Tag: 2023 season

Red Sox pitching prospect Grant Gambrell overcame adversity in 2023

After missing the entirety of his first full season as a member of the Red Sox organization due to injury, pitching prospect Grant Gambrell bounced back nicely in 2023.

Gambrell was, of course, one of two players to be named later the Red Sox acquired from the Royals in the February 2021 trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City. Unlike several others involved in that deal, though, Gambrell and fellow right-hander Luis De La Rosa did not switch organizations until that June.

To that point in the 2021 season, Gambrell — a former third-round draft selection of the Royals out of Oregon State — had posted a 4.37 ERA in five starts (22 2/3 innings) for Kansas City’s High-A affiliate. The California native remained at the High-A level upon joining Boston’s minor-league pipeline and struggled to a 7.16 ERA in eight starts (32 2/3 innings) for the Greenville Drive before hitting the injured list in early August.

That is where Gambrell would spend the rest season. It turns out that he had been plagued by discomfort in his heel and ankle area dating back to his first spring training with the Royals. He attempted to pitch through it, but was ultimately diagnosed with a benign tumor in his calcaneus, the heel bone, after meeting with a doctor in Boston towards the tail end of the 2021 campaign.

Gambrell then underwent a series of five surgeries to remove that tumor and spent all of 2022 rehabbing at the Red Sox’ JetBlue Park complex in Fort Myers, Fla. As MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith highlighted last June, “it definitely was a long journey” for Gambrell.

“It definitely had its very, very low points,” Gambrell said. “After surgery one, two, three, you’re just kind of just saying to yourself like, ‘Man, I don’t even know if this is ever gonna be fixed. I don’t know if this is ever going to be healed.’”

With help from Chris Sale and other rehabbers, Gambrell made it through the recovery process and returned to competitive action with Greenville last April. The 26-year-old righty got off to a bit of a rough start before shaking off the rust and leveraging his performance with the Drive into a promotion to Double-A Portland in late May.

In 15 starts for the Sea Dogs, Gambrell forged a 3.42 ERA with 84 strikeouts to 32 walks over 84 1/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .227 batting average against. He was then promoted again from Portland to Triple-A Worcester in late August and made two starts for the WooSox, allowing just two runs with 14 punchouts to five walks in 10 1/3 innings, before the 2023 season drew to a close.

Altogether, Gambrell went 9-6 with a 3.63 ERA (4.23 FIP) and 134 strikeouts to 46 walks across 23 starts (126 1/3 innings) between Greenville, Portland, and Worcester in 2023. He trailed only Brian Van Belle for the organizational lead in innings pitched and was subsequently named SoxProspects.com’s Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Gambrell altered his pitch mix to some degree while he was sidelined in 2022. As he noted in his conversation with Smith, Gambrell eliminated his four-seam fastball in favor of a two-seam fastball that sits between 92-95 mph. He also added a cutter last spring to complement a slider and mid-80s changeup.

“We were looking at some video and where my hand placement is at release point,” explained Gambrell, who was introduced to the cutter by the Red Sox. “Found I was a seam-shifted guy. So the cutter is a good pitch for me and it’s been pretty good ever since I started throwing it.”

Gambrell, who does not turn 27 until November, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 37 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 16th among pitchers in the organization. Barring a surprise, he is expected to return to Worcester’s rotation for the start of the 2024 minor-league season.

With that being said, Gambrell can once again become Rule 5-eligible at year’s end. He made a somewhat compelling case to be added to the Sox’ 40-man roster this past November but was passed over in December’s Rule 5 Draft after being left unprotected. As long as he stays healthy, Gambrell has the chance to further elevate his profile in the coming months regardless of the role he is given.

“Whatever the team needs,” Gambrell told Smith. “This week I could be in the starting rotation and next week I could be in the bullpen. Honestly, it wouldn’t matter to me as long as I can help the team win in any type of way, any type of situation. I’m going to go out there and treat it the same no matter what. No matter what the score is, no matter if I’m in the bullpen or starting.”

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Brainer Bonaci suspended for 2024 season

Red Sox minor-league infielder Brainer Bonaci has been suspended for the entirety of the 2024 season as a result of violating MiLB’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Bonaci had been placed on MLB’s restricted list for violating said policy in early October, which resulted in him being pulled from the Arizona Fall League following a brief stint with the Glendale Desert Dogs. The 21-year-old has been away from the Red Sox since then and has been working out at home in Venezuela this spring as opposed to the club’s Fenway South complex in Fort Myers.

A native of Catia La Mar, Bonaci originally signed with the Red Sox for $290,000 as an international free agent in July 2018. He came into the 2023 campaign ranked by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system and was a candidate to be added to the 40-man roster at year’s end in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

In 79 total games between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland last year, the switch-hitting Bonaci batted .297/.354/.464 with 18 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs, 44 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 30 walks, and 80 strikeouts over 350 plate appearances. Defensively, he saw playing time at second base, shortstop, third base, and left field.

After receiving a promotion from Greenville to Portland in early August, Bonaci appeared in just 16 games with the Sea Dogs before being placed on the reserve list on Aug. 30. He was then sent home “on administrative leave” while the league began its investigation, but was taken off the reserve list at the end of the minor-league season and permitted to take part in the Red Sox’ fall performance program in Fort Myers as well as the Arizona Fall League.

Bonaci arrived in Arizona in late September, but appeared in just two games for Glendale (going 1-for-7 with four strikeouts) prior to hitting the restricted list on Oct. 4. When asked about the matter by The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey in November, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said that “he was prohibited from commenting on the situation for now.”

As of this writing, it is not yet known how Bonaci violated the minor-league domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy. Regardless of that, though, the league’s investigation into the violation led to Bonaci being handed down a season-long suspension that could have further ramifications regarding his future as a member of the Red Sox organization.

(Picture of Brainer Bonaci: Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz focused on his own development in 2023

Despite dealing with elbow issues last year, Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz still enjoyed a relatively productive 2023 season with Low-A Salem.

Rodriguez-Cruz made 14 starts for Salem, which is where he ended his first full professional season in 2022. In 2023, the 20-year-old right-hander posted a 2.60 ERA and 4.37 FIP with 51 strikeouts to 27 walks over 55 1/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .219 batting average against.

Prior to the major-league All-Star break in mid-July, Rodriguez had gone 6-2 with a 2.53 ERA (4.45 FIP) in his first 12 outings (53 1/3 innings) of the season. He was then placed on Salem’s injured list on July 21 with right elbow inflammation and did not return to action until the first of September.

Rodriguez-Cruz made two more starts for Salem before the minor-league campaign drew to a close and went an inning in each, allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. He later told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith at the Red Sox’ fall performance program in Fort Myers that he thought his season “went well.”

“Nobody expects to be injured but besides that, I started the season strong,” Rodriguez-Cruz said. “I feel like I was doing great. I was developing some stuff the organization wants me to do. I feel like I was doing all those things.”

Among the 111 pitchers who tossed 50 or more innings in the Carolina League last year, Rodriguez-Cruz most notably ranked 33rd in batting average against, 42nd in WHIP (1.27), 36th in groundball rate (48.3 percent), and seventh in ERA, per FanGraphs.

Rodriguez-Cruz was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round (105th overall pick) of the 2021 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The Trujillo Alto native forwent his commitment to the University of Oregon by signing with Boston for $497,500 as a 17-year-old that July.

Since debuting in the rookie-level Florida Complex League the following June, Rodriguez-Cruz has compiled a 2.31 ERA (3.76 FIP) with 93 strikeouts to 42 walks over 27 total appearances (24 starts) spanning 93 2/3 innings in pro ball thus far.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Rodriguez-Cruz throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 91-93 mph fastball that tops out at 95 mph, a 76-78 mph curveball that features long, 11-to-5 break, an 86-88 mph changeup, and an 84-86 mph slider that is considered by SoxProspects.com to be a “work in progress.”

To that end, Rodriguez-Cruz indicated to Smith back in September that one of his main goals of the offseason was to build strength as he continues to fill out.

“That’s going to help me to improve velo and all that and stay healthy,” the righty explained. “I feel like working on my body is my main priority.”

Having said that, it will be interesting to see if Rodriguez-Cruz benefits from the new pitching infrastructure the Red Sox are putting in place under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Brian Abraham, Boston’s farm director, described Rodriguez-Cruz to Smith as a “development staff’s dream because he’s young, he has a live arm, he’s athletic, he’s got a good frame to put on weight, and he works hard.”

Rodriguez-Cruz — who does not turn 20 until August — is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 season.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Roman Anthony tabbed by MLB Pipeline as Red Sox’ top power-hitting prospect

Outfielder Roman Anthony has been tabbed by MLB Pipeline as the top power-hitting prospect in the Red Sox farm system heading into the 2024 season.

Anthony is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 24 prospect in baseball, trailing only shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 15) for the top spot in the organization. The 19-year-old’s power tool is graded by the outlet as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale, which translates to above average.

After being selected by the Red Sox with the 79th overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Anthony enjoyed a productive first full season in pro ball last year. Across 106 total games at three different minor-league levels, the left-handed hitter slashed .272/.403/.466 with 27 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 64 RBIs, 78 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 86 walks, and 119 strikeouts over 491 plate appearances.

Anthony spent the first two-plus months of the 2023 campaign at Low-A Salem, where he slashed .228/.376/.317 with nine doubles, one triple, one home run (the first of his professional career), 18 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 38 walks, and 38 strikeouts in 42 games (202 plate appearances). While some of those surface-level numbers may seem uninspiring, the Red Sox were encouraged by the underlying metrics (such as swing decisions and high exit velocities) and elected to move Anthony up to High-A Greenville in early June.

With Greenville, Anthony experienced a surge in both power and striking out. He produced at a .294/.412/.569 clip with 14 doubles, three triples, 12 homers, 38 RBIs, 41 runs scored, two stolen bases, 40 walks, and 75 punchouts over 54 games (245 plate appearances) for the Drive before receiving another promotion to Double-A Portland in early September.

To close out an eventful season, Anthony batted .343/.477/.543 with four doubles, one home run, eight runs driven in, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, eight walks, and six strikeouts in a brief 10-game, 44-plate appearance sample with the Sea Dogs. Between what he did in Salem, Greenville, and Portland, Anthony was recognized as the Red Sox’ Minor League Offensive Player of the Year.

Among the 12 Boston minor-leaguers who made at least 450 trips to the plate in 2023, Anthony ranked second in walk rate (17.5 percent), third in batting average, second in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.869), fourth in isolated power (.194), first in line-drive rate (27.2 percent), fourth in swinging-strike rate (8.8 percent), and first in wRC+ (143), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Anthony saw playing time at all three outfield spots last year. With Salem, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder made one start in left, 14 in right, and 18 in center. With Greenville, he made four starts in right and 40 in center.  He was used exclusively in center by Portland, where he registered one outfield assist without committing an error in 28 defensive chances.

Coming off a breakout 2023, Anthony — who does not turn 20 until May — is now considered a consensus top 25 prospect in the sport. Barring a surprise, he is expected to return to Portland for the start of the 2024 season, though he could work his way to Triple-A Worcester (or even Boston) later in the year if the Red Sox continue to be aggressive with his development.

In the more immediate future, Anthony is not at big-league spring training with the Red Sox in Fort Myers even after taking part in the club’s rookie development program earlier this winter. When speaking with reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) at JetBlue Park on Thursday, manager Alex Cora said third base/outfield coach Kyle Hudson has inquired about bringing Anthony up from minor-league camp for a few games.

“It was a hard no,” Cora said (with a laugh) after asking player development staff about Anthony. “Huddy is trying, but (player development) they’ve got their program over there, he needs to get his reps and we don’t want to take him out of that. Two at-bats here, yeah it’s great for everybody to see him play and all that, but I think there’s a lot of things going on that are more important right now for his development. So whenever they decide we can take him, we’ll take him.”

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox bring back Joely Rodriguez on minor-league deal

The Red Sox have brought back veteran reliever Joely Rodriguez on a minor-league contract, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The deal comes with an invite to major-league spring training.

Rodriguez, who was present at the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers on Thursday morning, will not count against Boston’s 40-man roster but will have the opportunity to make the club’s Opening Day roster out of camp next month.

“Excited for him. We know health is a priority for him,” said Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who confirmed the pending signing of Rodriguez to MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam. “He’s got electric stuff. He’s around here getting his physical done. Excited to meet him. I know he’s a loud, boisterous personality and a good guy to have around so we’re excited to have him back here.”

Rodriguez, 32, returns to the Red Sox after originally signing a one-year, $2 million contract with an option for 2024 in November 2022. The left-hander was Boston’s first free agent addition that winter, though the contract he ultimately signed was “a re-worked version of a previously agreed-upon deal that was revised once balky medicals came back,” according to Cotillo.

Like trade addition Richard Bleier, who came over from the Marlins in January, Rodrigue was supposed to provide manager Alex Cora with an experienced left-handed option out of the bullpen. He was instead plagued by injury issues throughout the year and posted a career-worst 6.55 ERA (4.71 FIP) with 14 strikeouts to six walks over 11 appearances spanning just 11 innings of relief.

Rodriguez began the 2023 campaign on the injured list after suffering a right oblique strain in a Grapefruit League outing. As a result, he did not make his Red Sox debut until May 17 and struggled immensely out of the gate, surrendering nine runs (eight earned) in his first five appearances (four innings) of the season. He then hit the injured list again because of left shoulder inflammation in early June and did not return to the big-league mound until July 9.

Upon returning to action with Boston, Rodriguez strung together six straight scoreless outings in which he recorded nine strikeouts and zero walks over seven effective innings. Unfortunately, he sustained a hip injury in late July that wound up ending his season prematurely. The Red Sox then declined the club option they held over Rodriguez in November.

As noted by Cotillo, the Red Sox are thin when it comes to left-handed relief options. Brennan Bernardino, who stood out last season after being claimed off waivers from the Mariners in April, Joe Jacques, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter are the only lefties currently on Boston’s 40-man roster.

Externally, Rodriguez is slated to join fellow non-roster invitees Jorge Benitez, Cam Booser, Lucas Luetge, and Helcris Olivarez as lefty relievers competing for a spot in the Sox’ bullpen to begin the 2024 season.

“We’ve got to get lefties out. You can’t ever have enough lefties,” Bailey told McAdam, noting that the Rodriguez signing was about adding depth. “There was an opportunity from the front office to sign him and we jumped at it.”

(Picture of Joely Rodriguez: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

How did versatile Red Sox prospect Tyler McDonough fare in 2023?

There is a case to be made that versatile Red Sox prospect Tyler McDonough got better as the year went on in 2023.

After spending the entirety of his first full professional season at High-A Greenville, McDonough graduated to the upper-minors by breaking camp with Double-A Portland last spring. The 24-year-old struggled out of the gate, slashing just .200/.287/.297 through his first 42 games (168 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

In the midst of a 2-for-23 (.087) skid that dated back to late May, McDonough broke out for two hits and two RBIs as part of a 9-1 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on June 17. The switch-hitter proceeded to end the month of June on a relatively high note before making a brief one-game cameo with Triple-A Worcester after the calendar flipped to July.

At that point in time, the WooSox found themselves in need of infield depth, and so McDonough spent about a week with the affiliate during their road trip in Buffalo. He made his Triple-A debut against the Bisons on July 3 and went 0-for-3 while serving as Worcester’s starting third baseman.

Shortly after the WooSox returned home from that trip, McDonough was sent back down to Portland. He returned to the Sea Dogs’ lineup on July 5 and began to pick things up offensively from that point forward. Over the next two-plus months, McDonough batted a solid .286/.354/.429 with seven doubles, three triples, three home runs, 16 RBIs, 28 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 18 walks, and 43 strikeouts in 50 games (177 plate appearances) through the end of the Eastern League regular season.

With Portland done for the year, McDonough again made the jump to Worcester and joined the WooSox for their final series of the season in Lehigh Valley. He got into three of six possible games and went 3-for-9 (.333) with a double, a triple, a run scored, a walk, and three strikeouts.

Altogether, McDonough slashed .250/.325/.375 with 16 doubles, five triples, five homers, 35 runs driven in, 51 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 36 walks, and 100 strikeouts in 101 total games (379 plate appearances) between Portland and Worcester last season. While those numbers may not necessarily be eye-opening, it is worth mentioning that — after his second stint with the Sea Dogs commenced in early July — McDonough hit a more respectable .288/.357/.442 over his final 53 games (188 plate appearances) of the year.

Among the 27 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 350 trips to the plate in 2023, McDonough ranked seventh in stolen bases, third in speed score (8.1), sixth in wSB (1.0), ninth in line-drive rate (21 percent), and 12th in swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, McDonough started games at six different positions last year. In total, the 5-foot-8, 180-pounder logged 135 innings at second base, 16 innings at third base, 195 innings at shortstop, 49 innings in center field, 316 innings in left field, and 129 innings in right field. He recorded a team-high six outfield assists while with the Sea Dogs and was used strictly as an infielder by the WooSox.

Though it initially appeared as if McDonough’s season ended in September, he was actually a late addition to the group of prospects the Red Sox sent out west to play in the Arizona Fall League. He effectively took the place of infielder Brainer Bonaci, who was placed on the restricted list in October for violating MLB’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy, but certainly made the most of the opportunity.

In 16 games with the Glendale Desert Dogs, McDonough batted .254/.366/.424 with four doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, 11 runs scored, five stolen bases, 11 walks, and 17 strikeouts over 71 plate appearances while seeing playing time at second base, shortstop, and left field.

In its entirety, the 2023 season was an eventful one for McDonough, who was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (75th overall pick) of the 2021 amateur draft out of North Carolina State. The Ohio native signed with the club for an under-slot $828,600 and was viewed by outlets like Baseball America as “perhaps the most polished player drafted” by Boston that year.

After putting forth a strong debut season (.884 OPS) in a 31-game sample between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021, however, McDonough has struggled to reach that same level of success in recent years. He was able to take a step forward last year after posting a .667 OPS in 114 games with Greenville in 2022, so that represents a positive development.

McDonough, who turns 25 in April, comes into 2024 ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is currently projected by the site to return to Portland for the start of the upcoming minor-league season, though it would not be surprising if he were to make his way back to Worcester at some point given his speed and versatility.

With that being said, McDonough can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his career next winter if the Red Sox do not add him to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. As such, McDonough has the opportunity to elevate his profile over these next seven or so months.

(Picture of Tyler McDonough: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Who is newest Red Sox pitching prospect David Sandlin?

The Red Sox added to their breadth of pitching prospects on Saturday by acquiring right-hander David Sandlin from the Royals in exchange for veteran reliever John Schreiber.

Sandlin, who turns 23 next week, was originally selected by the Royals in the 11th round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Oklahoma. The former Sooner was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 242 prospect in his class and received a $397,500 signing bonus from Kansas City.

After officially putting pen to paper, Sandlin made his professional debut in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League that August. The righty got the start against ACL Diamondbacks Red on a balmy Monday evening in Surprise and gave up just one hit and no walks with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings of work.

That would prove to be Sandlin’s lone outing with a Royals affiliate in 2022, which is understandable since he had just tossed 66 2/3 innings while helping Oklahoma make it to the College World Series earlier in the spring. Despite the lack of experience, though, the Sooner State native enjoyed a relatively productive first full season of pro ball in 2023.

Sandlin spent most of last year with Low-A Columbia, posting a 3.38 ERA and 3.45 FIP with 79 strikeouts to 13 walks in 12 starts (58 2/3 innings) for the Fireflies. He faced Boston’s Carolina League affiliate, the Salem Red Sox, two times during that stretch and went a season-high seven innings without giving up a run against them on June 9.

Shortly thereafter, Sandlin earned a promotion to High-A Quad Cities. Unfortunately, he made just two starts for the River Bandits — allowing a total of four earned runs with eight strikeouts to five walks over eight innings — before hitting the injured list in early July. That is where he would spend the rest of the season, as he was ultimately shut down due to an oblique strain.

All told, Sandlin went 4-2 with a 3.51 ERA (3.68 FIP) and 87 strikeouts to 18 walks in 14 starts (66 2/3 innings) between Columbia and Quad Cities last season. Among those in the Royals organization who also eclipsed the 60-inning threshold in 2023, Sandlin ranked fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.74), seventh in walks per nine innings (2.43), first in strikeout rate (32.1 percent), seventh in walk rate (6.6 percent), eighth in WHIP (1.21), fifth in swinging-strike rate (14.5 percent), eighth in ERA, 11th in FIP, and first in xFIP (2.86), per FanGraphs.

On the heels of that solid showing, Sandlin had been regarded by Baseball America as the No. 20 prospect in Kansas City’s farm system heading into 2024. He was also identified as a potential sleeper candidate “who could take a jump forward” this year.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Sandlin operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s fastball that touches 97 mph, a mid-80s slider with horizontal break and high spin rate, a low-80s curveball with bite, and a changeup that breaks like a splitter, according to his Baseball America scouting report.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and MLB.com’s Ian Browne) at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers on Saturday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow indicated that Sandlin’s velocity has increased significantly since entering the pro ranks, as he previously pitched in the low-90s while in college but has since been able to reach 98-99 mph with his heater.

“He has a good breaking ball and a change that we see room to optimize,” Breslow explained. “So it was a combination of kind of raw stuff, projection and a chance to maybe tweak the usage a little bit and improve performance.”

In light of any possible injury concerns, Breslow said that Sandlin is now “fully ramped up” for spring training and will report to minor-league camp at the Fenway South complex in the coming days. If all goes well, he will likely start the 2024 campaign with High-A Greenville.

(Picture of David Sandlin: Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Why rising Red Sox prospect Yoeilin Cespedes figures to make stateside debut earlier than originally expected

Thanks to a scheduling update, one of the top prospects in the Red Sox farm system will likely make his stateside debut a little earlier than expected later this year.

Infielder Yoeilin Cespedes, who enjoyed a strong debut season in the Dominican Summer League last year, is expected to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2024.

In years past, the rookie-level Florida and Arizona Complex Leagues typically get underway in early June and wrap up in late August. As Baseball America’s JJ Cooper reported on Tuesday, though, both complex league seasons this year will begin on May 4 and finish on July 25.

According to Cooper, all 30 big-league clubs “discussed changes to the complex leagues with MLB all last season. Farm directors voted to move the season up after considering multiple proposals for different tweaks. In the end, the decision changes the leagues from ones heavily populated by new draftees to ones that will largely be filled with players making the jump from the Dominican Summer League.”

Cespedes, Boston’s top international signee out of the Dominican Republic in 2023, fits that description. After putting pen to paper and receiving a lucrative $1.4 million bonus, the Azua native made his professional debut for DSL Red Sox Blue last June and proceeded to put up impressive numbers at the plate.

In 46 games with Blue last season, Cespedes slashed a stout .346/.392/.560 with a team-high 15 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 38 RBIs, 37 runs scored, one stolen base, 14 walks, and 24 strikeouts over 209 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old earned DSL All-Star honors in July and was named the Red Sox’ Latin Program Position Player of the Year in September.

Among the 66 DSL hitters who made at least 200 trips to the plate in 2023, Cespedes ranked sixth in strikeout rate (11.5 percent), third in batting average, 27th in on-base percentage, fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in OPS (.953), eighth in isolated power (.215), first in line-drive rate (28.3 percent), 21st in swinging-strike rate (21.6 percent), and ninth in wRC+ (145), per FanGraphs.

“He’s put up some numbers we haven’t seen very much from that level,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero said of Cespedes when speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last July. “Obviously the numbers down there speak for themselves. A lot of contact. A lot of hard contact. I think he’s working on being a little bit more patient at the plate.

“He’s not pull-oriented,” added Romero. “He uses the whole field. He hits the ball hard everywhere. And he hits the ball hard to a lot of quadrants that are pitched to him too, which is good. He doesn’t strike out much. He makes a lot of contact. There’s a lot of good, positive indicators there.”

Defensively, Cespedes saw all of his playing time on the infield dirt last season come at shortstop. The projectable 5-foot-9, 181-pounder logged a team-high 294 innings at short and committed seven errors in 139 chances, which translates to a .950 fielding percentage. He also helped turn 14 double plays.

“He’s become a lot more fundamentally sound,” said Romero, referencing how Cespedes improved on the defensive side of things as the year progressed. “In his base, being more flexible, being more athletic. He’s always had the arm strength. For us, it was working on his range, working on his first step, his agility side to side.”

Coming into the spring, Cespedes is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system, up 14 spots from where he was a year ago. He also received at least one vote to be included in BA’s 2024 preseason top 100 list, which was released last month.

Elsewhere, Keith Law of The Athletic recently tabbed Cespedes as his eighth-ranked Red Sox prospect heading into the 2024 season. Law wrote on Monday that Cespedes, his sleeper pick, could be Boston’s “next superstar hitting prospect if what we saw in the DSL carries over to the US.”

With the 2024 FCL campaign set to begin and end a month earlier than before, Cespedes should have an opportunity to make it to Low-A Salem for what would be his full-season debut well before his 19th birthday in September. There could be some struggles along the way, but Cespedes undoubtedly has tantalizing potential at this early stage in his career.

(Picture of Yoeilin Cespedes: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Who is Stijn Van Der Schaaf? Dutch pitching prospect made pro debut last year after signing with Red Sox

Of all the storylines that played out within the Red Sox farm system last season, a Dutch national making his affiliated debut may have slipped through the cracks a bit.

Stijn Van Der Schaaf, who signed with Boston for $50,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Netherlands last January, appeared in nine games for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox in 2023. Granted, the Amersfoort native already had some professional experience under his belt, having pitched for HCAW Bussum of the Dutch Major League in 2022, but this represented an entirely new challenge.

As a 19-year-old, Van Der Schaaf did a bit of everything for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate last season. In those nine appearances (one start), the right-hander posted a 4.42 ERA and 5.70 FIP with 14 strikeouts to 15 walks over 18 1/3 innings of work. He and Luis Cohen were the only members of the FCL Red Sox’ pitching staff to both start and save at least one game.

On the surface, an ERA north of four in rookie ball isn’t going to blow anyone away. With that being said, it is worth mentioning that Van Der Schaaf overcame a rough start to his debut season and actually ended it on a relatively strong note.

In three June outings (one start), for instance, Van Der Schaaf allowed seven earned runs and walked 10 of the 22 batters he faced over just 3 1/3 innings. From that point forward, though, the righty pitched to a far more encouraging 1.20 ERA (4.08 FIP) with 11 strikeouts to only five walks in his next six appearances (15 innings) after the calendar flipped to July.

All things considered, it’s rather impressive that — despite averaging more than seven walks per nine innings on the year as a whole — Van Der Schaaf held opposing hitters to a .167 batting average against. Interestingly enough, that figure remained the same in 48 plate appearances against right-handed hitters and 33 plate appearances against left-handed hitters.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, Van Der Schaaf first drew interest the Red Sox and several other clubs in 2019. He performed well for the Netherlands in different international tournaments, including the 2022 U-18 European Baseball Championship, and was ultimately signed by international scout Rene Saggiadi a little less than 13 months ago.

“I chose Boston because I have the best feeling with them,” Van Der Schaaf told Honkbalsoftball.nl last January. “They have been following me since 2019, have seen the progress I have made every year, know my stats. Their story and perspective for me and what they want to achieve is good and appeals to me.”

Shortly after he signed, Baseball America’s Ben Badler identified Van Der Schaaf as a potential sleeper within Boston’s 2023 international class. In doing so, Badler tabbed Van Der Schaaf as a “deeper projection arm” with “a lot more room to fill out” and a “fasstball that has started to touch the low 90s.”

To expand on that, Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero described Van Der Schaaf as “a good athlete” with room to grow when speaking with The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey last winter.

“He has really good arm action, free, loose he’s a good athlete,” Romero said. “In a small amount of time our scout saw a lot of improvement, right now he’s a two-pitch guy, we need to work on a third pitch, but we saw him touching 90 (mph) with a really good slider … he had average to tick-above-average spin on the fastball and really good spin on his slider as well.

“His fastball moves and we saw on video that he was overmatching guys,” added Romero. “There are still some inconsistencies because he’s still raw, we have a ways to go with a third pitch, but he was just improving and wanted to play pro ball and we were able to get him.”

Van Der Schaaf, who turns 20 in April, is not currently ranked by any major publication as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. He is, however, projected by SoxProspects.com to return to the Florida Complex League for the start of his second season in the Red Sox organization.

In years past, both the Florida and Arizona Complex League seasons commence in early June and end in late August. As Baseball America’s JJ Cooper reported on Tuesday, though, the 2024 FCL and ACL seasons will get start and finish a month earlier than usual. More specifically, they will begin on May 4 and wrap up on July 25.

Having said that, Van Der Schaaf — as well as several others in the organization — could be ready to make the jump to Low-A Salem well before the summer is over. Of course, that decision may be dependent on Van Der Schaaf’s development and what kind of role the Red Sox have envisioned for him moving forward.

(Picture of Stijn Van Der Schaaf: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox sign veteran lefty Lucas Luetge to minor-league deal

The Red Sox signed free agent reliever Lucas Luetge to a minor-league contract this past Friday, per the club’s MLB.com transactions log. The deal, which comes with an invite to major-league spring training, will net Luetge a $1 million salary if he cracks Boston’s active roster this season, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Luetge, 37 next month, is a veteran of seven big-league seasons who most recently pitched for the Braves in 2023. The left-hander appeared in 12 games for Atlanta, posting a 7.24 ERA and 4.87 FIP with 14 strikeouts to seven walks over 13 2/3 innings of work. He missed time early in the year due to left bicep inflammation and was designated for assignment on three separate occasions before electing free agency in October.

Despite the recent struggles, Luetge has had past success in the American League East. While with the Yankees from 2021-2022, the southpaw forged a 2.71 ERA (2.92 FIP) with 138 strikeouts to 32 walks across 107 outings (one start) spanning 129 2/3 total innings pitched. Following the conclusion of the 2022 campaign, New York dealt Luetge to Atlanta for minor-leaguers Indigo Diaz and Caleb Durbin.

A Texas native, Luetge was originally selected by the Brewers in the 21st round of the 2008 amateur draft out of Rice University. He spent three years in the Milwaukee organization before being scooped up by the Mariners in the major-league phase of the 2011 Rule 5 Draft. Luetge then broke in with Seattle the following April and made at least one appearance for the M’s in each of the next four seasons.

Towards the end of the 2015 season, however, Luetge was outrighted off Seattle’s 40-man roster, which cleared the way for him to become a first-time free agent. For the next five years, though, Luetge was unable to get back to the majors and instead had to settle for minor-league deals with the Angels, Reds, Orioles, Diamondbacks, and Athletics.

After spending all of the COVID-shortened 2020 season at Oakland’s alternate training site, Luetge latched on with the Yankees on another minors pact that winter and then proceeded to earn a spot on New York’s 2021 Opening Day roster. Going nearly six years in between big-league outings, Luetge made the third-most appearances (57) of any pitcher on Aaron Boone’s staff that season. He also ranked in the 94th percentile of all major-league hurlers in both walk rate (5.0 percent) and barrel rate (4.4 percent), the 93rd percentile in chase rate (32.9 percent), and the 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate (31.4 percent), per Baseball Savant.

In 2022, Luetge again finished third on the Yankees in appearances (50) while ranking in the 100th percentile in hard-hit rate (23.5 percent) and the 97th percentile in average exit velocity (85.2 mph). He limited hard contact in his brief time with the Braves last year as well, though he had his fair share of difficulties in other areas.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Luetge operates with a diverse arsenal that primarily consists of a cutter (the offering he has turned to the most the last three seasons), a sweeper, and a curveball as well as a sparingly-used four-seam fastball and slider. He owns a lifetime 3.60 ERA in 230 career appearances (232 1/3 innings) at the major-league level, but has proven to be far more effective against left-handed hitters (.227/.291/.314 slash line in 387 plate appearances) than right-handed hitters (.280/.352/.417 slash line in 619 plate appearances) in that time.

Luetge, who arrived in Fort Myers on Monday after driving in from his home in Houston, has a chance to compete for a spot on Boston’s Opening Day bullpen this spring. The Red Sox, as currently constructed, are extremely thin when it comes to left-handed relief depth with Brennan Bernardino, Joe Jacques, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter being the only lefties on the 40-man roster.

In addition to Luetge, the Red Sox are also slated to have fellow southpaws Jorge Benitez, Cam Booser, and Helcris Olivarez in camp as non-roster invitees. Pitchers and catchers get their first workout at the Fenway South complex underway on Wednesday.

(Picture of Lucas Luetge: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)