Red Sox power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas accomplished this unique feat in 2023

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas drew more walks and struck out more times than any other minor-leaguer in the organization last year.

Kavadas, who split the 2023 season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, batted .206/.377/.428 with 16 doubles, 22 home runs, 69 RBIs, 62 runs scored, two stolen bases, 98 walks, and 172 strikeouts over 117 total games (480 plate appearances) while producing eye-popping exit velocities.

Coming off a strong 2022 campaign in which he played at three levels and earned Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors, Kavadas returned to Portland for the start of his second full season in pro ball last April. In his second stint with Boston’s Eastern League affiliate, the left-handed hitting 25-year-old slashed .204/.386/.430 with eight doubles, 14 homers, 42 runs driven in, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases, 63 walks, and 110 strikeouts across 69 games spanning 293 trips to the plate.

Kavadas ended the first half of the season with Portland but was promoted to Worcester during the major-league All-Star break in mid-July. He made his WooSox debut shortly thereafter and proceeded to bat .210/.364/.426 with eight doubles, eight home runs, 27 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 35 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 48 games (187 plate appearances) for Boston’s International League affiliate.

Though a .789 OPS is far from spectacular, it is worth mentioning that Kavadas raised that figure by nearly 100 points by slashing a more respectable .246/.339/.597 with an organization-leading six home runs and 15 RBIs in the month of September.

When looking at how he fared after making the jump from Portland to Worcester over the summer, one of the first things that sticks out is how Kavadas lowered both his walk rate (21.5 to 18.7 percent) and strikeout rate (37.5 to 33.2 percent). He hit for a higher average (.204 to .210), but reached base less frequently (.386 to .364 on-base percentage) and did not produce as much power (.430 to .426 slugging percentage, .226 to .216 isolated power) while doing so. Perhaps as a result of that, his wRC+ dropped from 129 with the Sea Dogs to 101 with the WooSox, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Kavadas saw all of his playing time on the field at both of his stops last season come at first base. With Portland, the burly 5-foot-11, 235-pounder made a team-high 64 starts at first without committing an error. With Worcester, he made four errors in 339 chances while logging a team-leading 394 innings at the position.

Kavadas was, of course, originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Notre Dame. The Indiana-born slugger signed with the club for $250,000 that August and made it to Low-A Salem before his debut season came to a close.

As previously mentioned, Kavadas was promoted twice in 2022 after raking at both Salem and High-A Greenville. His production began to taper off a bit in his first go-around with Portland, but he put up decent numbers in the Arizona Fall League and came into 2023 ranked by Baseball America as the No. 23 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

While he has since fallen in those rankings, Kavadas still has a clear path to the big-leagues if he is able to improve in certain areas at the plate. As noted in his Baseball America scouting report from last February, Kavadas is “an intelligent hitter, and if he finds ways to limit his holes, he could be a DH who sees some time at first. If not, he may see time as an up-and-down left-handed bench bat.”

Kavadas, who does not turn 26 until October, is projected to return to Worcester for the start of the 2024 season and will likely provide WooSox manager Chad Tracy with a left-handed hitting option at first base/DH in doing so.

Given the fact that he can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his career later this year, these next eight or so months could be pretty important for Kavadas and his future ambitions.

(Picture of Niko Kavadas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean ended debut season on positive note last year

For Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean, the 2023 season was not without its challenges.

Dean spent all of 2023 with Low-A Salem. The 22-year-old left-hander posted a 6.29 ERA and 5.51 FIP with 86 strikeouts to 72 walks in 21 appearances (17 starts) spanning 63 innings of work for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Despite being regarded by Baseball America as “one of the more exciting pure relievers” in his class when he was taken by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Old Dominion, Dean — who did not pitch with an affiliate after signing for $322,500 — made his professional debut as a starter last April.

Maybe it was to be expected, but Dean struggled in that unfamiliar role out of the gate. The New Jersey native put up an 8.31 ERA in four April starts, though he managed to hold opponents to a .194 batting average against while doing so. He then put together two scoreless, five-inning starts to begin and end a more encouraging month of May.

June (15 earned runs in nine innings) yielded far less promising results. The same can be said for July (eight earned runs in 14 2/3 innings) as well, but it appears as though Dean began to figure things out a bit after the All-Star break.

In his final three starts of July, for instance, Dean struck out 20 of the 50 batters he faced over 12 frames in which he pitched to a 4.50 ERA. He made one more start on August 6, but lasted just two-thirds of an inning in that outing before moving to the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

As a reliever, Dean appeared in four games for Salem down the stretch and did not allow a run in three of them. Walks were still somewhat of an issue, but the lefty forged a 2.93 ERA while punching out 21 and yielding just five hits across 15 1/3 innings out of the Red Sox’ bullpen.

Altogether, it was a mixed bag of sorts for Dean in his debut season, but he certainly ended things on a positive note. He was one of just seven southpaws to take the mound for Salem in 2023 and unsurprisingly fared better against left-handed hitters (.196 opponents’ batting average) than right-handed hitters (.246 opponents’ batting average).

Among the 74 pitchers who logged at least 60 innings in the Carolina League last year, Dean ranked seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (12.29), 19th in strikeout rate (28.5 percent), 29th in batting average against (.232), and seventh in batting average on balls in play (.358), which suggests that he might have gotten unlucky at times on account of poor defense behind him or something similar.

On the flip side of those impressive strikeout numbers, though, Dean was also among the worst in the Carolina League when it came to giving up ball four. Using the same parameters as above, Dean ranked 74th in walks per nine innings (10.29), walk rate (23.8 percent), and WHIP (1.97), 71st in ERA and xFIP (5.41), and 72nd in FIP, per FanGraphs.

To that end, it will be of the utmost importance for Dean to refine both his command and control of the strike zone as he continues to develop. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound hurler already possesses an intriguing three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, a 77-81 mph curveball, and an 83-85 mph changeup, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Dean, who turns 23 in March, is not currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. He is projected by the site to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 season, but will likely do so as a member of the Drive’s bullpen as opposed to their starting rotation.

(Picture of Noah Dean: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

How did Red Sox prospect Armando Sierra fare in stateside debut last year?

After two years in the Dominican Summer League, Red Sox prospect Armando Sierra made his long-awaited stateside debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League last season.

As a 19-year-old, Sierra got into 30 of the FCL Red Sox’ 53 games in 2023. The right-handed hitter batted .265/.363/.398 with seven doubles, two home runs, 12 RBIs, 13 runs scored, 14 walks, and 30 strikeouts over 113 plate appearances for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate.

Interestingly enough, Sierra played exactly 10 games in June, July, and August. He posted an OPS south of .600 in both June and August, but enjoyed a strong month of July in which he slashed .424/.525/.606 with one homer and six RBIs. It’s also worth noting that 99 of his 113 plate appearances last season came against righties as opposed to lefties.

Among the 96 hitters who made at least 110 trips to the plate in the FCL last year, Sierra ranked 33rd in batting average, 46th in on-base percentage, 37th in slugging percentage, 40th in OPS (.761), 37th in isolated power (.133), and 43rd in wRC+ (104), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Sierra saw the bulk of his playing time in 2023 come at first base. The 6-foot-1, 189-pounder logged a team-leading 224 1/3 innings at first, where he committed four errors in 207 total defensive chances. He also served as his side’s designated hitter on two separate occasions.

Sierra, who celebrated his 20th birthday earlier this month, originally signed with the Red Sox for $150,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021. At the time he put pen to paper, the Sabana Grande de Palenque native was viewed as an outfielder and was identified by Baseball America’s Ben Badler as a potential sleeper within Boston’s 2021 signing class.

While Badler described Sierra as having “an advanced approach to hitting for his age,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero provided some more background on the signing in an email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com later that April.

“Armando was a player we scouted later on in his signing year. After scouting him a few times, he stood out for his strong frame and his power,” Romero wrote. “As we continued to see him, it became apparent that not only did he have above average power for his signing class, but he also was developing a stronger approach.”

Sierra made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that July and earned DSL All-Star honors while repeating the level in 2022. He was regularly seeing playing time at both corner outfield spots back then but was used exclusively as a first baseman in the FCL in 2023.

As things stand now, Sierra is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. Last June, however, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote that he found Sierra “really interesting” because — despite having a “tough” profile — “his feel for contact and the flexibility in his lower half are both very impressive for a corner bat.”

Looking ahead, Sierra is currently projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Low-A Salem for the start of the 2024 campaign. Assuming that is indeed what happens, it will be interesting to see how Sierra adjusts to stiffer competition while playing with a full-season affiliate for the first time in his young career.

(Picture of Armando Sierra: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Versatile Red Sox prospect Nick Sogard set to attend second consecutive MLB spring training camp

Nick Sogard was one of the 13 non-roster invitees the Red Sox added to their 2024 major-league spring training roster on Friday.

Sogard, 26, is entering his fourth season as a member of the Red Sox organization after being acquired from the Rays alongside catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez in the February 2021 trade that sent pitchers Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs back to Tampa Bay.

A former 12th-round draft selection of the Rays out of Loyola Marymount in 2019, Sogard spent his first two years as a Red Sox minor-leaguer bouncing around between affiliates. After receiving his first-ever invite to big-league spring training around this time last year, however, the California native settled in with Triple-A Worcester in 2023.

In 112 games (which was good for second on the team behind only Bobby Dalbec’s 114) for the WooSox last season, Sogard batted .266/.370/.391 (97 wRC+) with 20 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 47 RBIs, 74 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 63 walks, and 79 strikeouts over 460 plate appearances. Though he cooled off in the second half some, the switch-hitter still proved particularly effective against left-handed pitching, as he slashed a stout .319/.441/.517 with four of his seven homers coming off lefties from the right side of the plate.

Among 83 qualified hitters in the International League, Sogard ranked 25th in walk rate (13.7 percent), 16th in strikeout rate (17.2 percent), 24th in on-base percentage, 20th in speed score (6.5), 21st in line-drive rate (26.2 percent), and second in swinging-strike rate (6.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Sogard put his utility on full display by making starts at five different positions for Worcester last year. The versatile 6-foot-1, 189-pounder logged 328 innings at third base, 276 innings at second base, 164 innings at shortstop, 80 innings in right field, and 68 1/3 innings in left field. He committed a total of 10 errors in 322 chances, which translates to a .969 fielding percentage.

For his professional career, which spans 380 affiliated games, Sogard has made at least one start at every defensive position besides pitcher, catcher, and first base. To that end, SoxProspects.com describes Sogard as having soft hands, solid instincts in the field, and an advanced feel for the game.

“I love it. I think it kind of keeps things fresh,” Sogard recently told Liam Skiffington on the Sox Stack Podcast. “Being an impact defender at multiple positions is not something that’s super common, so I relish the role.”

Sogard, who does not turn 27 until September, is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 52 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is projected to return to Worcester for the start of the 2024 season, though it certainly would not be surprising if he played his way into a big-league opportunity at some point this year.

If Sogard were to debut for the Red Sox this season, he would become just the latest member of his family to make it to the show. Sogard is, of course, the younger cousin of longtime MLB infielder Eric Sogard and nephew of both Steve and Dave Sax.

(Picture of Nick Sogard: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox invite righty from Kiké Hernández trade to spring training

Of the five non-roster pitchers the Red Sox invited to major-league spring training on Friday, only one holds the distinction of not being drafted by the club.

Unlike Luis Guerrero, Alex Hoppe, A.J. Politi, and Chase Shugart, Justin Hagenman was not drafted by the Red Sox and instead joined the organization as part of a three-player trade that sent veteran utility man Enrique Hernandez back to the Dodgers last July.

Hagenman, 27, was originally selected by Los Angeles in the 23rd round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Penn State. The New Jersey native signed with the club for just $75,000 and made his professional debut in the Pioneer League that summer.

Though he was used strictly as a starter in his three seasons at State College, Hagenman transitioned to more of a relief role upon entering the pro ranks. The right-hander gradually worked his way up through the Dodgers’ system before closing out 2022 with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he returned for the start of the 2023 campaign.

Before being traded to the Red Sox alongside fellow righty Nick Robertson on July 25, Hagenman had pitched to a 2.78 ERA and 4.79 FIP with 60 strikeouts to 11 walks in 25 appearances (five starts) spanning 55 innings of work for the Oklahoma City Dodgers in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Unlike Robertson, who debuted for Los Angeles earlier in the year and got into nine games with Boston down the stretch before being dealt to the Cardinals in December, Hagenman spent the rest of 2023 with Triple-A Worcester. In 16 appearances for the WooSox, he posted a 3.26 ERA and 5.25 FIP with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks over 30 1/3 innings of relief. He held opposing hitters to a .232 batting average against in that stretch thanks in part to a strong month of September in which he allowed just one run in his final 12 2/3 frames of the season.

So, between the Dodgers’ and Red Sox’ top affiliates last year, Hagenman went 6-0 with a 2.95 ERA (4.95 FIP) and 88 strikeouts to 25 walks across 41 total outings (five starts) and 85 1/3 innings pitched. He went 2-for-2 in save opportunities (one at each stop) and unsurprisingly fared better against right-handed hitters (.619 OPS against) than left-handed hitters (.807 OPS against).

Among the 91 pitchers who tossed 80 or more innings at the Triple-A level in 2023, Hagenman ranked 22nd in strikeouts per nine innings (9.28), 10th in walks per nine innings (2.64), 11th in strikeout rate (25.4 percent), 17th in walk rate (7.2 percent), seventh in batting average against (.228), third in WHIP (1.15), first in left on base percentage (91 percent), second in ERA, 33rd in FIP, and 20th in xFIP (4.70), per FanGraphs.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Hagenman throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball with arm-side run, a low-80s whiff-inducing slider, a mid-80s changeup, and an occasional cutter.

As noted by Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser, “all of Hagenman’s pitches are fringy to below-average, but he fills up the strike zone with above-average control and executes well.”

Hagenman, who does not turn 28 until October, is currently projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Worcester’s bullpen for the start of the upcoming 2024 season. He can become eligible for both the Rule 5 Draft and minor-league free agency next winter, so he could leverage his performance this year into a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster in the not-so-distant future.

In addition to Hagenman, Guerrero, Hoppe, Politi, and Shugart, the Red Sox added eight other non-roster invitees to their spring training roster on Friday in catchers Nathan Hickey, Mark Kolozsvary, Roberto Perez, and Stephen Scott, infielders Chase Meidroth, Nick Sogard, and Nick Yorke, and outfielder Corey Rosier.

(Picture of Justin Hagenman: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Albert Feliz led Low-A Salem in homers (10) last season

Coming into the 2023 season, Red Sox first base prospect Albert Feliz had hit 10 career home runs in 106 professional games. Thanks to a power-filled second half, he was able to match that total with Low-A Salem last year.

As a 21-year-old, Feliz got into 90 games for Salem in 2023. The right-handed hitter slashed .242/.315/.407 with 17 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 29 walks, and 121 strikeouts over 333 plate appearances.

Nine of those team-leading 10 home runs came after the calendar flipped from June to July, as Feliz slugged a stout .497 in his final 48 games (185 plate appearances) of the year. During that impressive stretch, he recorded both the second four-hit game (July 6) and multi-homer game (August 31) of his young career.

Among the 71 hitters who made at least 300 trips to the plate in the Carolina League last season, Feliz posted the 11th-highest slugging percentage, isolated power mark (.165), and line-drive rate (24.4 percent). He also ranked 30th in batting average, 24th in OPS (.723), and 26th in wRC+ (104), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Feliz saw the majority of his playing time with Salem come at first base, as he made a team-high 48 starts there while only committing six errors in 382 chances. Elsewhere, the burly 6-foot-2, 200-pounder logged 131 1/3 innings in left field (where he recorded three outfield assists) and 14 innings in right. He also pitched in one game (Aug. 25), which is something he has done in each of the last three seasons.

Feliz, who turns 22 in April, is not currently regarded by any major publication as one of the top-ranked prospects in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2018.

After a strong pro debut in 2019, when he went deep nine times in 66 Dominican Summer League games, Feliz’ career was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As a result of the pandemic, Feliz did not make his stateside debut until July 2021. His first game in the rookie-level Florida Complex League actually came on the three-year anniversary of his signing date (July 2).

In the time that has passed since then, Feliz has established himself as a bat-first prospect with plus-plus raw power to the pull side and some holes in his swing. Couple those issues to make contact with a limited defensive profile, and it becomes clear that Feliz still has some work to do on the developmental side of things.

With that being said, Feliz is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 minor-league campaign. The Drive are fresh off winning their second South Atlantic League title and open their season on the road in early April.

(Picture of Albert Feliz: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox pitching prospect Chih-Jung Liu led Double-A Portland in strikeouts (145) last season

Red Sox pitching prospect Chih-Jung “CJ” Liu put up some of the best strikeout numbers in the entire organization last season.

Liu, 24, spent all of 2023 with Double-A Portland after closing out the 2022 campaign there. In 26 appearances (24 starts) for the Sea Dogs, the right-hander posted a 5.35 FIP and 4.71 FIP with a team-leading 145 strikeouts to 61 walks over a team-leading 114 1/3 innings of work.

After an up-and-down April, Liu made headlines by tossing a seven-inning no-hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Akron RubberDucks on May 5. He then struggled to some degree as the calendar flipped from May to June and wound up spending more than a week on Portland’s development list as a result.

Upon returning to action on July 7, however, Liu put together his first double-digit strikeout game of the season, punching out 10 in seven strong innings as part of a 6-1 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at home. He one-upped himself in his next time out — which did not come until July 18 because of the All-Star break — by fanning a career-high of 11 over 5 2/3 innings in a 9-8 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field.

On the heels of racking up 21 strikeouts to kick off his July, Liu owned a respectable 4.25 ERA (4.23 FIP) through his first 16 starts (78 1/3 innings) for the Sea Dogs. Unfortunately for the righty, things began to unravel from there as he pitched to an unsightly 8.69 ERA (6.76 FIP) over his next eight starts (29 innings) before moving to Portland’s bullpen in early September.

While pitching in relief, which is something he did with High-A Greenville in 2022, Liu was at least able to end his season on a more encouraging note. He made two appearances out of the ‘pen for the Sea Dogs and allowed three earned runs on six hits, three walks, and 12 strikeouts across seven frames in which he held opposing hitters to a .222 batting average against.

All things considered, it was an inconsistent year for Liu, who gave up more walks and home runs (19) than anyone else on Portland’s staff. Still, among 14 qualified pitchers in the Eastern League, Liu ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.41), third in strikeout rate (28.4 percent), fifth in groundball rate (41.4 percent), first in swinging-strike rate (16.8 percent), and seventh in xFIP (3.90), per FanGraphs. He also led the pack in batting average on balls in play (3.54), which suggests that he may have been the victim of bad luck and/or poor defense behind him.

In addition to what he did for the Sea Dogs, Liu also pitched for Team Chinese Taipei at the 2022 Asian Games (postponed a year because of COVID-19) back in October. Playing alongside former Red Sox utility man Tzu-Wei Lin, Liu made two scoreless appearances spanning five innings of relief en route to helping Chinese Taipei take home a silver medal.

Altogether, the 2023 season marked Liu’s third in pro ball after he originally with the Red Sox for $750,000 as an international free agent coming out of Taiwan in October 2019. Though a two-way player as an amateur, the Tainan City native has stuck to pitching since making his professional debut in July 2021.

Fast forward nearly three years later, and Liu now stands at 6-feet and 185 pounds. Throwing from a three-quarters arm slot, he — as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report — operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph, an 80-82 mph changeup that shows late, downward movement, an 83-86 mph slider that features 10-to-4 break, and a get-me-over 78-80 mph curveball.

Liu, who turns 25 in April, was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter after being left off Boston’s 40-man roster. It was even reported that the Red Sox entertained trading Liu before the November deadline, but that obviously never came to fruition and he is still with the organization.

That being said, the same rules will apply to Liu this year. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 54 prospect in Boston’s farm system and is projected to return to Portland for the start of the 2024 minor-league season, but will likely do so as a reliever as opposed to a starter. If his stuff sticks up and he refines his approach of the bullpen, Liu could be on the fast track to Triple-A Worcester before long.

(Picture of Chih-Jung Liu: Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images)

How did Red Sox prospect Fraymi De Leon fare in 2023?

Fraymi De Leon received the highest bonus of any prospect the Red Sox signed during the 2022 international signing period. How has the Dominican infielder fared in the professional ranks since putting pen to paper a little over two years ago?

De Leon was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 32 prospect in his class when he signed with Boston for $1.2 million. The Santiago native then made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League that June. As a 17-year-old, he batted .218/.332/.268 with one double, one triple, two home runs, 21 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 61 strikeouts in 50 games (214 plate appearances) for the DSL Red Sox Blue.

Though he returned to the DSL for the start of the 2023 season, De Leon appeared in just nine games — going 5-for-21 (.217) with a .419 on-base percentage — there before making the jump to the rookie-level Florida Complex League for his stateside debut late last June. In 30 games with Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate, the switch-hitter slashed .295/.411/.328 with two doubles, four runs driven in, 17 runs scored, nine stolen bases, nine walks, and 18 strikeouts over 73 plate appearances.

While he was clearly lacking in the power department, De Leon still posted the 25th-highest batting average and 29th-highest on-base percentage among the 171 hitters in the FCL who made at least 70 trips to the plate last season. Using those same parameters, he also ranked 51st in speed score (6.8), 37th in swinging-strike rate (17.9 percent), and 56th in wRC+ (111), per FanGraphs. Some of these numbers can be attributed to a .419 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that De Leon may have gotten lucky at times.

On the other side of the ball, De Leon was well-regarded for his defense at the time of his signing. Baseball America’s Ben Badler described the 5-foot-10, 155-pounder as “a talented defender at shortstop” who “shines in the field, where he’s smooth with soft hands, nimble footwork, good instincts and anticipation off the bat. He has a good internal clock and a plus arm to make plays from deep in the hole.”

To that end, De Leon saw the bulk of his playing time (40 of 48 starts) in 2022 come at shortstop, but last year was a different story. Between his stops in the DSL and FCL, the suddenly-versatile 19-year-old logged 83 2/3 innings at second base, 55 innings at shortstop, 53 1/3 innings at third base, 31 2/3 innings in center field, and 7 1/3 innings in left field while committing a total of just three errors altogether.

As far as De Leon’s versatility and future position is concerned, Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero addressed that subject in a recent email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com.

“Regarding Fraymi, we have strong conviction that he can play shortstop well,” Romero wrote. “So, as we’ve done with a few other players, we wanted to expose him to other positions where he didn’t have as much experience so he’d learn to get comfortable there and provide more positional versatility. We also wanted to share the shortstop innings among other infielders like Freili Encarnacion (pre-injury), Marvin Alcantara, Angel Pierre, and — later in the season — Nazzan Zanetello (in addition to a few others in the DSL).”

De Leon, who does not turn 20 until September, is not currently ranked by any major publications as one of the top prospects in the Red Sox’ farm system. One such publication, SoxProspects.com, lists De Leon as a second baseman/infielder/center fielder on its organizational depth chart and projects that he will return to the Florida Complex League for the start of the 2024 minor-league season.

(Picture of Fraymi De Leon: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox catching prospect Nathan Hickey aiming to stick behind plate long-term

He may no longer be viewed as the top catching prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system, but the 2023 season was still a productive one for Nathan Hickey.

Hickey, Boston’s fifth-round selection in the 2021 amateur draft, came into 2023 ranked by Baseball America as the No. 15 prospect in the organization after producing a .936 OPS in 75 games between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville the year prior. The Florida product returned to Greenville for the start of his second full professional season last spring but his stay there was short-lived.

In just 18 games with the Drive, Hickey batted a stout .294/.402/.588 with six doubles, one triple, four home runs, nine RBIs, 13 runs scored, 12 walks, and 20 strikeouts over 82 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting 24-year-old then received a promotion to Double-A Portland alongside infielder Chase Meidroth in early May.

Though his production dipped somewhat, Hickey still slashed .258/.352/.474 with 18 doubles, 15 homers, 56 runs driven in, 49 runs scored, three stolen bases, 40 walks, and 91 strikeouts in 80 games (335 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs. Among the 75 hitters who made at least 300 trips to the plate in the Eastern League last year, Hickey ranked 29th in walk rate (11.9 percent), 20th in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage, 10th in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.826), 10th in isolated power (.216), 32nd in line-drive rate (19.9 percent), 28th in swinging-strike rate (11.1 percent), and seventh in wRC+ (127), per FanGraphs.

On the heels of earning Eastern League All-Star honors, Hickey headed out west with a contingent of eight other Red Sox prospects to play in the Arizona Fall League. The lone catcher in that group, Hickey appeared in 16 games for the Glendale Desert Dogs, going 10-for-55 (.182) with one double, one RBI, five runs scored, 15 walks, and 24 strikeouts. He finished in a two-way tie for the team lead in walks while putting up the fourth-highest on-base percentage.

Defensively, Hickey saw the majority of his playing time at all three of his stops last year come at catcher. Between Greenville and Portland, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound backstop logged 646 innings behind the plate, but only managed to throw out 10 of 139 potential base stealers while allowing seven passed balls and committing 12 errors. In the AFL, he gunned down three of 21 would-be base stealers while splitting reps with the Mets’ Kevin Parada and the Twins’ Andrew Cossetti.

To that end, it remains to be seen if Hickey will be able to stick behind the plate moving forward. The questions regarding his future position became even more prevalent after the Red Sox selected Kyle Teel, who has quickly emerged as one of baseball’s top catching prospects, with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft.

Brian Abraham, Boston’s director of player development, was asked about that in a conversation with The Athletic’s Chad Jennings earlier this month. Abraham acknowledged that: “We definitely have had some conversations with Nathan, before even Kyle Teel was here, about seeing him elsewhere.”

Hickey, a native of Jacksonville, grew up as an infielder. Before assuming full-time catching responsibilities at Florida, he also played a little first and third base in his time with the Gators. The Red Sox, according to Abraham, still plan on having Hickey catch “quite a bit” this upcoming season, but first base — and possibly other positions — are on the table as well.

“Being athletic behind the plate will allow him to be athletic at another position, whether that’s first base or elsewhere,” Abraham told Jennings. “And really, the bat is his driver. The bat is what’s going to allow him to have success in the big leagues. So, for us, it’s imperative to find the place for him with the ability he has to impact the baseball.”

Hickey, for his part, has embraced “the challenge of his position and plays with an edge to prove doubters wrong,” per his Baseball America scouting report from last February. He was also able to work with Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson, who previously served as Boston’s catching coordinator for 12 years, after being promoted to Portland.

“I want to improve on being able to keep strikes strikes and just be able to gain some strikes,” Hickey told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith back in August. “And I want to be able to control the pitching staff, which I feel like this year compared to last year, I’ve done a lot better job this year of being able to control the starters and the relievers and the new guys coming in. Just being able to be more all-around as a catcher rather than just be good at one thing.”

Hickey, who — like Teel — participated in the Red Sox’ recent rookie development program, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2024 campaign. As he explained to Smith, Hickey would prefer to catch long-term, but he understand that the decision is not necessarily be in his control.

“If they were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to put you at second,’ I would 100 percent try to be the best second baseman that I could be,” Hickey said. “It’s more I want to catch in Boston because Boston is top tier of baseball — of any org in MLB. I want to be able to just help the team win but I want to be able to catch in Boston.”

(Picture of Nathan Hickey: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Blaze Jordan ranked by MLB Pipeline as one of top first base prospects in baseball

Blaze Jordan has been ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 7 first base prospect in baseball heading into the 2024 season, the publication revealed on Friday.

Jordan played more games (122) than any other Red Sox minor-leaguer in 2023. The 21-year-old split the season between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland, batting .296/.350/.481 with 32 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 86 RBIs, 67 runs scored, two stolen bases, 40 walks, and 75 strikeouts over 525 total plate appearances.

After closing out the 2022 campaign in Greenville, Jordan returned to the Drive for the start of his third full professional season last April. The right-handed hitter spent the entire first half with Boston’s South Atlantic League affiliate, slashing a stout .324/.385/.533 with 22 doubles, one triple, 12 homers, 55 runs driven in, 48 runs scored, two stolen bases, 28 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 73 games (322 plate appearances). He then received a promotion to Double-A Portland alongside top pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez during the All-Star break in July.

For Jordan, the transition from High-A to Double-A was not a smooth one. Nearly four years younger than the average player in the Eastern League, Jordan struggled out of the gate and mustered just a .579 OPS with one home run and six RBIs in his first 13 games with the Sea Dogs through the end of July. Things began to look up as the calendar flipped to August (.761 OPS in 25 games), however, and Jordan then ended the season by reaching base in eight of his final nine games in September.

All told, Jordan batted .254/.296/.402 with six home runs, 31 RBIs, 19 runs scored, 12 walks, and 28 strikeouts in 49 games (203 plate appearances) with Portland. Among the 135 other hitters in the Eastern League who made at least 200 trips to the plate last season, Jordan posted the fourth-lowest strikeout rate (13.8 percent) and 16th-highest line-drive rate (23.4 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Jordan saw playing time at both corner infield spots between his two stops in 2023. After making 35 starts each at first and third base with Greenville, though, the 6-foot-2 infielder shifted more towards first base with Portland. He logged 249 2/3 innings there compared to 139 innings at the hot corner, committing a total of five errors in 216 defensive chances.

To that end, part of Jordan’s MLB Pipeline scouting report reads as follows: “He has soft hands and decent arm strength, but his well-below-average speed and substandard range limit his effectiveness at the hot corner. He’s an adequate if not especially rangy defender at first.”

Jordan, who just turned 21 last month, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (89th overall pick) in the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi. After reclassifying and graduating early, the Southaven native forwent his commitment to Mississippi State and — at 17 years old — signed with Boston for $1.75 million that July.

Because of the aforementioned COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan did not make his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League until the following June. He mashed there (1.075 OPS in 19 games) and quickly made his way to Low-A Salem before the end of the 2021 season, though he spent roughly two weeks on the injured list in September for what was, at the time, an undisclosed reason.

This past October, however, Jordan revealed on social media that he had been dealing with severe anxiety and depression around that time and was left hospitalized as a result. He was able to get the help he needed and is “definitely” doing better today, though he noted he still has his ups and downs.

“While I’m still struggling with some of the weight gain issues I’ve had caused by some of this and dealing with things mentally, I’m working through it and getting the help I need to come back better and better each year dealing with this,” Jordan wrote. “… I wanted to come on here and give my story so whoever is dealing with something knows they’re not alone and will learn from my story to reach out to someone way sooner than I did.”

Looking ahead now, Jordan is already in Fort Myers ahead of the official start of spring training. He is expected to return to Portland for the start of the 2024 minor-league season and figures to once again split reps between first and third base. Additionally, Jordan can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career at year’s end, so he has the chance to emerge as intriguing 40-man roster candidate if he proves he can handle pitching in the upper levels of the minors.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)