Tag: alex hoppe

Red Sox acquire catching prospect, 2025 14th-round pick Luke Heyman in trade with Mariners

As part of a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday, the Red Sox acquired three minor leaguers in three separate trades with the White Sox, Rockies, and Mariners.

This article will focus on Boston acquiring catching prospect Luke Heyman from Seattle for minor league right-hander Alex Hoppe, who was eligible for next month’s Rule 5 Draft but has since been added to the Mariners’ 40-man roster to nullify that.

Heyman, 22, was selected by the Mariners in the 14th round (422nd overall) of the 2025 draft out of the University of Florida. The Altamonte Springs, Fla. native received an over-slot $230,000 signing bonus but did not appear in a game for one of Seattle’s affiliates due to a fractured forearm that prematurely ended his junior season in May.

Before the injury, Heyman batted .301/.397/.578 with seven doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 44 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 22 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 49 games (204 plate appearances) for the Gators this past spring en route to earning All-SEC First Team honors. The right-handed hitter was ranked as Baseball America’s No. 127 draft-eligible prospect before dropping to the 14th round in July.

“Heyman offers plus raw power and improving swing decisions,” his pre-draft Baseball America scouting report reads. “He generates carry and lift to the pull side, even on pitches thrown in the outer half of the zone. While Heyman struggled somewhat with offspeed pitches, particularly changeups, he crushed velocity, a byproduct of solid bat speed and rhythm. He stays balanced through his swing and can punish mistakes over the plate.”

On the other side of the ball, Heyman saw the vast majority of his playing time this season come at catcher. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder made 45 starts behind the plate for the Gators and allowed just three passed balls while throwing out 11 of 45 possible base stealers. He also has prior experience at first base.

“Heyman is a well-below-average athlete, which shows up in his limited range of motion, choppy running stride, and heavy lower half,” his scouting report continues. “Scouts believe he has a chance to stick behind the plate thanks to above-average arm strength and improved receiving and blocking. He presented pitches more cleanly than in years past and showed a feel for handling a staff.”

Heyman, who does not turn 23 until next July, is a candidate to make his professional debut with Low-A Salem to start the 2026 season, though he could be a fast riser through Boston’s farm system. Like fellow trade addition Ronny Hernandez, Heyman provides the Red Sox with some much-needed catching depth.

(Picture of Luke Heyman: Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

How did Red Sox relief prospect Alex Hoppe fare in 2023?

Red Sox relief prospect Alex Hoppe certainly made his impact felt on the mound during his first full professional season in 2023.

Hoppe, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of UNC Greensboro, signed with Boston for just $32,250 last July after earning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year honors as a fifth-year senior.

Having logged 66 2/3 innings in his final season with the Spartans, Hoppe did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate in the closing weeks of the 2022 campaign. The 24-year-old Iowan instead made the jump to High-A Greenville right out of spring training in early April and made his pro debut shortly thereafter.

Hoppe got off to a rough start with the Drive but began to turn things around for the better as the calendar flipped to May. By the end of July, the right-hander owned a 3.93 ERA and 3.38 FIP with 48 strikeouts to 14 walks in 31 relief appearances (34 1/3 innings) for Greenville.

Wanting to see more, the Red Sox promoted Hoppe to Double-A Portland on August 1. With the Sea Dogs, Hoppe pitched to a 4.50 ERA and 4.42 FIP with 16 strikeouts to just three walks over 12 outings (14 innings) in which he converted two saves in three opportunities. He closed out his season by tossing a scoreless ninth inning in a 6-3 win over the Hartford Yard Goats on Sept. 12 at Hadlock Field.

All told, Hoppe posted a 4.10 ERA (3.68 FIP) to go along with 64 strikeouts to 17 walks across 43 appearances spanning 48 1/3 innings of work between Greenville and Portland. Among the 59 minor-league pitchers in the Red Sox system who threw 40 or more innings this season, Hoppe ranked ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.92) and strikeout rate (30.3 percent), 15th in walks per nine innings (3.17), 14th in walk rate (8.1 percent), 10th in groundball rate (48.4 percent), 16th in swinging-strike rate (15.3 percent), 25th in ERA, 11th in FIP, and fourth in xFIP (3.13), per FanGraphs.

On the flip side of that, though, is the fact that Hoppe gave up 52 hits in 48 1/3 innings, leading to a WHIP of 1.43 and opponents’ batting average of .271. While neither of those figures are eye-popping, it should be noted that Hoppe also yielded a .374 batting average on balls put in play this year, which suggests that luck was not exactly on his side.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Hoppe throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a pitch arsenal that is headlined by a 96-99 mph fastball that can reach triple digits. The hard-throwing righty also mixes in an 84-87 mph slider and a rarely-used 85-87 mph changeup, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Hoppe, who turns 25 next month, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 32 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 12th among pitchers in the organization. Ian Cundall, the site’s director of scouting, wrote in September that Hoppe is “one of the top true relief prospects in the system for me.”

Assuming he remains in the organization through the winter, Hoppe is projected to return to Portland’s bullpen for the start of the 2024 season. His development moving forward will likely hinge on his ability to refine the command and control of his secondary offerings. If he can do that, he could be a fast riser next year.

(Picture of Alex Hoppe: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Alex Hoppe to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted relief prospect Alex Hoppe from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Hoppe, 24, posted a 3.93 ERA and 3.39 FIP with 48 strikeouts to 14 walks over 31 appearances (34 1/3 innings) for Greenville this season. In eight July outings, the right-hander pitched to a 2.25 ERA and 1.99 FIP across eight innings out of the Drive bullpen. Altogether, he went 3-for-5 in save opportunities.

Among 139 South Atlantic League pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings to this point in the season, Hoppe came into play Tuesday ranking 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.58), 21st in strikeout rate (31.2 percent), 19th in groundball rate (50 percent), 18th in swinging-strike rate (16.1 percent), 22nd in FIP, and sixth in xFIP (3.23), per FanGraphs. He has also yielded a .420 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that luck has not exactly been on his side.

Hoppe is in the midst of his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of last year’s amateur draft out of UNC Greensboro. As a fifth-year senior, the Iowa native signed with the club for an under-slot $32,250. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 41 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 16th among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Hoppe throws from a three-quarters arm slot and primarily relies upon a 96-98 mph fastball that tops out at 99 mph. He also works with an 86-88 mph sweeping slider, but his command for that offering is still a work in progress, according to scouting reports from SoxProspects.com’s Ian Cundall and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen.

Hoppe, who turns 25 in December, is the third member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Greenville to Portland this season. He joins the likes of fellow righty Isaac Coffey and infielder Chase Meidroth.

(Picture of Alex Hoppe: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox select UNC Greensboro right-hander Alex Hoppe with sixth-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 189th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected University of North Carolina at Greensboro right-hander Alex Hoppe.

Hoppe, a five-year senior who is already 23 years old, was not regarded by Baseball America as one of the top pitching prospects available in this year’s draft.

In 26 relief appearances for the Spartans this season, the native Iowan posted a 2.97 ERA and 1.19 WHIP to go along with 84 strikeouts to 30 walks over 66 2/3 innings of work. He was named the Southern Conference’s Pitcher of the Year for his efforts.

While Hoppe may not have recieved much attention from Baseball America this year, he was ranked by BA as the No. 363 draft-eligible prospect in 2020. Per his scouting report from back then, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound righty “throws a fastball in the 92-94 mph range and has shown the makings of a plus breaking ball as well. He has a poor track record of throwing strikes, however, and will be a full reliever profile at the next level because of that.”

After walking more than 13% of the batters he faced through his first four seasons at UNC Greensboro, Hoppe was able to cut his walk rate down to 10.5% this year.

Hoppe, who turns 24 in December, becomes the first Spartan to be drafted by the Red Sox since 2016, when right-hander Hunter Smith was taken in the 24th round.

The recommended slot value attached to the 189th overall pick in this year’s draft comes in at $266,200. The Sox will have until August 1 to sign Hoppe, as well as the rest of their draft selections.

(Picture of Alex Hoppe: University of North Carolina at Greensboro Athletics)