Tag: carolina league

Red Sox OF prospect Justin Gonzales recognized as 2025 Carolina League All-Star

Red Sox outfield prospect Justin Gonzales has been named a 2025 Carolina League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

Gonzales spent most of his first season in the United States with Low-A Salem after making a brief one-game cameo in the rookie-level Florida Complex League in early May. From there, the right-handed hitting 18-year-old batted .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 27 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 81 games (357 plate appearances) for the Red Sox.

Among 47 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Gonzales ranked first in batting average, second in OPS (.804), wOBA (.394), and wRC+ (131), third in slugging percentage and strikeout rate (14.6 percent), sixth in on-base percentage, 14th in swinging-strike rate (10.3 percent), and 17th in isolated power (.125), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gonzales saw playing time at all three outfield positions for Salem. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder logged 226 1/3 innings in center field, 192 innings in right field, and 127 2/3 innings in left field, recording two assists and committing four errors in 127 total defensive chances. He also made 16 starts at DH.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Gonzales originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent in January 2024. As part of an impressive professional debut last season, the Bani native was recognized as a Dominican Summer League All-Star and Boston’s Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Roughly two weeks before Salem’s season ended, Gonzales received a promotion to High-A Greenville in late August. He ended the year by going 8-for-43 (.186) with four RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, four walks, and 11 strikeouts in 11 games for the Drive. Overall, he slashed .281/.363/.390 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 32 RBIs, 50 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 39 walks, and 65 strikeouts over 93 total games (410 plate appearances) between the FCL, Salem, and Greenville in 2025. That includes a .309/.420/.500 line against lefties and a .275/.350/.364 line against righties.

Gonzales, who turns 19 in December, is currently ranked as the No. 7 prospect in Boston’s farm system by MLB Pipeline. At the same time, Baseball America lists him at No. 12, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 13. Barring a trade or other surprise move this winter, he will likely return to Greenville for the start of the 2026 minor-league season.

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Yhoiker Fajardo named Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for August

Red Sox pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for August, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Fajardo dominated Carolina League hitters to the tune of a 1.14 ERA (1.67 FIP) with 36 strikeouts to eight walks in six starts (23 2/3 innings) for Low-A Salem last month. Opponents batted just .159 against the 18-year-old right-hander, who was recognized as the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on two separate occasions.

In 12 starts for Salem this season, Fajardo has forged a 2.79 ERA (2.43 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 16 walks over 48 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .230 against him. That comes after he posted a 0.44 ERA (2.41 FIP) with 24 strikeouts to seven walks in six outings (four starts) spanning 20 2/3 innings for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox to open the 2025 campaign before being promoted on June 17.

Among the 107 pitchers who entered play Thursday having thrown at least 45 innings in the Carolina League this year, Fajardo ranked second in FIP, fourth in swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), sixth in line-drive rate (16.1 percent), 11th in xFIP (3.08), 14th in groundball rate (51.6 percent), 17th in strikeout rate (26.9 percent), 23rd in ERA, 25th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.87) and walks per nine innings (2.98), 26th in walk rate (8.1 percent) and WHIP (1.18), and 53rd in batting average against, per FanGraphs.

Fajardo has been nothing short of a revelation this season after being acquired from the White Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser last December. The native Venezuelan had originally signed with Chicago for $400,000 as an international free agent in February 2024 and was fresh off earning Dominican Summer League All-Star honors in his professional debut. He is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 22 prospect (12th among pitchers), while MLB Pipeline has him at No. 25 (14th among pitchers) and SoxProspects.com has him at No. 18 (11th among pitchers), respectively.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, Fajardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young righty features a 93-95 mph fastball that can reach 96-97 mph depending on what variation (two-seam or four-seam) he throws, a tight 82-85 mph slider, and an 85-88 mph kick changeup.

Fajardo, who turns 19 in October, was also named SoxProspects.com’s Pitcher of the Month and the Red Sox’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August in recent days. He is slated to make one more start for Salem in the back half of its series against Fayetteville this weekend before the 2025 Carolina League regular season draws to a close on Sunday.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Yhoiker Fajardo named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for second time this season

Red Sox pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 18-24, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Fajardo takes home the honor for the second time this season, having previously done so for the week of July 28-August 3. The 18-year-old right-hander made two starts and tossed seven scoreless innings in Low-A Salem’s series against the Carolina Mudcats at Carilion Clinic Field this past week.

After retiring the first three batters he faced on Thursday, Fajardo’s outing was interrupted by rain, and the contest was ultimately suspended in the middle of the first. That allowed him to retake the mound on Sunday afternoon, and he responded by yielding just two hits and no walks while striking out eight over six dominant innings in Salem’s 3-2 victory.

Fajardo fanned the first five batters he faced and took a no-hit bid into the top of the sixth before giving up back-to-back one-out singles. The hard-throwing righty escaped that jam by inducing a groundout and flyout to keep Carolina off the board and end his day on a high note. He threw 74 pitches (55 strikes) and generated 16 whiffs, tied for the most of any pitcher at the Low-A level on Sunday, according to Baseball Savant.

In 11 starts for Salem since being promoted from the rookie-level Florida Complex League (where he forged a 0.44 ERA in 20 2/3 innings) on June 17, Fajardo has posted a 2.84 ERA (2.49 FIP) with 46 strikeouts to 14 walks over 44 1/3 frames in which opposing hitters have batted .217 against him. That includes a 0.92 ERA (1.67 FIP) with 29 strikeouts to six walks across 19 2/3 innings in August.

Among 126 pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings in the Carolina League this season, Fajardo ranks third in FIP and swinging-strike rate (16.7 percent), fifth in line-drive rate (15.8 percent), 11th in xFIP (3.14), 16th in WHIP (1.11) and groundball rate (52.6 percent), 24th in ERA, 25th in walks per nine innings (2.84), 28th in strikeout rate (25.8 percent) and walk rate (7.9 percent), 42nd in batting average against, and 50th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.34), per FanGraphs.

Hailing from Venezuela, Fajardo originally signed with the White Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent in February 2024. The Villa de Cura native made the most of his professional debut and was recognized as a Dominican Summer League All-Star last year before being acquired by the Red Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser in December. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 22 prospect, which ranks 11th among pitchers in the organization. Elsewhere, MLB Pipeline has him at No. 25 while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 18 on their respective lists.

Listed at a projectable 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, Fajardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young hurler features a 93-96 mph two-/four-seam fastball combination that can reach 97 mph and also mixes in a tight 82-86 mph slider as well as an 85-88 mph changeup.

Fajardo, who does not turn 19 until October, is in line to make one or two more starts before Salem’s season ends on September 7. With that being said, it will be interesting to see if he could receive another promotion to aid in High-A Greenville’s quest for a playoff spot. As of this writing, the Drive are one game back of second-half leading Hub City for first place in the South Atlantic League South division standings.

(Picture of Yhoiker Fajardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Justin Gonzales recognized as Carolina League Player of the Week

Red Sox outfield prospect Justin Gonzales has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for the week of June 30-July 6, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Gonzales appeared in five of Low-A Salem’s six games against Lynchburg on the road last week. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old went 8-for-20 (.400) with three doubles, one home run, four RBIs, three runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks, and three strikeouts. He drew one walk on Tuesday, homered as part of a three-hit effort on Wednesday, did not play on Thursday, singled on Friday, doubled and drove in one run on Saturday, and doubled twice in Sunday’s series finale.

Now riding a four-game hitting streak, Gonzales is batting .273/.383/.376 with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs, 15 RBIs, 24 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 24 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 45 games (196 plate appearances) for Salem this season. That includes a .246/.356/.304 slash line against righties and a far more favorable .407/.515/.741 slash line against lefties.

Among 89 Carolina League hitters who have made at least 190 trips to the plate this year, Gonzales ranks 11th in batting average and on-base percentage, 14th in strikeout rate (15.3 percent), 16th in wOBA (.378), 17th in OPS (.758), 19th in wRC+ (122), 27th in slugging percentage, and 33rd in walk rate (12.2 percent) and swinging-strike rate (10.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gonzales has seen playing time at all three outfield spots for Salem. The hulking 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has logged a team-leading 226 1/3 innings in center field, 61 innings in right field, and 15 2/3 innings in left field, recording one outfield assist and committing three errors in 74 total defensive chances. He has also made nine starts at DH and has prior experience at first base.

Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic for $250,000 in January 2024, Gonzales is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 16 prospect. The Bani native burst onto the scene in his professional debut last season, most notably earning Dominican Summer League All-Star and Red Sox Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the Year honors. He stood out in his first stateside spring training and made the jump to Salem on May 6 after just one game in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

“This kid is more physical than any player I’ve been around,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier in early May. “He’s a monster. I think he’s still kind of learning what he can do physically, learning his body. And for a guy who’s so big and has so much power, his ability to control the bat is incredibly impressive. He’s been a much better hitter than maybe we had expected. That’s been really exciting.”

Gonzales, who does not turn 19 until December, could emerge as an intriguing candidate to be moved in the coming weeks if the Red Sox elect to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline at the end of the month. Assuming he remains in the organization, though, it should be worthwhile to see if Gonzales can aggressively work his way up to High-A Greenville at some point in the second half.

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Austin Ehrlicher named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Austin Ehrlicher has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 9-15, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Ehrlicher was nearly perfect in his latest start for Low-A Salem on Sunday afternoon. Going up against Delmarva on the road, the 22-year-old right-hander walked just one and struck out a season-high of seven over five scoreless, no-hit innings. He retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced, throwing 68 pitches (46 strikes) and generating 10 swings and misses.

Despite Ehrlicher’s strong showing on the mound, the Red Sox dropped Sunday’s series finale to the Shorebirds at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium by a final score of 5-4 to fall to 24-37 on the season.

Ehrlicher has forged a 3.86 ERA (3.03 FIP) with 35 strikeouts to 18 walks in 11 appearances (seven starts) spanning 28 innings for Salem so far this season. The righty began the year in the bullpen but struggled in that role, allowing six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of relief through the end of April. He moved to the Red Sox’ rotation in early May and has since posted a 2.38 ERA (3.12 FIP) with 25 strikeouts to 13 walks over 22 2/3 innings as a starter while holding opposing hitters to a .192 batting average.

Among 96 pitchers in the Carolina League who have thrown at least 28 innings to this point in the season, Ehrlicher ranks ninth in FIP, 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.25), 15th in strikeout rate (29.2 percent), 40th in batting average against (.222) and xFIP (3.80), 44th in ERA, and 46th in swinging-strike rate (12.4 percent), per FanGraphs.

Ehrlicher, who turned 22 earlier this month, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round (549th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Santa Rosa Junior College. As a draft-and-follow pick, the California native did not sign with the Red Sox until June 2023, forgoing his commitment to transfer to Arizona State in the process of doing so. He received a $200,000 signing bonus but was working his way back from an elbow injury at that time, which pushed his professional debut back until last April. He then made two relief appearances for Salem before ultimately being shut down for the remainder of the 2024 season with right shoulder inflammation.

Now healthy, Ehrlicher is showing flashes of his intriguing potential. A former two-sport athlete who also played basketball at Santa Rosa, Ehrlicher stands at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot and primarily operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball, an 83-86 mph sweeper, and an 89-90 mph changeup, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Ehrlicher is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, which describes him as having “several key traits, including standout athleticism, projectability, and feel for spin.” He is the third Red Sox minor-leaguer to take home Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors this season, joining fellow righties Blake Aita (a two-time winner) and Trennor O’Donnell.

Moving forward, it should be worthwhile to see if Ehrlicher can leverage his performance with Salem into a promotion to High-A Greenville in the not-so-distant future.

(Picture of Austin Ehrlicher: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Blake Aita named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for second time this season

Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Aita has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 28-May 4, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

This marks the second time this season that Aita has earned Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors. The 21-year-old first took home the award last month after striking out four and walking only one over five scoreless, no-hit innings in his professional debut for Low-A Salem on April 4.

Aita was arguably even more impressive in his most recent outing for Salem at home last Thursday. Going up against the Fredericksburg Nationals at Carilion Clinic Field, the young right-hander gave up just one hit and no walks while fanning seven across six shutout frames. He took a perfect game into the top of the sixth before giving up a leadoff single, which was nullified two batters later when he induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to end his night.

Finishing with 67 pitches (45 strikes), Aita induced a game-high 14 swings and misses as the Red Sox ultimately held on to defeat the Nationals by a final score of 5-4.

Through five starts for Salem to begin his first full professional season, Aita has posted a 3.28 ERA (3.24 FIP) with 22 strikeouts to six walks over a staff-leading 24 2/3 innings in which opposing hitters have batted .220 against him. Among 15 qualified Caroline League pitchers, he ranks third in WHIP (1.05) and xFIP (3.47), fourth in walks per nine innings (2.19), walk rate (6.1 percent), and FIP, and seventh in groundball rate (45.6 percent), per FanGraphs.

Aita is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 40 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 20th among pitchers in the organization. The Tennessee native was selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round (177th overall) of last year’s draft out of Kennesaw State, where he was named 2024 First Team All-Atlantic Sun. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he signed for $300,000 but waited until this spring to make his pro debut.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Aita throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the intriguing righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph fastball (velocity increased in spring training), an 80-82 mph sweeper, an 86-89 mph cutter, and an 85-89 mph changeup.

“He’s been great so far,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said of Aita. “Has worked hard all offseason and spring training to set him up for success throughout the year. He added velo to his fastball along with his secondaries and continues to pound the zone. His sweeper has been a big weapon, used for strikes and chase against both sides.”

Aita, who turns 22 next month, is seemingly a prime candidate to receive a promotion to High-A Greenville in the not-so-distant future. He can continue to strengthen his case for that move by stringing together more dominant outings for Salem in the meantime.

“Very pleased with the consistency and constant improvement daily,” said Abraham.

(Picture of Blake Aita: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Trennor O’Donnell named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Trennor O’Donnell has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 21-27, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

O’Donnell shined for Low-A Salem in Sunday’s series finale on the road against Hickory. The 23-year-old right-hander scattered three hits over five scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking none en route to notching his first win of the season. He retired the final eight batters he faced and finished with 56 pitches (40 strikes), generating four swings and misses on the afternoon.

The Red Sox ultimately defeated the Crawdads by a final score of 19-1 at L.P. Frans Stadium to salvage a series split and improve to 8-13 on the young season.

O’Donnell, Boston’s eighth-round selection in the 2023 draft, has appeared in four games (made two starts) for Salem so far this year. The Ball State product has posted a 4.20 ERA (3.96 FIP) with 19 strikeouts to nine walks over 15 innings in which opposing hitters have batted .271 against him.

Among the 33 pitchers in the Carolina League who have thrown at least 15 innings to this point in 2025, O’Donnell most notably ranks seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (11.40), ninth in strikeout rate (27.5 percent), and 11th in xFIP (3.83), per FanGraphs. He also ranks 25th in BABIP (.385), which suggests that he may be the victim of some poor luck.

O’Donnell, who turns 24 in June, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. The imposing 6-foot-7, 240-pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, he features an 89-91 mph fastball, a 79-81 mph sweeper, an 85-86 mph slider, and an 86-87 mph changeup. He has also begun throwing a splinker (splitter-sinker hybrid), according to Beyond the Monster’s Andrew Parker.

Since making his professional debut last April, O’Donnell has pitched exclusively at the Low-A level, compiling a career 4.04 ERA (3.33 FIP) with 90 strikeouts to 30 walks over 78 total innings for Salem. Taking that into consideration, it would not be too surprising if the native Texan received a promotion to High-A Greenville in the not-so-distant future.

Regardless of his outlook, though, O’Donnell becomes the second member of the 2025 Salem Red Sox to earn Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors. He joins fellow righty Blake Aita (March 31-April 6) in accomplishing that feat.

Looking outside of the organization, former Red Sox prospects Brandon Walter (signed a minor-league contract with the Astros after being released last August) and Elmer Rodriguez (traded to the Yankees for Carlos Narvaez in December) were named the Pacific Coast and South Atlantic League Pitchers of the Week for the week of April 21-27, respectively.

(Picture of Trennor O’Donnell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Jojo Ingrassia named 2024 Carolina League All-Star

Red Sox pitching prospect Jojo Ingrassia has been named a 2024 Carolina League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Ingrassia, Boston’s 14th-round selection in the 2023 draft out of Cal State Fullerton, enjoyed a productive first full season in pro ball. The 22-year-old left-hander posted a 1.85 ERA and 1.97 FIP with 93 strikeouts to 20 walks in 21 appearances (12 starts) spanning 58 1/3 innings for Low-A Salem. Opposing hitters batted just .179 against him.

After exiting his final start before the MLB All-Star break early, Ingrassia was placed on Salem’s 7-day injured list with left elbow inflammation on July 18. He returned to the mound for the Red Sox on August 25 and closed out the year with three scoreless outings in which he struck out seven and walked three over five innings.

Among the 96 Carolina League pitchers who threw at least 50 innings this season, Ingrassia led in strikeouts per nine innings (14.35), strikeout rate (39.6 percent), swinging-strike rate (20.9 percent), and xFIP (1.94). He also ranked second in FIP, third in ERA, sixth in batting average against, ninth in WHIP (0.99) and groundball rate (52.2 percent), 37th in walks per nine innings (3.09), and 41st in walk rate (8.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Ingrassia, who turned 22 in July, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 44 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 24th among pitchers in the organization. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound southpaw throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his deceptive, cross-bodied delivery. He operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 90-92 mph fastball that has reached 93 mph, a 79-81 mph sweeping slider, and an 82-85 mph changeup.

As FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen noted earlier in the year, Ingrassia likely projects as a multi-inning reliever moving forward given his diminutive stature. If he were to remain with the Red Sox through the winter, Ingrassia would presumably make the jump to High-A Greenville to open the 2025 campaign.

(Picture of Jojo Ingrassia: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox’ Elmer Rodriguez named Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for June

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for June, Minor League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Rodriguez, 20, went 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA (2.29 FIP) in four June starts for Salem. The right-hander allowed just two unearned runs on 11 hits and four walks with 19 strikeouts over 20 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .155 batting average. He struck out nine across a season-high six scoreless frames in his last time out against the Fredericksburg Nationals this past Sunday.

On the 2024 campaign as a whole, Rodriguez has posted a 2.44 FIP and 2.61 FIP with 68 strikeouts to two walks over 13 outings (12 starts) spanning 55 1/3 innings of work for the Red Sox. Opponents are slashing just .205/.282/.267 against him.

Among 45 Carolina League pitchers who had accrued at least 50 innings through Wednesday, Rodriguez ranked fourth in FIP, sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.06), seventh in ERA and xFIP (2.91), ninth in strikeout rate (29.1 percent), 11th in batting average against, 12th in groundball rate (47.0 percent), 16th in swinging-strike rate (13.7 percent), and 17th in WHIP (1.16), per FanGraphs.

Rodriguez, who turns 21 next month, has spent parts of three seasons with Salem dating back to August 2022. Compared to last year, in which he forged a 2.61 ERA in 14 starts, the righty has lowered his walk rate by nearly three percent and raised his strikeout rate by almost seven percent. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fifth among pitchers in the organization.

A former 2021 fourth-round draft selection out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez now stands at 6-foot-3 and 160 pounds. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Rodriguez throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. He operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s fastball that has touched 98 mph this year, a 77-79 mph curveball, an 87-90 mph changeup, and an 85-87 mph slider.

Given the amount of success he has enjoyed at Low-A as of late, it stands to reason that Rodriguez will soon be the recipient of a promotion to High-A Greenville. He is not the only Salem hurler in that boat, but a new challenge featuring more advanced competition could be in store on the other side of the All-Star break later this month.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Noah Dean earns Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors

Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 3-9, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Dean, 23, shined in his start for Low-A Salem against the Down East Wood Ducks on Sunday afternoon. Appearing in a game for the first time in nearly two weeks, the left-hander struck out eight and walked only one over five scoreless, no-hit innings of work.

After retiring the first nine batters he faced at Carilion Clinic Field, Dean saw his bid for a perfect game end when Erick Alvarez reached on a throwing error to lead off the fourth inning. He then issued a one-out walk to Beycker Barroso but escaped the jam by recording back-to-back strikeouts before ending his outing with a 1-2-3 top of the fifth.

Finishing with 70 pitches (45 strikes), Dean induced a game-high 13 swings-and-misses. He was relieved by right-hander Trennor O’Donnell, who took the combined no-hitter into the seventh and allowed two runs over four innings as the Red Sox defeated the Wood Ducks by a final score of 5-2.

Following Sunday’s sterling performance, Dean now owns a 4.28 ERA and 4.79 FIP with 45 strikeouts to 19 walks in nine appearances (seven starts) spanning 33 2/3 innings for Salem this season. He has yielded just four earned runs over his last five outings (19 innings) dating back to May 10 while holding opposing hitters to a minuscule .095 batting average.

Among the 81 pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings in the Carolina League to this point in the year, Dean ranks 12th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.03), 11th in strikeout rate (33.1 percent), first in batting average against (.145), 19th in WHIP (1.04), and 23rd in swinging-strike rate (14.4 percent), per FanGraphs. On the flip side, he is also averaging more than five walks per nine innings while sporting a .194 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that luck has been on his side.

Dean, who turned 23 in March, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Old Dominion. The New Jersey native signed with the club for $322,500 that July but did not make his professional debut until last April. He has since pitched to a 5.59 ERA (5.26 FIP) in 30 appearances (24 starts) and 96 2/3 innings for Salem.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dean throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with three different pitches: a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup, and a slider. As recently noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, though, the lefty has increased the usage of his slider and relied less on his fastball this season, which has generated softer contact.

Command and control are still a work in progress for Dean, who joins righty Blake Wehunt (April 29-May 5) as the second Salem hurler to earn Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors this year. In similar fashion to Wehunt, who made the jump to High-A Greenville earlier this month, Dean could be nearing a promotion as well.

(Picture of Noah Dean: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)