Tag: 2021 season

What to expect from Red Sox infield prospect Brandon Howlett, who should start the season with Double-A Portland, in 2022

Triston Casas was not the only infield prospect the Red Sox took out of a Florida high school in the 2018 amateur draft.

20 rounds after picking Casas, Boston nabbed George Jenkins High School infielder Brandon Howlett with their 21st overall selection. At that time, the Lakeland, Fla. native was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 399 draft-eligible prospect and was committed to play college baseball at Florida State University.

Rather than move ahead with his commitment to the Seminoles, though, Howlett signed with the Sox for $185,000 that June and quickly debuted in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League just days after putting pen to paper.

After posting a .930 OPS in 39 GCL contests, the then-18-year-old earned a late-season promotion to Low-A Lowell and put himself in a good position entering his first full year of pro ball.

Coming into the 2019 campaign, Howlett was regarded by Baseball America as the 14th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. In spite of those lofty expectations placed upon a teenager’s shoulders, the right-handed hitting third baseman struggled to the tune of a .231/.341/.356 slash line across 113 games (465 plate appearances) with Class-A Greenville.

As a result of a .698 OPS in 2019, Howlett’s stock took a bit of a hit heading into 2020. He, like a majority of minor-leaguers, then fell victim to the fact that the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead of receiving an invite to the Sox’ alternate training site that summer, Howlett was left to continue developing on his own time. He did just that, but apparently ‘failed to impress’ at the team’s instructional league that fall.

On the heels of a lost year in 2020, Howlett fell off Baseball America’s Red Sox top 30 prospects rankings entirely last spring. He once again broke camp with Greenville, though the Drive had since moved up from the Class-A to High-A level.

This time around with the Drive, things were different. In 96 games, Howlett batted .253/.345/.469 (117 wRC+) to go along with 19 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs, 57 RBIs, 62 runs scored, two stolen bases, 44 walks, and 136 strikeouts over 414 plate appearances. He also missed a week of action from late June through early July due to a concussion.

From August 22 on, Howlett closed out his bounce-back season by slashing a robust .307/.373/.587 and putting up 151 wRC+ over the final 19 games (83 plate appearances) he played in.

Among those in the High-A East who made at least 400 trips to the plate last year, Howlett ranked 11th in doubles, 10th in home runs, sixth in walk rate (10.6%), seventh in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage, eighth in OPS (.815), ninth in isolated power (.217), and eighth in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Howlett has only played third base throughout his pro career and that remained to be the case in 2021. The 22-year-old logged 745 2/3 innings at the hot corner and committed a total of 17 errors there.

Based off his most recent Baseball America scouting report from over the summer, there seems to be some concern about whether Howlett will be able to remain at third base in the long-term. That said, he did end 2021 as the publication’s 23rd-ranked Red Sox prospect.

Seeing how he found success at High-A last year, it was somewhat interesting to realize that Howlett was not among the group of minor-leaguers who took part in the Sox’ Winter Warm-Up minicamp in Fort Myers last month.

Regardless of that, though, Howlett is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 season with Double-A Portland. The 6-foot-1, 205 pounder does not turn 23 until September and can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time next winter.

If the Red Sox do not want to risk losing Howlett in the Rule 5 Draft, they would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the November deadline. That very well could end up being the case if he excels with the Sea Dogs this year.

(Picture of Brandon Howlett via the Greenville Drive’s Instagram account)

Former Red Sox infielder Jack López signs minor-league deal with Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have signed former Red Sox infielder Jack Lopez to a minor-league contract for the 2022 season, according to Carlos Baerga on Instagram. Per Baerga, the deal also includes an invite to major-league spring training.

Lopez, 29, originally inked a minors pact with the Sox last January after spending the first nine years of his professional career with the Royals and Braves organizations.

A former 2011 16th-round draft pick of Kansas City, Lopez opened the 2021 season with Double-A Portland, though it took him all of a week to earn a promotion to Triple-A Worcester.

With the WooSox, the right-handed hitter batted .274/.345/.386 (99 wRC+) with 14 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 33 RBIs, 29 runs, 15 stolen bases, 19 walks, and 54 strikeouts over 68 games (252 plate appearances) while seeing time at second base, third base, shortstop, center field, and right field.

In July, Lopez stepped away from affiliated ball to represent the United States and help Team USA win a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Upon returning from Japan, the versatile infielder quickly found himself on the doorstep of the big-leagues.

While the Red Sox were navigating their way through a COVID-19 outbreak in late August, Lopez had his contract selected from Worcester on the first day of September. He made his major-league debut against the Rays that same night and would go on to hit .154/.214/.308 in seven games across two stints with Boston.

Since he was taken off the Sox’ 40-man roster on Sept. 21 and closed out the year with the WooSox, Lopez was eligible to become a minor-league free agent in November.

The Rio Piedras native returned to his home island this off-season to suit up for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Winter League. Playing alongside Christian Vazquez Christian Vazquez at one point, Lopez posted a .540 OPS and stole six bases while appearing in 30 games for Santurce.

Lopez, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, is about to embark upon his age-29 season since he does not turn 30 until December. The Tigers represent the fourth organization Lopez will be a member of dating back to 2011.

At present, Detroit has nine infielders on their 40-man roster, including fellow Puerto Rican national Javier Baez. If Detroit values versatility, it will be interesting to see if Lopez can make a case to make the team’s Opening Day roster once spring training (hopefully) begins.

(Picture of Jack Lopez: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

What do the Red Sox have in infield prospect David Hamilton?

Red Sox infield prospect David Hamilton returned to his alma mater and played in the University of Texas’ alumni game over the weekend. He went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored on Saturday while propelling the Texas Exes to an 8-6 victory in Austin.

Hamilton, 24, was one of two prospects the Red Sox acquired from the Brewers in the shocking trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee and Jackie Bradley Jr. back to Boston in December.

Along with fellow infielder Alex Binelas, Hamilton led the Sox to believe that they were adding a pair of intriguing minor-leaguers who had plenty to offer to their new organization.

“David Hamilton has premium speed and he’s a really good middle infielder,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said said at the time the trade was made. “Plays a good shortstop. Interesting trajectory. High-touted high school player who went to the University of Texas. Had a tough injury and recovered from it, and kept his speed. He has great speed and athleticism and is a very exciting player to add to our system.”

Originally selected by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Texas, Hamilton entered the professional ranks having missed the entirety of his junior season due to a ruptured Achilles suffered in a scooter accident earlier that year.

The former Longhorn missed the remainder of the 2019 season while recovering from that Achilles injury, then fell victim to the fact that the 2020 minor-league season was ultimately cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Hamilton was unable to play affiliated ball in 2020, he did spend time with a team in the independent Constellation Energy League that was coached by Roger Clemens. He was able to use his experience there to impress at the Brewers’ fall instructional league and gain momentum heading into 2021.

After breaking minor-league camp with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the spring, Hamilton made his long-awaited pro debut on May 4. From there, the left-handed hitter batted .263/.351/.422 (114 wRC+) with 14 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, 31 RBIs, 50 runs scored, 41 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 58 strikeouts over 68 games (309 plate appearances) for the Timber Rattlers.

On August 3, the Brewers promoted Hamilton to Double-A Biloxi. With the Shuckers, the speedy middle infielder slashed .248/.322/.414 (104 wRC+) to go along with five doubles, four triples, three homers, 12 RBIs, 16 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 15 walks, and 32 strikeouts across 33 games spanning 150 trips to the plate.

Among all qualified minor-league hitters last season, Hamilton ranked fifth in total triples (11), sixth in total stolen bases (52), 25th in speed score (8.9), and seventh in weighted stolen base runs (5.8), per FanGraphs.

Upon completing the conventional minor-league season with Biloxi, Hamilton headed out west to suit up for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, where he hit an impressive .293/.453/.463 in 14 games while swiping four additional bags.

Defensively, Hamilton was drafted and signed out of Texas as a shortstop. Last year, however, the 5-foot-10, 175 pounder saw time at both shortstop and second base. He logged 112 2/3 innings at second and a much more substantial 746 2/3 innings at short between High-A and Double-A before logging 59 innings at second and 38 innings at short in Arizona.

A native of San Marcos, Hamilton was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 15 prospect in Milwaukee’s farm system at the time the Red Sox acquired him from the Brewers. He, like Binelas, was one of 28 minor-leaguers who participated in the Sox’ Winter Warm-Up program in Fort Myers last month.

The weeklong minicamp gave Red Sox brass an opportunity to see Binelas and Hamilton in-person for the first time, and it is safe to say they liked what they saw from both prospects and are excited about what is to come.

“I think somewhat different dynamic between Hamilton — more of a speed guy, more of a middle infield threat — “whereas Binelas is more of a power-orientated corner bat,” said director of player development Brian Abraham. “But I think from the short time we’ve seen them, the physicality we’ve seen even out of both them has been exciting to see. They seem like great kids and very excited about coming here to camp.”

As for Hamilton, who does not turn 25 until September, he is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 minor-league season with Double-A Portland.

With the Sea Dogs, it seems likely that Hamilton will be used in a variety of ways around the infield since the Red Sox view him as a versatile player. That being said, the speedster can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this year, so he would need to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November deadline if the club wants to prevent that from happening.

(Picture of David Hamilton via his Instagram)

What to expect from Red Sox pitching prospect Chih-Jung Liu in 2022 following solid debut season

The road to the major-leagues has been far from a conventional one for Red Sox pitching prospect Chih-Jung Liu.

Signed out of Taiwan as an international free agent in October 2019, Liu’s path to the pros was almost immediately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic the following spring.

Upon arriving in the United States that February, Liu was forced to quarantine from his hotel room in Fort Myers since the Red Sox were being extremely cautious during the early stages of the pandemic.

That quarantine period delayed Liu’s entrance into spring training, and it prevented him from making any real progress on the mound since camps across Major League Baseball were shut down in March.

As a result of the league-wide shutdown, Liu did not get to enjoy a conventional minor-league season in 2020. He instead headed back to Taiwan and rode out the lockdown at home before receiving an invite to participate in the Red Sox’ fall instructional league.

At fall instructs, Liu finally got the opportunity to pitch in front of Red Sox brass for an extended period of time. Then-vice president of player of development Ben Crockett was among those who was impressed with what they saw out of the right-hander.

“Great to actually see him,” Crockett told The Athletic’s Chad Jennings. “[He was] really interesting. Showed good stuff. Good fastball with carry. Showed pitch-ability. Showed an ability to use multiple pitches that will ultimately help him. It was definitely nice to kind of get him into more of a professional routine.”

After wrapping things up at the Fenway South complex that fall, Liu returned to Taiwan and spent the winter there. He made the trek back to Southwest Florida the following spring and remained there for both minor-league and extended spring training.

Last July, the moment finally arrived when Liu could make his highly-anticipated pro debut in the Florida Complex League. Matched up against the FCL Pirates Gold affiliate in Bradenton, the righty allowed two earned runs on three hits, no walks, and six strikeouts over five solid innings of work.

That happened on July 1. The following day, Liu received a promotion to Low-A Salem, where he would spend the remainder of the year. In 12 starts for Salem, the 22-year-old posted a 4.29 ERA and 4.11 FIP to go along with 54 strikeouts to 19 walks across 50 1/3 innings pitched.

Among those in the Low-A East who accrued at least 50 innings on the mound in 2021, Liu ranked 33rd in strikeouts per nine innings (9.66), 34th in walks per nine innings (3.40), 28th in strikeout rate (25.4%), 38th in walk rate (8.9%), 39th in batting average against (.255), 29th in WHIP (1.35), 29th in ERA, 18th in FIP, and 19th in xFIP (4.02), per FanGraphs.

At the conclusion of the minor-league season, Liu participated in the Sox’ fall performance program. He then went back to Taiwan for the off-season, but he did so with a particular goal in mind.

In an interview with The Central News Agency from December, Liu said the Red Sox wanted him to weigh in at 90 kilograms, or about 198 pounds, by the time he returned to the club in the spring. His listed weight at the beginning of last season was 185 pounds but he told The Central News Agency that he was now weighing in at 89 kilograms (196 pounds), meaning he is close to reaching his goal.

Coming into the 2022 season, Liu is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 25 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking 11th among pitchers in the organization. The 6-foot, 196 pound hurler operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 91-94 mph fastball that tops out at 95 mph, an 82-84 mph changeup, and an 83-86 mph slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

A native of Tainan City, Liu is a former two-way player who signed with the Red Sox for $750,000 out of Chinese Culture University in 2019. He will turn 23 in April and is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 campaign in High-A Greenville’s starting rotation.

(Picture of Chih-Jung Liu: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Former Red Sox right-hander Raynel Espinal signs minor-league deal with Giants

Former Red Sox right-hander Raynel Espinal has signed a minor-league contract with the Giants, per the team’s transaction log.

Espinal, 30, was originally selected by the Sox in the minor-league phase of the 2019 Rule 5 Draft after spending the first seven years of his career in the Yankees organization.

A few months prior to getting picked up by Boston, Espinal underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2019, so the 2020 minor-league season being wiped out on account of the COVID-19 pandemic did not affect him too much.

After re-signing a minors pact with the Sox last winter, Espinal came into the 2021 campaign having received an invite to major-league spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. He made five Grapefruit League appearances, then opened the season with Triple-A Worcester.

In 23 outings (21 starts) for the WooSox, the 6-foot-3, 215 pound righty posted a 3.44 ERA and 4.08 FIP to go along with 115 strikeouts to 43 walks over 117 2/3 innings of work.

Towards the end of August, the Red Sox found themselves in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak that required them to call upon reinforcements from Worcester. As a result, Espinal made his big-league debut against the Rays on Aug. 30 and wound up allowing two runs in two innings of mop-up duty at Tropicana Field.

Returned to the WooSox the following day, Espinal closed out his season in Worcester and finished the year by leading the team in starts, innings pitched, and strikeouts. For his efforts, he was recognized by MLB Pipeline as the organization’s top right-handed starter in November.

Around that same time, Espinal became a minor-league free agent once again. The Dominican-born hurler returned to his home island this off-season to pitch for Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Winter League. There, he produced a 6.75 ERA in six appearances (five starts) spanning 18 2/3 innings pitched.

While it appears as though Espinal has been assigned to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, his departure could leave the Red Sox on the lookout for additional pitching depth.

Because of the ongoing lockout, MLB clubs are not allowed to be in contact with players on the 40-man roster. This does not just pertain to major-leaguers, but to certain minor-leaguers as well.

In the Red Sox’ case, prospects such as Eduard Bazardo, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Jay Groome, Connor Seabold, Josh Winckowski, Ronaldo Hernandez, Connor Wong, Jeter Downs, Hudson Potts, Jarren Duran, and Jeisson Rosario have been out of the loop since December.

If the lockout continues into April, Boston would not be able to assign these prospects to minor-league affiliates (mainly Worcester and Double-A Portland).

All four of Bazardo, Crawford, Seabold, and Winckowski pitched at the Triple-A level last year, so their collective presence could be missed if this work stoppage persists.

With that being said, the Red Sox could very well address this potential concern by scouring the minor-league free agent market to bolster their depth, particularly on the pitching side of things.

(Picture of Raynel Espinal: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

Red Sox team up with local analytics company to optimize start times of games at Fenway Park

In an effort to optimize the start times of games at Fenway Park, the Red Sox have recently teamed up with Boston-based analytics company Recentive, according to Sports Business Journal.

The Red Sox will become the first Major League Baseball team to join forces with Recentive, as the two sides reached agreement on a multi-year deal last month. The company has previously worked with organizations such as the National Football League and United States Tennis Association.

By forming a partnership with Recentive, the Red Sox are aiming to maximize
their local television ratings through start time variation. Red Sox games are broadcasted locally by NESN, which — like the club — is a subsidiary of Fenway Sports Group.

Coming into the 2022 season, the Red Sox are slated to play 81 regular season home games at Fenway Park. During the week, the majority of those contests are scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. eastern time. During the weekend, most Saturday games will start at 4 p.m. while most Sunday games will start at 1 p.m. ET.

In a conversation with Erik Bacharach of Sports Business Journal, Recentive CEO Andy Tabrizi emphasized that weekend games will be of particular interest since they represent the biggest opportunity for growth when it comes to ratings.

The foundation of Recentive’s relationship with the Red Sox will be granting the club access to “an on-demand, real-time web app that processes about 1,200 different data sources, all of which concern any start times for games on NESN.”

Any changes Boston implements to their schedule likely won’t come this year, but rather in 2023. The Sox previously experimented with the start times of their home games in 2020, moving the majority of them back to 7:30 p.m. during the pandemic-shortened campaign.

That decision proved to be an ineffective one, but Red Sox vice president of data, intelligence, and analytics Jonathan Hay remains optimistic about what’s to come in 2022 and beyond.

“It’s mid-January, so even if we sort of identify some spots, people have
already bought tickets, we’ve got calendars already printed and things
like that,” Hay said last month. “So I think we’d hopefully do a couple of things this year just to be able to test some things out.”

(Picture of Fenway Park: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Red Sox re-sign versatile catcher Roldani Baldwin to minor-league deal for 2022 season

The Red Sox have brought back catcher Roldani Baldwin on a minor-league contract for the 2022 season, per the team’s transaction log. The deal also includes an invite to major-league spring training.

Baldwin, who turns 26 next month, returns to the organization he began his career with after originally signing with Boston as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in November 2013.

Most recently, Baldwin spent the entirety of the 2021 season with Double-A Portland, though he did spend one day on Triple-A Worcester’s roster in August. Regardless of that, the right-handed hitting backstop slashed .242/.321/.389 with eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, 18 RBIs, 18 runs scored, one stolen base, 13 walks, and 61 strikeouts over 45 games (168 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

One of the reasons Baldwin appeared in just 45 minor-league games last year was because he missed nearly two weeks of action while on the injured list. Another reason is that he had to step away from affiliated ball in order to help his native Dominican Republic win a bronze medal in last summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

Defensively, Baldwin has primarily been used as either a catcher or third baseman throughout his professional career. In 2021, however, the 5-foot-11, 211 pounder not only saw time behind the plate and at the hot corner, but he also logged 47 innings at second base, and nine innings in left field.

This off-season, Baldwin spent part of his winter playing for Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League. There, the 25-year-old slashed .412/.500/.529 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored over the course of a brief seven-game sample that consisted of 20 plate appearances as well as seven appearances (five starts) at catcher.

Coming into the 2022 season, Baldwin has apparently been assigned to Portland and represents some experienced catching depth the Red Sox will have available to them in the upper minors.

As SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield alluded to on Twitter, the addition of Baldwin does have some significance considering the fact the MLB lockout remains unresolved.

If the lockout continues into the spring, the Red Sox would not be able to assign prospects on their 40-man roster — such as catchers Connor Wong and Ronaldo Hernandez — to minor-league affiliates when the season begins in April.

With that being said, Hatfield notes that Boston could sign players like Baldwin to minor-league deals so that they can cover for those prospects affected by the lockout.

In addition to Wong and Hernandez, other prospects the Red Sox have on their 40-man roster include pitchers Eduard Bazardo, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Jay Groome, Connor Seabold, Josh Winckowski, Jeter Downs, Hudson Potts, Jarren Duran, and Jeisson Rosario.

(Picture of Roldani Baldwin: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox have No. 11 farm system in baseball, per Baseball America’s latest rankings

The Red Sox have the No. 11 farm system in baseball heading into the 2022 season, according to Baseball America’s latest organizational talent rankings.

At this time last year, the Sox had Baseball America’s 21st-ranked farm system going into the 2021 campaign. They then jumped all the way up to ninth in BA’s midseason rankings.

Now, Boston’s farm system falls just outside of Baseball America’s top 10. Ahead of the Red Sox are the Mariners, Rays, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Tigers, Reds, Dodgers, Rangers, and Diamondbacks, and just behind them are the Guardians, Yankees, Twins, and Cubs to make up the top 15.

As recently as last month, the Sox placed four prospects in BA’s top 100 preseason rankings with shortstop Marcelo Mayer coming in at No. 15, first baseman Triston Casas coming in at No. 19, second baseman Nick Yorke coming in at No. 31 and outfielder Jarren Duran coming in at No. 91. Right-handed pitching prospect Brayan Bello also finished just outside the top 100.

Casas and Yorke were among the 28 Red Sox minor-leaguers who took part in the team’s Winter Warmup program in Fort Myers, Fla. last week. Bello and Duran were unable to participate since they are on the club’s 40-man roster.

In their brief assessment of the Red Sox’ minor-league pipeline, Baseball America notes that “Boston’s system isn’t the deepest, but its opening trio of shortstop Marcelo Mayer, first baseman Triston Casas and second baseman Nick Yorke is one of the most enticing. Right-hander Brayan Bello took steps forward in 2021, including an appearance in Denver at the Futures Game.”

By placing two prospects in BA’s top 20 and three in their top 35, the Sox have shown that they are serious about improving their farm system as well as their minor-league depth as a whole. Chaim Bloom has made that very clear since he took over as the club’s chief baseball officer in October 2019.

Under Bloom, the Red Sox have tapped into just about every market to bolster the organization from the ground up. Whether it be through the draft, the Rule 5 Draft, international scouting, pro scouting, or the trade market, Bloom has thus far made good on his promise to revamp Boston’s farm system while still maintaining a competitive team at the major-league level.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox)

Is Red Sox pitching prospect Franklin German primed for a full-time relief role in 2022?

It’s been a little more than 53 weeks since the Red Sox shockingly pulled off a trade with the division rival Yankees.

On January 25 of last year, Boston acquired veteran reliever Adam Ottavino and pitching prospect Franklin German from New York in exchange for nothing but cash considerations.

The Yankees made such a move so that they could free up a roster spot for Corey Kluber. The Sox, on the other hand, pulled the trigger so that they could bolster their big-league bullpen while also acquiring a potentially intriguing piece for the future.

While Ottavino proved to be a key member of Boston’s relief corps in 2021, German had to endure his fair share of struggles in the minor-leagues last year.

At the time the trade was made, Red Sox chief officer Chaim Bloom described German as an interesting prospect with a power arm who could work as either a starter or reliever down the line.

To that point in his career, German — a fourth-round draft pick of the Yankees out of the University of North Florida in 2018 — had primarily worked out of the starting rotation while progressing through New York’s farm system.

Coming into his first season with a new organization, German received an invite to major-league spring training and got some run in the Grapefruit League before being reassigned to minor-league camp.

In early May, the right-hander broke camp with Double-A Portland as a member of the Sea Dogs’ starting rotation. He made his organizational debut on May 6 and proceeded to post a 5.45 ERA (5.02 FIP) to go along with 65 strikeouts to 29 walks through his first 19 appearances (18 starts) and 79 1/3 innings pitched of the season.

Following his start against the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field on August 25, German was permanently moved to Portland’s bullpen for the remainder of the year. As a reliever, he flourished by not allowing a single run on just one hit, one walk, and seven strikeouts over five outings spanning five innings of work.

It’s a small sample size, but German was able to increase his strikeout rate from 17.9% to 41.2% and lower his walk rate from 8% to 5.9% upon moving to the Sea Dogs’ bullpen on a full-time basis late last summer.

In the fall, German was a candidate to be added to the Sox’ 40-man roster since he was eligible for the 2021 Rule 5 Draft. Boston opted not to add German as the November 19 deadline came and went, but that has worked in the righty’s favor thus far.

That being the case because German was one of 28 Red Sox minor-leaguers who participated in the club’s Winter Warmup program in Fort Myers, Fla. last week. The 24-year-old, who would not have been able to participate had he been added to the 40-man on account of the ongoing lockout, was among 12 pitchers on hand at the Fenway South complex.

When speaking with reporters last Monday, Sox director of player development Brian Abraham was asked about the seasons German — and others in the organization who struggled as starters but thrived as relievers (like A.J. Politi) had.

More specifically, Abraham was asked by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith if the Red Sox view German and Politi as relievers now heading into 2022.

“I think towards the end of the year, they (German and Politi) were able to get acclimated to that role and it’s something we’ll probably focus with both of them on moving forward,” Abraham said. “Certainly as we’ve all seen with various pitchers throughout Red Sox history, we’d never say never to potentially going back to more of an extended role or a starter role.

“I think pitching out of the ‘pen, even multiple innings, is really valuable these days,” he added. “To transition to the bullpen and have success was a nice introductory opportunity into the relief role. So, we would see them as that.”

German, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-97 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph, a changeup, and a slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

A native of Tampa, German is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 52 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking 21st among pitchers in the organization. He is projected by the site to begin the 2022 season in the bullpen with Triple-A Worcester.

On that note, German is still technically eligible for the major-league phase of the 2021 Rule 5 Draft, which was postponed indefinitely in early December because of the ongoing lockout.

If the lockout ends soon and the Rule 5 Draft is held before Opening Day, German could be scooped up by another club. The likelihood of that happening seems slim, but should still nonetheless be considered a possibility.

(Picture of Franklin German: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox)

Who is Alex Zapete? Red Sox infield prospect batted .314 in Dominican Summer League last year, is working on becoming a catcher

The Red Sox minor-leaguer who led the organization in batting average last year was Nick Yorke, who hit a whopping .325 on the season between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville.

On the heels of such an impressive year, Yorke has been recognized as one of the best prospects in Boston’s farm system if not all of baseball. The same cannot be said for the player who finished just behind Yorke in the organizational batting race.

Alex Zapete, a Dominican-born infielder, spent the entirety of the 2021 campaign playing in his home island and was among the top hitters in the Dominican Summer League.

Across 52 games for the Red Sox Blue DSL affiliate, Zapete slashed .314/.424/.415 to go along with 10 doubles, two home runs, 23 RBIs, 37 runs scored, six stolen bases, 30 walks, and 30 strikeouts over 198 total plate appearances.

Among those in the DSL who made at least 190 trips to the plate last year, the right-handed hitter ranked 13th in batting average, 10th in on-base percentage, 29th in slugging percentage, 17th in OPS (.839), 18th in wRC+ (140), 26th in walk rate (15.2%), and 31st in strikeout rate (15.2%), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Zapete spent almost as much time at third base as he did first base, as he logged 303 innings at the hot corner and 302 1/3 innings on the opposite side.

Upon signing with the Red Sox for just $45,000 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018, Zapete was viewed more so as a third baseman who could play a little bit of first base as well.

Last season, however, the 6-foot, 180 pounder made his professional debut as a catcher. He caught one game (and all nine innings) against the DSL Dodgers Shoemaker affiliate on August 3 and threw out one of the four base runners who attempted to steal against him.

While Zapete did not see any additional time behind the plate beyond that contest, Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero told BloggingtheRedSox.com via email that the Gaspar Hernandez native is indeed “working on becoming a catcher.”

Zapete, who turned 20 in September, was on the older side for position players who saw action in the Dominican Summer League last year. He also spent the 2019 campaign in the Dominican and earned DSL All-Star honors.

The 2020 minor-league season may have been wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Zapete certainly made the most of his opportunity in 2021 and — as Romero put it — “had a great year.”

On that note, Romero says that Zapete is slated to start the 2022 season in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. He can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this year, though it seems unlikely that will affect him considering he is still a ways away from the upper minors.

(Picture of Alex Zapete via his Instagram)