Tag: greenville drive

Red Sox minor-league affiliate wins South Atlantic League championship

The Greenville Drive, the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, were crowned 2023 South Atlantic League champions on Tuesday night.

Playing in front of a crowd of 4,393 on a warm evening at Fluor Field, the Drive defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees’ High-A affiliate) by a final score of 7-3 to sweep the best-of-three series and take home their first SAL title since 2017.

Greenville carried with it a 1-0 series lead heading into Tuesday’s contest after getting six scoreless innings from top pitching prospect Luis Perales and blanking Hudson Valley, 2-0, in Game 1 at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. on Sunday.

Dalton Rogers got the start for the Drive in Game 2. The 22-year-old left-hander went the first three innings, allowing one run on two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. He took a shutout bid into the top of the third before giving up a two-out RBI single to Jesus Rodriguez to put the Renegades up, 1-0.

Moments after Rogers’ night came to a close, though, the Greenville bats quickly retaliated while going up against Hudson Valley starter (and Northeastern product) Cam Schlittler. Gilberto Jimenez doubled to lead off the bottom of the third and then moved up to third base on a Nick Decker single.

With no outs and runners on the corners, Eddinson Paulino delivered with a go-ahead, two-run double down the right field line to drive in both Jimenez and Decker and give the Drive a 2-1 advantage. That lead did not last long, however, as Renegades first baseman Rafael Flores led off the top of the fourth by cranking a game-tying solo home run off newly-inserted reliever Zach Penrod.

Despite the rude greeting, Penrod — who posted a 2.18 ERA in four regular season starts for Greenville — settled in nicely. The 26-year-old southpaw retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced after giving up the homer and watched his side re-take the lead in the process of doing so.

Ronald Rosario, Penrod’s battery mate, crushed a 424-foot, go-ahead solo blast to kick off the latter half of the sixth. An inning later, Tyler Miller provided some additional insurance with a sharply-hit RBI single through the middle of the infield. Kristian Campbell then broke it open by demolishing a three-run home run to deep center field off Matt Keating, giving the Drive a commanding 7-2 edge.

Penrod put up another zero in the eighth before allowing the first two batters he faced in the ninth to reach base on a double and a walk. That prompted Greenville manager Iggy Suarez to pull Penrod and bring in closer Felix Cepeda, who emerged as a steady presence in the back end of the bullpen for the Drive after earning a promotion to Low-A Salem in mid-July.

Cepeda recorded the first two outs of the inning before giving up an infield single on a pop-up he could not catch cleanly. A wild pitch allowed one of the runners Cepeda inherited to score from third, but the hard-throwing righty did not falter and instead punched out Cole Gabrielson on five pitches to end it.

With the victory, the Drive are now two-time South Atlantic League champions (2017, 2023). Campbell, who went 3-for-6 (.500) with one home run and four RBIs in two games, should probably be considered the MVP of this series. Penrod, meanwhile, earned the winning decision on Tuesday after striking out seven over five solid innings of relief and inducing a game-high 19 whiffs.

The Drive, who have been affiliated with the Red Sox since 2005, punched their ticket to this year’s SAL playoffs by going 36-30 and clinching a first-half division title. Despite struggling to a 27-39 record in the second half, Greenville swept the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers’ High-A affiliate) in last week’s division series and wound up marching to a perfect 4-0 in the postseason.

From start to finish, Greenville received contributions from several of Boston’s top prospects this season. Nathan Hickey, Blaze Jordan, Chase Meidroth, Marcelo Mayer, Wikelman Gonzalez, Angel Bastardo, Isaac Coffey, Grant Gambrell, Christopher Troye, and Alex Hoppe were among the talented minor-leaguers who broke camp with the Drive in the spring but earned promotions to Double-A Portland at different points throughout the year.

Mikey Romero, Cutter Coffey, and Roman Anthony (the Red Sox’ first three selections in the 2022 draft) all started in Salem this season before making the jump to Greenville. Anthony, of course, performed so well with the Drive that he was promoted to Portland earlier this month. The same can be said for catcher Kyle Teel, who — like Campbell — was drafted by Boston this summer.

Other notable prospects who played for Greenville this year include Cepeda, Perales, Rogers, Yordanny Monegro, Noah Song, Brock Bell, Reidis Sena, Brainer Bonaci, and Allan Castro.

(Picture courtesy of the Greenville Drive)

Red Sox to promote top prospects Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by MiLB Central on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Anthony and Teel are currently regarded by Baseball America as the Nos. 2 and 4 prospects in Boston’s farm system, respectively. As far as top-100 rankings are concerned, the former comes in at No. 19 on the publication’s latest list while the latter comes in at No. 91.

Anthony, 19, began the 2023 season with Low-A Salem after being taken by the Red Sox with the 79th overall pick in last year’s amateur draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.). The left-handed hitting outfielder appeared in 42 games for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate before earning a promotion to Greenville in mid-June.

With the Drive, Anthony batted a stout .294/.412/.569 (164 wRC+) with 14 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 38 RBIs, 41 runs scored, two stolen bases, 40 walks, and 75 strikeouts over 54 games (245 plate appearances). The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder put up those numbers while seeing the majority of his playing time come in center field, where he recorded five assists in 337 defensive innings.

Teel, 21, was selected by Boston with the 14th overall pick in this summer’s draft out of Virginia. The New Jersey native signed with the club for an over-slot bonus of $4,663,100 in late July. He then made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on August 3, but he only stuck around there for three games before skipping Low-A altogether and making the jump to Greenville five days later.

A left-handed hitter like Anthony, Teel got off to a hot start with Greenville and wound up slashing .377/.485/.453 (166 wRC+) with four doubles, nine runs driven in, 10 runs scored, one stolen base, 11 walks, and 11 strikeouts in 14 games (66 plate appearances) for Greenville. From behind the plate, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound backstop threw out six of 20 would-be base stealers while allowing three passed balls.

With the promotions of Anthony and Teel, Portland now has even more of Boston’s top prospects on its roster. Even with shortstop Marcelo Mayer — who has been sidelined by left shoulder inflammation for the last month — on the injured list, the Sea Dogs have already featured catcher Nathan Hickey, second baseman Nick Yorke, infielders Brainer Bonaci, Chase Meidroth, and Blaze Jordan, and right-handers Wikelman Gonzalez, Angel Bastardo, and Hunter Dobbins, among others.

The Sea Dogs have just 12 regular season games remaining on their schedule. They will take on the Reading Fightin Phils on the road this week and then return home to host the Hartford Yard Goats in a six-game series that will run from September 12-17 at Hadlock Field.

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

How top Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony has fared since promotion to High-A Greenville

Top Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony homered for the third time this season in High-A Greenville’s doubleheader against the Brooklyn Cyclones at Fluor Field on Thursday night.

In Game 1, Anthony led off the bottom of the first inning by taking Brooklyn starter Felipe De La Cruz 375 feet to left-center field for his 12th homer with Greenville and his first of the year off a left-hander. Anthony’s solo shot proved to be the difference maker, as the Drive went on to defeat the Cyclones, 1-0, behind seven shutout innings from starter Zach Penrod and reliever Brock Bell.

In Game 2, Anthony served as Greenville’s leadoff hitter yet again and went 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, and two walks. This time around, however, the Drive fell to the Cyclones by a final score of 7-4 and had to settle for a doubleheader split as a result.

Between both games of Thursday’s twin bill, though, Anthony went 2-for-5 with two extra-base hits, one RBI, two runs scored, two walks, and one strikeout. In doing so, the left-handed hitter extended his hitting streak to four games and capped off a solid month of August in which be batted .297/.391/.506 with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, 14 runs driven in, 17 runs scored, 13 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 23 games (105 plate appearances) for Greenville.

Still just 19 years old, Anthony made the jump to Greenville from Low-A Salem in mid-June after slashing .228/.376/.317 with one homer and 18 RBIs in 42 games (202 plate appearances) with the Red Sox to kick off his first full professional season. While a .693 OPS is far from eye-popping, Anthony produced strong underlying numbers — such as an 18.8 percent walk rate and 26.2 percent line-drive rate — with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

As such, the Red Sox elected to move Anthony up the minor-league ladder on June 13 and he has only seen his stock rise since. In 52 games with the Drive altogether, Anthony is batting a stout .292/.415/.574 with 13 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 35 RBIs, 41 runs scored, two stolen bases, 40 walks, and 71 strikeouts across 236 trips to the plate.

Among South Atlantic League hitters who have accrued at least 230 plate appearances to this point in the season, Anthony ranks sixth in walk rate (16.9 percent), 10th in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.990), second in isolated power (.282), first in line-drive rate (30.1 percent), and first in wRC+ (166), per FanGraphs.

Though he has not posed much of a threat on the basepaths, Anthony had been able to make his impact felt in the outfield. With Greenville specifically, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has logged 328 innings in center and 34 2/3 innings in right, committing four errors in 110 defensive chances while recording a team-leading five outfield assists.

Anthony, the 79th overall selection in last year’s amateur draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.), is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system (trailing only shortstop Marcelo Mayer) and the No. 19 prospect in the sport. The Red Sox swayed the West Palm Beach native away from his commitment to Ole Miss by signing him for an over-slot bonus of $2.5 million.

With the minor-league season entering its final month, it seems likely that Anthony — who does not turn 20 until next May — will close out the 2023 campaign in Greenville. On that note, Anthony is leading off and starting in center field for the Drive in their contest against the Cyclones on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Monegro is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The 20-year-old hurler originally signed with the Red Sox for a modest $35,000 coming out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020 and has since emerged as one of the more intriguing arms in the system.

In what has been a breakout 2023 season, Monegro first made his impact felt in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, where he struggled to a 7.36 ERA in 25 2/3 innings last year. This June, however, the Santo Domingo native dazzled in three starts for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate. He allowed just two earned runs over 15 innings of work in which he struck out 20 and walked only four en route to earning FCL Pitcher of the Month honors.

Before June came to a close, though, Monegro made the jump to Salem. He made his full-season debut on the 25th and proceeded to put up a 2.43 ERA (2.32 FIP) with 60 strikeouts to 17 walks in nine starts (40 2/3 innings) for the Red Sox while holding opposing hitters to a .217 batting average against. In what might go down as his final start at the Low-A level, Monegro yielded one unearned run on two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts across five solid frames in a 2-1 win over the Fredericksburg Nationals last Thursday.

Among Carolina League pitchers with at least 40 innings under their belt coming into play on Tuesday, Monegro ranks fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (13.28), eighth in strikeout rate (34.5 percent), first in swinging-strike rate (18 percent), seventh in ERA, first in FIP, and sixth in xFIP (2.92), per FanGraphs.

While the success that Monegro has enjoyed this summer may be a surprise to some, the Red Sox had high hopes for the righty well before the minor-league season even started. Assistant general manager Eddie Romero even acknowledged as much in an email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com last month.

“We were really excited about Monegro heading into the spring,” Romero wrote. “He impressed a lot with the physical shape he came into spring training, and has continued to work since then — this has been key to his early-season success. He’s super athletic with a lightning quick arm which contributes to his ability to have a plus breaking ball. He’s tightened up his delivery to let his athleticism show and be consistent with his mechanics. Hope he continues this success into the second half.”

With a projectable 6-foot-4, 180-pound-frame, Monegro throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s four-seam fastball that tops out at 95-96 mph, a high-80s slider, and an upper-70s curveball. As noted by publications such as Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, Monegro is more control-over-command at the moment and is still considered a work in progress as a result.

That being said, Monegro will have the chance to put an exclamation point on what has already been an encouraging season with Greenville. The Drive open a six-game series against the Brooklyn Cyclones at Fluor Field on Tuesday night, and so Monegro will more than likely make his High-A debut this week.

(Picture of Yordanny Monegro: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Angel Bastardo to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Angel Bastardo from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log. Bastardo is expected to make his Double-A debut in Thursday’s game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels at Hadlock Field.

Bastardo, the reigning South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Greenville. In 21 starts for the Drive, the 21-year-old right-hander posted a 4.62 ERA — but much more encouraging 3.84 FIP — with a league-leading 139 strikeouts to 46 walks over 103 1/3 innings of work.

Among qualified Sally League pitchers coming into play on Thursday, Bastardo ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (12.11), second in strikeout rate (31.8 percent), third in batting average against (.223), fifth in groundball rate (46.3 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), third in FIP, and second in xFIP (3.71), according to FanGraphs.

While the strikeout numbers are promising, Bastardo has struggled at times when it comes to his control and command of the strike zone. In his last time out against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on August 12, for instance, he issued a season-high five walks in addition to giving up four home runs. He was placed on Greenville’s development list Tuesday but now appears ready to return to action.

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. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks seventh among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, a mid-80s changeup, a power 12-6 curveball that sits between 82-84 mph, and a mid-80s slider that features gyro-like spin.

In similar fashion to fellow righty Grant Gambrell, who received a promotion to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Bastardo can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at year’s end. The Red Sox, of course, would need to add Bastardo to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November in order to prevent that from happening.

Bastardo, who does not turn 22 until next June, is the fourth member of Greenville’s Opening Day starting rotation to make the jump to Portland this season, joining Gambrell, Wikelman Gonzalez, and Isaac Coffey.

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

Red Sox sign lefty Zach Penrod to minor-league deal, assign him to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have signed free agent left-hander Zach Penrod to a minor-league contract, per the club’s transactions log. He has been assigned to High-A Greenville.

Penrod, 26, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season up until this point with the Missoula PaddleHeads of the independent Pioneer League. In 13 appearances (10 starts) for Missoula, the lefty posted a 2.98 ERA with 65 strikeouts to 32 walks over 54 1/3 innings of work. He was named to the 2023 Pioneer League All-Star team earlier this month.

A native of Idaho, Penrod got his start in pro ball by originally signing with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Northwest Nazarene University in August 2018. A two-way player in college who elected to go pro as a pitcher, Penrod debuted in the rookie-level Arizona League five days after putting pen to paper and allowed 10 runs (eight earned) in four appearances (three starts) spanning 11 2/3 innings.

Unfortunately, Penrod missed the entirety of the 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery that April. He was then released by Texas the following June as part of the Rangers’ minor-league roster cuts in the wake of the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

After working his way back from Tommy John and an additional minor shoulder procedure, Penrod returned to organized action in 2021 with the Boise Hawks (also of the Pioneer League). He spent all of 2021 and the first half of the 2022 season with Boise before being traded to the Billings Mustangs last month. All told, he owns a lifetime 4.84 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 170 strikeouts to 88 walks in 39 career outings (27 starts, 145 innings) for three different Pioneer League clubs.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Penrod operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a power fastball that has been clocked at 98 mph this year as well as a “filthy” cutter and changeup, according to Idaho-based Earn It Sports.

Penrod, who does not turn 27 until next June, will wear the No. 40 with the Drive. While the southpaw has prior experience as a reliever, it appears as though he will be joining the Drive’s starting rotation.

(Picture of Zach Penrod courtesy of the Missoula PaddleHeads)

Red Sox promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Mikey Romero from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Romero, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox selected the California native with the 24th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for an under-slot $2.3 million.

After making his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League last summer, Romero made the jump to Salem before the 2022 season came to a close and appeared in nine games for the Red Sox down the stretch. As such, Romero was expected to return to Salem for the start of the 2023 campaign, but he was instead slowed by lower back stiffness throughout spring training and began the year on the injured list as a result.

Following a lengthy period of working his way back up to game speed, Romero began a rehab assignment with the Fort Myers-based FCL Red Sox in late June. The left-handed hitter got into 10 complex league games and went 6-for-24 (.250) at the plate with one double, four RBIs, four runs scored, five walks, and four strikeouts. He was then activated from Salem’s injured list on July 6 and in manager Liam Carroll’s starting lineup the following night.

In his second go-around with the Salem Sox, Romero batted .217/.288/.304 with four doubles, two triples, nine runs driven in, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases, nine walks, and 17 strikeouts over 23 games (105 plate appearances). While that translates to an underwhelming wRC+ of 72, there is more to Romero’s offensive production than meets the eye.

For starters, Romero posted a 35.1 percent line-drive rate. That, according to FanGraphs, ranks first among the 173 hitters in the Carolina League who have made at least 100 trips to the plate so far this season. He has also produced a .260 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests he has been somewhat unlucky as far as his results are concerned. Adding on to that, it does not help that Salem’s home ballpark — Carilion Clinic Field — is a tough place to hit.

Defensively, Romero has seen playing time at both middle infield positions this season. With Salem specifically, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 94 innings at shortstop and 70 1/3 innings at second base. He committed two errors (both at shortstop) in 75 total chances between the two spots.

Romero, who turns 20 in January, becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this season, most notably joining second-rounder Cutter Coffey and supplementary second-rounder Roman Anthony.

All three of Anthony, Coffey, and Romero are in the starting lineup for the Drive’s series opener against the Winston-Salem Dash at Truist Stadium on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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)