Tag: arizona fall league

Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs continues to light it up in Arizona Fall League

Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs continues to rake for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League.

As part of a 7-6 loss to the Glendale Desert Dogs at Scottsdale Stadium on Monday afternoon, Downs went 1-for-3 with a grand slam as well as a walk and strikeout while batting out of the eight-hole.

After drawing a two-out walk in the second inning, punching out in the fifth inning, and flying out in the sixth inning, Downs’ grand slam came in the bottom half of the eighth.

With two outs and the bases full after Desert Dogs right-hander Kyle Hurt on a single, a wild pitch, and two walks, Downs greeted the Dodgers prospect by crushing a bases-clearing grand slam to the opposite field that at the time cut Glendale’s lead down to one run.

By going deep yet again on Monday, Downs has now clubbed five home runs through his first six games for Scottsdale, which is tops amongst all hitters in the Arizona Fall League.

To go along with those five home runs, the 23-year-old middle infielder has also collected 13 RBI, scored seven runs, stole one base, draw eight walks, and strike out six times while slashing an impressive .333/.517/1.048 over 29 plate appearances thus far.

Regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system, Downs enjoying some early success three weeks into the Arizona Fall League campaign certainly is encouraging.

One of the three players the Red Sox got back from the Dodgers in the infamous trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to Los Angeles, the Colombian-born right-handed hitter endured his fair share of struggles with Triple-A Worcester this season.

Coming off a 2020 season in which he was limited to working out at the alternate training site on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, Downs hit just. 190/.272/.333 (62 wRC+) with nine doubles, 14 homers, 39 RBI, 39 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 38 walks, and 131 strikeouts over 99 games (405 plate appearances) in his first exposure to the Triple-A level.

On the surface, those numbers obviously do not jump off the page. However, it is worth mentioning that from September 14 through the end of the minor-league season, Downs slashed a much-improved .316/.372/.579 (149 wRC+) to go along with one double, three home runs, eight RBI, four runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and 11 strikeouts in his final 11 games (43 plate appearances) of the year.

It appears as though Downs has carried over how he ended his season with the WooSox to how he has started the Arizona Fall League season with the Scorpions, who will host the Surprise Saguaros in their 12th game of the year later Tuesday afternoon.

Downs, who does not turn 24 until next July, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his professional career this winter. And so he will most definitely be added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the November 20 deadline in order to prevent that from happening.

(Picture of Jeter Downs: Taylor Jackson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs catching fire in Arizona Fall League

Red Sox top prospect Jeter Downs may only be a few weeks removed from an overall tough season with Triple-A Worcester this year, but the young middle infielder has certainly gotten off to a hot start in the Arizona Fall League.

Playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions alongside other Red Sox, Indians, Twins, Giants, and Rays prospects, Downs went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, two runs scored, one walk, and one strikeout as part of an 11-9 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Batting out of the two-hole behind Rays prospect Matt Dyer and ahead of Twins prospect Matt Wallner, Downs began his day by crushing a solo shot off Marlins prospect Evan Fitterer with one out in the bottom of the first inning, marking the third straight game in which he has homered.

The 23-year-old, who was playing shortstop on Wednesday (and can also play second base), later drew an eight-pitch walk with no outs in the third inning, struck out on four pitches in the fifth inning, flew out to center field for the final out of the seventh inning, and led off the ninth inning with a single before scoring on a passed ball to wrap up what was a productive afternoon at the plate and on the base paths.

Since the 2021 Arizona Fall League season began on October 13, Downs has appeared in four games for the Scorpions and — following Wednesday’s strong performance — is currently slashing .357/.550/1.000 with three home runs, six RBI, five runs scored, one stolen base, six walks, and three strikeouts over 20 trips to the plate.

One of three players (two prospects) the Red Sox acquired from the Dodgers in the infamous trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to Los Angeles last February, Downs finally got his first taste of Triple-A action this year after the 2020 minor-league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the hole, the 2021 campaign was not a particularly encouraging one for Downs. While he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game in Denver over the summer, the right-handed hitter overall struggled to the tune of a .190/.272/.333 (62 wRC+) across 99 games and 405 plate appearances with the WooSox.

That being said, Downs was at least able to salvage his season towards the end, and it came right around the same time fellow top Sox Prospect and Miami-area native Triston Casas earned a promotion to Worcester in late September.

From Sept. 17 until the Triple-A season came to a close on October 3, Downs hit an impressive .355/.400/.581 (158 wRC+) with one double, two homers, seven RBI, three runs scored, one stolen base, two walks, and eight strikeouts over his final nine games (35 plate appearances) of the year. Casas was promoted from Double-A Portland right in the middle of that stretch on Sept. 22.

Downs, who does not turn 24 until next July, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks three spots behind Casas, who is also playing for the Scorpions with five other Red Sox prospects in left-hander Brendan Cellucci, right-handers Andrew Politi, Connor Seabold, and Josh Winckowski, catcher Kole Cottam, and infielder Christian Koss.

Connor Wong is also listed on Scottsdale’s roster, but the catching prospect is currently with the Red Sox as part of their taxi squad for their American League Championship Series clash with the Astros.

Going back to Downs, the 5-foot-11, 193 pounder out of Colombia can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his professional career this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November 2020 deadline.

When speaking with The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan recently, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham relayed that Downs wanted to play in the Arizona this fall even after a long and full season with Worcester.

Abraham also indicated that the Sox view Downs “as an up-the-middle, impact player” who is capable of driving the baseball while playing sound defense and running the bases.

“He’s an all-around player,” Abraham said, “and that’s really exciting for us.”

(Picture of Jeter Downs: Norm Hall / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox to send 8 prospects to Arizona Fall League: Triston Casas, Jeter Downs among those who will play for Scottsdale Scorpions

Major League Baseball unveiled rosters for its six Arizona Fall League teams earlier Wednesday morning, and it turns out the Red Sox will be sending eight of their top prospects out west later this month.

After the COVID-19 pandemic halted things in 2020, the AFL is back in full swing this year, as the 2021 season is set to kick off on October 13.

The Red Sox, as well as the Indians, Twins, Giants, and Rays, will all be represented by the Scottsdale Scorpions of the AFL East Division. The Scorpions play their home games at Scottsdale Stadium and their season will be six weeks in length.

So, without further ado, here are the prospects the Sox will have play for the Scorpions to begin the 2021 AFL season, though more could join this group as the fall rolls along.

Pitchers (4): Brendan Cellucci, Andrew Politi, Connor Seabold, Josh Winckowski

Catchers (2): Kole Cottam, Connor Wong

Infielders (2): Triston Casas, Jeter Downs

Of these eight prospects, Triston Casas is the lone representative in Baseball America’s top-100 rankings.

Casas, regarded by BA as the top prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 15 prospect in baseball, put together a strong 2021 campaign in which he helped Team USA win a silver medal in the Olympic Games in Tokyo over the summer.

In addition to being named the best first baseman in that particular tournament, the 21-year-old posted a .284/.395/.484 slash line to go along with 12 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 52 RBI, 57 runs scored, six stolen bases, 49 walks, and 63 strikeouts over 77 games (329 plate appearances) with Double-A Portland before earning a late promotion to Triple-A Worcester on September 22.

With the WooSox, Casas appeared in nine games and batted .242/.381/.485 with three doubles, one triple, one homer, seven RBI, six runs scored, one stolen base, eight walks, and eight strikeouts over nine games (42 plate appearances) to close out the minor-league season.

Fellow infielder Jeter Downs was once included in Baseball America’s top-100 rankings, but has since fallen off that list on account of a poor offensive season with Worcester in which he put up a subpar 62 wRC+ across 405 plate appearances.

Still just 23 years old, Downs did at least end his season on a high note by slashing .314/.359/.514 (130 wRC+) with two home runs and seven RBI over his final 10 games (39 plate appearances) of the year from Sept. 16-30.

Like Downs, Connor Wong came over to the Red Sox as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February 2020.

The 25-year-old backstop made his major-league debut for Boston in June of this season and was most-recently included in his first career postseason roster when the Sox defeated the Yankees in Tuesday night’s American League Wild Card Game at Fenway Park.

Kole Cottam, meanwhile, split the season between High-A Greenville and Portland after earning a midseason promotion to the Double-A level towards the end of July.

In 25 games with the Sea Dogs, the 24-year-old hit an impressive .282/.337/.526 (131 wRC+) with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, nine runs driven in, 11 runs scored, three walks, and 33 strikeouts over the course of 86 total trips to the plate.

Regarded by Baseball America as the top defensive catcher in the organization, Cottam also threw out two of the 15 base runners who attempted to steal off him while with Portland.

As for the pitchers who will be joining these position players in Arizona, Brendan Cellucci — the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system, per BA — appeared in 36 games for Greenville this season.

The 23-year-old right-hander posted a 5.30 ERA across 37 1/3 innings pitched in those outings with the Drive, though he also put up a much more respectable 3.98 ERA and 3.97 xFIP.

Andrew Politi, on the other hand, struggled to the tune of a 6.36 ERA (and 4.50 xFIP) across 21 appearances — 15 of which were starts — and 75 innings of work, though he did not allow a run over his final four outings of the season from Sept. 10 on.

Connor Seabold, like Wong, made his big-league debut for the Sox earlier this season, while Josh Winckowski closed out his year with back-to-back strong performances for the WooSox.

All in all, the Red Sox will be represented by eight prospects in this year’s installment of the Arizona Fall League, which — as noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo — will be used by Major League Baseball to test out different rile changes, such as pitch timers, limiting the shift, larger bases and the automatic strike zone.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Three Red Sox Prospects Selected to 2019 Fall Stars Game

Three Red Sox prospects will be representing the Peoria Javelinas in the 2019 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game on Saturday night, as announced by MLB.com earlier Tuesday.

Outfielders Jarren Duran and Marcus Wilson, as well as infielder C.J. Chatham, have impressed thus far with Peoria despite the club only sporting a 8-7 record with 13 games remaining in the AFL season.

Ranked as the club’s top prospect out of the three and fourth overall, Duran is slashing .262/.340/.381 with one home run, two doubles, two stolen bases, and three RBI over 11 games played. The 23-year-old will be one of six prospects who participated in the All-Star Futures Game in Cleveland back in July.

Chatham, who turns 25 in December, is ranked as the Sox’ ninth overall prospect, and has put together a .300/.364/.400 slash line to go along with three stolen bases, four doubles, and six RBI through 10 games.

Wilson, meanwhile, has only played in six games for the Javelinas, but is slashing .318/.423/.500 with one home run, two stolen bases, and eight RBI over that span. He is second on the team in terms of OPS (.923), trailing only Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Jared Oliva (1.174). in that category.

Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks this past April, the 23-year-old Wilson is ranked as the Sox’ 17th overall prospect, per MLB.com.

According to SoxProspects.com, both Chatham and Wilson will need to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster come November in order to avoid protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Bobby Dalbec, the club’s No. 2 prospect, will also need to be added, so it will be interesting to see what moves the Red Sox make in order to create space for three of their prospects.

Checking in on the Six Red Sox Prospects Playing in the Arizona Fall League

The Arizona Fall League opened up 2019 play on Wednesday, September 18th, meaning we are now officially one full week into the new season.

Through seven games played, the Peoria Javelinas, the club that all six Red Sox prospects participating in the AFL were assigned to last month, are only 3-4, but have gotten plenty of contribution from those aforementioned Boston prospects.

For starters, outfielder Marcus Wilson leads Peoria in hitting with a .500 batting average (7-for-14) and OPS (1.3297) to go along with one home run and eight RBI through four games of action.

Ranked as the Sox’ 17th-best prospect on MLB.com, the 23-year-old was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks back on April 19th and saw time with both High-A Salem and Double-A Portland this year.

Next up, outfielder Jarren Duran is barely trailing Wilson for the team lead in hitting, slashing .400/.438/.400 with one RBI and one stolen base in four games played as well.

Wilson’s teammate in Portland for the latter part of this season, Duran was Boston’s lone representative in the 2019 Futures Game back in July. The recently-turned 23-year-old is ranked as the Red Sox’ top outfield prospect and fourth overall prospect on MLB.com. This is his first full season in professional baseball, as he was a seventh round pick out of Long Beach State in last year’s draft.

Coming in at third, infielder C.J. Chatham trails Duran by just .025 points in Peoria’s batting race, as he owns a slash line of .375/.474/.563 to go along with two doubles, two runs driven in, and two stolen bases over his first four games.

Selected in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft out of Florida Atlantic University, the 24-year-old will need to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster before November 20th of this year in order to avoid being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. He is ranked as Boson’s ninth-best prospect on MLB.com

Transitioning from position players to pitchers now, Yoan Aybar and Bryan Mata are two of 10 Javelinas hurlers who have yet to surrender an earned run in AFL play.

Aybar, 22, has appeared in two games for Peoria, working a total of three innings of relief while walking three and striking out two in that span.

The Dominican Republic native put together a fascinating 2019 campaign, posting an ERA of 4.61 but a batting average against of .176 over 44 outings and 56 2/3 innings of work between Class-A Greenville and High-A Salem.

Originally signed as an outfielder six years ago, Aybar was converted into a left-handed reliever in 2018 and has a pitch arsenal that consists of a 93-97 MPH fastball, an 86-87 MPH slider, and an 83 MPH changeup, per SoxProspects.com.

Like Chatham, Aybar, the Sox’ 29th-ranked prospect, is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this December if he is not added to the club;s 40-man roster before then.

Mata, meanwhile, has also appeared in two games for the Javelinas, plunking two and walking another to go along with three punchouts over three total innings pitched.

Climbing up the ranks to become Boston’s top pitching prospect this season, the 20-year-old right-hander earned a promotion from High-A Salem to Double-A Portland back on July 1st and posted an ERA 5.03 over his final 11 starts of 2019.

And finally, right-hander Tanner Houck has struggled since returning to the starting pitching role, yielding six runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits, three walks, and two HBPs to go along with three strikeouts over two starts and 5 1/3 total innings of work. That is good for an ERA of 6.75 and WHIP of 1.88.

Houck made the transition from starter to reliever shortly after making the jump to Triple-A Pawtucket in July, and it seemed as though that plan revolved around the possibility of the 23-year-old being called up the majors at some point in September.

That is not how things turned out however, as Houck is still not a member of Boston’s 40-man roster. He still has another year left before becoming Rule 5 eligible in 2020, so there’s no reason to rush on that decision either. Houck is listed as the Sox’ second-best pitching prospect on MLB.com.

The 2019 installment of the Arizona Fall League runs through October 25th, with the Fall Stars Game being played on the 12th and the championship game being played on the 26th, so stay tuned for updates regarding how these six Red Sox prospects are holding up in the desert.

Red Sox’ Top Pitching Prospect Bryan Mata Hurls Seven Scoreless Innings, Strikes out Nine in Final Start of Season for Double-A Portland

Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata ended his season with Double-A Portland with a bang on Saturday, tossing seven scoreless, one-hit innings while walking five and punching out nine against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats en route to picking up his fourth Eatern League win of the year.

Per the Sea Dogs’ official Twitter account, seven innings pitched and nine strikeouts mark new career-highs for the right-hander, while his final pitch count of 103 (56 strikes) is also a new career high.

Ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 pitching prospect in Boston’s system, Mata earned a promotion to Double-A back in early July after posting a 1.75 ERA and .201 batting average against in his first 10 starts of the year with High-A Salem.

The numbers have not exactly been there for the 20-year-old hurler since then, but Saturday’s outing was certainly a reminder of the potential Mata has.

Including Saturday, Mata finishes his 2019 campaign with Portland with a 5.03 ERA and .271 batting average against over 11 outings and 53 2/3 total innings of work.

The Venezuela native will spend part of his offseason in the Arizona Fall League, joining five other Sox prospects as a member of the Peoria Javelinas, who begin play on September 18th.

Right-handed reliever Durbin Feltman, Boston’s 16th-ranked prospect, closed things out for Mata on Saturday by scattering two hits and fanning four over two scoreless frames of relief to earn his fifth save of 2019.

Six Red Sox Prospects to Play for Peoria Javelinas in Arizona Fall League

In case you missed it, the Red Sox will be sending six of their prospects to the Arizona Fall League this year, with right-handers Bryan Mata and Tanner Houck, left-hander Yoan Aybar, infielder C.J. Chatham, and outfielders Jarren Duran and Marcus Wilson all being assigned to the Peoria Javelinas on Wednesday.

Mata is listed as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s system and the third-highest overall behind only Triston Casas and Bobby Dalbec, per MLB Pipeline.

Since being promoted from High-A Salem to Double-A Portland at the beginning of July, the 20-year-old hurler has posted a 5.79 ERA and .296 batting average against over his first 10 Eastern League starts and 46 2/3 innings of work. He was the Sox’ lone representative in the All-Star Futures Game last year.

Houck, meanwhile, was converted from a starter to a reliever while with Double-A Portland in early July before being promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket on July 13th.

In 14 appearances (one one-inning start) with the PawSox, the 23-year-old owns an ERA of 2.21 and xFIP of 5.62 over 20 1/3 innings pitched.

The former 2017 first round pick out of the University of Missouri is ranked as the fifth-best prospect in the Sox’ system.

Aybar is a bit of an interesting case, as he came up through the pipeline as an outfielder after signing as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic six years ago.

The whole hitting thing never really panned out for Aybar though, with a career .624 OPS and all through his first four minor league seasons, so he began working as a pitcher in 2018.

The now 22-year-old held opponents to a .234 batting average while posting a 4.13 ERA over his first 17 outings as a reliever between the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and Low-A Lowell Spinners last year.

Fast forward to this season, and Aybar has allowed a total of 29 earned runs over 43 appearances and 55 2/3 innings between Class-A Greenville and High-A Salem. He is ranked as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s system.

As for the position players, Duran has skyrocketed up the prospect boards, moving into the No. 4 spot in just his first full professional season after being selected in the eighth round of last year’s amateur draft out of Long Beach State.

The soon-to-be 23-year-old tore up the Carolina League to begin his 2019 campaign, slashing .387/.456/.543 to go along with 49 runs scored and 18 stolen bases over 50 games played before being promoted to Double-A Portland in early June.

Duran’s numbers have cooled off since then, but as I have mentioned before, to make the Futures Game in your first full season of professional baseball is quite the feat. Not to mention he was the lone prospect to represent the Sox in Cleveland as well.

Chatham, like Duran, has worked his way up through the Sox’ system in 2019, eventually earning a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket on August 13th after posting a .297/.333/.403 slash line in 90 games with the Sea Dogs to begin the year.

Taken with the 51st overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft out of Florida Atlantic University, Chatham will need to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November in order to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

Set to turn 25 in December, the Florida native is currently the ninth-ranked prospect in the Sox’ system.

And finally, Wilson was the minor leaguer the Red Sox acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks back in April in exchange for Blake Swihart, who has since been designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A by Arizona.

Wilson’s Red Sox tenure got off to a rocky start, as he went just 10-for-his-first-62 (.161) with 33 strikeouts before getting demoted to Salem on May 18th.

There, the 23-year-outfielder thrived, as he slashed .342/.413/.603 with eight home runs and 29 RBI over 45 games, which eventually earned a promotion back up to Double-A on July 14th.

Since then, Wilson has been better for the most part, as he owns an OPS of .847 and wRC+ of 146 in his last 39 games with the Sea Dogs, although he is currently in the midst of an 8-for-39 slump over his last 10 contests going back to August 15th.

The Arizona Fall League begins on September 18th. The Valejina will consist of prospects from the Red Sox’, Houston Astros’, Seattle Mariners’, Pittsburgh Pirates’ and San Diego Padres’ systems respectively.