Tag: 2023 season

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer shut down for rest of season

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been shut down for the remainder of the minor-league season, director of player development Brian Abraham told MLB.com’s Ian Browne on Wednesday.

Mayer, who has been on Double-A Portland’s injured list with left shoulder inflammation, will not suit up for the Sea Dogs again this year. The 20-year-old shortstop will instead head to Fort Myers, Fla. to continue his rehab and focus on having “a full, normal offseason,” per Abraham.

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Mayer was expected to return to action at some point last month. But upon resuming baseball activities, the left-handed hitter reaggravated the injury — which affects his ability to swing a bat — and has been idle ever since.

Abraham told Speier that Mayer is expected to ramp things back up in the coming days, adding that Boston’s No. 1 prospect will likely take part in the club’s fall instructional program at the Fenway South complex beginning next week.

“We just didn’t want him to play when he’s less than 100 percent,” Abraham said of Mayer. “Ultimately, we felt like having him be 100 percent during all activities was really important for him and for us.”

Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), earned a promotion to Portland in late May after batting .290/.366/.524 with 11 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 34 RBIs, 23 runs scored, five stolen bases, 17 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 35 games (164 plate appearances) for High-A Greenville to kick off his second full professional season.

Upon being inserted into the Sea Dogs’ lineup, though, Mayer struggled to a .189/.254/.355 slash line with eight doubles, one triple, six homers, 20 runs driven in, four stolen bases, 15 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 43 games (190 plate appearances). He was in the midst of a 1-for-21 slump at the plate prior to hitting the injured list.

Despite the poor offensive numbers in Portland, Mayer showed signs of promise in other areas and represented the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game in July. On the other side of the ball, for instance, he committed just three errors across 323 innings at shortstop with the Sea Dogs. To that end, the 6-foot-2, 188-pound infielder was recently identified by Baseball America as the best defensive shortstop in both the South Atlantic (High-A) and Eastern League (Double-A) this year.

“It was a really positive [year], getting all the way up to Double-A at his age,” said Abraham. “He was probably a little unlucky. He put the ball in play, hit the ball hard, and played a really good defensive shortstop.

“Overall,” Abraham continued, “the chance to get to Double-A where he had a chance to be an impactful player on a team that was having a lot of success, it was a really good opportunity for him to play with some upper-level talent, see upper-levels pitching, and really play as if he belongs.”

It remains to be seen if Mayer, who turns 21 in December, will play in the Arizona Fall League, which gets underway next month. That being said, Speier notes that an AFL assignment “would be a consideration” if the California native gets back to 100 percent health-wise.

As things stand now, Mayer is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 15 prospect in the sport. MLB Pipeline, on the other hand, has him ranked 11th. Barring a surprise, Mayer is expected to return to Portland for the start of the 2024 season next spring.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

How top Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony has fared since promotion to High-A Greenville

Top Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony homered for the third time this season in High-A Greenville’s doubleheader against the Brooklyn Cyclones at Fluor Field on Thursday night.

In Game 1, Anthony led off the bottom of the first inning by taking Brooklyn starter Felipe De La Cruz 375 feet to left-center field for his 12th homer with Greenville and his first of the year off a left-hander. Anthony’s solo shot proved to be the difference maker, as the Drive went on to defeat the Cyclones, 1-0, behind seven shutout innings from starter Zach Penrod and reliever Brock Bell.

In Game 2, Anthony served as Greenville’s leadoff hitter yet again and went 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, and two walks. This time around, however, the Drive fell to the Cyclones by a final score of 7-4 and had to settle for a doubleheader split as a result.

Between both games of Thursday’s twin bill, though, Anthony went 2-for-5 with two extra-base hits, one RBI, two runs scored, two walks, and one strikeout. In doing so, the left-handed hitter extended his hitting streak to four games and capped off a solid month of August in which be batted .297/.391/.506 with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, 14 runs driven in, 17 runs scored, 13 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 23 games (105 plate appearances) for Greenville.

Still just 19 years old, Anthony made the jump to Greenville from Low-A Salem in mid-June after slashing .228/.376/.317 with one homer and 18 RBIs in 42 games (202 plate appearances) with the Red Sox to kick off his first full professional season. While a .693 OPS is far from eye-popping, Anthony produced strong underlying numbers — such as an 18.8 percent walk rate and 26.2 percent line-drive rate — with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

As such, the Red Sox elected to move Anthony up the minor-league ladder on June 13 and he has only seen his stock rise since. In 52 games with the Drive altogether, Anthony is batting a stout .292/.415/.574 with 13 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, 41 runs scored, two stolen bases, 40 walks, and 71 strikeouts across 236 trips to the plate.

Among South Atlantic League hitters who have accrued at least 230 plate appearances to this point in the season, Anthony ranks sixth in walk rate (16.9 percent), 10th in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.990), second in isolated power (.282), first in line-drive rate (30.1 percent), and first in wRC+ (166), per FanGraphs.

Though he has not posed much of a threat on the basepaths, Anthony had been able to make his impact felt in the outfield. With Greenville specifically, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has logged 328 innings in center and 34 2/3 innings in right, committing four errors in 110 defensive chances while recording a team-leading five outfield assists.

Anthony, the 79th overall selection in last year’s amateur draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.), is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system (trailing only shortstop Marcelo Mayer) and the No. 19 prospect in the sport. The Red Sox swayed the West Palm Beach native away from his commitment to Ole Miss by signing him for an over-slot bonus of $2.5 million.

With the minor-league season entering its final month, it seems likely that Anthony — who does not turn 20 until next May — will close out the 2023 campaign in Greenville. On that note, Anthony is leading off and starting in center field for the Drive in their contest against the Cyclones on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Monegro is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The 20-year-old hurler originally signed with the Red Sox for a modest $35,000 coming out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020 and has since emerged as one of the more intriguing arms in the system.

In what has been a breakout 2023 season, Monegro first made his impact felt in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, where he struggled to a 7.36 ERA in 25 2/3 innings last year. This June, however, the Santo Domingo native dazzled in three starts for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate. He allowed just two earned runs over 15 innings of work in which he struck out 20 and walked only four en route to earning FCL Pitcher of the Month honors.

Before June came to a close, though, Monegro made the jump to Salem. He made his full-season debut on the 25th and proceeded to put up a 2.43 ERA (2.32 FIP) with 60 strikeouts to 17 walks in nine starts (40 2/3 innings) for the Red Sox while holding opposing hitters to a .217 batting average against. In what might go down as his final start at the Low-A level, Monegro yielded one unearned run on two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts across five solid frames in a 2-1 win over the Fredericksburg Nationals last Thursday.

Among Carolina League pitchers with at least 40 innings under their belt coming into play on Tuesday, Monegro ranks fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (13.28), eighth in strikeout rate (34.5 percent), first in swinging-strike rate (18 percent), seventh in ERA, first in FIP, and sixth in xFIP (2.92), per FanGraphs.

While the success that Monegro has enjoyed this summer may be a surprise to some, the Red Sox had high hopes for the righty well before the minor-league season even started. Assistant general manager Eddie Romero even acknowledged as much in an email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com last month.

“We were really excited about Monegro heading into the spring,” Romero wrote. “He impressed a lot with the physical shape he came into spring training, and has continued to work since then — this has been key to his early-season success. He’s super athletic with a lightning quick arm which contributes to his ability to have a plus breaking ball. He’s tightened up his delivery to let his athleticism show and be consistent with his mechanics. Hope he continues this success into the second half.”

With a projectable 6-foot-4, 180-pound-frame, Monegro throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s four-seam fastball that tops out at 95-96 mph, a high-80s slider, and an upper-70s curveball. As noted by publications such as Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, Monegro is more control-over-command at the moment and is still considered a work in progress as a result.

That being said, Monegro will have the chance to put an exclamation point on what has already been an encouraging season with Greenville. The Drive open a six-game series against the Brooklyn Cyclones at Fluor Field on Tuesday night, and so Monegro will more than likely make his High-A debut this week.

(Picture of Yordanny Monegro: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Angel Bastardo to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Angel Bastardo from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log. Bastardo is expected to make his Double-A debut in Thursday’s game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels at Hadlock Field.

Bastardo, the reigning South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Greenville. In 21 starts for the Drive, the 21-year-old right-hander posted a 4.62 ERA — but much more encouraging 3.84 FIP — with a league-leading 139 strikeouts to 46 walks over 103 1/3 innings of work.

Among qualified Sally League pitchers coming into play on Thursday, Bastardo ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (12.11), second in strikeout rate (31.8 percent), third in batting average against (.223), fifth in groundball rate (46.3 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), third in FIP, and second in xFIP (3.71), according to FanGraphs.

While the strikeout numbers are promising, Bastardo has struggled at times when it comes to his control and command of the strike zone. In his last time out against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on August 12, for instance, he issued a season-high five walks in addition to giving up four home runs. He was placed on Greenville’s development list Tuesday but now appears ready to return to action.

A native of Venezuela, Bastardo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron in July 2018. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks seventh among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, a mid-80s changeup, a power 12-6 curveball that sits between 82-84 mph, and a mid-80s slider that features gyro-like spin.

In similar fashion to fellow righty Grant Gambrell, who received a promotion to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Bastardo can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at year’s end. The Red Sox, of course, would need to add Bastardo to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November in order to prevent that from happening.

Bastardo, who does not turn 22 until next June, is the fourth member of Greenville’s Opening Day starting rotation to make the jump to Portland this season, joining Gambrell, Wikelman Gonzalez, and Isaac Coffey.

(Picture of Angel Bastardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Grant Gambrell to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Grant Gambrell from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Gambrell, 25, initially made the jump to Portland in late May after posting a 4.88 ERA in six starts (31 1/3 innings) with High-A Greenville to begin the 2023 season. In 15 starts for the Sea Dogs, the right-hander forged a 3.42 ERA and 3.99 FIP 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.

Among 32 Eastern League pitchers who have accrued 80 or more innings to this point in the season, Gambrell came into play Thursday ranking 14th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.96), 11th in walks per nine innings (3.42), 12th in strikeout rate (23.8 percent), 15th in walk rate (9.1 percent), sixth in batting average against, sixth in WHIP (1.22), ninth in groundball rate (44.3 percent), fourth in ERA, eighth in FIP, and 11th in xFIP (3.91), per FanGraphs.

A California native, Gambrell was originally selected by the Royals in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Oregon State. He was then dealt to the Red Sox in June 2021 alongside fellow righty Luis De La Rosa as part of the seven-player trade that sent outfielder Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City four months earlier.

Gambrell’s first season as a member of the Red Sox organization did not go well. He struggled to a 7.16 ERA in eight starts (32 2/3 innings) for Greenville before being shut down with an ankle injury that August. He then missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign as a result of undergoing five surgeries to remove a benign tumor from his calcaneus, or the heel bone.

“I’m just grateful to even be out here because a couple years ago, it was a pretty dark time,” Gambrell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith back in June. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it again. So it’s just taking advantage of every opportunity that I get.”

Now fully healthy, Gambrell finds himself just one call away from the major-leagues. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization.

As he explained to Smith, Gambrell eliminated a four-seam fastball from his arsenal and now uses a 92-95 mph two-seam fastball. He added a cutter in spring training and also mixes in a slider and changeup.

“Not that I took baseball for granted when I was playing but definitely being away from the sport for a year and a half, two years, you look at it in a different way, a different perspective,” said Gambrell. “I’m honestly glad I did get to go through that because it allowed me to be more appreciative for the sport, more appreciative for everybody around me.”

Gambrell, who turns 26 in November, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline later this fall. Depending on how he performs with Worcester down the stretch, he has a chance to put himself in consideration for one of those spots.

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Amid bounce-back season, top Red Sox prospect Nick Yorke comes through in clutch for Double-A Portland on Sunday

Red Sox infield prospect Nick Yorke came through when needed in Double-A Portland’s series-splitting road win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Mirabito Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Tied 1-1 going into the seventh inning, Yorke stepped up to the plate with two outs and Corey Rosier representing the potential go-ahead run at second base. Opposed by Rumble Ponies reliever Daison Acosta, Yorke worked a 2-1 count before drilling the fourth pitch he saw through the left side of the infield and into left field.

Rosier scored easily from second to put the Sea Dogs up 2-1, which would go on to be Sunday’s final score as Portland put an end to a three-game losing streak. Yorke, who reached base four times in total after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning, finished the day going 3-for-4 with that clutch RBI single, a double, and a stolen base out of the two-spot.

Despite the fact that the Sea Dogs dropped three straight at one point, it was an all-around impressive week at the plate for Yorke in Binghamton. Including Sunday’s three-hit showing, the right-handed hitting second baseman went 8-for-21 (.381) with two doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, three runs scored, tw0 stolen bases, two walks, and four strikeouts while appearing in five games.

After a tepid July in which he missed time due to lower body soreness and produced a .617 OPS in 14 games, Yorke — who represented the Red Sox at last month’s All-Star Futures Game in Seattle — has bounced back nicely in August. Over his last 14 games dating back to the first of the month, the 21-year-old is batting .305/.379/.525 with four doubles, three homers, 11 RBIs, 10 runs scored, four stolen bases, five walks, and 12 strikeouts across 66 trips to the plate.

On the 2023 campaign — his first with Portland — as a whole, Yorke has slashed a respectable .275/.352/.456 with 18 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs, 54 runs driven in, 61 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 40 walks, and 102 strikeouts in 91 games (420 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs . It is worth noting that he has put up those numbers while being one of the youngest players to swing a bat at the Double-A level this year.

Among qualified hitters in the pitcher-friendly Eastern League, Yorke ranks 26th in strikeout rate (24.3 percent), ninth in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, 14th in slugging percentage, 12th in OPS (.808), 17th in isolated power (.181), 14th in speed score (6.3), 21st in line-drive rate (19.9 percent), and 14th in wRC+ (120), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Yorke has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time this season come at second base. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder has logged a team-leading 673 2/3 innings at the keystone and has committed four errors in 305 defensive chances.

Yorke, the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system according to Baseball America’s latest rankings, was originally taken by the Red Sox with the 17th overall pick in the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School (San Jose, Calif.). That selection was met with plenty of surprise, as most publications at the time did not view Yorke as a first-round talent. Nevertheless, the Newport Beach native forwent his commitment to Arizona by signing with the club for an under-slot $2.7 million.

After bursting onto the scene in his professional debut in 2021, Yorke dealt with a plethora of injuries while with High-A Greenville in 2022 and saw his offensive production take a hit as a result. Limited to just 80 games due to turf toe, back stiffness, and left wrist soreness, Yorke struggled to a .232/.303/.365 slash line when on the field.

Rather than lick his wounds and rest after a disappointing season, though, Yorke elected to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Able to work with Red Sox hitting coordinator Lance Zawadski and Triple-A Worcester assistant hitting coach Mike Montville (who was also serving as a hitting coach for Scottsdale), Yorke altered his swing mechanics and got back on track in the desert. He hit .342/.424/.526 with eight doubles, two homers, and 18 RBIs in 19 games (92 plate appearances) and earned AFL All-Star honors for his efforts.

Nearly a year later, it appears as though Yorke has gotten back to the point where he can be viewed as one of the top second base prospects in baseball. As such, it should be interesting to see if Yorke can garner consideration for a promotion to Worcester before the minor-league season comes to a close.

As things stand now, the WooSox already have a very crowded infield mix that features Christian Arroyo, Yu Chang, David Hamilton, and Enmanuel Valdez as potential options at second base. Still, if the Red Sox feel it would be best for his development moving forward, they presumably would not waste any time in having Yorke make the jump to Triple-A.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox sign lefty Zach Penrod to minor-league deal, assign him to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have signed free agent left-hander Zach Penrod to a minor-league contract, per the club’s transactions log. He has been assigned to High-A Greenville.

Penrod, 26, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season up until this point with the Missoula PaddleHeads of the independent Pioneer League. In 13 appearances (10 starts) for Missoula, the lefty posted a 2.98 ERA with 65 strikeouts to 32 walks over 54 1/3 innings of work. He was named to the 2023 Pioneer League All-Star team earlier this month.

A native of Idaho, Penrod got his start in pro ball by originally signing with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Northwest Nazarene University in August 2018. A two-way player in college who elected to go pro as a pitcher, Penrod debuted in the rookie-level Arizona League five days after putting pen to paper and allowed 10 runs (eight earned) in four appearances (three starts) spanning 11 2/3 innings.

Unfortunately, Penrod missed the entirety of the 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery that April. He was then released by Texas the following June as part of the Rangers’ minor-league roster cuts in the wake of the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

After working his way back from Tommy John and an additional minor shoulder procedure, Penrod returned to organized action in 2021 with the Boise Hawks (also of the Pioneer League). He spent all of 2021 and the first half of the 2022 season with Boise before being traded to the Billings Mustangs last month. All told, he owns a lifetime 4.84 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 170 strikeouts to 88 walks in 39 career outings (27 starts, 145 innings) for three different Pioneer League clubs.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Penrod operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a power fastball that has been clocked at 98 mph this year as well as a “filthy” cutter and changeup, according to Idaho-based Earn It Sports.

Penrod, who does not turn 27 until next June, will wear the No. 40 with the Drive. While the southpaw has prior experience as a reliever, it appears as though he will be joining the Drive’s starting rotation.

(Picture of Zach Penrod courtesy of the Missoula PaddleHeads)

Red Sox promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Mikey Romero from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Romero, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox selected the California native with the 24th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for an under-slot $2.3 million.

After making his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League last summer, Romero made the jump to Salem before the 2022 season came to a close and appeared in nine games for the Red Sox down the stretch. As such, Romero was expected to return to Salem for the start of the 2023 campaign, but he was instead slowed by lower back stiffness throughout spring training and began the year on the injured list as a result.

Following a lengthy period of working his way back up to game speed, Romero began a rehab assignment with the Fort Myers-based FCL Red Sox in late June. The left-handed hitter got into 10 complex league games and went 6-for-24 (.250) at the plate with one double, four RBIs, four runs scored, five walks, and four strikeouts. He was then activated from Salem’s injured list on July 6 and in manager Liam Carroll’s starting lineup the following night.

In his second go-around with the Salem Sox, Romero batted .217/.288/.304 with four doubles, two triples, nine runs driven in, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases, nine walks, and 17 strikeouts over 23 games (105 plate appearances). While that translates to an underwhelming wRC+ of 72, there is more to Romero’s offensive production than meets the eye.

For starters, Romero posted a 35.1 percent line-drive rate. That, according to FanGraphs, ranks first among the 173 hitters in the Carolina League who have made at least 100 trips to the plate so far this season. He has also produced a .260 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests he has been somewhat unlucky as far as his results are concerned. Adding on to that, it does not help that Salem’s home ballpark — Carilion Clinic Field — is a tough place to hit.

Defensively, Romero has seen playing time at both middle infield positions this season. With Salem specifically, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 94 innings at shortstop and 70 1/3 innings at second base. He committed two errors (both at shortstop) in 75 total chances between the two spots.

Romero, who turns 20 in January, becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this season, most notably joining second-rounder Cutter Coffey and supplementary second-rounder Roman Anthony.

All three of Anthony, Coffey, and Romero are in the starting lineup for the Drive’s series opener against the Winston-Salem Dash at Truist Stadium on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

How Red Sox pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro has fared since promotion to Low-A Salem

Red Sox pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro was sharp in his latest start for Low-A Salem this past Friday night.

Going up against the Augusta GreenJackets in front of a crowd of 5,383 at Carilion Clinic Field, Monegro worked five scoreless innings. The right-hander scattered three hits and issued just one walk while striking out 11 of the 19 batters he faced.

Interestingly enough, Monegro walked the very first batter of the game in Ambioris Tavarez, who later stole second base but did not advance any further. An inning later, Monegro gave up a leadoff double to Pier-Olivier Boucher to put himself in immediate trouble. Again, though, the 20-year-old hurler stranded a runner in scoring position by punching out three GreenJackets in a row.

In both the third and fourth innings, Monegro surrendered a leadoff single. Both runners stole second base with two outs, but Monegro did not falter and instead fanned Drew Compton and Jose Dilone on four and six pitches, respectively. He ended his night by striking out the side on 15 pitches in a 1-2-3 top of the fifth.

Finishing with 82 pitches (55 strikes), Monegro induced 18 swings-and-misses, the most of any pitcher at the Low-A level on Friday, per Baseball Savant. For as impressive as Monegro was, though, he did not factor into the decision as Salem went on to fall to Augusta by a final score of 3-1. GreenJackets starter Owen Murphy was credited with the win after striking out eight over 6 1/3 frames of one-run ball and was subsequently named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

While Monegro may have fallen short of that honor, Friday’s outing represented his second double-digit strikeout game of the season and his first since June 25. In seven starts for Salem now, Monegro has posted a 2.56 ERA (2.45 FIP) with 47 strikeouts to 14 walks over 31 2/3 innings in which he has held opposing hitters to a .223 batting average against. That comes after he pitched to a minuscule 1.20 ERA in three starts (15 innings) for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox to kick off the 2023 campaign.

Promoted from the FCL to Salem on June 20, Monegro is averaging the sixth-most strikeouts per nine innings (13.36) among the 160 Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings to this point in the season. Using those same parameters, Monegro also ranks 15th in strikeout rate (33.6 percent), third in swinging-strike rate (17.1 percent), 20th in ERA, first in FIP, and 14th in xFIP (3.11), per FanGraphs.

Monegro originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020. There was not much fanfare surrounding the Santo Domingo native coming into this season after he struggled to a 7.36 ERA in his first go-around at the Florida Complex League last year, but he has since caught the attention of fans and evaluators alike.

Baseball America, for instance, now has Monegro as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system after he was unranked to begin the season. In similar fashion, MLB Pipeline — which previously had him unranked — pegged Monegro as the Sox’ No. 22 prospect in its midseason rankings, which were released last week.

Though Monegro’s sudden success this year may be a surprise to some, internally, the Red Sox had high hopes for the righty well before the minor-league season even started. Assistant general manager Eddie Romero acknowledged as much in a recent email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com.

“We were really excited about Monegro heading into the spring,” Romero wrote. “He impressed a lot with the physical shape he came into spring training, and has continued to work since then — this has been key to his early-season success. He’s super athletic with a lightning quick arm which contributes to his ability to have a plus breaking ball. He’s tightened up his delivery to let his athleticism show and be consistent with his mechanics. Hope he continues this success into the second half.”

Listed at a projectable 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Monegro throws from a high three-quarter arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s four-seam fastball that tops out at 95-96 mph, a high-80s slider, and an upper-70s curveball. As noted in his Baseball America scouting report, Monegro is more of a control-over-command pitcher since he is generally around the strike zone.

Monegro, who turns 21 in October, has already done an admirable job in raising his prospect profile this summer. Barring any surprises, it will certainly be interesting to see how he goes about putting the finishing touches on what has been a breakout season.

(Picture of Yordanny Monegro: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu homers three times for Triple-A Worcester

Red Sox outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu hit approximately 1,343 feet worth of home runs in Triple-A Worcester’s series finale against the Buffalo Bisons at Polar Park on Sunday afternoon.

Batting third and starting in left field for the WooSox, Abreu went 3-for-5 with two two-run homers and one solo shot. The left-handed hitter got things started right away with one out and one runner on in the bottom of the first inning, taking Bisons starter Mitch White 468 feet deep over the Worcester Wall to open the scoring.

Abreu next stepped up to the plate with two outs and nobody on in the fourth. Going up against Buffalo reliever Paxton Schultz, the 24-year-old again took aim at Summit Street and belted a first-pitch changeup 457 feet over everyone’s heads in right -center field. The ball left Abreu’s bat at 106.3 mph and put Worcester up 7-3 going into the fifth.

Shortly thereafter, Abreu came through once more. After Enmanuel Valdez plated David Hamilton with a two-out double off veteran righty Matt Wisler, Abreu extended the bottom half of the sixth inning by drilling a 1-2 slider 418 feet to right field to give the WooSox a commanding 10-4 edge.

Though Abreu flew out in his final trip to the plate in the eighth inning, Bobby Dalbec (who previously homered) and Stephen Scott went back-to-back off Rowan Wick to put the finishing touches on a 13-4 blowout victory for Worcester as it improved to 24-14 in the second half and 63-50 on the season overall.

By putting together the first three-homer game of his professional career and in WooSox history, Abreu brought his home run total on the season up to 20 in 129 games. That represents a career-best after he hit 19 in 129 Double-A contests last year.

Following Sunday’s memorable performance, Abreu is now batting a respectable .268/.380/.521 with nine doubles, one triple, those 20 homers, 58 RBIs, 60 runs scored, six stolen bases, 52 walks, and 72 strikeouts in exactly 80 games (337 plate appearances) for the WooSox this season.

For as encouraging as those numbers are, it’s worth mentioning that Abreu found himself slashing just .238/.357/.438 through 69 games after a rough month of July (that can likely be attributed to spending time on the injured list with a right hamstring strain in June) in which he posted a .670 OPS. Since the calendar flipped to August, though, Abreu has turned a corner offensively and has been a much more dangerous hitter.

In his last 11 games dating back to the start of the month, Abreu has batted .450/.522/1.025 with two doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. Halfway through this homestand, Abreu went a ridiculous 13-for-22 (.591) with six homers and 16 RBIs in six games against Buffalo and is a sure bet to earn International League Player of the Week honors as a result.

Defensively, Abreu made his 31st start of the season in left field in Sunday’s win over the Bisons. So far this year, the 5-foot-10, 215-pounder has logged 267 innings in left, 219 1/3 innings in right, and 119 innings in center. He has recorded just two errors in 139 total chances while recording a team-leading nine outfield assists.

Abreu is in the midst of his first full season as a member of the Red Sox organization after coming over from the Astros with Valdez in the Christian Vazquez trade last August. The native Venezuelan originally signed with Houston for $300,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracaibo in July 2017 .

While Valdez has already made his major-league debut for the Sox, it does not appear as though Abreu — the organization’s No. 26 prospect according to Baseball America — is too far behind. Like Valdez to a certain extent, Abreu was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last fall so that he could not be taken by another club in the Rule 5 Draft.

Taking that point into consideration, the Red Sox would not be required to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to call up Abreu if that occasion arises before season’s end. In fact, Abreu’s path to Boston opens up some in a couple of weeks when big-league rosters expand from 26 to 28 players at the start of September.

Unlike top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela, for instance, Abreu has spent the entirety of the 2023 campaign with Worcester, which should play into his favor if the Red Sox express a desire or need to call up an additional outfielder at some point during the final stretch of the major-league season.

In the meantime, Abreu and the WooSox are off on Monday and are then slated to open a six-game series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park on Tuesday night. Abreu, for what it’s worth, is currently riding a six-game hitting streak.

(Picture of Wilyer Abreu: Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)