Tag: angel bastardo

Red Sox lose hard-throwing pitching prospect Angel Bastardo to Blue Jays in Rule 5 Draft

The Red Sox lost pitching prospect Angel Bastardo to the Blue Jays with the sixth overall pick in the major-league phase of Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft.

Bastardo, 22, was previously ranked by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Venezuelan spent the last six-plus years in the Red Sox organization after originally signing with the club for $35,000 as an international free agent in July 2018.

This past season, Bastardo was limited to just 10 starts with Double-A Portland. The right-hander posted a 5.36 ERA (4.28 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 21 walks over 45 1/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .225 batting average. He damaged the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his pitching elbow in early June and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter as a result.

To that end, Bastardo was left off the Red Sox’ 40-man roster ahead of last month’s Rule 5 protection deadline, leaving him exposed to other clubs on Wednesday. The Blue Jays, as it turns out, were willing to take a chance on Bastardo and paid Boston $100,000 for the young righty even though he will likely miss most — if not the entirety — of the 2025 campaign.

Before going under the knife earlier this summer, Bastardo flashed an intriguing four-pitch mix on the mound. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the lean 6-foot-1 hurler averaged 93-96 mph and reached 97 mph with his fastball while also mixing in an 84-88 mph changeup, an 82-85 mph slider, and a 78-80 mph curveball.

Bastardo, who does not turn 23 until next June, will need to stick on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster until he is eligible to be placed on the 60-day injured list in February. He would not occupy a spot on Toronto’s 40-man roster while on the 60-day injured list, during which time he would presumably be rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Once he is cleared to return to action, however, Bastardo would need to spend 90 days on Toronto’s major-league roster between 2025 and 2026 (if it rolls over until then) to become a 40-man roster player who can be optioned without any Rule 5 restrictions attached, according to The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath.

If those conditions could not be met, the Blue Jays would be required to place Bastardo on waivers and then offer him back to the Red Sox for $50,000 if he clears. In that scenario, Bastardo would return to Boston’s system without being added to the 40-man roster.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo likely requires Tommy John surgery

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo is likely to require Tommy John surgery, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Like fellow right-hander Luis Perales, Bastardo has damage in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of his throwing elbow. Surgery is viewed as the likely outcome, though the 22-year-old will meet with a doctor before making a final decision.

Bastardo, who just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, has been on Double-A Portland’s injured list since June 6. The night prior, he left his start at Hadlock Field in the fourth after crumpling to the ground in pain following the delivery of a pitch. He was initially diagnosed with a sprained UCL, but it appears further imaging and testing revealed a more serious prognosis.

In 10 starts for Portland this season, Bastardo posted a 5.36 ERA and 4.32 FIP with 53 strikeouts to 21 walks over 45 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .225 against him. His 26.6 percent punchout rate ranks 16th among 50 Eastern League pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings coming into play on Tuesday, per FanGraphs.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for $35,000 in July 2018, Bastardo is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. As noted by Speier, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound righty has shown an intriguing fastball that has reached 97-98 mph this year. He also features a swing-and-miss changeup, a curveball, and a slider.

If he does indeed undergo Tommy John surgery, Bastardo would be looking at a lengthy rehab process that would keep him sidelined for the rest of 2024 and most — if not all — of 2025. An internal bracing procedure to repair the damaged UCL would have a faster recovery timeline but would still necessitate a lengthy absence.

Unlike Perales, who is slated to visit Dr. Jeffrey Dugas in Birmingham, Ala. next week, Bastardo is not on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster. He can, however, become a minor-league free agent at the end of the 2025 season, so the timing of all this is far from ideal.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo impresses in 2024 debut for Double-A Portland

The conditions were far from ideal, but Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo still impressed in his 2024 debut for Double-A Portland over the weekend.

Due to a snowstorm hitting southern Maine and blanketing Hadlock Field with snow on Thursday, Portland was forced to postpone its first two games of the season against the Hartford Yard Goats on Friday and Saturday. Thanks to diligent work from the team’s grounds crew, though, the Sea Dogs were able to celebrate Opening Day in front of a crowd of 6,074 on Sunday afternoon.

Bastardo, in turn, rose to the occasion. The 21-year-old right-hander allowed only one earned run on one hit and two walks to go along with three strikeouts over five solid innings of work. That lone run came in the top of the third after Rockies prospect Ryan Ritter drew a leadoff walk, stole two bases, and scored from third on an RBI groundout off the bat of Bladimir Restituyo.

That sequence of events gave the Yard Goats an early 1-0 lead, but Bastardo did not waver. He instead got through the rest of the third inning unscathed and went on to retire the final seven batters he faced before making way for reliever Theo Denlinger in the top half of the sixth.

Finishing with 67 pitches (44 strikes), Bastardo induced seven swings-and-misses. He was later charged with the tough-luck loss as the Sea Dogs fell to the Yard Goats by a final score of 1-0 after being held to just three hits as a team. As such, he is now 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 0.60 WHIP on the young season.

Bastardo, who turns 22 in June, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks seventh among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of the town of Moron in July 2018.

Bastardo first arrived in Portland last August after pitching to a 4.62 ERA (3.82 FIP) with 139 strikeouts to 46 walks over 21 starts (103 1/3 innings) for High-A Greenville. He then made three starts for the Sea Dogs before the 2023 campaign drew to a close, allowing a total of nine earned runs on 12 hits, nine walks, and 10 strikeouts across 16 frames in which he held opposing hitters to a .207 batting average against.

Unlike other intriguing pitching prospects in the system such as Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales, Bastardo was not added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November despite being Rule 5-eligible. He was ultimately passed over in December’s Rule 5 Draft (meaning he could become eligible again this offseason) and now appears set for a key role in Portland’s starting rotation to begin the year.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and features a medium leg kick in his delivery. The righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 84-88 mph changeup, an 81-84 mph curveball with 11-to-5 break, and an 85-88 mph slider, per his scouting reports from Baseball America and SoxProspects.com.

As is the case with most young arms in the organization, it will be interesting to see if Bastardo can benefit from the revamped pitching infrastructure the Red Sox have begun to implement under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. How he fares this year in regards to improving his command and control could impact how he is viewed (as a starter or future reliever) moving forward.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo saw his stock rise in 2023

Angel Bastardo was one of 11 minor-league pitchers in the Red Sox organization to reach the century mark in strikeouts this past season.

Bastardo, 21, split the 2023 campaign between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland, posting a 4.68 ERA and 4.16 FIP with 149 punchouts to 55 walks over 24 total starts (119 1/3 innings pitched) in which he held opposing hitters to a .221 batting average against.

After spending all of 2022 at Low-A Salem, Bastardo broke camp with Greenville this spring. The right-hander initially got off to a rough start with the Drive and finished the month of April with a 6.63 ERA through his first four outings of the year. He began to turn a corner as the calendar flipped to May, however, and lowered his ERA by nearly two runs before going on a tear in July.

In his final full month for Greenville, Bastardo went 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA (1.48 FIP) and 42 strikeouts to just five walks across five starts spanning 28 innings of work. He threw back-to-back complete game shutouts (the second of which he struck out a season-high of 14 batters over seven innings) in that stretch and was unsurprisingly named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month as a result.

Shortly after earning that honor, Bastardo spent some time on the development list before receiving a promotion to Portland in late August. Tasked with facing more advanced competition in the Eastern League, the righty closed out his season by allowing nine earned runs on 12 hits, nine walks, and 10 strikeouts in three starts (16 innings) for the Sea Dogs.

While the ending may have been underwhelming to some degree, it was still a breakout year of sorts for Bastardo. Among the 177 minor-leaguers who accrued at least 110 innings on the mound this season, Bastardo ranked 15th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.24), 14th in strikeout rate (29.4 percent), 25th in batting average against (.221), seventh in swinging-strike rate (15.5 percent), and 42nd in xFIP (3.98), per FanGraphs.

A native of Venezuela, Bastardo originally signed with the Red Sox for $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron in July 2018. Throwing from a three-quarters arm slot, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound hurler operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that has topped out at 97 mph, an 84-88 mph changeup that he has an advanced feel for, an 81-84 mph curveball that features 11-to-5 break, and an 85-88 mph slider that has tight gyro-spin, according to SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall.

Unlike fellow righties Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales, who also recorded 100-plus strikeouts this season, Bastardo was not added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November and was therefore eligible to be picked up by another team in last month’s Rule 5 Draft. But while other notable arms like Shane Drohan (White Sox) and Ryan Fernandez (Cardinals) were plucked by other teams, Bastardo was not.

That, for all intents and purposes, likely had something to with Bastardo’s lack of experience in the upper-minors as well as his struggles when it comes to commanding the strike zone. As noted by Cundall, Bastardo currently “lacks the fastball quality and command to stick as a starting pitcher.” And while his secondary offerings are ahead of his fastball, he “needs to further refine his two breaking balls, which can run into each other at times.”

Bastardo, who does not turn 23 until next June, ended the 2023 season ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 17 prospect in Boston’s farm system. Baseball America had him listed 28th on its list while SoxProspects.com currently has him ranked 27th (ninth among pitchers) in the organization.

Assuming he remains with the Red Sox through the winter and into the spring, Bastardo is projected to return to Portland for the start of the Sea Dogs’ 2024 season in early April.

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

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 pitching prospects Angel Bastardo, Luis Cohen earn monthly awards

A pair of Red Sox pitching prospects were recognized for their respective performances in July on Thursday.

High-A Greenville starter Angel Bastardo was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month while FCL Red Sox starter Luis Cohen was named the Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Month, Minor League Baseball announced.

In five July starts for Greenville, Bastardo went 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA and 42 strikeouts to seven walks over 28 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .192 batting average against. The right-hander’s month could have have gone even better had he not been rocked for a season-high six runs over four innings against the Bowling Green Hot Rods on July 26.

That being said, Bastardo rebounded in his last time out against the Rome Braves this past Tuesday, allowing two earned runs on five hits, one walk, and five strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings. All told, the hard-throwing 21-year-old has forged a 3.90 ERA (3.25 FIP) with a South Atlantic League-leading 130 strikeouts to 39 walks in 19 starts (97 innings) for the Drive this season.

Among qualified Sally League pitchers entering Thursday, Bastardo ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.06), second in strikeout rate (32.4 percent), fourth in batting average against (.211), fourth in WHIP (1.19), fifth in groundball rate (48 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (16.6 percent), sixth in ERA, first in FIP, and second in xFIP (3.48), per FanGraphs.

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. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound hurler is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization.

As noted in SoxProspects.com scouting report, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph sinker that tops out at 97 mph, an 82-86 mph curveball that features 11-to-5 break, and an 83-86 mph changeup. Though an intriguing arm, he still needs to work on refining his control and command of the strike zone.

Bastardo, who just turned 21 in June, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this year if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. With that, one has to wonder if Bastardo could soon be on the verge of a promotion to Double-A Portland, which would seemingly allow the Red Sox to see how he fares against more advanced hitters before deciding if he is worthy of a 40-man roster spot.

Cohen, meanwhile, went 1-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 21 strikeouts to seven walks over five July appearances (three starts) spanning 19 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .159 batting average against. On the 2023 campaign as a whole, the 20-year-old righty has posted a 3.60 ERA (3.81 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 11 walks in seven outings (four starts, 25 innings) for Boston’s rookie-level, Fort Myers-based affiliate.

Among 73 Florida Complex League pitchers who came into Thursday with at least 20 innings under their belts to this point in the season, Cohen ranks 25th in strikeouts in per nine innings (10.08), 18th in walks per nine innings (3.96), 18th in strikeout rate (27.7 percent), 26th in walk rate (10.9 percent), 25th in batting average against (.216), 12th in WHIP (1.20), 34th in swinging-strike rate (24.7 percent), 25th in ERA, 12th in FIP, and 26th in xFIP (4.52), per FanGraphs.

Like Bastardo, Cohen also hails from Venezuela. The Tucacas native joined the Red Sox organization as an international free agent last January and received a modest $10,000 signing bonus in doing so. While he is unranked by publications such as Baseball America or SoxProspects.com, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen recently tabbed Cohen as the 36th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system.

“Cohen is an athletic, undersized righty with a precocious breaking ball and several starter traits (except for his size),” Longenhagen wrote of the 6-foot, 172-pound hurler in June. “He’s been sitting 91-94 mph (mostly 93 in my look) throughout relatively short extended spring/complex outings, but he shows the same premium hip/shoulder separation (an indication of power and athleticism, in my opinion) that runs through this system, and therefore has a chance to throw harder at physical maturity even though he’s on the smaller side.

“The money pitch here is Cohen’s sweeping breaker, which has big action and length in the 78-84 mph range,” added Longenhagen. “His 81-83 mph changeup sometimes cuts on him but at other times is average. Like a lot of the other pitchers in this system, there are probably going to be a couple viable secondary offerings in place here, and how Cohen’s fastball velocity and command (the latter is key if little-to-no more velo comes) develop will dictate his ultimate ceiling. It’s more of a backend look due to the lack of projectability.”

Given the fact that he does not turn 21 until next May, Cohen still has plenty of time to grow and fill out his undersized frame. At this point in time, it remains to be seen if the Red Sox will be aggressive with Cohen’s development (i.e. have him pitch at Low-A Salem this season) or will instead put that sort of assignment off until next year.

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

Red Sox’ Angel Bastardo named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo has been named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 15-21, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Bastardo made his seventh start of the season for High-A Greenville in its 3-2 loss to the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field last Wednesday. Though he did not factor into the decision, the right-hander allowed just one hit on two walks and seven strikeouts over six scoreless innings. He finished with 80 pitches (50 strikes) and induced 11 swings-and-misses.

In seven starts for the Drive this season, Bastardo has posted a 5.03 ERA and 4.13 FIP with 47 strikeouts to 17 walks over 34 innings of work. The 20-year-old has impressed as of late by holding opposing hitters to a .170 batting average against in the month of May.

Among qualified pitchers in the South Atlantic League, Bastardo ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.44), second in strikeout rate (32.9 percent), fifth in opponents’ batting average (.206), 13th in WHIP (1.26), first in swinging-strike rate (20.2 percent), 11th in FIP, and eighth in xFIP (3.88), per FanGraphs.

Bastardo, who turns 21 next month, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 40 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 14th among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron in July 2018.

With a projectable 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph and shows sink, an 83-86 mph curveball that varies in shape, and an 84-88 mph changeup that can be inconsistent at times, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Given that he has made just seven starts at the High-A level thus far and still has areas to improve in (i.e. command and control of the strike zone), it would not be surprising if Bastardo were to spend most of the 2023 season with Greenville before garnering consideration for a promotion to Double-A Portland.

With that being said, that timeline could accelerate if Bastardo continues to turn in impressive outings for the Drive as he has been doing. It is also worth mentioning that the righty can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at the end of the year, though him being added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November seems unlikely at this point since he is still a ways away from sniffing the major-leagues.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo strikes out 11 in latest start for High-A Greenville

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo had a performance to remember in his third start of the season for High-A Greenville on Friday night.

Going up against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on the road at First National Bank Field, Bastardo allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks to go along with 11 strikeouts over six solid innings of work in a tough-luck 2-1 losss.

The 11 punchouts represent a career-high for Bastardo, who finished with 84 pitches (58 strikes). The right-hander also induced 27 swings-and-misses while lowering his ERA on the season to 5.93 across 13 2/3 innings with the Drive.

Among 27 qualified South Atlantic League pitchers coming into play on Saturday, Bastardo ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (13.83), second in strikeout rate (35.5 percent), 11th in batting average against (.212), second in line-drive rate (9.7 percent), first in swinging-strike rate (23.8 percent), and seventh in FIP (3.57), per FanGraphs.

While those numbers are undoubtedly encouraging, Bastardo also ranks 23rd in walks per nine innings (4.61), 21st in walk rate (11.9 percent), and 17th in WHIP (1.32), so there is still room for improvement in different areas, like command and control.

Bastardo, 2o, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 56 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 23rd among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron shortly after his 16th birthday in July 2018.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph and shows sink, an 83-86 mph curveball that varies in shape, and an 84-88 mph changeup that can be inconsistent at times, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Considering that he has only pitched at one level per year since debuting in the Dominican Summer League in 2019 and does not turn 21 until June, it seems likely that Bastardo will spend most — if not the entirety — of the 2023 season in Greenville’s starting rotation.

Bastardo can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter. With those prior points in mind, though, the Red Sox probably won’t add the righty to their 40-man roster by the November deadline since he is still relatively raw and at least one full season away from garnering any sort of big-league consideration.

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