Tag: andy lugo

Which prospect did Red Sox trade to Twins for hard-throwing reliever Jorge Alcalá?

The Red Sox swung a late-night trade with the Twins on Wednesday, acquiring right-hander Jorge Alcalá for minor league infielder/outfielder Andy Lugo. Fellow righty Brian Van Belle was designated for assignment to make room for Alcala on Boston’s 40-man roster, the club announced.

Lugo, 21, was not ranked among Boston’s top prospects by publications such as SoxProspects.com. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Cristobal in July 2021. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and was later recognized as the organization’s 2022 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Due to a quad strain, Lugo missed the entirety of 2023 before returning to action last year. He split the 2024 campaign between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville, most notably joining top prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell as the only three Red Sox minor-leaguers to record 30-plus doubles on the season as a whole.

Lugo broke camp with Greenville this spring and had gotten his 2025 season off to a solid start, leading up to Wednesday’s trade. In 44 games for the Drive, the right-handed hitter batted .265/.327/.430 with 11 doubles, one triple, a career-high four home runs, 20 RBIs, 16 runs scored, four stolen bases, 14 walks, and 40 strikeouts over 171 plate appearances. That includes a .188/.250/.375 slash line against left-handed pitching and a .286/.348/.445 slash line against right-handed pitching.

Among 77 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League coming into play on Wednesday, Lugo ranked 15th in batting average, 19th in slugging percentage, 24th in OPS (.757), 25th in isolated power (.166), 26th in strikeout rate (23.4 percent), 28th in wOBA (.346), 30th in line-drive rate (22.3 percent), 31st in wRC+ (112), and 37th in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Lugo saw playing time at three different positions with Greenville this season. The versatile six-footer made 21 starts at first base, 16 starts at third base, and four starts in left field, committing four errors in 186 total defensive chances. He also made three starts at DH and has prior experience at second base, center field, and right field.

Lugo, who does not turn 22 until next March, can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his professional career this winter. In the more immediate future, he has been assigned to Minnesota’s High-A affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As such, he will presumably report to and join the Kernels’ roster in the coming days, with a move to Double-A Wichita potentially on the horizon.

(Picture of Jorge Alcalá: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

After missing all of 2023, how did versatile Red Sox prospect Andy Lugo fare this past season?

Alongside top prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, Andy Lugo was the only other Red Sox minor-leaguer to hit 30 or more doubles this past season.

Lugo split the 2024 campaign between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville. In 108 games, the right-handed hitting 21-year-old batted .263/.337/.371 with 30 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 45 RBIs, 47 runs scored, 28 stolen bases (in 32 attempts), 31 walks, and 88 strikeouts over 420 plate appearances.

After missing the entire 2023 season with a quad strain, Lugo broke camp with Salem in April to mark his first competitive action in nearly two years. He slashed .271/.337/.388 with 24 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 32 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 64 strikeouts in his first 77 games (300 plate appearances) for the Red Sox before being promoted to Greenville in early August.

Lugo spent nearly four weeks with the Drive, hitting .225/.295/.282 with four doubles, six RBIs, four runs scored, three stolen bases, five walks, and 20 strikeouts in 21 games (79 plate appearances). He was sent back down to Salem on August 27 and closed out his season by going 9-for-33 (.273) with two doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, six walks, and four strikeouts in his final 10 games.

Among the 21 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 400 trips to the plate in 2024, Lugo ranked first in wSB (2.3), third in line-drive rate (27.9 percent), sixth in strikeout rate (21 percent), seventh in swinging-strike rate (10.8 percent), eighth in batting average, and 10th in speed score (6.2) and wRC+ (111), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Lugo saw playing time at five different positions this year. Between his stops in Salem and Greenville, the versatile six-footer logged 261 innings in left field, 194 innings at third base, 174 innings in right field, 153 innings at first base, and 116 innings at second base. He recorded six outfield assists and committed 12 errors in 316 total defensive chances. He also struck out the lone batter he faced in the first relief appearance of his career on September 6.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Lugo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent in July 2021. The San Cristobal native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and was later recognized as the organization’s 2022 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Lugo — who turns 21 in March — is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, which projects that he will return to Greenville for the start of the 2025 season if he remains with the organization through the winter and into the spring.

(Picture of Andy Lugo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote versatile prospect Andy Lugo to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted versatile prospect Andy Lugo from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Lugo, a right-handed hitting 20-year-old, batted .271/.337/.388 with 24 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 32 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 64 strikeouts in 77 games (300 plate appearances) for Salem this season. That includes a .306/.306/.431 slash line in the month of July.

Among 67 qualified Carolina League hitters coming into play on Thursday, Lugo is tied for first in doubles. He also ranks seventh in line-drive rate (27.8 percent), 12th in batting average, 21st in slugging percentage and OPS (.725), 22nd in strikeout rate (21.3 percent) and swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), 23rd in wRC+ (115), 28th in on-base percentage, and 31st in isolated power (.117), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Lugo made at least one start at every position besides pitcher, catcher, shortstop, and center field while with Salem. The 6-foot, 160-pounder logged 108 innings at first base, 59 innings at second base, 78 innings at third base, 244 1/3 innings in left field, and 163 innings in right field. He recorded six outfield assists in that span.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Lugo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Cristobal in July 2021. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and was named the organization’s 2022 Latin Program Position Player of the Year after batting .318/.368/.414 in 56 games. He then missed the entire 2023 season with a quad strain.

Lugo, who does not turn 21 until next March, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. He figures to provide Greenville with more depth in the infield and outfield after infielder Ahbram Liendo was promoted to Double-A Portland on Thursday.

(Picture of Andy Lugo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Who is Eybersson Polanco? Get to know the Red Sox’ Latin Program Pitcher of the Year

In similar fashion to Andy Lugo, Eybersson Polanco was named the Red Sox’ Latin Program Pitcher of the Year last month.

Polanco, 19, made 12 starts for the Dominican Summer League Red Sox Red this season. The right-hander posted a 1.78 ERA and 2.96 FIP to go along with 50 strikeouts to 17 walks over 50 2/3 innings of work. He led his team in strikeouts and WHIP (0.95) and represented them in the Dominican Summer League All-Star Game in July.

Among 31 qualified DSL pitchers this year, Polanco ranked 15th in walks per nine innings (3.02), 13th in strikeout rate (25.8%), fourth in batting average against (.177), fifth in WHIP, 13th in groundball rate (46.2%), fourth in ERA, third in FIP, and 11th in xFIP (3.42), per FanGraphs.

Like Lugo, there is not much information available on Polanco since he only just completed his first professional season. The Red Sox originally signed the 6-foot, 170-pound righty out of Venezuela last July. He received a $50,000 bonus while fellow countryman Jedixson Paez netted $450,000, making him the highest-paid pitcher from the club’s 2021 international signing class.

Paez, who earned Latin Program Pitcher of the Year last season, was signed by Angel Escobar in January 2021. Polanco, on the other hand, was signed by Lenin Rodriguez six months later.

Given that he just turned 19 in September, it feels safe to assume that Polanco still has plenty of room to grow. That applies to his physical maturation, mechanics, and pitch arsenal, among other things.

Polanco is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2023. Paez made strides in Fort Myers this year and is now regarded by the site as the No. 12 pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. Perhaps Polanco can do the same beginning next summer.

(Picture of Eybersson Polanco via his Facebook)

Who is Andy Lugo? Get to know the Red Sox’ Latin Program Position Player of the Year

Last month, Andy Lugo was named the Red Sox’ Latin Program Position Player of the Year after a successful debut season in the Dominican Summer League.

Appearing in 56 games for the club’s DSL Blue affiliate, Lugo batted an impressive .318/.368/.414 to go along with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 30 RBIs, 52 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 11 walks, and 35 strikeouts. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old led his team in hits (70), total bases (91), runs scored, and stolen bases.

Among those in the Dominican Summer League who made at least 200 trips to the plate this season, Lugo ranked ninth in batting average, 19th in strikeout rate (14.5%), 10th in speed score (8.4), 33rd in line-drive rate (21.8%), and 47th in wRC+ (114), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Lugo saw playing time at four different positions over the summer. The versatile 5-foot-11, 160-pounder logged 18 innings at second base, 51 innings at third base, 123 2/3 innings in left field, and 179 innings in center. His six outfield assists were tied for second-most on the DSL Red Sox Blue behind only Albertson Asigen’s eight.

The Red Sox originally signed Lugo as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic last July. The San Cristobal native netted a modest $10,000 signing bonus, which pales in comparison to what the club’s top signee from the 2021 class — fellow countryman Miguel Bleis — received ($1.5 million). Bleis was signed by Jonathan Cruz while Lugo was signed by Esau Medina.

Given that his professional career has only just begun, there is not too much information available when it comes to Lugo’s scouting profile. He is unsurprisingly not yet regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

While that could certainly change with time, Lugo does not turn 19 until next March and presumably still has room to grow both physically and developmentally. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2023, so perhaps he will benefit from more exposure stateside.

(Picture of Andy Lugo via his Instagram)