenty of room to grow physically but currently sits between 90-95 mph with his fastball while mixing in a low-80s slider and an occasional hard changeup.

Barring a surprise, Fajardo — who does not turn 19 until next October — will likely open the 2025 season in the Florida Complex League.

(Picture of Cam Booser: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer provides update on lower back injury that cut his 2024 season short

After missing the final two months of the 2024 season with a lumbar strain in his lower back, top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer provided an update on his health in a recent conversation with MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam.

“I’m really good,” Mayer told McAdam. “Lower back’s great. I’ve been cleared for a while now, so I’ve been progressing swinging-wise, doing my stuff and working hard in the weight room, doing whatever I can to get my body in the best position for this upcoming season.”

As noted by McAdam, Mayer has not done much in terms of hitting so far this winter, though that will likely change soon.

“I’m still ramping up,” Mayer said. “But as far as that goes, my swing feels phenomenal right now. It feels like I haven’t missed a beat, which is weird because usually when I take a week off, I feel extremely rusty. But I took like two months off and I feel great right now. I’ll be ready to (be a full-go for the start of spring training).”

Mayer, the No. 10 prospect in Baseball America’s top 100 rankings, saw his season cut short by injury for a second straight year over the summer. The recently-turned 22-year-old was limited to 78 games between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2023 due to a lingering left shoulder impingement that ultimately shut him down that August.

Mayer broke camp with Portland this past spring and was putting together a stellar season at the plate through late July. The left-handed hitter netted 2024 Eastern League Post-Season All-Star honors by batting .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts in 77 games (335 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

On the other side of the ball, Mayer drew encouraging reviews for his defensive ability at shortstop, where he started 65 games and committed 10 errors in 212 chances with Portland this year. The 6-foot-3, 188-pound infielder also made exactly one start at third base for the second season in a row.

In the weeks following his second straight trip to the All-Star Futures Game, Mayer hit a snag. He was placed on Portland’s injured list on August 1, two days after leaving a game early with what was initially described as lower back and upper glute muscle soreness. Since the issue was deemed minor, the Red Sox proceeded to activate and then promote Mayer to Triple-A Worcester on August 12 with the expectation that he would quickly find his way into the lineup.

The soreness in Mayer’s back, however, persisted. Further medical evaluation, including an MRI, led to the diagnosis of a lumbar strain. Rather than act aggressively, the Red Sox ended Mayer’s season before he could even notch his first Triple-A at-bat by placing him on Worcester’s injured list on August 20 and sending him to extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. so he could focus on his rehab.

“Extremely frustrating. As a player, of course you don’t want to get injured,” said Mayer. “I work extremely hard while I play to try to prevent injury. I think I’ve just been unlucky these past couple of years. I don’t think it’s something that happened because I didn’t do that or didn’t do this. I fell (resulting in the shoulder injury), something I can’t control. And the other one, I just had a little back problem.

“It’s obviously not ideal, but that’s the situation I’ve been put in and all I can do now is work my ass off (to rehab),” he continued. “I went down to Florida (in the fall) for a month, worked with the trainers there, did workouts, did some core stuff. They sent me home and I continued that training, and I’m pretty much a full-go right now. I’ll start hitting around the new year, which is more than enough time for me. You don’t need to be hitting all off-season.”

Originally selected by Boston with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), Mayer — barring a trade or other surprise move — is expected to open the 2025 campaign at Worcester. If he can stay on the field and quell any concerns about his durability, he should be able to put himself in a position to make his major league debut before the season draws to a close.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Wehunt fare in 2024?

Blake Wehunt was the fifth of 11 college pitchers selected by the Red Sox in the 2023 draft. How did the former ninth-rounder out of Kennesaw State fare in his first full professional season this year?

Signed for an under-slot $100,000 after being drafted with the 268th overall pick, Wehunt marked his pro debut by making one scoreless relief appearance in the Florida Complex League last August. The right-hander then opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem and posted a 2.16 ERA (2.77 FIP) with 44 strikeouts to 15 walks in eight starts (33 1/3 innings) before receiving a promotion to High-A Greenville in early June.

Upon making the jump from Salem, Wehunt went through an adjustment period of sorts but still held his own in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League by producing a 4.42 ERA (3.58 FIP) with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks in 13 starts (59 innings) for Greenville. The righty was promoted for a second time to Double-A Portland on September 11 to make one more start before the minor-league season. He allowed five earned runs over five innings as part of an 8-4 loss to Binghamton at Hadlock Field.

Altogether, Wehunt forged a 3.88 ERA and 3.40 FIP with 110 strikeouts to 34 walks in 22 starts spanning 97 1/3 total innings of work between Salem, Greenville, and Portland this past season. Opposing hitters across the three levels he pitched at batted just .207 against him.

Among the 374 minor-leaguers who threw at least 95 innings in 2024, Wehunt ranked 38th in batting average against, 45th in WHIP (1.11), 52nd in xFIP (3.43), 62nd in strikeout rate (27.5 percent) and FIP, 65th in line-drive rate (20.1 percent), 66th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.17), 68th in groundball rate (47.8 percent), 172nd in walks per nine innings (3.14), 179th in ERA, and 180th in walk rate (8.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Wehunt, who turned 24 in November, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 15th among pitchers. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Georgia native throws from a three-quarters arm slot and can make for an uncomfortable at-bat given his imposing stature. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Wehunt operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-96 mph fastball, an 87-89 mph cutter, an 81-86 mph sweeper, and an 84-86 mph splitter.

Though the possibility remains that he could be moved by the Red Sox as part of a larger trade this winter, Wehunt is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season in April. If that does end up happening, it should be worthwhile to see how he handles the upper minors after getting a brief taste in September.

(Picture of Blake Wehunt: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Brandon Neely enters MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Red Sox prospects list

After the Red Sox traded Elmer Rodriguez to the Yankees last week, fellow right-hander Brandon Neely entered the club’s Top 30 prospects list on MLB Pipeline.

Neely is now regarded by MLB Pipeline as Boston’s No. 30 prospect, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization. The 21-year-old was selected by the Red Sox in the third round (86th overall) of this past summer’s draft out of Florida. He signed for an under-slot $700,000 but has yet to make his professional debut.

A native of Seville, Fla., Neely spent three seasons with the Gators after going undrafted out of high school in 2021. After recording a conference-leading 13 saves and earning First Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore in 2023, the righty worked as both a starter and reliever in his junior season.

In 28 appearances (six starts) for Florida this past spring, Neely posted a 5.13 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 108 strikeouts to 28 walks over a staff-leading 79 innings in which opposing hitters batted .242 against him. He proved to be a stabilizing force for the Gators in their march toward the College World Series and was named to the Stillwater Regional All-Tournament Team as a result.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Neely throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his quick delivery. He currently sits between 92-95 mph and touches 97 mph with his fastball while also mixing in a mid-80s slider and upper-80s changeup, per his MLB Pipeline scouting report.

Neely, who does not turn 22 until next July, is projected by SoxProspects.com to open the 2025 season at High-A Greenville. While the Red Sox will develop him as a starter out of the gate, there is a strong chance that Neely will ultimately move to the bullpen in the long run given his mechanics, repertoire, and competitive nature.

“We see [the] starter upside, with the ability to create a lot of different shapes and velocity,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said of Neely when speaking with reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Sarah Barber) following the draft. “He’s a guy we’re really excited to add to our organization and let our pitching department work with.”

(Picture of Brandon Neely: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Red Sox acquire pitching prospect Joe Vogatsky from Pirates

The Red Sox added to their breadth of pitching prospects on Sunday by swinging a minor trade with the Pirates.

In exchange for infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday following the acquisition of catcher Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees, Boston acquired right-hander Joe Vogatsky from Pittsburgh.

Vogatsky, who turns 23 later this month, was selected by the Pirates in the 19th round of this past July’s draft out of James Madison. The Virginia native signed with the club for $25,000 but did not pitch for one of Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliates, meaning he has yet to make his professional debut.

After compiling a 3.34 ERA in 21 appearances (29 2/3 innings) for James Madison and a 1.42 ERA in four appearances (6 1/3 innings) for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer, Vogatsky was taken by the Blue Jays in the 14th round of the 2023 draft. Rather than go pro then, the righty opted to return to JMU for his senior season. He posted a 3.49 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 48 strikeouts to 23 walks in 27 relief appearances (49 innings) for the Dukes in 2024. Opposing hitters batted .232 against him.

Listed at 6-foot and 215 pounds, Vogatsky “has a reliever delivery with effort and a sidearm slot that creates some deception on all of his pitches,” per his Baseball America scouting report. His pitch mix is highlighted by a fastball that averaged 93 mph and reached 96-97 mph this spring and a low-80s slider that “has solid pure spin rates and modest break.” He has also featured a mid-80s changeup and an upper-70s curveball.

Vogatsky is projected by SoxProspects.com to open the 2025 season in Low-A Salem’s bullpen. It should be interesting to see if he can benefit from the new developmental infrastructure the Red Sox have implemented under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and director of pitching Justin Willard.

(Picture of Joe Vogatsky: James Madison University Athletics)