Tag: awards

Red Sox prospects Henry Godbout, Hayden Mullins sweep Eastern League weekly awards

Red Sox prospects and Double-A Portland teammates Henry Godbout and Hayden Mullins have been named the Eastern League Player and Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 31-September 6, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Godbout is the fourth different Portland position player to earn a weekly honor this season, joining Brooks Brannon, two-time recipient Johanfran Garcia, and Ronald Rosario.

Mullins, on the other hand, is the sixth different Sea Dogs pitcher to earn a weekly honor this season, joining John Holobetz, Patrick Halligan, Anthony Eyanson, two-time recipient Blake Wehunt, and Max Carlson.

Why they won

Both Godbout and Mullins shone in Portland’s final road series of the season against Chesapeake, a six-game set at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie, Md., that the Sea Dogs and Baysox split, three games apiece.

Godbout appeared in five of the six games, going 10-for-22 (.455) with a double, four home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, and five strikeouts. The 22-year-old infielder homered on Tuesday, then recorded the first multi-homer game of his professional career as part of a three-hit performance on Thursday. He added three more hits on Friday before homering again in Sunday’s series finale.

Mullins, meanwhile, made arguably his best start of the season in Portland’s 5-4 extra-inning loss on Wednesday. The 25-year-old left-hander allowed just one hit and one walk while matching a career-high 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings. He retired 17 of the 20 batters he faced and generated 18 whiffs on 76 pitches (52 strikes), topping out at 95.4 mph with his fastball.

Godbout’s season

Since joining Portland in early August, Godbout is batting .286/.333/.623 with two doubles, eight home runs, 18 RBIs, 14 runs scored, four stolen bases, five walks, and 22 strikeouts over 84 plate appearances. The right-handed hitter is slashing .291/.344/.527 against righties and .273/.304/.864 against lefties in that stretch.

Defensively, Godbout has seen the majority of his playing time with the Sea Dogs come at shortstop. In 15 starts there, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has committed four errors in 49 chances over 132 2/3 innings. He has also made four starts at DH.

Godbout, who turns 23 in November, is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 5 prospect. The Virginia product is in his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 75th overall pick in the 2025 draft. He opened the 2026 campaign with High-A Greenville, but required surgery in early June to repair a broken left hand after being hit by a pitch on May 30.

Sidelined from game action for just over two months, Godbout returned to the field with Low-A Salem on July 31 and rehabbed there for five games before being promoted to Portland on August 11. Overall, he is hitting .281/.399/.525 with nine doubles, 15 home runs, 33 RBIs, 41 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 33 walks, and 51 strikeouts in 58 games (268 plate appearances) between Salem, Greenville, and Portland this season.

Mullins’ season

Outside of one spot start for Triple-A Worcester in early July, Mullins has spent all of 2026 with Portland. In 21 outings (19 starts) for the Sea Dogs, the lefty has posted a 4.15 ERA with 127 strikeouts to 47 walks over 86 2/3 innings. He has limited Eastern League opponents to a .191 batting average.

Mullins, who turns 26 next week, is currently ranked as Boston’s No. 23 prospect by Baseball America. The Auburn product was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 12th round (369th overall) of the 2022 draft. Because he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery then, he did not make his professional debut until August 2023. He has since struck out nearly 32% of the batters he has faced as a pro, though that comes with a career 12.3% walk rate.

Listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, Mullins throws from a three-quarters arm slot and possesses plus extension. In addition to a fastball that has touched the mid-90s this year, the southpaw features an 81-85 mph slider, a 77-80 mph sweeper, an 81-83 mph changeup, and a cutter. His secondaries are considered by Baseball America to be “inconsistent,” even though they “can all miss bats.”

What’s next

Unlike Godbout, Mullins can once again become Rule 5-eligible this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November protection deadline. Even though the threat of a lockout may change how things are handled in the coming weeks, the Red Sox could consider moving Mullins back up to Worcester for more exposure after Portland’s season (presumably) ends on Sunday.

(Picture of Henry Godbout: Matthew Mitrani/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Johanfran Garcia named Eastern League Player of the Week for second time this season

Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of August 24-30, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Garcia earns his second Eastern League Player of the Week award this season after previously receiving the honor in June. This time, the 21-year-old slugger made his mark during Double-A Portland’s latest road series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Appearing in four of the Sea Dogs’ six games at Richmond’s CarMax Park, Garcia went 10-for-18 (.556) with three home runs, eight RBIs, six runs scored, two walks, and four strikeouts. The right-handed hitter recorded at least three hits in three of those four contests, including Saturday’s 14-3 win, when he homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs. He followed that effort by going deep yet again in Sunday’s series finale.

Garcia, who did not make his 2026 debut until late April after beginning the year in extended spring training, is putting the finishing touches on a productive season with Portland. In 72 games for the Sea Dogs, he is batting .293/.342/.503 with 10 doubles, a career-best 17 home runs, 51 RBIs, 40 runs scored, three stolen bases, 17 walks, and 89 strikeouts over 313 plate appearances. He has posted a .294/.341/.502 line in 249 plate appearances against righties and a .288/.344/.508 line in 64 plate appearances against lefties.

Among 71 hitters who have made at least 300 trips to the plate in the Eastern League this season, Garcia ranks seventh in batting average, 10th in slugging percentage, 13th in OPS (.845), 15th in wOBA (.369), 18th in wRC+ (119), 22nd in isolated power (.210), 32nd in line-drive rate (23%), and 34th in on-base percentage. On the downside, he ranks 54th in strikeout rate (28.4%) and 68th in walk rate (5.4%), according to FanGraphs.

Defensively, Garcia has seen most of his playing time with Portland come at catcher. In 47 starts behind the plate for the Sea Dogs, the stocky 5-foot-11 backstop has allowed three passed balls and committed nine errors in 519 chances while throwing out 25 of 101 would-be base stealers. He has also made 25 starts at DH and has prior, albeit limited, experience at first base.

The younger brother of former Red Sox-turned-Pirates outfielder Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia, Johanfran (aptly nicknamed “The Username”) originally signed with Boston for $850,000 as an international free agent in January 2022. The native Venezuelan got his professional career off to an encouraging start, making positive impressions in the Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while running the bases with Low-A Salem in May 2024. He required season-ending surgery and missed a year’s worth of action as a result. Upon returning to the field last May, he homered 12 times in 58 games between the FCL and High-A Greenville, then headed out west for a stint in the Arizona Fall League.

With the 2026 campaign nearly in the books, Garcia currently ranks as Boston’s No. 29 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Baseball America does not rank him among the organization’s top 30 after having him at No. 27 to begin the year, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 35 in the system. All three outlets laud Garcia’s plus raw power and solid arm strength, but also express concerns about his aggressive approach at the plate and conditioning.

While the threat of a lockout could change things, as it did in 2021, Garcia — who turns 22 in December — can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November protection deadline. With that in mind, the Red Sox may want to give Garcia a brief look at Triple-A Worcester before the season draws to a close.

(Picture of Johanfran Garcia: Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Antonio Anderson named South Atlantic League Player of the Week for second time this season

Red Sox prospect Antonio Anderson has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of August 3-9, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Anderson takes home the award for the second time this season, having previously earned the honor for the week of June 22-28. This time, the 21-year-old infielder was a force to be reckoned with in High-A Greenville’s series against the Hudson Valley Renegades at Fluor Field.

Appearing in four of six games, Anderson went 8-for-13 (.615) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, seven runs scored, four walks, and three strikeouts. He went deep in Tuesday’s series opener, doubled on Wednesday, tallied four hits on Friday, and homered again in Sunday’s series finale.

For the season, Anderson is batting .284/.378/.482 with 13 doubles, three triples, a career-high eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 41 runs scored, one stolen base, 30 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 64 games (255 plate appearances) for Greenville. The switch-hitter is slashing .286/.378/.491 in 205 plate appearances against righties from the left side and .279/.380/.442 in 50 plate appearances against lefties from the right side.

Among 85 hitters who have made at least 250 trips to the plate in the South Atlantic League this year, Anderson ranks 12th in batting average, 15th in wOBA (.385) and wRC+ (118), 16th in line-drive rate (25%), 17th in slugging percentage and OPS (.860), 20th in on-base percentage, 30th in isolated power (.197), 33rd in strikeout rate (22.7%), and 41st in swinging-strike rate (12.2%), according to FanGraphs.

Defensively, Anderson has split his playing time between the infield corners for Greenville this season. In 34 starts at third base, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has committed 11 errors in 88 chances over 303 innings. In 27 starts at first base, he has four errors in 221 chances over 249 2/3 innings. He has also made one start at DH.

A former third-round draft pick (83rd overall) in 2023, Anderson is enjoying a resurgent 2026 campaign. The North Atlantic High School product, who forwent his commitment to Georgia Tech by signing with the Red Sox for $1.5 million, has endured his fair share of struggles since making his professional debut three years ago. He was ranked as high as Boston’s No. 22 prospect by Baseball America in 2024, when he was viewed more as a shortstop, but had fallen almost entirely off the radar before this season began.

Anderson, who turned 21 in June, is the first player in the South Atlantic League to earn multiple Player of the Week honors this year. Given his recent performance with Greenville, it is certainly possible that a late-season promotion to Double-A Portland could be in the cards.

(Picture of Antonio Anderson: John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Angel Roa named Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Roa has been named the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 27-August 2, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Roa was perfect in his last start for DSL Red Sox Red this past Saturday. Facing his counterparts from DSL Red Sox Blue at the club’s Dominican academy, the 17-year-old right-hander struck out six in the process of retiring all 15 batters he faced over five hitless, walk-free innings.

Roa topped out at 94.9 mph with his fastball and earned his first professional win as DSL Red Sox Red blanked DSL Red Sox Blue, 5-0. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound hurler is now 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA and a 16-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over six outings (two starts) spanning 15 2/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League this season. Opposing hitters are batting just .094 against him.

A native of Venezuela, Roa signed with the Red Sox for $10,000 as an international free agent in January. The young righty made his professional debut on June 5, surrendering three earned runs in the first three innings of an 11-9 loss to DSL Dodgers Mega. He was then sidelined for the next four weeks for an undisclosed reason, but has been quite effective since returning to the mound on July 4, allowing just one unearned run over his last 12 2/3 innings.

Roa, who turned 17 in late March, is understandably not yet ranked among Boston’s top pitching prospects by outlets such as Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. He is, however, the first Red Sox Dominican Summer Leaguer to earn a weekly award this season.

Azocar also honored

Enddy Azocar, one of three prospects the Red Sox traded to the Orioles for Adley Rutschman on Monday, was also named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of July 27-August 2. In what proved to be his final five games with High-A Greenville, the 19-year-old outfielder went 14-for-25 (.560) with three doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored, one walk, and four strikeouts in a series against Asheville at hitter-friendly McCormick Field.

(Picture: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Ronald Rosario named Eastern League Player of the Week

Red Sox catching/first base prospect Ronald Rosario has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of July 6-12, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Rosario appeared in four of Double-A Portland’s six road games against New Hampshire last week. The right-handed hitter went 8-for-16 (.500) with four home runs, nine RBIs, four runs scored, one stolen base, and one strikeout. He homered once in Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader, went deep twice on Friday, and left the yard again in Sunday’s series finale.

Following this hot stretch, Rosario is now batting .278/.324/.462 with six doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 26 RBIs, 22 runs scored, two stolen bases, 10 walks, and 41 strikeouts through 43 games (170 plate appearances) for Portland this season, his second at the Double-A level. He is slashing .229/.289/.371 in 38 plate appearances against lefties and .293/.333/.488 in 132 plate appearances against righties.

Defensively, Rosario has primarily split his playing time this year between catcher and first base. Behind Nate Baez and Johanfran Garcia on Portland’s catching depth chart, the 5-foot-11 backstop has thrown out four of 24 would-be base stealers over 15 starts. At first base, where he trails Brooks Brannon on the depth chart, he has committed four errors in 129 chances across 17 starts. He has also made eight starts at DH.

Rosario, 23, originally signed with the Red Sox for $50,000 as an international free agent in July 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, however, the native Venezuelan did not make his professional debut until 2021. He split his first two seasons in pro ball between the rookie-level Dominican Summer and Florida Complex Leagues before graduating to full-season ball in 2023. This past January, he received his first invite to major league spring training and ultimately broke camp with Portland.

Rosario has never been viewed as one of Boston’s premier catching prospects but has provided the organization with solid depth behind the plate over the years. He is slated to reach minor league free agency at the end of the season, though the Red Sox bringing him back on a new contract for 2027 is not out of the realm of possibility.

(Picture of Ronald Rosario: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Blake Wehunt named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Wehunt has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the week for the week of June 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Wehunt dazzled for Double-A Portland in Sunday’s series finale against Hartford on the road. Pitching for the first time in 12 days, the 25-year-old right-hander allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out eight over six scoreless innings at Dunkin’ Park. He retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced on 71 pitches (50 strikes), generating seven whiffs and topping out at 95.5 mph with his fastball as the Sea Dogs blanked the Yard Goats, 6-0.

Following a rough 2026 debut in which he was tagged for three runs in one-third of an inning, Wehunt went on the 7-day injured list with a left hamstring strain on April 4. Since returning to the mound on April 22, the righty has forged a 3.16 ERA with 57 strikeouts to 11 walks over his last 10 starts (42 2/3 innings) for Portland.

Altogether, Wehunt owns a 3.77 ERA with 57 strikeouts to 12 walks through 11 starts (43 innings) for the Sea Dogs this season. He has held opponents to a .245/.301/.387 clip. That consists of a .295/.368/.436 line against left-handed hitters and a .200/.236/.341 line against right-handed hitters.

Among the 55 pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings in the Eastern League this year, Wehunt ranks fourth in strikeouts per nine (11.93), strikeout rate (32.4%), and xFIP (3.27), 10th in FIP (3.65), walks per nine (2.51) and WHIP (1.21), 11th in walk rate (6.8%), 13th in ERA, and 20th in groundball rate (45.2%), according to FanGraphs.

A Georgia native who grew up working on his family’s chicken farm, Wehunt was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round (268th overall) of the 2023 draft out of Kennesaw State. He received a below-slot $100,000 signing bonus and made his professional debut that August before moving up from Low-A to High-A to Double-A as part of a strong 2024 campaign. Last season, he was tested and limited to just 63 1/3 innings with Portland due to a lat strain.

Wehunt is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 26 prospect, placing 14th among pitchers in the organization. In addition to a mid-90s fastball that can reach 97 mph, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound hurler features an 89-91 mph cutter, an 83-86 mph sweeper, and an 85-87 mph splitter.

Given how he has fared with Portland as of late, it would not be surprising to see Wehunt — who turns 26 in November — earn a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in the near future. That possibility is worth noting since he can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time this winter if the Red Sox do not add him to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline.

(Picture of Blake Wehunt courtesy of the Portland Sea Dogs)

Red Sox prospects Dylan Brown, Antonio Anderson named South Atlantic League Pitcher and Player of the Week

Red Sox prospects Dylan Brown and Antonio Anderson have been named the South Atlantic League Pitcher and Player of the Week for the week of June 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Brown put together a dominant start for High-A Greenville last Wednesday. Going up against Asheville at Fluor Field, the 22-year-old left-hander allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out a career-high of 11 over a career-high seven scoreless innings. He threw 75 pitches (53 strikes), topping out at 93.4 mph with his fastball and generating 19 whiffs as the Drive blanked the Tourists, 5-0.

In seven outings (six starts) since being promoted from Low-A Salem in early May, Brown has posted a 4.05 ERA with 49 strikeouts to 11 walks over 33 1/3 innings for Greenville. While opponents in the South Atlantic League are hitting .276 against him, that figure is inflated by a .442 batting average on balls in play.

Overall, Brown owns a 3.34 ERA with an organizational-leading 81 strikeouts to 24 walks through 12 outings (11 starts) spanning 56 2/3 innings between Salem and Greenville this season. The lefty has limited opposing hitters to a .238/.352/.331 clip. In a case of reverse splits, that includes a .299/.405/.373 line against left-handed hitters and a .210/.294/.259 line against right-handed hitters.

Brown, who just turned 22 on Saturday, was selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round (238th overall) of last summer’s draft out of Old Dominion. The Pennsylvania native received an at-slot $229,000 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until this April. Since then, he has moved into Baseball America’s top 30 Red Sox prospects list and is now ranked as the organization’s No. 28 prospect.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Brown operates with a wide-ranging pitch mix that includes a 91-94 mph two- and four-seam fastball combination that can reach 95 mph, an 88-89 mph cutter, an 81-85 mph slider, and an 82-84 mph changeup.

Anderson, meanwhile, put together a strong series at the plate for Greenville. Appearing in all six games against Asheville, the switch-hitting 21-year-old went 11-for-22 (.500) with two doubles, three home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and four strikeouts. He homered in three straight games (June 25-27), finished a triple shy of the cycle on Saturday, and saw a seven-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday, though he still scored a run.

After a slow start, Anderson has picked things up in recent weeks. Since June 1, for instance, he is slashing a stout .350/.422/.650 over his last 11 games (45 plate appearances). Altogether, he is batting .236/.342/.390 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 18 RBIs, 20 runs scored, one stolen base, 19 walks, and 35 strikeouts through 37 games (146 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. That includes a .200/.286/.400 line against lefties and a .245/.356/.388 line against righties.

Defensively, Anderson has seen most of his playing time this year come at first base, where he has committed four errors in 207 chances across 26 starts. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has also made eight starts at third base (where he has committed four additional errors) and one start at DH. He has prior experience at shortstop, though he has not logged any innings there since 2024.

Anderson, who just turned 21 on Sunday, was selected by the Red Sox in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2023 draft out of North Atlanta High School. He forwent his commitment to Georgia Tech and went pro by signing with Boston for an over-slot $1.5 million. Coming into 2024, he was ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s No. 22 prospect. Since then, however, he has dropped out of the rankings entirely, having become something of a forgotten prospect before this recent stretch.

Brown and Anderson are the first Red Sox prospects to earn South Atlantic League Pitcher or Player of the Week honors for Greenville this season, with each taking home their first career minor league award as well.

(Picture of Dylan Brown: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Johanfran Garcia named Eastern League Player of the Week

Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of June 8-14, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Garcia tore the cover off the ball for Double-A Portland last week. Appearing in all six of the Sea Dogs’ games on the road against Reading, the 21-year-old slugger went 14-for-27 (.519) with four doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs, four runs scored, and five strikeouts. He recorded multiple hits in five of the six contests and is now riding a 10-game hitting streak dating back to June 2.

After beginning the season in extended spring training, Garcia reported to Portland for his first taste of the Double-A level on April 21. In 36 games since then, the right-handed hitter is batting .309/.356/.570 with six doubles, 11 home runs, 31 RBIs, 22 runs scored, one stolen base, eight walks, and 44 strikeouts through 160 plate appearances for the Sea Dogs. That includes a .235/.316/.500 line in 38 plate appearances against lefties and a .330/.369/.591 line in 122 plate appearances against righties.

Among the 94 hitters who have made at least 160 trips to the plate in the Eastern League this season, Garcia ranks seventh in line-drive rate (29.8%), 10th in batting average and slugging percentage, 11th in isolated power (.262) and OPS (.926), 12th in wOBA (.399), 15th in wRC+ (137), and 28th in on-base percentage, according to FanGraphs.

Defensively, Garcia has seen most of his playing time come behind the plate for Portland, where he is primarily splitting catching duties with Nate Baez and Ronald Rosario. In 22 starts at catcher, the stocky 5-foot-11 backstop has allowed just one passed ball and thrown out 11 of 41 would-be base stealers. He has also made 14 starts at DH and has prior experience at first base.

Garcia, the younger brother of former Red Sox-turned-Pirates outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, originally signed with Boston for $850,000 as an international free agent in January 2022. The native Venezuelan got his professional career off to a strong start before tearing two ligaments in his right knee while running the bases and undergoing season-ending surgery in May 2024. He returned to action as a rehabber in the Florida Complex League last May, moved up to High-A Greenville in June, and ended the year with a stint in the Arizona Fall League.

Garcia entered 2026 as Baseball America’s No. 27 Red Sox prospect. He has since fallen out of the publication’s top 30, though MLB Pipeline and SoxProspects.com currently have him ranked at No. 26 and No. 34 in Boston’s farm system, respectively.

Taking into account that he can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time this winter, it would not be terribly surprising to see Garcia — who turns 22 in December — leverage his performance at Portland into a promotion to Triple-A Worcester before the end of the season.

(Picture of Johanfran Garcia: Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospects Sadbiel Delzine, Franklin Primera named FCL Pitcher and Player of the Week

The Red Sox swept the weekly awards in the Florida Complex League on Monday, as prospects Sadbiel Delzine and Franklin Primera were named Pitcher and Player of the Week for June 8-14.

Delzine was dominant in his latest outing for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox last Tuesday. Working in relief of the rehabbing Jeremy Wu-Yelland on the road against the FCL Braves, the 18-year-old right-hander allowed only two hits and no walks (though he did hit two batters) while striking out a career-high eight over 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Finishing with 75 pitches (54 strikes), Delzine generated 14 whiffs en route to improving to 3-0 on the season as the FCL Red Sox routed the FCL Braves, 13-2, at CoolToday Park in North Port. The young righty averaged 96 mph and reached 97.4 mph with his four-seam fastball, a pitch he threw 24 times. He also mixed in a slider, changeup, sinker, curveball, and cutter, according to Baseball Savant.

Through his first six appearances (three starts) of the season for Boston’s FCL affiliate, Delzine has posted a 1.16 ERA (3.03 FIP) with 27 strikeouts to seven walks over 23 1/3 innings in which he has held opponents to a .114 batting average. That includes a .152 clip for right-handed hitters and a .087 clip for left-handed hitters.

Among the 30 pitchers who entered this week having thrown at least 20 innings in the Florida Complex League, Delzine ranks first in batting average against, ERA, FIP, and WHIP (0.69), sixth in walks per nine innings (2.70), seventh in strikeout rate (30.3%), eighth in walk rate (7.9%), 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.41), swinging-strike rate (15.6%), and xFIP (4.21), per FanGraphs.

Delzine is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 11 prospect, placing sixth among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan signed with the Red Sox for $500,000 as an international free agent in January 2025. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last season, but was limited to just 9 1/3 innings due in part to a flexor issue. When on the mound, though, he flashed intriguing potential and has carried that momentum over into 2026.

At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Delzine possesses an imposing, projectable frame and the ability to already touch triple digits with his fastball. He does not turn 19 until January and could very well be ready for a new challenge in the form of a promotion to Low-A Salem in the near future.

The same can be said for Primera, another Venezuelan-born prospect who has been on an absolute tear at the plate of late. In four games for the FCL Red Sox last week, the right-handed-hitting catcher went 8-for-12 (.667) with two doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs, seven runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and one strikeout. He notably homered and drove in a career-high six runs as part of a four-hit effort in a 26-6 drubbing of the FCL Braves at the JetBlue Park complex on Thursday.

Primera, who turns 19 on Tuesday, is enjoying a productive first season in the United States. Entering the week, he is batting .458/.596/.778 with five doubles, six home runs, 22 RBIs, 25 runs scored, four stolen bases, 21 walks, and 10 strikeouts through 24 FCL games (100 plate appearances). He is slashing .214/.476/.214 in 22 plate appearances against lefties and an eye-popping .517/.628/.914 in 78 plate appearances against righties.

Among the 37 hitters who came into the week having made at least 100 trips to the plate in the Florida Complex League, Primera ranks first in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.374), wOBA (.613), and wRC+ (228), second in isolated power (.319) and strikeout rate (10%), and fourth in swinging-strike rate (7.5%) and walk rate (21%), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Primera has spent most of his time with the FCL Red Sox behind the plate. While primarily splitting catching duties with Jorge Rodriguez, the 6-foot, 230-pound backstop has made 18 starts at catcher, allowing four passed balls and throwing out 11 of 75 would-be base stealers. He has also made five starts at first base, where he has committed one error in 41 chances, and one start at DH.

Hailing from the Venezuelan city of Coro, Primera signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent in September 2024. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last season and worked his way from a bench role to an injury replacement in the DSL All-Star Game, where he was named co-MVP after hitting a crucial home run.

Less than a year after receiving that honor, Primera is now ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s top catching prospect and No. 19 overall prospect in the system. Like Delzine, Primera seemingly has little left to prove in rookie ball and should soon be in line for a promotion to Salem for his first full-season assignment.

(Picture of Franklin Primera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Louis Andujar named Florida Complex League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Louis Andujar has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of May 11-17, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Andujar appeared in five games for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox last week, going 9-for-18 (.500) with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and two strikeouts. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old recorded four multi-hit games during that stretch, including a three-double performance on Friday.

Following a 1-for-4 showing on Monday, Andujar is now batting .410/.489/.744 with seven doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs, 11 runs scored, four stolen bases, five walks, and 10 strikeouts through 11 games (45 plate appearances) to begin his first season in the United States. That includes a .364/.462/.818 line against lefties and a .429/.500/.714 line against righties, albeit in a limited sample.

Among 90 qualified hitters in the Florida Complex League, Andujar ranks first in extra-base hits (9), second in total bases (29), third in OPS (1.233), fourth in batting average and slugging percentage, fifth in isolated power (.333), 10th in on-base percentage, and 43rd in strikeout rate (22.2%), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, Andujar has seen most of his playing time with the FCL Red Sox come at third base. The 6-foot, 185-pounder has yet to commit an error in eight starts and 56 1/3 innings at the hot corner. He has also made two starts at second base and one start at DH.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Andujar signed with the Red Sox for just $20,000 as an international free agent out of San Cristobal last January. He made his professional debut in the 2025 Dominican Summer League, where he slashed .280/.450/.524 with five doubles, five home runs, 19 RBIs, 24 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 22 walks, and 20 strikeouts across 29 games spanning 111 plate appearances.

Andujar — who does not turn 19 until September — is not yet ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. The outlet describes him as having a “solid approach and bat-to-ball skills” as well as “excellent range” and an “above-average arm.”

If he continues to perform at this exceptional pace in the Florida Complex League, Andujar could soon be in line for a promotion to Low-A Salem for his first taste of full-season ball.

(Picture of Louis Andujar: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)