Tag: Baseball

Red Sox promote infield prospect Brainer Bonaci to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Brainer Bonaci from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Bonaci, 21, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Venezuela native originally signed with the Red Sox for $290,000 as an international free agent coming out of Catia La Mar on his 16th birthday in July 2018.

After being held up by visa issues this spring and reporting to camp late as a result, Bonaci did not report to Greenville until late April. The switch-hitter then proceeded to bat a stout .301/.353/.473 with 15 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 38 RBIs, 34 runs scored, six stolen bases, 21 walks, and 63 strikeouts in 63 games (278 plate appearances) with the Drive. That includes a .283/.343/.440 slash from the left side of the plate and a .424/.424/.697 slash line from the right side.

Among 80 South Atlantic League hitters who came into play Wednesday with at least 250 plate appearances under their belt, Bonaci ranks 24th in strikeout rate (22.7 percent), fifth in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, 10th in slugging percentage, 10th in OPS (.825), 27th in isolated power (.172), and 13th in wRC+ (124), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Bonaci saw playing time at four different positions to begin the year with the Drive. The 5-foot-10, 164-pounder logged 172 innings at second base, 28 innings at third base, and 278 2/3 innings at shortstop, committing a total of five errors in 198 chances. He also appeared in one game as a left fielder earlier this season, but has very limited experience in the outfield outside of that.

Bonaci, who does not turn 22 until next summer, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. How he fares against more advanced pitching in the upper minors with the Sea Dogs will surely factor into the club’s decision there.

In Portland, Bonaci is slated to join a talented, yet crowded infield mix that includes Chase Meidroth, Blaze Jordan, Matthew Lugo, Alex Binelas, and Nick Yorke. He will also help fill in for shortstop Marcelo Mayer, who was placed on the 7-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation this past Saturday.

Mayer, Boston’s top prospect, is eligible to come off the injured list on Thursday since his stint on the injured list was backdated to August 3. It remains to be seen if Bonaci will remain with Portland once Mayer is healthy enough to return to action.

Regardless, Bonaci is leading off and starting at shortstop for the Sea Dogs in their contest against the Hartford Yard Goats at Hadlock Field on Wednesday night.

(Picture of Brainer Bonaci: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox pitching prospects Angel Bastardo, Luis Cohen earn monthly awards

A pair of Red Sox pitching prospects were recognized for their respective performances in July on Thursday.

High-A Greenville starter Angel Bastardo was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month while FCL Red Sox starter Luis Cohen was named the Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Month, Minor League Baseball announced.

In five July starts for Greenville, Bastardo went 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA and 42 strikeouts to seven walks over 28 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .192 batting average against. The right-hander’s month could have have gone even better had he not been rocked for a season-high six runs over four innings against the Bowling Green Hot Rods on July 26.

That being said, Bastardo rebounded in his last time out against the Rome Braves this past Tuesday, allowing two earned runs on five hits, one walk, and five strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings. All told, the hard-throwing 21-year-old has forged a 3.90 ERA (3.25 FIP) with a South Atlantic League-leading 130 strikeouts to 39 walks in 19 starts (97 innings) for the Drive this season.

Among qualified Sally League pitchers entering Thursday, Bastardo ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.06), second in strikeout rate (32.4 percent), fourth in batting average against (.211), fourth in WHIP (1.19), fifth in groundball rate (48 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (16.6 percent), sixth in ERA, first in FIP, and second in xFIP (3.48), per FanGraphs.

A native of Venezuela, Bastardo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron in July 2018. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound hurler is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization.

As noted in SoxProspects.com scouting report, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph sinker that tops out at 97 mph, an 82-86 mph curveball that features 11-to-5 break, and an 83-86 mph changeup. Though an intriguing arm, he still needs to work on refining his control and command of the strike zone.

Bastardo, who just turned 21 in June, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this year if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. With that, one has to wonder if Bastardo could soon be on the verge of a promotion to Double-A Portland, which would seemingly allow the Red Sox to see how he fares against more advanced hitters before deciding if he is worthy of a 40-man roster spot.

Cohen, meanwhile, went 1-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 21 strikeouts to seven walks over five July appearances (three starts) spanning 19 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .159 batting average against. On the 2023 campaign as a whole, the 20-year-old righty has posted a 3.60 ERA (3.81 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 11 walks in seven outings (four starts, 25 innings) for Boston’s rookie-level, Fort Myers-based affiliate.

Among 73 Florida Complex League pitchers who came into Thursday with at least 20 innings under their belts to this point in the season, Cohen ranks 25th in strikeouts in per nine innings (10.08), 18th in walks per nine innings (3.96), 18th in strikeout rate (27.7 percent), 26th in walk rate (10.9 percent), 25th in batting average against (.216), 12th in WHIP (1.20), 34th in swinging-strike rate (24.7 percent), 25th in ERA, 12th in FIP, and 26th in xFIP (4.52), per FanGraphs.

Like Bastardo, Cohen also hails from Venezuela. The Tucacas native joined the Red Sox organization as an international free agent last January and received a modest $10,000 signing bonus in doing so. While he is unranked by publications such as Baseball America or SoxProspects.com, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen recently tabbed Cohen as the 36th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system.

“Cohen is an athletic, undersized righty with a precocious breaking ball and several starter traits (except for his size),” Longenhagen wrote of the 6-foot, 172-pound hurler in June. “He’s been sitting 91-94 mph (mostly 93 in my look) throughout relatively short extended spring/complex outings, but he shows the same premium hip/shoulder separation (an indication of power and athleticism, in my opinion) that runs through this system, and therefore has a chance to throw harder at physical maturity even though he’s on the smaller side.

“The money pitch here is Cohen’s sweeping breaker, which has big action and length in the 78-84 mph range,” added Longenhagen. “His 81-83 mph changeup sometimes cuts on him but at other times is average. Like a lot of the other pitchers in this system, there are probably going to be a couple viable secondary offerings in place here, and how Cohen’s fastball velocity and command (the latter is key if little-to-no more velo comes) develop will dictate his ultimate ceiling. It’s more of a backend look due to the lack of projectability.”

Given the fact that he does not turn 21 until next May, Cohen still has plenty of time to grow and fill out his undersized frame. At this point in time, it remains to be seen if the Red Sox will be aggressive with Cohen’s development (i.e. have him pitch at Low-A Salem this season) or will instead put that sort of assignment off until next year.

(Picture of Angel Bastardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Alex Hoppe to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted relief prospect Alex Hoppe from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Hoppe, 24, posted a 3.93 ERA and 3.39 FIP with 48 strikeouts to 14 walks over 31 appearances (34 1/3 innings) for Greenville this season. In eight July outings, the right-hander pitched to a 2.25 ERA and 1.99 FIP across eight innings out of the Drive bullpen. Altogether, he went 3-for-5 in save opportunities.

Among 139 South Atlantic League pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings to this point in the season, Hoppe came into play Tuesday ranking 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.58), 21st in strikeout rate (31.2 percent), 19th in groundball rate (50 percent), 18th in swinging-strike rate (16.1 percent), 22nd in FIP, and sixth in xFIP (3.23), per FanGraphs. He has also yielded a .420 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that luck has not exactly been on his side.

Hoppe is in the midst of his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of last year’s amateur draft out of UNC Greensboro. As a fifth-year senior, the Iowa native signed with the club for an under-slot $32,250. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 41 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 16th among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Hoppe throws from a three-quarters arm slot and primarily relies upon a 96-98 mph fastball that tops out at 99 mph. He also works with an 86-88 mph sweeping slider, but his command for that offering is still a work in progress, according to scouting reports from SoxProspects.com’s Ian Cundall and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen.

Hoppe, who turns 25 in December, is the third member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Greenville to Portland this season. He joins the likes of fellow righty Isaac Coffey and infielder Chase Meidroth.

(Picture of Alex Hoppe: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Grant Gambrell earns Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors

For the second week in a row, a Red Sox pitching prospect was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

After Wikelman Gonzalez received the award last week, fellow right-hander Grant Gambrell earned Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of July 24-30 on Monday, Minor League Baseball announced.

Gambrell made his 12th start of the season for Double-A Portland this past Friday night. Going up against the Richmond Flying Squirrels on the road, the 25-year-old scattered three hits and a walk to go along with eight strikeouts over seven scoreless innings of work.

Gambrell encountered no more than four batters in all seven frames he was on the mound. He stranded three runners in scoring position, induced one inning-ending double play, and retired nine of the last 11 Flying Squirrel hitters he faced from the middle of the fifth through the end of the seventh.

Finishing with 84 pitches (52 strikes), Gambrell induced eight whiffs and ultimately earned the winning decision to improve to 4-2 in a Sea Dogs uniform. Through 12 outings with Portland now, the righty has posted a 3.12 ERA and 3.67 FIP with 72 strikeouts to 23 walks across 69 1/3 innings.

Among 46 Eastern League pitchers who have accrued 60 or more innings to this point in the season, Gambrell ranks 19th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.35), eighth in walks per nine innings (2.99), 17th in strikeout rate (25.3 percent), 10th in walk rate (8.1 percent), 11th in batting average against (.218), seventh in WHIP (1.15), third in line-drive rate (17.2 percent), eighth in groundball rate (47.3 percent), fourth in ERA, eighth in FIP, and eighth in xFIP (3.56), per FanGraphs.

A former third-round selection of the Royals coming out of Oregon State in 2019, Gambrell was acquired by the Red Sox in June 2021 as part of the three-team trade that had sent outfielder Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City four months earlier.

Gambrell made eight starts for High-A Greenville down the stretch in 2021 and struggled to a 7.16 ERA over 32 2/3 innings. The California native then missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign undergoing five surgeries to remove a benign tumor from his calcaneus, the heel bone.

“I’m just grateful to even be out here because a couple years ago, it was a pretty dark time,” Gambrell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last month. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it again. So it’s just taking advantage of every opportunity that I get.”

After a lengthy recovery period, Gambrell returned to competitive action this spring and broke camp with Greenville. He initially got off to a tough start, but showed signs of improvement as the calendar flipped from April to May and leveraged that into a promotion to Portland on May 18. All told, Gambrell has forged a 3.67 ERA with 108 strikeouts to 32 walks in 18 starts (100 2/3 innings) between the two affiliates this year.

As he explained to Smith in early June, Gambrell eliminated his four-seam fastball and now uses only his 92-95 mph two-seam fastball. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler added a cutter during spring training and also mixes in a slider and changeup.

“Not that I took baseball for granted when I was playing but definitely being away from the sport for a year and a half, two years, you look at it in a different way, a different perspective,” Gambrell said. “I’m honestly glad I did get to go through that because it allowed me to be more appreciative for the sport, more appreciative for everybody around me.”

Gambrell, who turns 26 in November, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline. If he continues to pitch the way he has as of late, the Red Sox could be faced with an interesting decision this fall.

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia records 3 hits, finishes triple shy of cycle in Low-A Salem’s win

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia finished a triple shy of the cycle in Low-A Salem’s 4-3 home win over the Lynchburg Hillcats at Carillion Clinic Field on Thursday night.

Batting cleanup and starting in center field for the Red Sox, Garcia went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. The right-handed hitter opened the scoring in the first inning by driving in Mikey Romero on a run-scoring single. He then hit a solo home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the fourth before doubling and scoring the go-ahead run on a Lyonell James single two innings later.

With a chance to complete the cycle in the bottom of the seventh, Garcia lined out to right field in what would prove to be his final at-bat of the night. Still, Thursday marked just the second three-hit game of Garcia’s career and his first since September 26, 2021, when he was playing in the Dominican Summer League.

Following Thursday’s strong performance, Garcia is now batting .206/.317/.312 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 16 RBIs, 25 runs scored, four stolen bases, 22 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 40 games (167 plate appearances) with Salem this season. While a .629 OPS is far from eye-opening, Garcia has picked things up offensively as of late. Since returning from the All-Star break on July 14, the 20-year-old has put up a far more encouraging slash line of .279/.392/.558 over his last 12 games.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia made his 23rd start of the season in center field on Thursday night. With two outs and a runner at first base in the first inning, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder robbed Robert Lopez of a hit by making an impressive diving catch to his right. It’s not the first time he has made a highlight reel play this year, either.

All told, Garcia has logged 195 innings in center and 125 2/3 innings in right field for Salem. Between the two positions, he has committed four errors in 92 defensive chances. He has also recorded three outfield assists and has been involved in one double play.

A native of Venezuela, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Fernando de Apure in July 2019. He is the older brother of catching prospect Johanfran Garcia, who signed with Boston for $850,000 last January.

While his younger brother is the more well-regarded minor-leaguer at this point, Jhostynxon recently received some strong praise from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, who identified him as the No. 60 prospect in Boston’s farm system last month.

“Garcia’s power is immense for a 20-year-old,” Longenhagen wrote in part. “He is much bigger and stronger than his listed height and weight (on his minor league player page, not in this article), and has thunderous power to the opposite field. His swing’s finish is incredible, and it’s rare for a hitter this dense and strong to be that fluid in the hips.”

Garcia, who does not turn 21 until December, is showing signs of improvement as he experiences his first taste of full-season ball. It should be interesting to see if he can keep this up as the calendar flips from July to August.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 17-23, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Gonzalez fired six no-hit innings in Double-A Portland’s 6-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field on Sunday afternoon. The right-hander allowed one earned run on four walks, but he also struck out 10 to mark his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season.

After issuing back-to-back walks to begin things in the first inning, Gonzalez settled into a groove and retired 15 consecutive batters at one point before running into some trouble with one out in the top of the sixth. There, he walked Steward Berroa — who stole second and third base — on six pitches and Riley Trotta — who stole second base — on five pitches.

With only one out and two runners in scoring position, Gonzalez yielded an RBI groundout to Alan Roden that actually got New Hampshire on the board first. The righty was able to limit the damage to one run, though, as he then got Damiano Palmegiani to fly out to left field to retire the side.

Going into their half of the sixth inning down a run, the Sea Dogs lineup responded by putting up a six-spot. Coming up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, Tyler McDonough and Matt Donlan came through with back-to-back two-run hits to put Portland up 4-1. Elih Marrero then doubled in Donlan before Chase Meidroth pushed across Marrero to extend the lead to five runs at 6-1 heading into the seventh.

Having thrown 91 pitches (52 strikes) to that point in the contest, Gonzalez’s day was over. The 21-year-old hurler induced 15 swings-and-misses while mixing in a 94-96 mph fastball, a 75-79 mph curveball, a changeup, and a slider, per SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall.

In relief of Gonzalez, Brendan Cellucci received the first call out of the Sea Dogs bullpen and sat down six of the seven hitters he faced across two scoreless frames. Luis Guerrero then came on for the ninth and allowed a run to score on two walks and a sacrifice fly before ultimately closing it out to preserve the combined no-hit bid.

Sunday marked Portland’s second no-hitter of the season and seventh in franchise history. Back in early May, right-hander CJ Liu hurled seven no-hit innings as part of a 5-0 road win in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Akron RubberDucks.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, earned the winning decision in Sunday’s series finale against the Fisher Cats to move to 1-0 in his first two starts for the Sea Dogs. Since being promoted from High-A Greenville earlier this month, Gonzalez has allowed just one earned run on four hits and five walks to go along with 19 strikeouts over 12 innings of work with Portland. Opposing hitters are batting just .105 against him in that span.

A native of Venezuela, Gonzalez originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2018. The 6-foot, 167-pounder is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fourth among pitchers in the organization.

Gonzalez, who does not turn 22 until next March, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this winter. Assuming he remains in the organization past the trade deadline, the Red Sox would need to add Gonzalez to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November if they intend on preventing him from becoming Rule 5 eligible.

(Picture of Wikelman Gonzalez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox officially sign top draft pick Kyle Teel

The Red Sox have officially signed 2023 first-round draft selection Kyle Teel, the club announced earlier Friday afternoon.

Teel, who is at Fenway Park to take batting practice ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Mets, received a $4 million signing bonus, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. The slot value for the 14th overall pick in this year’s draft was $4,633,100.

Boston took Teel with its first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft earlier this month. The Virginia product was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in this summer’s class, which ranked first among draft-eligible catchers.

“Kyle is a guy that we had very high on our board for obvious reasons,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said of Teel in a team-released statement. “He had an unbelievable 2023 season offensively and is arguably one of the best college athletes in the draft. We think he’s going to be really valuable for us. We’re excited to add an athletic catcher to the system, and we were thrilled to get him with the 14th pick.”

Teel, 21, spent the last three seasons at Virginia after taking himself out of draft consideration in 2020 despite being regarded as a top-100 talent coming out of Mahwah High School in New Jersey. This past spring, the left-handed hitting junior batted a stout .407/.475/.655 with 25 doubles, 13 home runs, 69 RBIs, 67 runs scored, five stolen bases, 32 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 65 games (297 plate appearances) with the Cavaliers.

Defensively, Teel made 65 starts at catcher this season and caught all but 23 innings for the Hoos. In that time frame, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound backstop threw out 15 of 24 possible base stealers. Between what he did on both sides of the ball, Teel was named the 2023 ACC Player of the Year as well as a consensus first team All-American.

While he has past experience in the outfield, it appears as though the Red Sox are committed to developing Teel as a catcher moving forward. As such, he will undoubtedly emerge as the top catching prospect in Boston’s farm system ahead of the likes of Nathan Hickey, Johanfran Garcia, Brooks Brannon, and Enderso Lira, among others.

Teel, who does not turn 22 until next February, is the first catcher the Red Sox have taken in the first round of a draft since Blake Swihart, who was selected 26th overall in 2011. He is also the first college player Boston has used a first-round pick on since 2017, when Missouri right-hander Tanner Houck was taken with the 24th overall pick.

In addition to Teel, the Red Sox announced that they signed 13 additional 2023 draft picks in fourth-rounder Matt Duffy, compensatory fourth-rounder Kristian Campbell, fifth-rounder Connelly Early, sixth-rounder, CJ Weins, seventh-rounder Caden Rose, eight-rounder Trennor O’Donnell, ninth-rounder Blake Wehunt, 10th-rounder Ryan Ammons, 12th-rounder Max Carlson, 13th-rounder Cade Feeney, 14th-rounder Jojo Ingrassia, 16th-rounder Isaac Stebens, and 18th-rounder Zach Fogell.

Of the eight players who have yet to officially sign, second-rounder Nazzan Zanetello is arguably the most notable. That being said, the 18-year-old shortstop out of Christian Brothers College High School (St. Louis, Mo.) is expected to forego his commitment to Arkansas by putting pen to paper in Boston on Saturday, per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Kavadas, 24, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Portland up until this point. In 69 games for the Sea Dogs, the left-handed hitting first baseman batted .204/.386/.430 with eight doubles, a team-leading 14 home runs, 42 RBIs, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases, 63 walks, and 110 strikeouts over 293 plate appearances.

Among 64 qualified hitters in the Eastern League coming into play on Friday, Kavadas ranked first in walk rate (21.5%), last in strikeout rate (37.5%), ninth in on-base percentage, 29th in slugging percentage, 18th in OPS (.816), 11th in isolated power (.226), 26th in swinging-strike rate (11.2%), and 14th in wRC+ (128), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Kavadas has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this year come at first base. Outside of serving as Portland’s designated hitter on four separate occasions, the 5-foot-11, 235-pounder has logged 567 1/3 innings at first and has yet to commit an error in 477 defensive chances.

Kavadas was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Notre Dame. The Indiana native signed with the club for $250,000 and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

After taking home Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors last year, Kavadas has come back to earth a bit in 2023. As his numbers with the Sea Dogs this season indicate, he has become somewhat of a three-true-outcomes player in that nearly 64% of his plate appearances have resulted in either a strikeout, walk, or home run.

While both his power and approach at the plate are held in high regard, there are some concerns when it comes to the swing-and-miss in Kavadas’ game as well as his ability to succeed against left-handed pitching. Adding on to that, Kavadas is limited in what he can do defensively, so most evaluators have pinned him as a potential platoon designated hitter/bench bat moving forward.

With this promotion, Kavadas — who does not turn 25 until October — will once again be tasked with adjusting to a more advanced level of pitching as he moves one step closer to the major-leagues. Kavadas is the second member of Boston’s 2021 draft class to make the jump from Portland to Worcester this season, joining utilityman Tyler McDonough.

Kavadas will start at first base and bat eighth for the WooSox in their series opener against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at 121 Financial Ballpark on Friday night.

(Picture of Niko Kavadas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote outfield prospect Allan Castro to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting outfield prospect Allan Castro from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Castro, 20, batted .247/.376/.379 with 20 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 29 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 51 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 69 games (306 plate appearances) with Salem this season. While a .754 OPS certainly isn’t eye-popping, the switch-hitter has picked things up offensively as of late.

Over his last 18 games dating back to June 14, for instance, Castro has slashed a stout .328/.456/.508 with six doubles, one triple, one homer, nine runs driven in, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, and more walks than strikeouts (16-to-10) across 79 trips to the plate heading into the All-Star break.

Among qualified hitters in the Carolina League to this point in the season, Castro ranks third in highest walk rate (16.7%), 12th in lowest strikeout rate (17.6 percent), 16th in on-base percentage, 17th in OPS, ninth in line-drive rate (25.3 percent), 17th in swinging-strike rate (9 percent), and 16th in wRC+ (123), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield positions for Salem. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder logged 31 innings in right, 185 in left, and a team-leading 282 2/3 innings in center. Between the three spots, he recorded four outfield assists while committing four errors in 96 total chances.

Castro is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $100,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2019.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Castro did not make his organizational debut until 2021, when he posted a .756 OPS in 46 Dominican Summer League games and subsequently earned Red Sox Latin Program Position Player of the Year honors.

Castro took his talents stateside last season and appeared in 39 Florida Complex League games before making the jump to Salem in late August. Though he hit just .188 (6-for-32) in his first taste of Low-A ball, the Red Sox were encouraged by the year Castro had overall.

“Castro took a significant step forward this season,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero told BloggingtheRedSox.com back in September. “He’s continued to grow and gained a lot of strength. Additionally, he found ways to make his swing more efficient and started using the whole field more often.”

Romero went on to say that Castro’s “athleticism is starting to show itself more on the field” and noted that the then-19-year-old was “sort of a sleeper prospect who we expect will do more things in 2023.”

Castro, who does not turn 21 until next May, is now slated to join a talented outfield group in Greenville that is headlined by top prospect Roman Anthony. Like Castro, Anthony also began the season in Salem before earning a promotion last month.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox select high school righty Robert Orloski with final pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Middleton (Idaho) High School right-hander Robert Orloski with their 20th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 598 overall.

Orloski was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 465 prospect in this year’s draft class. The 18-year-old righty is currently committed to play college baseball at Texas-San Antonio.

Orloski is looking to become the first high school pitcher out of Idaho to sign with a club after being drafted in the bonus pool era. The Gem State native is coming off a dominant senior season in which he went 7-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 92 strikeouts to 19 walks in 11 appearances spanning 56 innings of work. He was named the Gatorade Idaho Baseball Player of the Year for his efforts.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Orloski “has a high-energy windup and fast arm, with a few moving parts and some effort throughout his finish,” per his Baseball America scouting report. “He has mostly pitched in the 88-92 mph range, but will sit in the low 90s early in starts with bat-missing qualities to his fastball.

“During the 2022 Area Code Games, Orloski showed a 79-81 mph slurvy breaking ball that varied in shape but lacked hard bite, though scouts this spring have spoken more positively about his breaking ball and think it could become a solid secondary pitch. He has also flashed a decent low-80s changeup that has shown well versus left-handers.”

Speaking with Michael Lycklama of the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday, Orloski said that the Red Sox scouted him “heavily” throughout his high school career. He also indicated that the club has yet to offer the kind of money he is looking for with the signing deadline a little less than two weeks away.

“It’s all good,” Orloski said. “I’m still kind of waiting. I haven’t received the money I wanted. So we are still waiting to see if I can get that. If not, I’ll go to college.”

Orloski, who turns 19 in October, is likely in search of a bonus that exceeds the slot value for his pick ($150,000). The Red Sox can offer him more than that, but they would have to dip into their bonus pool in order to do so.

When speaking with reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Greg McKenna) on Tuesday, Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said he was unsure whether the club would be able to sign Orloski — as well as 15th-rounder Phoenix Call — away from their college commitments

Regardless of that, Orloski is the first prep pitcher Boston has drafted since 2021, when it took Puerto Rican righty Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round out of Leadership Christian Academy.

That concludes this year’s installment of the draft. All told, the Red Sox took eight right-handed pitchers, four left-handed pitchers, five infielders, four outfielders, and one catcher over this three-day period. Of Boston’s 22 selections, 16 are out of college, one is out of junior college, and five are out of high school.

The Red Sox have $10,295,100 in bonus pool money to work with this year. As highlighted by SoxProspects.com’s Mike Andrews, they can spend past that amount but would incur different penalties in doing so.

For instance, if the Red Sox exceed their pool by 0-5%, they will be charged a 75% tax on the excess. If they exceed their pool 5-10%, they will pay the same tax and will also lose its first-round pick next season. If they exceed their pool by 10-15%, they will be charged a 100% tax on the excess and lose their first- and second-round picks next season. And if they exceed their pool by more than 15%, they will be charged a 100% tax on the excess and lose their next two first-round picks.

The signing deadline is 5 p.m. eastern time on July 25.

(Picture of Robert Orloski: Darin Oswald/The Idaho Statesman)