Tag: Baseball

Josh Winckowski struggles in major-league debut as Red Sox fall to Orioles, 4-2, and settle for doubleheader split

The Red Sox were unable to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Orioles on Saturday. After taking Game 1 behind a complete game effort from Nathan Eovaldi, Boston fell to Baltimore, 4-2, in the night cap at Fenway Park.

Contrary to the seasoned Eovaldi, Josh Winckowski made his major-league debut for the Sox in Game 2. The rookie right-hander allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts over just three innings of work.

All three runs Winckowski gave up came in the top of the third. Austin Hays and Anthony Santander both reached base to lead off the inning before Ramon Urias drove in Hays with a two-out RBI single to center field. Rougned Odor followed by crushing a three-run home run 410 feet to right-center, which gave the Orioles an early 4-0 lead.

The third inning would prove to be Winckowski’s last. The 23-year-old wound up throwing 62 pitches (36 strikes) while inducing a total of seven swings-and-misses. He also hovered around 92-97 mph with his fastball.

In relief of Winckowski, Austin Davis received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The left-hander answered the call by retiring the side in order in the fourth.

A half-inning later, the Red Sox lineup finally got something going against an old friend in Orioles starter Denyi Reyes. Trevor Story led things off with a groundball double and scored from second on a one-out RBI single off the bat of Christian Vazquez.

From there, Ryan Brasier, Tyler Danish, Jake Diekman, Matt Barnes, and Phillips Valdez held the O’s at four runs with a scoreless frame each to keep the Sox within striking distance.

Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth, Boston was now matched up against righty reliever Jorge Lopez. Bobby Dalbec, one of the heroes of Game 1, reached on a Jorge Mateo fielding error to lead things off. A Jackie Bradley Jr. single allowed Dalbec to move all the way up to third. Christian Arroyo then drove Dalbec in by beating out a potential double play.

Down to their final out, Enrique Hernandez stepped up to the plate representing the tying run for the Red Sox. He could not complete the comeback, though, as he grounded into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 twin killing.

All told, the Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base as a team. With Saturday night’s loss, Boston is now 22-25 on the season.

Next up: Zimmermann vs. Pivetta

The Red Sox will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta in Game 4 of this five-game series on Sunday afternoon. The Orioles will counter with left-hander Bruce Zimmermann.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski fare in major-league debut?

Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski made his major-league debut in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Orioles at Fenway Park.

Serving as Boston’s 27th man for the twin bill and donning the No. 73, Winckowski allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts over three innings of work.

Both of those Baltimore runs came in the top of the third. After working his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and recording his first career punchout in the second, Winckowski ran into trouble in the third. The right-hander yielded a leadoff single to Austin Hays and a seven-pitch walk to Anthony Santander. The right-hander then got the first two outs of the frame before giving up an RBI single to Ramon Urias and three-run home run to Rougned Odor.

Odor’s 410-foot blast came off a 1-0, 93.8 mph sinker from Winckowski that was at the bottom of the zone. It gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead and played a key role in Winckowski’s day ending after just three innings. He was relieved by left-hander Austin Davis and ultimately took the loss as Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 4-2.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 62 (36 strikes), the 23-year-old hurler threw 29 sinkers, 16 sliders, 16 four-seam fastballs, and one changeup. He induced seven swings-and-misses between those four pitches while hovering around 92-97 mph with his fastball.

Winckowski, who turns 24 next month, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization.

Since he served as the club’s 27th man, Winckowski will more than likely be optioned back down to Triple-A Worcester following the conclusion of Saturday’s night cap.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Hansel Robles on injured list, option Hirokazu Sawamura; Ryan Brasier, Phillips Valdez recalled from Triple-A Worcester

In addition to appointing Josh Winckowski as the 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Orioles at Fenway Park, the Red Sox made four additional roster moves prior to Game 1.

Most notably, Hansel Robles was placed on the 15-day injured list due to back spasms while Hirokazu Sawamura was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, fellow relievers Ryan Brasier and Phillips Valdez were recalled from Worcester.

Robles last pitched in Sunday’s win over the Mariners before experiencing back issues while the Red Sox were in Chicago. Through 16 relief appearances this season, the 31-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.65 ERA and 5.20 FIP with 11 strikeouts to six walks over 17 innings pitched out of the bullpen.

Since his stint on the injured list is retroactive to May 25, the soonest Robles could return to action would be Thursday June 9, when the Sox take on the Angels in Anaheim.

Sawamura, meanwhile, has pitched to the tune of a 3.60 ERA and 3.47 FIP with 13 strikeouts to six walks across 18 appearances (15 innings) so far this season. The Japanese-born righty has been most effective when inheriting runners on the basepaths, but — at the same time — has fallen down Alex Cora’s depth chart.

Because he has pitched three times in the last four days, Boston elected to send Sawamura down to Worcester while adding fresh reinforcements in Brasier and Valdez.

Both Brasier and Valdez opened the 2021 season in the Sox’ bullpen but were optioned to the WooSox at separate points this month. Brasier, who was sent down on May 20, made two scoreless outings for Worcester. Valdez, who was sent down on May 2, produced a 1.17 ERA in six appearances (7 2/3 innings) for the affiliate.

The Red Sox did not need to use their bullpen as Nathan Eovaldi tossed a complete game in the day cap of Saturday’s twin bill. That could change in Game 2 with Winckowski making his first career start at the big-league level.

(Picture of Hansel Robles: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Nathan Eovaldi tosses first career complete game as Red Sox bounce back with 5-3 win over Orioles to open doubleheader

The Red Sox opened a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles with a bounce-back win at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon. Boston defeated Baltimore, 5-3, to improve to 22-24 on the season.

Nathan Eovaldi was Saturday’s early headliner. In his ninth start of the year for the Sox, the veteran right-hander tossed the first perfect game of his big-league career. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk to go along with six strikeouts over nine strong innings of work.

That first O’s run came right away in the first inning, as Cedric Mullins led off with a single, was able to advance to second when Trey Mancini reached on a Rafael Devers missed catch error, and scored from second on an RBI single off the bat of Trey Mancini.

So, three batters into his start, Eovaldi had yet to record an out and had already allowed one run to score. He was able to recover, though, as he stranded Mancini and Santander in the first before stringing together three straight scoreless frames.

While doing that, the Red Sox lineup got to Eovaldi’s counterpart in Jordan Lyles for three runs in their half of the second. After Alex Verdugo was thrown out at home plate for the first out of the inning, a two-out walk drawn by Kevin Plawecki put runners on the corners for Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bradley Jr. got his side on the board with an RBI double that plated Christian Arroyo. Enrique Hernandez followed with a two-run single through the left side of the infield that scored both Plawecki and Bradley Jr.

Fast forward to the fifth, and Eovaldi once again ran into trouble when he yielded a leadoff double to Ramon Urias and a game-tying, two-run home run to Robinson Chirinos.

With things still knotted at 3-3 in the sixth, Red Sox manager Alex Cora elected to have Bobby Dalbec pinch-hit for Franchy Cordero with left-handed reliever Keegan Akin on the mound for the Orioles. Dalbec proceeded to make Cora look like a very smart man by crushing a go-ahead, 397-foot solo shot into Baltimore’s bullpen.

Dalbec’s second home run of the season and first since April 10 put Boston up, 4-3. Arroyo provided some insurance an inning later with an RBI single that drove in J.D. Martinez from third base to make it a 5-3 game.

Eovaldi, meanwhile, took that newfound two-run lead and slammed the door shut on any chance of an Orioles comeback. The righty got the final two outs of the ninth by getting Rougned Odor to ground into a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

Finishing with a career-high final pitch count of 108 (75 strikes), Eovaldi was able to pick up his second save of the season while lowering his ERA down to 3.77. The 32-year-old hurler induced a total of 16 swings-and-misses on the afternoon. He topped out at 98.7 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Offensively, the Red Sox had 13 hits as a team. Devers accounted for four of them. Dalbec’s sixth-inning home run was the first of the pinch-hit variety from any Red Sox hitter this season.

Next up: Reyes vs. Winckowski in Game 2

The Red Sox will turn to Josh Winckowski for Game 2 of Saturday’s twin bill. The 23-year-old will be making his major-league debut opposite former Boston prospect Denyi Reyes, who will also be making his first career start for the Orioles.

First pitch from Fenway Park on Saturday night is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Nathan Eovaldi: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox blow 6-run lead as bullpen melts down in 12-8 loss to Orioles

The Red Sox blew a six-run lead against the Orioles at Fenway Park and ultimately lost a winnable game in frustrating, yet ugly fashion. Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 12-8 on Friday night to drop to 21-24 on the season.

As he has done so often lately, Enrique Hernandez provided an early spark by leading off the first inning with a line-drive single. He then scored all the way from first base when Rafael Devers promptly ripped a single to left-center field. Devers was able to move up to second because of an Anthony Santander fielding error.

J.D. Martinez followed by taking a 94 mph fastball off his left arm to put runners at first and second for Xander Bogaerts, who unloaded on a 3-2, 87 mph slider down the heart of the plate by sending it off the National Car Rental sign above the Green Monster for a three-run home run.

Bogaerts’ fifth homer of the season travelled 423 feet and had an exit velocity of 112 mph. It also gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead before they had even recorded an out. An inning later, a seemingly red-hot Alex Verdugo came through with two outs and the bases loaded by lacing a 406-foot ground-rule double into the center field bleachers. Verdugo’s second hit of the night made it a 6-0 ballgame.

On the other side of things, Garrett Whitlock made his seventh start of the season for Boston. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts over six innings of work.

Both of those Baltimore runs came in the top half of the fourth, as Whitlock issued a one-out walk to Trey Mancini before immediately serving up a two-run home run to Santander.

Whitlock gave up two more runs hits the inning, but limited the damage to two runs. The Red Sox got both of those runs back on a Martinez RBI double in the bottom of the fourth and a Christian Vazquez RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. Whitlock, meanwhile, bounced back from his rough fourth inning by retiring five of the final seven batters he faced through the middle of the sixth.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 84 (56 strikes), the 25-year-old hurler relied on his sinker 58% of the time he was on the mound Friday. He averaged 95.4 mph with the pitch in the process of lowering his ERA on the season to 3.49.

In relief of Whitlock, manager Alex Cora first turned to Jake Diekman out of the Boston bullpen for the seventh inning. The left-hander allowed two of the first three Orioles he faced to reach base before giving up a towering, 391-foot three-run home run to Jorge Mateo.

Mateo’s blast trimmed the Sox’ lead down to three runs at 5-8. In the eighth, John Schreiber ran into some long ball troubles of his own when he issued a leadoff walk to Santander that was followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Austin Hays.

The first two earned runs Schreiber has given up all season brought Baltimore back to within one run at 8-7. Matt Strahm was then called upon to end things in the eighth, but the lefty surrendered a ground-rule double to Rougned Odor. He then got Ramon Urias to hit a three-foot groundball to the left side of the infield.

Devers charged the ball and barehanded it before attempting to make an off-balance throw to first base. His throw missed the mark by a wide margin, though, and that allowed Odor to score and knot things up at eight runs apiece.

Strahm was sent back out for the ninth and gave up three straight singles, with Santander giving the O’s their first lead of the night on an RBI base hit to right field. Strahm, who was later charged with the blown save and loss, then made way for Hirokazu Sawamura, who walked the first man he faced to fill the bases for Adley Rutschmann.

Rutschmann, in turn, grounded into a force out at home plate but reached first safely to keep the bases loaded. With Ryan Mountcastle up to bat, a wild pitch from Sawamura that got between Vazquez’s legs allowed Santander to score from third. Mountcastle drove in a run of his own on a sacrifice fly before Odor put the final nail in the coffin with another RBI single.

What at one point was an 8-2 lead for the Red Sox had turned into a 12-8 deficit. That is what happens when you allow the opposition to score 10 unanswered runs.

12-8 would go on to be Friday’s final score after the Sox went down quietly in their half of the ninth. Boston is now 3-4 in games started by Whitlock this year. They are likely a better team with him in the bullpen.

Next up: Doubleheader on deck

The Red Sox will look to bounce back in a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles on Saturday. Baltimore has yet to name its starters. Boston, meanwhile, will roll with right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Josh Winckowski, who will be making his major-league debut.

First pitch for Game 1 at Fenway Park is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. eastern time. First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcasted on NESN.

(Picture of Matt Strahm: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Thaddeus Ward faces live hitters for first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery

Red Sox pitching prospect Thaddeus Ward took another important step in his road back from Tommy John surgery on Friday. At JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, the right-hander faced live batters for the first time since going under the knife last June.

“First Live BP today!” Ward tweeted. “Another box has been checked, we’re getting close!”

Ward came into the 2021 season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He made just two starts for Double-A Portland before being shut down with a forearm strain that would ultimately require Tommy John. The procedure was performed by Dr. James Andrews on June 3.

As the one-year anniversary of Ward’s elbow reconstruction nears, it appears as though the 25-year-old is close to getting back into minor-league games. Since it has been more than a year since he last pitched competitively, his first assignment will likely come in the Florida Complex League.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2018 amateur draft out of the University of Central Florida, Ward drew plenty of attention in his first full professional season. The Fort Myers native posted a 2.14 ERA and 3.28 FIP with 157 strikeouts to 57 walks over 25 starts (126 1/3 innings) between Low-A Greenville and High-A Salem en route to being named the organization’s 2019 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

After the 2020 campaign was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his 2021 season was for the most part lost because of surgery, Ward is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 20 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization.

Prior to undergoing Tommy John, Ward operated with a repeatable delivery and worked from a pitch arsenal that included a 93-96 mph sinker, a slider, a cutter, and a changeup.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Ward can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if the Red Sox do not add him to their 40-man roster by the November deadline. Because of this, the righty — as noted by FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein and Tess Taruskin — could be a prime candidate to pitch in the Arizona Fall League later this year.

That way, the Sox would get an extended look at Ward before determining if he was worthy of a 40-man roster spot. Other teams, meanwhile, would also get the chance to evaluate Ward in the event that he was not protected from the Rule 5 Draft this fall.

While it’s extremely unlikely Ward will contribute at the big-league level in 2022, he does project as a back-end starter or multi-inning reliever in the future.

(Picture of Thaddeus Ward: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski will officially make major-league debut against Orioles on Saturday

Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski will make his major-league debut and start Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Orioles at Fenway Park.

Winckowski, who is already in Boston and has a locker in the Red Sox’ clubhouse, told reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) that he received word of the team’s decision on Friday and will have eight or nine people on-hand to watch his debut in-person.

The 23-year-old right-hander has made seven starts for Triple-A Worcester this season, posting a 3.13 ERA and 2.80 FIP to go along with 34 strikeouts to six walks over 31 2/3 innings of work. His last outing for the WooSox came on Sunday, so he is lined up to pitch on regular rest this weekend.

Among International League pitchers who have at least 30 innings under their belt to this point in the year, Winckowski ranks ninth in strikeout rate (27.9%), eighth in swinging strike rate (13.6%) sixth in walk rate (4.9%), fifth in batting average against (.183), first in WHIP (0.85), 13th in ERA, second in FIP, and second in xFIP (3.11), per FanGraphs.

Originally selected by the Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2016 amateur draft out of Estero High School, Winckowski was dealt to the Mets in the same trade that sent left-hander Steven Matz to Toronto last January. Less than two weeks later, the Florida native was involved in a three-team trade that sent him to the Red Sox and outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the Royals.

Now in his second full year with the Sox, Winckowski is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization. The 6-foot-4, 215 pound hurler works with a three-pitch mix that consists of a high-90s fastball, a changeup, and a slider. He projects as either a back-end starter or reliever in the future.

Winckowski, who was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last November, is slated to become the first Red Sox player to make their big-league debut this season.

Fellow righty Nathan Eovaldi is expected to get the start in the first game on Saturday afternoon (12:10 p.m. eastern time). Winckowski would then get the starting nod for the night cap (6:10 p.m. ET), likely serving as the Sox’ 27th man by doing so.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Trevor Story homers again as Red Sox earn fourth straight series victory with convincing 16-7 win over White Sox

The Red Sox won their fourth straight series on Thursday with a 16-7 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Boston ends its brief three-game road trip by improving to 21-23 on the season.

Matched up against Dallas Keuchel out of the gate, Enrique Hernandez kicked things off with yet another leadoff home run that gave the Sox a 1-0 lead right away in the first inning. A Rafael Devers double and J.D. Martinez single then put runners on the corners for Trevor Story, who got his productive night at the plate started with an RBI single. Alex Verdugo followed with a run-scoring double that plated Martinez and made it a 3-0 game before Chicago even had a chance to step up to the plate.

An inning later, another Devers double and walk drawn by Martinez put two runners on for Story, who proceeded to deposit a Keuchel cutter 363 feet over the left field fence for a three-run blast. Story’s ninth home run of the season, which had an exit velocity of 102.1 mph, put the Red Sox up 6-0 early on.

On the other side of things, Michael Wacha was making his seventh start of the season for Boston. The veteran right-hander retired six of the first seven batters he faced before running into some trouble in the bottom half of the third.

There, three straight singles to lead off the inning filled the bases for Andrew Vaughn, who came through with a three-run double off Wacha that cut the White Sox’ deficit in half.

Wacha got through the rest of the third unscathed and faced the minimum in the fourth. But after Boston got one of those runs back on a Verdugo RBI double in the top of the fifth, he gave up two more when he served up a two-run homer to Vaughn in the latter half. Vaughn would be the last batter Wacha would face.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 88 (58 strikes), the 30-year-old hurler wound up allowing five earned runs on seven hits, no walks, and two strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings of work. His ERA on the season rose from 1.76 to 2.83.

In relief of Wacha, John Schreiber got the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Schreiber ended things in the fifth before retiring the side in order in the sixth.

A half-inning later, the Red Sox pushed across two more runs on a pair of RBI singles from Christian Vazquez and Christian Arroyo. After Tyler Danish put up a zero in the latter half of the seventh, Boston continued its offensive onslaught in a five-run top of the eighth. Verdugo, Vazquez, and Bobby Dalbec each drove in a run on back-to-back-to-back RBI base hits. Vazquez and Dalbec scored themselves when Jackie Bradley Jr. (pinch-hitting for Arroyo) reached base on a fielding error.

Matt Barnes was dispatched for the bottom of the eighth and immediately struck out the first batter he faced in A.J. Pollock. The righty then walked four straight, thus allowing the White Sox to score another run, before being pulled in favor of Hirokazu Sawamura. Only nine of the 27 pitches Barnes threw went for strikes.

Sawamura, meanwhile, allowed one of the runners he inherited to score on a sacrifice fly from Leury Garcia before escaping the jam by fanning Adam Engel on four pitches.

Fast forward to the ninth, Kevin Plaweci, who previously replaced Story, crushed his first home run of the season — a two-run shot — off a position player in Josh Harrison. That it was Plawecki’s first homer of the year is interesting when you consider the fact that he has been the only position player to pitch for the Red Sox to this point.

From there, Austin Davis closed things out with a scoreless frame in the bottom of the ninth to secure a 16-7 blowout win for the Red Sox before they head back home.

All told, the Boston lineup went 10-for-24 with runners in scoring position on Thursday. Devers and Story each had two hits, Martinez and Vazquez had three, and Verdugo went 4-for-5 with three RBIs.

Next up: Back to Boston

The Red Sox will board a flight back to Boston and open up a unique five-game series against the Orioles beginning Friday night. Garrett Whitlock is slated to get the ball in the opener opposite fellow right-hander Kyle Bradish. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on Apple TV+.

(Picture of Trevor Story: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox outfield prospect Phillip Sikes homers twice, drives in 4 runs for Low-A Salem as impressive month of May rolls on

Red Sox outfield prospect Phillip Sikes had a monster game in Low-A Salem’s 8-2 win over the Fredericksburg Nationals at Virginia Credit Union Stadium on Wednesday night.

Batting eighth and starting in center field, Sikes went 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, one double, four RBIs, three runs scored, and one walk. He also picked up an outfield assist and helped turn an inning-ending double play by gunning down top Nationals prospect Brady House at first base in the bottom of the third.

Both of Sikes’ homers were solo shots that came off two different Nationals relievers in the fourth and sixth innings. His double came in the top half of the seventh and plated an additional two runs to lift Salem to their 21st win of the year.

After getting his first full professional season off to a rough start in April (73 wRC+), Sikes — like many in Salem’s lineup — has turned things around for the better in May. Following Wednesday’s performance, the right-handed hitter has slashed .265/.351/.592 (152 wRC+) with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, nine RBIs, nine runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and 15 strikeouts over 14 games (57 plate appearances) this month.

Defensively, Sikes has already seen playing time at all three outfield positions this year, logging 71 2/3 innings in left, 123 innings in center, and 40 innings in right. The 6-foot-2, 190 pounder recorded his second outfield assist of the season on Wednesday.

Back on May 4, Sikes made his professional debut as a pitcher in Salem’s 24-6 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The right-hander needed just nine pitches (seven strikes) to toss a perfect ninth inning in what was his first appearance on a mound since 2019.

Sikes, 23, was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of last year’s draft out of Texas Christian University. The native Texan is not yet regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system, though he may be already be one of the quickest players in the organization.

According to FanGraphs, Sikes has posted a Speed Score of 8.3 this season. First developed by Bill James, Speed Score measures a player’s speed and baserunning ability on a 0 to 10 scale. Sikes’ 8.3 Speed Score, then, is quite good.

Among Carolina League hitters with at least 110 plate appearances under their belt in 2022, Sikes ranks 13th in Speed Score and 14th in isolated power (.194). Among minor-leaguers in the Red Sox organization who have made 110 or more trips to the plate, Sikes ranks fourth in Speed Score and 12th in isolated power, per FanGraphs.

Coming into play on Thursday, Sikes has multiple hits in three of his last seven games. He will look to keep things going as Salem goes for its fourth straight win beginning at 7:05 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Phillip Sikes via the Salem Red Sox)

Latest mock draft has Red Sox taking American Heritage left-hander Brandon Barriera with top pick

In his latest mock draft for the Baseball Prospect Journal, Dan Zielinski III has the Red Sox selecting American Heritage High School left-hander Brandon Barriera with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

If American Heritage sounds familiar to you, it should. It’s the same Plantation, Fla. high school top Red Sox prospect Triston Casas attended before Boston made him a first-round draft choice in 2018.

Barriera, meanwhile, is currently committed to play his college baseball at the esteemed Vanderbilt University — the same school Casas’ younger brother, Gavin, attends — upon graduating from American Heritage this spring.

In eight starts for the Patriots this season, Barriera posted a 2.27 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 68 strikeouts to 11 walks over 37 innings pitched.

As of now, the 18-year-old southpaw is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 13 draft-eligible prospect in this year’s class, which ranks third among pitchers and seventh among high schoolers.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Barriera “has electric arm speed and the stuff to match,” per his Baseball America scouting report.

“He’s been up to the 95-96 mph range at peak and sat in the 92-93 mph range in short outings last summer,” it reads. “He throws a slider in the low to mid 80s as well and the pitch gets plus grades, with hard lateral movement and two-plane bite at its best. While he threw a changeup less frequently than his fastball/slider combination, scouts with history on him believe it’s a real weapon that he throws with fastball arm speed and could become an above-average offering. Barriera draws praise for his fiery and competitive demeanor on the mound.”

According to MLB Pipeline, which has Barriera as its 15th-ranked prospect, “the only concern around the Vanderbilt recruit is about his size and whether he will hold up as a starter, but his stuff and feel for the strike zone have had scouts running to south Florida all spring and puts him firmly in first-round conversations talent-wise.”

Barriera, who does not turn 19 until next March, would be the first prep pitcher taken by Boston in the first round of a draft since Jay Groome was selected with the 12th overall pick out of Barnegat (N.J.) High School in 2016.

That being said, the 2022 draft does not get underway in Los Angeles until July 17, so there is still plenty of time for things to change. With that, it is worth mentioning that the recommended slot value for the Sox’ top pick this year comes in at roughly $2.975 million.

(Picture of Brandon Barriera: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)