Tag: chase meidroth

Which four prospects did Red Sox trade to White Sox for Garrett Crochet?

The Red Sox bit the proverbial bullet and dipped into their talented prospect pool to complete a trade with the White Sox for frontline starter Garrett Crochet on Wednesday.

In exchange for Crochet — a 25-year-old left-hander who is coming off an All-Star season and is under club control through 2026 — Boston sent right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez, catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, and infielder Chase Meidroth to Chicago.

Gonzalez, who turns 23 in March, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2018. He was added to the 40-man roster last November to protect him from Rule 5 Draft eligibility.

After being recognized as the organization’s 2023 Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, Gonzalez had an up-and-down 2024 season. The righty posted a 4.73 (4.12 FIP) with 92 strikeouts to 46 walks in 24 appearances (19 starts) spanning 83 2/3 innings for Double-A Portland. He fared better in the second half, as evidenced by a 2.31 ERA (3.52 FIP) in nine outings (seven starts) after the MLB All-Star break. Opposing hitters batted just .157 against him in that stretch.

Listed at 6-foot and 167 pounds, Gonzalez 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, the lively hurler operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 94-96 mph fastball that can reach 97 mph, a 77-80 mph curveball, an 87-88 mph changeup, and an 86-88 mph cutter. His command and control are still considered works in progress.

Teel, who turns 23 in February, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 25 prospect in the sport. The New Jersey native was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Virginia. He received a $4 million signing bonus.

Following a successful professional debut that saw him reach the Double-A level, Teel returned to Portland for the start of the 2024 season and represented the Red Sox at July’s All-Star Futures Game before receiving a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in August. Altogether, the left-handed hitter batted .288/.386/.433 (134 wRC+) with 23 doubles, 13 home runs, an organizational-leading 78 RBIs, 88 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 68 walks, and 116 strikeouts in 112 total games (505 plate appearances). He was named an Eastern League Post-Season All-Star and a Baseball America Double-A All-Star.

On the other side of the ball, Teel was voted as the Eastern League’s top defensive catcher in Baseball America’s 2024 Best Tools survey. Equipped with plus arm strength, the 6-foot, 190-pound backstop logged 655 1/3 total innings behind the plate between Portland and Worcester and threw out 23 of 116 possible base stealers. He also allowed 11 passed balls and committed 12 errors in 793 chances.

Montgomery, who turns 22 in April, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 59 prospect in the sport. The Texas A&M product was selected by the Red Sox with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft but did not make his professional debut after signing for $5 million since he was still recovering from a fractured right ankle he suffered in June’s NCAA Super Regionals.

Before seeing his junior season get cut short, the switch-hitting Montgomery had slashed .322/.454/.733 with 14 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs, 85 RBIs, 65 runs scored, five stolen bases, 53 walks, and 59 strikeouts in 61 games (295 plate appearances) for the Aggies. On the other side of the ball, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder saw most of his playing time this past spring come in right field and he was named to the 2024 SEC All-Defensive Team among various other honors. His arm strength grades as a 70 on Baseball America’s 20-80 scouting scale.

Meidroth, 23, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The California native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of San Diego. He received a $272,500 signing bonus and had established himself as one of the organization’s more unique talents by utilizing his contact skills and plate discipline to compensate for his lack of power.

Meidroth spent the 2024 season with Worcester and was recognized as the WooSox’ Most Valuable Player. In 122 games, the right-handed hitter batted .293/.437/.401 with 20 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 57 RBIs, 87 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 105 walks, and 71 strikeouts over 558 plate appearances. He was named a Triple-A All-Star by Baseball America.

Defensively, Meidroth saw playing time at every infield position besides first base with Worcester this year. The versatile 5-foot-10, 170-pounder logged 412 innings at shortstop, 275 1/3 innings at third base, and 137 2/3 innings at second base. He committed 10 total errors (seven at shortstop, three at third base) in 340 chances altogether.

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Chase Meidroth snubbed from International League All-Star team

Somewhat surprisingly, Red Sox infield prospect Chase Meidroth was left off Minor League Baseball’s 2024 International League All-Star team, which was unveiled on Wednesday.

Meidroth, Boston’s No. 11 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, enjoyed a productive season at Triple-A Worcester. The right-handed hitting 23-year-old was recognized as the WooSox’ Most Valuable Player after batting .293/.437/.401 with 20 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 57 RBIs, 87 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 105 walks, and 71 strikeouts over 122 games (558 plate appearances). That includes a .304/.457/.430 slash line against right-handed pitching and a .266/.387/.328 slash line against lefties.

Among 85 qualified hitters in the International League this year, Meidroth led in walk rate (18.8 percent), on-base percentage, and swinging-strike rate (3.2 percent). He also ranked fourth in strikeout rate (12.7 percent) and wRC+ (132), eighth in batting average, 18th in OPS (.838), and 26th in line-drive rate (25.9 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Meidroth — Double-A Portland’s 2023 Defensive Player of the Year — once again saw playing time at every infield position besides first base while with Worcester in 2024. The versatile 5-foot-10, 170-pounder (listed height and weight) logged 412 innings at shortstop, 275 1/3 innings at third base, and 137 2/3 innings at second base. He committed 10 total errors (seven at shortstop, three at third base) in 340 chances.

A native of Torrance, Calif., Meidroth was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2022 draft out of San Diego. He signed with Boston for an under-slot $272,500 that July and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League shortly thereafter. In the two-plus years since then, Meidroth has utilized his contact skills and plate discipline to compensate for his lack of power, making him one of the organization’s more unique talents.

Despite being snubbed by Minor League Baseball, Meidroth was named to Baseball America’s 2024 Triple-A All-Star team last week. He is currently regarded as the Red Sox’ 13th-ranked prospect by the publication, which hypothesizes that he “could emerge as a bottom-of-the-order regular if he gains strength and bat speed.”

Meidroth, who does not turn 24 until next July, does not need to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster for Rule-5 purposes this offseason. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Worcester for the start of the 2025 campaign but may surface in trade talks over the winter if the Red Sox use their breadth of position-playing prospects to address other areas of need at the major-league level.

(Picture of Chase Meidroth: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

How did Red Sox infield prospect Chase Meidroth fare in first full professional season?

Of all the Red Sox prospects who made it up to Double-A Portland this year, Chase Meidroth is far from the most highly touted. Still, the 22-year-old infielder made the most of his time with the Sea Dogs and ended the first full season of his professional career on an encouraging note.

Meidroth, Boston’s fourth-round selection in the 2022 amateur draft out of San Diego, made the jump to High-A Greenville this spring after playing in the Florida Complex League and at Low-A Salem in his pro debut. The right-handed hitter promptly got off to a quick start, batting .338/.495/.460 with three doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs, 19 runs scored, four stolen bases, 21 walks, and 20 strikeouts over 20 games (97 plate appearances) with the Drive.

Shortly after being named the Red Sox’ Minor League Hitter of the Month for April, Meidroth earned a promotion to Portland alongside catching prospect Nathan Hickey in early May. Though he proceeded to record at least one hit in his first four games with the Sea Dogs, life in the Eastern League proved to be more challenging for Meidroth. By the time the calendar flipped from July to August, the native Californian found himself slashing a pedestrian .259/.380/.381 in his first 55 games (237 plate appearances) against upper-level pitching.

The first few weeks of August proved to be somewhat laborious as well, but Meidroth began to turn a corner offensively as September approached and rode that momentum into the final month of the 2023 season. In his last 19 games of the year, Meidroth went 19-for-63 (.302) with five doubles, one homer, eight RBIs, 17 runs scored, two stolen bases, 19 walks, and 13 strikeouts. His .519 on-base percentage in September was the top mark in the Eastern League.

All told, Meidroth slashed .255/.386/.375 with 16 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 43 runs driven in, 59 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 59 walks, and 78 strikeouts in 91 games (396 plate appearances) for Portland. Among qualified hitters in the Eastern League this season, Meidroth ranked sixth in walk rate (14.9 percent), eighth in strikeout rate (19.7 percent), eighth in batting average, second in on-base percentage, 17th in OPS (.762), first in swinging-strike rate (5.7 percent), and ninth in wRC+ (119), per FanGraphs.

“My game is to put the ball in play and have competitive at-bats to help give our team the best chance to win,” Meidroth said of his offensive approach when speaking with FanGraphs’ David Laurila earlier this summer. “I’m trying to provide opportunities for the guy behind me to drive me in, whether that’s by hitting a single, walking, or getting hit by a pitch. It’s kind of the whole pass-the-torch mentality, which I’ve had my whole life. In college, we really zoned in drawing our walks and staying in our zone. That’s kind of created the hitter I am, and that I want to be.

“It’s not so much that as I view at-bats as there being a lot of ways to win them,” he added. “For instance, if you see 10 pitches, that extends the inning for the pitcher. As for [Luis] Arraez, I’d like to say him [as a comp], but that guy is on a whole other level. Obviously, you’re seeing what he’s doing this year. But I mean, I grew up watching guys like Dustin Pedroia and Justin Turner. They’re both very smart hitters with great approaches, so I’ve always tried to try to model my game after theirs. Obviously, I’ve got a long ways to go to be at that level.”

On the other side of the ball, Meidroth started games at every infield position besides first base between his two stops this season. With the Sea Dogs specifically, the 5-foot-9, 170-pounder logged 133 2/3 innings at second base, 461 1/3 innings at third base, and 144 innings at shortstop, committing a total of seven errors in 214 defensive chances. In addition to being named Portland’s Defensive Player of the Year, he was also tabbed as the best defensive third baseman in the Eastern League by league managers in Baseball America’s Best Tools survey.

Meidroth, who does not turn 23 until next July, ended the 2023 season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. MLB Pipeline had him slightly lower at No. 20 on its list while SoxProspects.com has him ranked 13th heading into the new year.

Along with 10 other Red Sox prospects, Meidroth has been invited to participate in the club’s 2024 rookie development program in Boston next month. He is also scheduled to take part in Winter Weekend at the end of that week in Springfield.

Assuming he remains in the organization through the winter and into the spring, Meidroth is currently projected by SoxProspects.com to move up to Triple-A Worcester for the start of the 2024 campaign in late March.

While that is still months away, one thing to watch with Meidroth moving forward, regardless of the level, will be how he fares against advanced pitching in the upper-minors. There is some concern when it comes to his ability to impact the ball, so he will need to show that he can make hard contact more often and, in turn, do damage against pitches in the strike zone.

(Picture of Chase Meidroth: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote prospects Nathan Hickey, Chase Meidroth to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted catching prospect Nathan Hickey and infield prospect Chase Meidroth from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Hickey, 23, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 15 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks first among catchers in the organization. The Red Sox originally selected the Florida product in the fifth round of the 2021 amateur draft and signed him for exactly $1 million.

After closing out his first full professional season with the Drive, Hickey returned to Greenville for the start of the 2023 campaign. Leading up to Monday’s promotion, the left-handed hitter was batting a stout .294/.402/.588 with six doubles, one triple, four home runs, nine RBIs, 13 runs scored, 12 walks, and 20 strikeouts in his first 18 games (82 plate appearances) of the year.

For as impressive as those numbers may be, Hickey has been struggling on the other side of the ball. Defensively, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound backstop logged 146 innings behind the plate for Greenville. He allowed three passed balls and was 0-for-37 when it came to throwing out base stealers, though that might not have been all on him.

To that end, as noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, Hickey could benefit from this promotion since Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson previously served as Boston’s catching coordinator for 12 season. With Elih Marrero on the injured list and Matt Donlan on the development list, Hickey will form a catching tandem in Portland with fellow SEC product Stephen Scott for the time being.

Meidroth, meanwhile, is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system. The 21-year-old was taken by Boston in the fourth round of last summer’s draft out of San Diego. He signed with the club for $272,500.

After showing signs of promise between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in his pro debut, Meidroth broke camp with Greenville this spring. In 20 games with the Drive, the stocky right-handed hitter batted .338/.495/.459 with three doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs, 19 runs scored, four stolen bases, 21 walks, and 20 strikeouts across 97 trips to the plate.

Defensively, Meidroth has seen the majority of his playing time come at either second or third base. While in Greenville, the 5-foot-9, 170 pounder logged 92 innings at second and 73 innings at third and committed a total of two errors in 51 chances.

Meidroth, who turns 22 in July, is now slated to join a Sea Dogs infield mix that includes Alex Binelas, Niko Kavadas, Christian Koss, Matthew Lugo, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Nick Yorke. It should be interesting to see how he adjusts to more advanced competition at the Double-A level.

Other moves:

In addition to promoting Hickey and Meidroth to Portland, the Red Sox made several other minor-league roster moves. Infielder Edwin Diaz was promoted from Portland to Triple-A Worcester and catcher Ronaldo Rosario was promoted from Salem to Greenville.

Furthermore, catcher Enderso Lira was added to Salem’s roster from extended spring training while right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn was activated from Portland’s injured list. Like Donlan, left-hander Sylar Arias was transferred to the Sea Dogs’ development list.

(Picture of Nathan Hickey: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox infield prospect Chase Meidroth gets pro career off to strong start with Low-A Salem

Chase Meidroth, who the Red Sox selected in the fourth round of this summer’s draft out of the University of San Diego, ended his first professional season on a strong note with Low-A Salem.

After being scouted by J.J. Altobelli and signing with Boston for $272,500, Meidroth appeared in just three Florida Complex League games before earning a promotion to Salem on August 9. In 19 games with the Red Sox, the right-handed hitting infielder batted .309/.424/.559 to go along with five doubles, four home runs, 12 RBIs, 15 runs scored, four stolen bases, 12 walks, and nine strikeouts over 85 plate appearances.

It’s a small sample size, but among the 229 hitters who made at least 80 trips to the plate this season, Meidroth ranked third in strikeout rate (10.6%), 16th in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage, seventh in OPS (.982), seventh in isolated power (.250), 11th in line-drive rate (30.5%), and eighth in wRC+ (167), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Meidroth saw all his playing time on the field this year come at second base. With Salem, the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder logged 114 1/3 innings at the keystone and did not commit an error.

Meidroth, who turned 21 in July, was regarded by Baseball America as the 258th-ranked prospect in the 2022 draft class after spending three years at San Diego, where he was selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team as a sophomore.

The Torrance, Calif. native also spent part of his summer on Cape Cod, where he got a chance to swing a wood bat while slashing .286/.434/.381 with one home run and seven RBIs in 22 games (84 plate appearances) with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Per his Baseball America scouting report from before the draft, Meidroth “is a small hitter who uses a line drive swing with average bat speed to make lots of contact and spray the ball into the gaps. His home run power is almost exclusively to his pull side. … He is a below-average runner who is best at second base.”

While he is not yet on Baseball America’s Top 30 list, Meidroth is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 52 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is projected by the site to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2023 season.

(Picture of Chase Meidroth: Robert Simmons/RTS Photography)

Red Sox select San Diego infielder Chase Meidroth with fourth-round pick in 2022 MLB Draft

With the 129th overall pick in the 2022 MLB first-year player draft, the Red Sox selected University of San Diego infielder Chase Meidroth.

Meidroth, who turns 21 in five days, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 258 prospect in this year’s draft class. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native should be somewhat familiar with baseball in the New England-area, as he spent part of his summer playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

As a sophomore at the University of San Diego, the right-handed hitting Meidroth batted .329/.440/.544 with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, 53 runs scored, six stolen bases, 40 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 56 games (275 plate appearances) with the Toreros en route to being selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team.

On the Cape, Meidroth again walked more (15) than he struck out (14) while slashing .286/.434/.381 in 22 games with the Y-D Red Sox.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Meidroth “is a smaller hitter who doesn’t have much in the way of raw power, and instead uses a line drive swing and average bat speed to make plenty of contact and spray the ball into the gaps. Meidroth’s home run power was almost exclusively to the pull side and his exit velocities and lack of physical projection don’t suggest much more power in the future.”

Defensively, Meidroth has at least some experience at every infield position besides first base. The 5-foot-10, 172-pounder saw the majority of his playing time at San Diego this season come at second base, which is likely his best position moving forward since his speed is considered below-average.

The Red Sox last took a player out of the University of San Diego in 2019, when they selected left-hander Chris Murphy in the sixth round. Murphy has since emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system.

Meidroth, on the other hand, becomes the first collegiate position player and third California-born infielder the Sox have taken in the 2022 draft, joining the likes of first-rounder Mikey Romero and second-rounder Cutter Coffey.

The recommended slot value attached to the 129th overall pick in this year’s draft comes in at $461,000. The Sox will have until August 1 to sign Meidroth, as well as the rest of their draft selections.

(Picture of Chase Meidroth: University of San Diego Athletics)