Tag: baseball america

Red Sox prospect Max Ferguson homers for first time since being acquired from Padres

Max Ferguson hit his first home run as a member of the Red Sox organization in High-A Greenville’s 9-4 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Sunday afternoon.

Batting ninth and starting at shortstop for the Drive, Ferguson went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and one run scored. His homer came off right-hander Anthony Molina with two outs in the fifth inning and was good for three runs.

That performance wrapped up a solid weekend for Ferguson, who — over the course of three games — went 3-for-10 with two singles, the three-run home run, and two runs scored. He also drew three walks while not striking out at all.

Since being acquired from the Padres earlier this month, the versatile left-handed hitter has batted .225/.392/.325 (110 wRC+) to go along with one double, one home run, six runs driven in, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, and 11 walks to 11 strikeouts in his first 12 games (51 plate appearances) with the Drive.

Defensively, Ferguson has seen playing time at three different positions while in Greenville. The 6-foot-1, 180 pounder has logged 25 innings at second base, 51 innings at shortstop, and 27 innings in center field.

Ferguson, who turns 23 on Tuesday, was originally selected by the Padres in the fifth round of last year’s amateur draft out of the University of Tennessee. The Jacksonville, Fla. native signed with the club for approximately $324,100.

At that time, Baseball America ranked Ferguson as the No. 168 prospect in the 2021 draft class. The publication noted that The Bolles School product is “a good athlete and a plus runner who has always stolen bases at a high success rate.”

Since making his professional debut in the Arizona Complex League last July, Ferguson has stolen 73 bases in 79 attempts across 140 minor-league games. The speedster began his first full season with Low-A Lake Elsinore before earning a promotion to High-A Fort Wayne in late June. He then proceeded to slash .162/.270/.343 in 27 games with the TinCaps through the end of July.

Shortly after the calendar flipped from July to August, Ferguson and teammate Corey Rosier were traded to the Red Sox along with veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer. In return for those three, the Padres acquired pitching prospect Jay Groome.

So, between Fort Wayne and Greenville, Ferguson has appeared in 39 games at the High-A level this season. Among the 338 hitters who have made at least 170 trips to the plate across the three different High-A leagues, Ferguson ranks 25th in speed score (8.1) and 75th in weighted stolen base runs (0.6), per FanGraphs.

While his speed and athleticism certainly stand out, Ferguson is not yet regarded by Baseball America as one of the top 30 prospects in Boston’s farm system. SoxProspects.com, on the other hand, ranks Ferguson one spot below Rosier at No. 57.

(Picture of Max Ferguson: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony earns Florida Complex League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony has been named Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of August 15-21, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Appearing in four games for the FCL Red Sox last week, Anthony went 9-for-16 (.563) with one double, four RBIs, four runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and zero strikeouts.

Following another multi-hit showing for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate on Monday, the left-handed hitting Anthony is now batting a stout .469/.500/.531 to go along with two doubles, six runs driven in, five runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and three punchouts over nine games (36 plate appearances) to begin his professional career.

On the other side of the ball, Anthony has already made multiple starts at all three outfield positions. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has logged 23 innings in left field, nine innings in center field, and 13 innings in right field.

Anthony, 18, was selected by the Red Sox with the 79th overall pick in last month’s amateur draft out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Boston swayed the Florida native away from his commitment to the University of Mississippi by signing him for an over-slot $2.5 million on July 29.

Prior to the draft, Anthony was ranked by Baseball America as The No. 72 draft-eligible prospect in this year’s class. He is now regarded by the publication as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

“He’s a tremendous athlete. We think he’s got a really good shot of sticking in center field,” Red Sox director of amateur scouting Paul Toboni said last month. “He’s got this profile where he’s going to get on base. He sees the ball well. He’s got tremendous power potential. That’s a pretty rare combination to find for a center fielder.”

Although some evaluators believe Anthony may be better suited for an outfield corner, there is no doubt that the reigning Florida Gatorade Player of the Year is talented.

Given that he does not turn 19 until next May, it seems likely that Anthony will remain in Fort Myers through the end of the 2022 campaign. If all goes well during the winter and spring, he could be on track to make the jump to Low-A Salem for the start of his first full professional season.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox infield prospect Matthew Lugo named South Atlantic League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Matthew Lugo has been named South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of August August 15-21, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In High-A Greenville’s last series on the road against the Bowling Green Hot Rods, Lugo appeared in five games and went 8-for-21 (.381) with two doubles, four home runs, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored, two stolen bases, one walk, and six strikeouts. All four of those homers came during a two-game stretch on Friday and Saturday.

On the 2022 season as a whole, the right-handed hitter has batted .273/.328/.504 (119 wRC+) to go along with 23 doubles, nine triples, 17 home runs, 70 runs driven in, 66 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 29 walks, and 84 strikeouts across 97 games (437 plate appearances) with the Drive. That includes a .303/.370/.636 slash line in the month of August.

Among qualified South Atlantic League Hitters, Lugo ranks 12th in strikeout rate (19.2%), 16th in batting average, third in slugging percentage, 10th in OPS (.832), fourth in isolated power (.231), ninth in speed score (7.3), and 15th in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Lugo has seen playing time at every infield position besides first base while in Greenville. The 6-foot-1, 187-pounder has logged 626 2/3 innings at shortstop (his primary position), 94 innings at third base, and 58 innings at second base. He has committed a total of 24 errors.

The nephew of former All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, Lugo was originally selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico. The Manati native signed with Boston for $1.1 million.

Now 21 years old, Lugo is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 13 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system. Before the season started, Baseball America hypothesized that Lugo may spend the majority — if the not the entirety — of 2022 in Greenville.

Given that there are now only a few weeks remaining in the minor-league season, that could very well be the case. With that being said, though, Double-A Portland is scheduled to play six more games in Somerset, N.J. after Greenville’s season ends on September 11.

So, if the Red Sox wanted to, they could promote Lugo from Greenville to Portland in the coming days or weeks so that he could get a taste of the Double-A level since that is likely where he will open the 2023 campaign.

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

Red Sox promote pitching prospects Wikelman Gonzalez, Luis Guerrero to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted top pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield.

In addition to Gonzalez, fellow right-hander Luis Guerrero has also been promoted to Greenville.

Gonzalez, 20, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization. Fresh off being named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on Monday, the Venezuelan-born righty has posted a 4.54 ERA and 3.85 FIP with 98 strikeouts to 48 walks over 21 starts (81 1/3 innings) for Salem this season. That includes a 1.69 ERA (2.76 FIP) in the month of August.

Among Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 80 innings, Gonzalez ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings (10.84), fourth in strikeout rate (27.4%), second in batting average against (.209), and seventh in FIP, per FanGraphs.

Boston originally signed Gonzalez for $250,000 as an international free-agent coming out Maracay in July 18. The 6-foot, 170-pound hurler now “features an easy, compact delivery” and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 87-89 mph changeup, and a 78-80 mph curveball, according to his Baseball America scouting report.

Guerrero, meanwhile, was selected by the Red Sox in the 17th round of last year’s amateur draft out of Chipola College in Marianna, Fla. The native Dominican signed with Boston for $122,500 last August.

Now 22 years old, Guerrero made his pro debut in the Florida Complex League earlier this summer before making the jump to Low-A in June. He has since pitched to a 4.18 ERA (3.54 FIP) to go along with 37 strikeouts to 14 walks across 18 relief outings spanning 23 2/3 innings of work with the Salem Sox.

Unlike Gonzalez, Guerrero is not regarded by any major publications as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. The 6-foot, 215-pounder does, however, work with a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 80-83 mph changeup, an 81-83 mph slider, and a 75-79 mph curveball, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

(Picture of Wikelman Gonzalez: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox have No. 11 farm system in MLB, per Baseball America’s latest rankings

The Red Sox have the No. 11 farm system in Major League Baseball, according to Baseball America’s midseason organization talent rankings.

Ranking behind the likes of the Orioles, Dodgers, Guardians Diamondbacks, Reds, Rangers, Cardinals, Mets, Pirates, and Rockies, the Sox are exactly where they stood prior to Opening Day.

In their most-recent top 100 prospects rankings, Baseball America placed three Boston minor-leaguers within its top 30. Shortstop Marcelo Mayer leads the pack at No. 12, while right-hander Brayan Bello and first baseman Triston Casas follow at No. 21 and No. 28, respectively.

Ceddanne Rafaela, who is in the midst of a breakout season and represented the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game in Los Angeles, entered Baseball America’s top 100 last month and is currently regarded as the 82nd-ranked prospect in the game.

Nick Yorke, Boston’s first-round draft selection in 2020, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 31 prospect in baseball coming into the 2022 season but has since fallen off the list completely. He is, however, batting .294/.342/.529 (127 wRC+) in his last eight games with High-A Greenville.

Baseball America notes that Mayer “looks even more like the potential star many pegged him as in the 2021 draft,” while adding that Rafaela’s breakout “has lessened the blow” of Yorke falling off the top 100.

Beyond Mayer, Bello, Casas, Rafaela, and Yorke, “there is solid depth throughout the Red Sox system, but a majority of the upside lies among a group of teenagers in rookie ball.”

Some of those teenagers in rookie ball would include Dominican outfielder Miguel Bleis, 2022 draft selections Mikey Romero, Cutter Coffey, and Roman Anthony, right-hander Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, and shortstops Freili Encarnacion and Luis Ravelo.

Though he is no longer in rookie ball, Blaze Jordan does not turn 20 until December and is ranked by Baseball America as the top power hitter and No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer and Chaim Bloom: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Blaze Jordan homers, collects career-best 4 hits in latest strong showing for High-A Greenville

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan has certainly made the most of his promotion to High-A Greenville so far.

In the Drive’s 7-5 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Tuesday night, Jordan went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, an RBI single, and two runs scored out of the three-hole. The four hits represent a single-game career high for the 19-year-old.

Since being promoted from Low-A Salem last week, Jordan has gone 10-for-23 (.435) at the plate with three homers, seven RBIs, seven runs scored, two walks, and five strikeouts in his first six games with Greenville.

The right-handed hitting infielder earned that promotion after batting .286/.357/.446 (123 wRC+) to go along with 40 extra-base hits (eight home runs), 57 runs driven in, 48 runs scored, four stolen bases, 37 walks, and 67 strikeouts across 95 games (415 plate appearances) with Salem to begin the season.

Defensively, Jordan has already logged 27 innings at third base and 18 innings at first base to begin his tenure with the Drive. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder saw playing time at both of those positions — as well as designated hitter — while he was in Salem, where he was named Carolina League Player of the Week on two separate occasions.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, Miss., Jordan is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top power hitter and the No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Given that he has just recently made the jump to High-A, it seems likely that Jordan — who turns 20 in December — will return to Greenville for the start of the 2023 season if he remains in the organization through the winter.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

In midst of rocky 2022 season with High-A Greenville, Red Sox top prospect Nick Yorke appears to be finding his groove again

He may no longer be regarded by Baseball America as one of the game’s top 100 prospects (for now), but it appears as though Red Sox infield prospect Nick Yorke is starting to find his groove again.

In High-A Greenville’s last series against the Hickory Crawdads at Fluor Field, Yorke appeared in all six games and went 8-for-24 (.333) with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, five runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts. Those two homers were just his second and third since the beginning of July.

The 2022 season has been a tough one for Yorke from both a performance-related and physical perspective. After being named the organization’s Minor League Offensive Player of the Year in 2021, the 20-year-old has been limited to just 63 games so far this season due to a plethora of injuries — including turf toe, back stiffness, and left wrist soreness.

Over the course of those 63 games, the right-handed hitting Yorke has batted .237/.306/.376 (85 wRC+) to go along with eight doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 38 runs driven in, 39 runs scored, five stolen bases, 26 walks, and 68 strikeouts across 294 plate appearances.

Defensively, Yorke has unsurprisingly seen all his playing time on the field come at second base. The 6-foot, 200-pounder has logged 453 innings at the keystone position and has yet to commit an error of any sort.

Despite all of the struggles he has endured this season, Yorke is still ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the native Californian with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose.

Yorke, who does not turn 21 until next April, does not seem like a candidate to get promoted to Double-A Portland at the moment. That could potentially change if he continues to stay hot at the plate for Greenville.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Wikelman Gonzalez named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez has been named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 8-14, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Gonzalez, 20, tossed six scoreless, no-hit innings in his last start for Low-A Salem in their contest against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers on Saturday. The right-hander issued just one walk and plunked one batter to go along with five strikeouts on 81 pitches (49 strikes).

In 21 starts for Salem this season, Gonzalez has posted a 4.54 ERA — but much more respectable 3.83 FIP — with 98 strikeouts to 48 walks over 81 1/3 innings of work. That includes a 1.69 ERA (2.76 FIP) in the month of August.

Among Carolina League pitchers who have thrown at least 80 innings to this point in the year, Gonzalez ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings (10.84), fourth in strikeout rate (27.4%), second in batting average against (.209), and seventh in FIP, per FanGraphs.

While those numbers are certainly encouraging, Gonzalez has also produced the eighth-highest xFIP (4.49), the second-highest walk rate (13.4%), and the highest line-drive rate (28.3%) in the Carolina League when using those same parameters.

The Red Sox originally signed Gonzalez for $250,000 as an international free-agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2018. The Maracay native is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization.

Since making his professional debut in June 2019, Gonzalez has pitched at three different levels. He began the 2021 campaign in the Florida Complex League before earning a promotion to Salem last August.

According to his Baseball America scouting report, the 6-foot, 170-pound hurler “features an easy, compact delivery” and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 87-89 mph changeup, and a 78-80 mph curveball.

Gonzalez, who does not turn 21 until next March, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter. The Red Sox, of course, would need to add the righty to their 40-man roster by the November deadline in order to prevent that from happening.

Given his age and lack of experience in the upper-minors, though, it is no sure thing that another club would scoop up Gonzalez in December’s Rule 5 Draft if he were to be left unprotected by the Sox.

That club would then need to carry Gonzalez on their major-league roster for the entirety of the 2023 season or would otherwise have to offer him back to Boston if he could not stick with them.

In the meantime, one would have to think Gonzalez could be on the verge of a promotion to High-A Greenville when taking into consideration how he has pitched as of late.

(Picture of Wikelman Gonzalez: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox infield prospect Enmanuel Valdez off to encouraging start with new organization

Recently-acquired prospect Enmanuel Valdez has gotten his tenure in the Red Sox organization off to a strong start.

In Triple-A Worcester’s 6-5 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in Moosic, Pa. on Sunday, Valdez went 1 for 4 with a two-run single while batting third and starting at second base.

Since joining the WooSox earlier this month, the left-handed hitter has batted a stout .297/.372/.649 with one double, four home runs, 15 RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and nine strikeouts over 10 games (44 plate appearances). Two of those homers came in the same game this past Friday.

Valdez, 23, was one of two prospects (the other being Wilyer Abreu) the Red Sox acquired from the Astros in the trade that sent veteran catcher Christian Vazquez to Houston on August 1.

Now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system, Valdez originally signed with the Astros as an international free-agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2015. The San Juan de la Maguana native began the 2022 season with Houston’s Double-A affiliate before earning a promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land in early June.

Between the Space Cowboys and WooSox, Valdez has slashed .296/.352/.577 to go along with 26 extra-base hits (14 homers), 47 runs driven in, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases, 16 walks, and 38 strikeouts across 48 games (217 plate appearances) at the Triple-A level.

Defensively, Valdez was initially signed as a shortstop seven years ago but has since proven capable of moving all across the field. Already with the WooSox, the 5-foot-9, 191-pounder has logged 70 innings at second base, nine innings at third base, and eight innings in left field. He also has experience at first base, shortstop, and in right field.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Valdez is “a bat-first infielder with a good combination of power and contact but major defensive questions.” He “has a bat-first second base profile with a lot of offensive skills to believe in.”

Valdez, who turns 24 in December, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter. The Red Sox would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the November deadline if they wish to prevent that from happening.

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette /USA TODAY NETWORK)

Red Sox outfield prospect Miguel Bleis is currently ‘generating the most buzz’ in Boston’s farm system

It is no secret that Red Sox outfield prospect Miguel Bleis is having a strong season down in the Florida Complex League.

Following a 1-for-4 showing in Thursday’s 4-1 win over the FCL Pirates in Bradenton, the right-handed hitting Bleis is now batting .301/.353/.542 with 14 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 27 RBIs, 28 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 10 walks, and 45 strikeouts across 39 games (167 plate appearances) with Boston’s rookie-level affiliate.

Among qualified FCL hitters, Bleis ranks 11th in batting average, 33rd in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, fifth in OPS (.895), third in isolated power (.242), first in extra-base hits (23), and fourth in stolen bases, per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

On the other side of the ball, Bleis made his 36th start of the season in center field on Thursday. The 6-foot-3, 170-pounder has logged 310 1/3 innings at the position while racking up five outfield assists. He also got his first taste of right field on Tuesday.

Still just 18 years old, Bleis originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.5 million as an international free-agent coming out of the Dominican Republic last January. The San Pedro de Macoris native opened the 2022 season as Boston’s 20th-ranked prospect but has since moved up to No. 6 in Baseball America’s latest rankings.

Earlier Thursday evening, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall tweeted that Bleis is “the prospect generating the most buzz in the Red Sox system right now,” citing that “his batted ball data is off the charts.”

“Multiple scouts have told me he’s easily the best player in the FCL and a true five-tool talent,” tweeted Cundall, who added that Bleis could start garnering top-100 prospect consideration as soon as this winter.

Bleis, who does not turn 19 until next March, is regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 5 prospect in the organization. The site best describes him as having “the highest upside of any Latin American prospect in the system.”

Taking into account how much success Bleis has enjoyed in his first professional season stateside, one would have to think the speedster could be on the verge of earning a late-season promotion to Low-A Salem. To say that would be exciting is an understatement.

(Picture of Miguel Bleis: Bryan Green/Flickr)