Tag: Baseball

First 6 games of Red Sox’ 2022 season cancelled due to MLB lockout

The start of the 2022 Major League Baseball season has been delayed due to the ongoing lockout.

After nine consecutive days of intense negotiations in Jupiter, Fla. , MLB and the players association were unable to reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement by the league’s self imposed 5 p.m. eastern time deadline on Tuesday evening.

It has now been 90 days since the previous collective bargaining agreement expired on December 2 and the owners locked out the players as a result. Spring training games had already been cancelled, but with the aforementioned negotiating deadline come and gone, the league felt as though it could not start the regular season as scheduled on March 31.

More specifically, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Tuesday that the league has cancelled Opening Day as well as each team’s first two series of the 2022 season.

For the Red Sox, this means that their first six games of the year have been cancelled. The Sox were originally slated to host the Rays (March 31, April 2-3) and Orioles (April 4-6) in a pair of three-game series at Fenway Park to kick off their schedule.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, however, the earliest Boston’s season can begin is April 7, when they are scheduled to open a three-game set against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.

Of course, those games and the ones that come immediately after remain in jeopardy on account of the ongoing work stoppage. Manfred said the league and players union will not meet again until Thursday at the earliest, but those talks could drag on.

Regardless of that, any games that are cancelled because of the lockout will not be rescheduled, nor will players be compensated for them. This means that — at most — the Red Sox will play 75 home games at Fenway Park this season. It feels safe to assume that fans who purchased tickets for cancelled games will be eligible for a full refund.

(Picture of Fenway Park: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Is right-hander Jacob Wallace ‘the best pure relief prospect’ in the Red Sox’ farm system?

It has been roughly 18 months since the Red Sox traded veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar to the Rockies for a player to be named later in August 2020. Less than three weeks later, the trade was completed when Boston acquired pitching prospect Jacob Wallace from Colorado.

A former third-round draft pick of the Rockies in 2019, Wallace drew immediate interest from the Red Sox fanbase since he hails from Methuen, Mass. and played his college baseball at the University of Connecticut.

After making his organizational debut at fall instructs, Wallace entered last spring ranked by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in the Sox’ farm system. The right-handed reliever broke minor-league camp with High-A Greenville, though he did not get off to the best of starts.

In his first 27 appearances out of the bullpen for the Drive, Wallace struggled to the tune of a 7.96 ERA and 5.66 FIP to go along with 43 strikeouts to 19 walks over 31 2/3 innings of work.

That miserable stretch lasted from May 5 through Aug. 1. Four days later, it was almost as if a flip had switched for Wallace when he punched out four of the six batters he faced in two scoreless frames against the Rome Braves at Fluor Field.

From that point on, the 23-year-old seemingly turned his 2021 around for the better by posting a 2.12 ERA and miniscule 1.12 FIP while recording 33 strikeouts to just six walks across his final 12 outings (17 innings pitched) of the year.

Most notably, Wallace made some history when he tossed the ninth and final inning of a combined no-hitter against the Asheville Tourists on September 2. Jeremy Wu-Yelland had started that contest and hurled five shutout frames, while Jose Espada Oddanier Mosqueda combined for three scoreless innings before Wallace closed out a 6-0 victory for Greenville.

Among High-A East pitchers who accrued at least 40 innings on the mound last season, Wallace ranked sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (14.05), 10th in strikeout rate (34.5%), and fourth in swinging strike rate (18.5%), per FanGraphs.

While Wallace was clearly among the top strike throwers at the High-A level in 2021, the righty still seemed to struggle with his control to some degree. His 4.62 walks per nine innings and 11.4% walk rate last year are indicators of that.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Wallace utilizes a unique delivery and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 96-98 mph fastball, an 84-86 mph slider, and a slider that he added after turning pro, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Along those same lines, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall tweeted on Monday that he believes Wallace is “the best pure relief prospect in the system” and “could move quick if he can build on his end to 2021.”

Wallace, who does not turn 24 until August, is currently projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 minor-league season with Double-A Portland. The hard-throwing hurler can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career next winter, so the Red Sox would need to add him to their 40-man roster by late November if they want to prevent that from happening.

(Picture of Jacob Wallace courtesy of the Greenville Drive)

Who is Eddinson Paulino? Red Sox infield prospect was ‘an eye-opener’ last year after impressing in Florida Complex League

Like his teammate Miguel Ugueto, Red Sox infield prospect Eddinson Paulino was one of the organization’s top performers in the Florida Complex League last season.

In 36 games for the Sox’ rookie-level affiliate, Paulino batted .336/.436/.549 to go along with 16 doubles, four triples, 13 RBIs, 25 runs scored, five stolen bases, 15 walks, and 21 strikeouts over 133 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting 19-year-old slashed .354/.436/.585 (94 PAs) against right-handed pitching and .290/.436/.452 (39 PAs) against lefties.

Among FCL hitters who made at least 130 trips to the plate in 2021, Paulino ranked tied for first in doubles, tied for second in triples, 30th in walk rate (11.3%), eighth in strikeout rate (15.8%), second in batting average, third in on-base percentage, second in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.985), ninth in isolated power (.212), 14th in speed score (7.8), and first in wRC+ (161), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Paulino was scouted and signed as a shortstop. Last year, however, the 5-foot-10, 155 pounder saw playing time at three different positions while logging 85 innings at second base, 149 at third base, and just 16 at short.

A native of Santiago, Paulino originally signed with Boston for $205,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018. He officially inked his first contract with the club on his 16th birthday.

After spending his first full professional season in the Dominican Summer League, Paulino fell victim to the fact that the 2020 minor-league campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That being said, Paulino clearly made the most of his time away from organized ball. Even after starting this past season on the bench in the FCL, Paulino was undoubtedly “an eye-opener” among Red Sox prospects in 2021.

Back in August, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall noted that Paulino’s athleticism, defensive versatility, and smooth swing made him “one of the most intriguing young position players” in Boston’s farm system.

“Scouts think Paulino can really hit,” Cundall wrote. “He has been hitting hard line drives all over the field this year and made impressive exit velocity gains, hitting the ball much harder this year than he did in 2019 in the DSL. The one knock on Paulino so far has been that it is unclear how much over-the-fence power Paulino will develop. He is listed at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, and while he has projection in his frame, he is unlikely to grow into a major power threat.”

Paulino, who does not turn 20 until July, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 25th-ranked prospect in the organization. He is projected by the site to begin the 2022 season at Low-A Salem.

On that note, Paulino can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this December. The Red Sox would need to add the versatile infielder to their 40-man roster by late November if they intend to protect him from it.

(Picture of Eddinson Paulino: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Who is Miguel Ugueto? Red Sox outfield prospect batted .331 in Florida Complex League last year

Red Sox outfield prospect Miguel Ugueto was among the organization’s top performers in the Florida Complex League last year.

Nicknamed “The Machine” like Albert Pujols, Ugueto appeared in 35 games for the Sox’ rookie-level affiliate. Over that stretch, the right-handed-hitting 19-year-old batted a stout .331/.370/.528 (135 wRC+) to go along with 15 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 20 RBIs, 26 runs scored, seven stolen bases, seven walks, and 26 strikeouts across 135 plate appearances.

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He posted a .949 OPS against right-handed pitching compared to a .733 OPS against left-handed pitching.

Among FCL hitters who made at least 130 trips to the plate in 2021, Ugueto ranked 13th in strikeout rate (19.3%), third in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, sixth in slugging percentage, fifth in OPS (.898), 15th in isolated power (.197), eighth in speed score (8.6), and seventh in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 185 pounder saw playing time at all three outfield positions last year in Fort Myers. He logged 99 2/3 innings in left, 56 innings in center, and 104 in right while not committing a single error and recording three outfield assists.

A native of Venezuela, Ugueto originally signed with Boston for just $10,000 as an international free agent in August 2019. His first full professional season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he certainly made up for lost time in 2021.

With that being said, though, there does seem to be some concern regarding Ugueto’s outlook in spite of the success he enjoyed last summer. As highlighted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall in September, “scouts are skeptical of his ability to hit more advanced pitching. His swing is ugly and he is a free swinger with poor pitch recognition and no approach at the plate. Unless his approach improves drastically, he will struggle to make contact as he moves up the system.

“Defensively, his profile also puts a lot of pressure on his bat, as he is slow-footed with a corner outfield profile,” added Cundall. “While he has played a significant amount of center field this year, he has moved to the corners in his last eight games.”

Ugueto, who does not turn 20 until this coming September, is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in the Red Sox’ farm system. He was, however, one of 11 outfielders to participate in the team’s fall performance program this past October.

On that note, Ugueto is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 minor-league season where he left off in 2021: the Florida Complex League. Of course, under that scenario, it would not be surprising if Ugueto were to earn a promotion to Low-A Salem at some point this summer.

(Picture of Miguel Ugueto: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Marcelo Mayer identified by MLB Pipeline as Red Sox’ best defensive prospect

Marcelo Mayer was recently identified by MLB Pipeline as the top defensive prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system.

A pure-hitting shortstop out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif., Mayer was selected by the Sox with the fourth overall pick in last summer’s draft.

Upon signing with Boston for a lucrative $6.664 million, Mayer was assigned to the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox to begin his professional career. He debuted for the affiliate on August 5 and appeared in a total of 26 games.

In addition to posting a .275/.377/.440 clip (121 wRC+) over that stretch, Mayer also saw all of his playing time on the field come at shortstop. While logging 177 2/3 innings at the position, the 6-foot-3, 188 pounder turned three double plays and committed a team-high 10 errors.

Despite the high number of miscues, there does not seem to be too much concern surrounding Mayer’s defensive abilities considering the fact that last year only served as the 19-year-old’s introductory course to pro ball.

As noted by the MLB Pipeline staff, “the California high school product possesses just fringy speed but makes up for it with a quick first step, and he also displays smooth actions, quick hands and a finely tuned internal clock at shortstop.”

Mayer himself was bothered by the amount of errors he made, as he explained to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey last month that improving defensively has “been a focal point of his offseason work.”

With spring fast approaching, Mayer is currently regarded by MLB.com as the top prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 9 prospect in all of baseball. The left-handed hitting infielder is projected to start the 2022 minor-league season (also his first full season) at Low-A Salem and is understandably excited for it to get underway.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Nick Yorke identified by Baseball America as top second-base prospect in baseball

Nick Yorke was recently identified by Baseball America as the top second-base prospect in baseball heading into the 2022 season.

The Red Sox surprised many when they selected Yorke with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft, but the Archbishop Mitty High school product has quickly proven his doubters wrong.

2021 marked Yorke’s first full season as a professional. After impressing the likes of Alex Cora at spring training, the 19-year-old broke camp with Low-A Salem and initially got off to a slow start.

By the time the calendar flipped from May to June, Yorke was sporting a measly .195 batting average through his first 21 games and 91 plate appearances with Salem.

From June 1 on, however, Yorke turned things around for the better. The right-handed hitting second baseman proceeded to slash .373/.467/.609 with 12 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 38 RBIs, 50 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 33 walks, and 26 strikeouts over his next 55 games (255 plate appearances) before earning a promotion to High-A Greenville on August 24.

In the process of closing out his first full pro season with the Drive, Yorke stayed hot by batting .333/.406/.571 with six more doubles, one more triple, four more homers, 15 more RBIs, 17 more runs, two more stolen bases, 11 more walks, and 22 more strikeouts across 21 games spanning 96 trips to the plate.

On the heels of such a sensational campaign, Yorke was named the Red Sox’ minor-league Offensive Player of the Year in September. He was also recognized by Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser as the top-hitting second base prospect the game has to offer at the moment.

“He is a balanced hitter who stays back on balls and drives them to all fields with a quick, compact swing,” Glaser wrote on Friday. “He consistently puts together good at-bats with his excellent pitch recognition and strike-zone discipline, and his elite barrel control allows him to hit almost any pitch. He easily projects to be a plus hitter and has a chance to be more.”

Among all qualified minor-league second basemen who played above the rookie-level Dominican Summer League and complex leagues last year, Yorke ranked fifth in batting average (.325), fourth in on-base percentage (.412), ninth in slugging percentage (.516), fifth in OPS (.928), and fifth in wRC+ (149), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Yorke saw all his playing time between Salem and Greenville come at second base. The 6-foot, 200 pounder logged 741 2/3 innings total innings at the position while recording nine errors — all of which came at Low-A.

There are some questions surrounding Yorke’s future as a second baseman, but he presently leads a prospect group that includes Nick Gonzales, Vidal Brujan, Ezequiel Duran, Justin Foscue, and Xavier Edwards, among others.

Yorke, who turns 20 in April, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 31 prospect in all of baseball. The California native participated in the Sox’ Winter Warm-Up program last month and is projected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2022 minor-league season.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Red Sox release minor-league infielder Brett Netzer

The Red Sox have released minor-league infielder Brett Netzer, according to The Athletic’s Chad Jennings.

Per Jennings, the Sox elected to release Netzer “following a series of racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic posts on Twitter.”

Netzer, 25, was originally selected by Boston in the third round of the 2017 amateur draft out of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The South Carolina native signed with the club for $475,000.

After debuting with the Lowell Spinners and closing out the 2017 season with the Greenville Drive, Netzer spent the entirety of the 2018 campaign with the Salem Red Sox and the entirety of the 2019 campaign with the Portland Sea Dogs.

In 130 games for Double-A Portland, the left-handed hitting second baseman batted .247/.320/.357 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs over 512 plate appearances. He also played for the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League in 2019.

With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down Minor League Baseball in 2020, Netzer did not appear in any sort of organized action that summer, nor was he invited to participate in the Sox’ fall instructional league in Fort Myers.

Shortly before the 2021 minor-league season was set to begin last May, the Red Sox placed Netzer on the restricted list for an undisclosed reason. He spent the entire year there despite being listed on Portland’s roster.

Now that he has been released, Netzer has subsequently become a free agent. The 6-foot, 195 pounder topped out as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system in 2018, per Baseball America’s rankings.

In response to what went down with Netzer on Saturday, Red Sox pitching prospect Brendan Cellucci took to Twitter to express his feelings on the matter.

“It’s safe to say Red Sox fans have been shocked by the comments of a former player,” Cellucci tweeted. “I don’t speak for the organization, however I will say that player’s comments don’t reflect the reputation and standard we uphold. Our organization promotes respect and love for all, period.”

(Picture of Brett Netzer: Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Red Sox outfield prospect Eduardo Vaughan could burst onto the scene in 2022

Red Sox outfield prospect Eduardo Vaughan has a chance to fly up the team’s prospect rankings board this year, according to SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall.

“If you’re looking for a prospect who could fly up the Red Sox prospect rankings this year, Vaughan is a great candidate,” Cundall tweeted on Friday. “He checks a lot of boxes, but has a wide variance with his hit-tool. How that develops will go a long way to determining his future potential.”

Vaughan, who turned 20 last month, comes into 2022 ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 44 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He originally signed with the Red Sox for $550,000 as an international free agent coming out of Panama in July 2018.

After spending the 2019 season in the Dominican Summer League, Vaughan was unable to play any sort of minor-league ball in 2020 on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 20-year-old did, however, participate in fall instructs and took what he learned there into minor-league spring training last year.

Once minor-league camp broke and extended spring training concluded in June, Vaughan remained in Fort Myers as he wound up spending the entirety of the 2021 campaign with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox.

In 28 games with the FCL Red Sox, the right-handed hitter batted .226/.362/.405 (108 wRC+) with six doubles, three home runs, 18 RBIs, 16 runs scored, five stolen bases, 18 walks, and 24 strikeouts over 105 plate appearances. He surprisingly fared better against righties (.840 OPS in 74 PAs) as opposed to lefties (.572 OPS in 31 PAs).

Among FCL hitters who made at least 100 trips to the plate in 2021, Vaughan ranked 39th in on-base percentage, 29th in isolated power (.179), and eighth in walk rate (17.1%), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Vaughan saw playing time at all three outfield positions last year after only playing the corners in 2019. The 6-foot-4, 185 pounder logged 139 1/3 innings in center field, 59 2/3 innings in right field, and six innings in left field while recording a total of five outfield assists.

Shortly before the FCL season ended in September, Cundall wrote that Vaughan “has one of the system’s most projectable frames in the low minors” since he still has room to fill out physically.

“Vaughan already shows plus raw power, his best tool at present,” added Cundall. “His hit tool and approach are still works in progress, and his swing is on the long side, but his hands are quick. … He is a fringe-average runner right now and will likely get slower as he matures, but he has a good arm and a typical right field profile.”

While Cundall noted that Vaughan still has a ways to go developmentally, he also identified the San Miguelito native as a “high-risk, high-reward prospect” with “a wide gap between what he is now and what he could be in the future.”

This winter, Vaughan returned to his home country to suit up for Aguilas Metropolitanas of the Panamanian Professional Baseball League. He posted a .681 OPS across 18 games for the Panama City-based club.

As he prepares for the upcoming minor-league season, Vaughan is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the year with Low-A Salem. These next few months could prove to be pivotal for Vaughan, who can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this December.

If the Red Sox would prefer not to expose Vaughan to the Rule 5 Draft, they would need to add him to their 40-man roster by late November.

(Picture of Eduardo Vaughan: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox spring training: 3 more Grapefruit League games cancelled due to lockout

Exactly one week after cancelling spring training games through March 4, Major League Baseball announced on Friday that games on March 5, 6, and 7 have been cancelled as well due to the ongoing lockout.

For the Red Sox, who were supposed to host Northeastern at JetBlue Park on Friday afternoon, this means that three additional spring training games have been cleared from their Grapefruit League schedule.

After previously losing exhibition games against the Braves, Yankees, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, Orioles, Braves, and Rays, the Sox will no longer be taking on the Twins, Blue Jays, or Yankees in Grapefruit League play.

Instead, the earliest teams can open their spring schedule is March 8 (Boston is slated to host Pittsburgh in Fort Myers that Tuesday afternoon). Of course, whether games are actually played on March 8 is dependent on ongoing negotiations between Major League Baseball and the players association.

The two sides met for a fifth straight day in Jupiter, Fla. on Friday but have yet to reach an agreement that would end the work stoppage, which is now in its 86th day. MLB owners originally locked out the players on December 2, when the previous collective bargaining agreement expired.

If a new CBA is not finalized by this coming Monday (February 28), the league has already said that the regular season would not start on time. As noted by The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, this outcome would lead to cancelled games not being made up and a decrease in players’ pay as a result.

As of now, the Red Sox are scheduled to host the Rays at Fenway Park on Opening Day — March 31. Every team’s 2022 regular season schedule consists of 162 games, though that number could change in the coming days.

(Picture of JetBlue Park: Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Who is Jake MacKenzie? Red Sox infield prospect may be one of fastest players in organization

Jordan DiValerio was not the only undrafted free agent the Red Sox signed out of an Atlantic 10 school following the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft.

In addition to the St. Joseph’s University right-hander, Boston also signed Fordham University infielder Jake MacKenzie for $20,000 in June 2020.

A junior at the time of signing, MacKenzie had earned quite the reputation as a speed merchant at Fordham by stealing a total of 77 bases in his first two seasons with the Rams.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2020 college baseball season short, MacKenzie had gotten his junior campaign off to a solid start by posting a .958 OPS and swiping seven bags in his first 16 games of the year.

After becoming one of 16 undrafted free agents to sign with Boston that summer, MacKenzie did not receive the benefit of acclimating himself to the minor-league lifestyle from the get-go. He instead had to wait until last spring to make his professional debut after breaking camp with Low-A Salem.

In 29 games for Salem, the right-handed hitter batted .228/.347/.329 (94 wRC+) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBIs, 12 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 18 strikeouts over 95 plate appearances.

On paper, that sort of slash line obviously does not stick out. Still, the Red Sox promoted MacKenzie to High-A Greenville on July 23 and some of his numbers actually improved upon facing a stiffer level of competition.

While his walk rate (12.6% to 9.6%) dipped and his strikeout rate (18.9% to 21.7%) rose, MacKenzie slashed a stout .265/.375/.353 (107 wRC+) to go along with four doubles, one triple, three RBIs, 14 runs scored, three stolen bases, eight walks, and 18 strikeouts across 25 games (83 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Although he only stole three bases in four attempts with Greenville, MacKenzie was unsurprisingly one of the fastest baserunners in the High-A East last year. Among the 222 hitters who made at least 80 trips to the plate in 2021, the 22-year-old ranked 11th in Speed score, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, MacKenzie saw playing time at four different positions between Salem and Greenville. The 5-foot-10, 195 pounder logged a total of 280 2/3 innings at second base, 81 1/3 innings at third base, 40 innings at shortstop, and nine innings in right field.

Given his versatility and quickness on the basepaths, MacKenzie profiles as an intriguing infield depth option for the Sox. The Wallingford, Conn. native has “strong baserunning instincts” per his SoxProspects.com scouting report and is still relatively young as he does not turn 23 until May.

MacKenzie’s ties to New England run deeper than where he was born and raised. During his time at Fordham, the Choate Rosemary Hall product also spent two summers (2018 and 2019) playing for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Taking his age and level of experience into account, MacKenzie is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 season where he left off in 2021: Greenville. He may not be one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system as of now, but perhaps the speedster can work his way up to Double-A Portland before the year is over.

(Picture of Jake MacKenzie via the Greenville Drive’s Twitter)