Tag: greenville drive

Red Sox relief prospect Jonathan Brand off to impressive start with Low-A Salem

Red Sox pitching prospect Jonathan Brand recorded his fourth save of the season in Low-A Salem’s 7-4 win over the Fredericksburg Nationals at Virginia Credit Union Stadium on Wednesday night.

Brand worked a scoreless ninth inning and needed all of 12 pitches (8 strikes) to strike out two of the three batters he faced. The right-hander induced three swings-and-misses in the processes of extending his scoreless appearance streak to five.

Brand has yet to allow an earned run in six outings out of the Salem bullpen this month. On the 2023 campaign as a whole, the 23-year-old hurler has posted a miniscule 0.96 ERA to go along with 24 strikeouts to just six walks over 14 relief appearances spanning 18 2/3 innings of work.

Among 220 Carolina League pitchers who have accrued 10 or more innings to this point in the season, Brand entered Thursday ranking 19th in batting average against (.154), 13th in WHIP (0.86), and fifth in ERA, per FanGraphs. Using those same parameters, however, Brand also ranks ninth (or 213th) in line-drive rate (30.8 percent), which suggests he has gotten hit hard quite a bit.

Still, it has been an encouraging first full professional season for Brand, who the Red Sox took in the eighth round of last year’s amateur draft out of Miami University (Ohio). Rather than transfer to Auburn as a graduate student, the Georgia native signed with Boston for just $7,500.

Listed at 5-foot-9 and 200 bounds, Brand throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of an 89-90 mph fastball, a 74-76 mph curveball that features 12-to-6 break, an 80-82 mph slider that features short, horizontal break, and an 80-82 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

While he is not currently regarded by any major publication as one of the top relief prospects in Boston’s farm system, one has to figure that Brand is on the cusp of a promotion to High-A Greenville. That could happen sooner rather than later if he continues to show that he really isn’t being challenged at the Low-A level.

Brand, who does not turn 24 until next February, would be looking to become the fourth member of the Sox’ 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this year, joining the likes of left-handers Dalton Rogers and Nathan Landry and outfielder Roman Anthony.

(Picture of Jonathan Brand: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Bradley Blalock to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Bradley Blalock from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

Blalock, 22, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization. The right-hander has posted a 1.50 ERA and 2.82 FIP with 22 strikeouts to just four walks in four starts (18 innings) for Salem this season. He has put up those numbers while holding opposing hitters to a .167 batting average against.

In his last time out against the Delmarva Shorebirds at Carilion Clinic Field this past Thursday, Blalock struck out six and walked only one over five frames of one-run ball. He induced 11 swings-and-misses and topped out at 99 mph with his fastball after reaching 97 mph with the offering in his previous three outings.

A native of Georgia, Blalock was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 32nd round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Grayson High School. The club swayed Blalock away from his commitment to Kennesaw State by signing him to an over-slot bonus of $250,000 that July.

Blalock debuted in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League but had his first full season in pro ball derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He then pitched to a 4.27 ERA in 23 starts for Salem in 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery last March.

During the lengthy 14-month rehab process, Blalock altered his pitch mix by drawing inspiration from Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman. In addition to a revitalized fastball that has flashed increased velocity post-surgery, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound righty now works with a split-change (Gausman’s pitch), an 84-86 mph gyro slider, and a curveball that features 11-to-5 break.

“It’s definitely cool to be back,” Blalock told Smith last week. “I was talking to somebody about this the other day. It definitely kind of reminded me of that COVID year in 2020. It was just like, ‘Hey, an extra year down and I can get better. I’ve got something to prove.’ I put my head down. Got in there every day with the training staff, in the weight room and the pitching coach in Fort Myers and definitely took advantage of all the resources I had down there.

“Some people go into it and they are like, ‘Oh, dang. This is gonna suck. I don’t know what to expect for the next year,’” he continued. “I feel like the first two days after I knew I was going to have surgery, it was definitely tough. But after that it was like, ‘OK, what’s next? I’m gonna put my head down and grind.’ I was definitely in the best possible spot I could be in to have this with the resources we have.”

Blalock, who does not turn 23 until December, is now set to join a starting rotation in Greenville that includes Wikelman Gonzalez, Angel Bastardo, Juan Daniel Encarnacion, and Dalton Rogers. He will help fill the void left behind by fellow righties Isaac Coffey and Hunter Dobbins, who were both promoted to Double-A Portland on Monday.

(Picture of Bradley Blalock: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospects Isaac Coffey, Hunter Dobbins to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospects Isaac Coffey and Hunter Dobbins from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

Coffey, who turns 23 on Wednesday, has posted a 2.83 ERA and 3.92 FIP with a South Atlantic League-leading 83 strikeouts to just 10 walks in 11 starts (60 1/3 innings) for the Drive this season. The right-hander fanned eight over 5 2/3 frames in his last time out against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Fluor Field this past Thursday.

Among qualified pitchers in the South Atlantic League, Coffey ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings (12.38), second in strikeout rate (34.4 percent), second in walks per nine innings (1.49), second in walk rate (4.1 percent), 10th in batting average against (.222), third in WHIP (1.01), seventh in swinging-strike rate (14.8 percent), 10th in ERA, 13th in FIP, and first in xFIP (2.78), per FanGraphs.

Coffey was selected by the Red Sox in the 10th round of last year’s draft out of Oral Roberts. The California native signed with the club for a mere $7,500 yet is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 51 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 22nd among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Coffey throws from a sidearm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of an 88-90 mph fastball that tops out at 91 mph, a 77-79 mph slider that features 10-to-4 break, and an 83-84 mph changeup that is considered to be a work in progress. He becomes the second member of the Sox’ 2022 draft class to make the jump from Greenville to Portland this season, joining fourth-rounder Chase Meidroth.

Dobbins, meanwhile, has forged a 2.63 ERA and 2.52 FIP with 44 strikeouts to just five walks in seven starts (41 innings) for the Drive this season. The 23-year-old righty also struck out eight across six two-run frames in his last time out against Greensboro this past Friday.

Among the 57 South Atlantic League pitchers who have accrued at least 40 innings to this point in the 2023 campaign, Dobbins ranks first in walks per nine innings (1.10) and walk rate (3.1 percent). He also ranks 20th in strikeout rate (27.3 percent), fourth in WHIP (0.95), and sixth in swinging-strike rate (16.8 percent) after not making his first start of the year until May 7.

Dobbins was selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Texas Teach. After undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier that spring, the Lone Star State native signed with Boston for $197,500 and did not make his professional debut until last July. He currently is not rated by SoxProspects.com as one of the top pitching prospects in the system.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dobbins — who turns 24 in August — throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot and works with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 91-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, a 74-78 mph curveball, an 83-85 mph circle changeup, and a high-80s slider that is rarely used.

Both Coffey and Dobbins figure to join a starting rotation mix in Portland that includes C.J. Liu, Brian Van Belle, Sterling Sharp (who is currently on the injured list), Grant Gambrell, and Wyatt Olds. The Sea Dogs open a six-game series against the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Isaac Coffey: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan homers, drives in 4 runs to extend hitting streak with High-A Greenville

Red Sox infield prospect Blaze Jordan enjoyed a productive night at the plate in High-A Greenville’s extra-inning 6-5 loss to the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Fluor Field on Thursday.

Batting third and starting at first base for the Drive, Jordan went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, four RBIs, a run scored, and a strikeout. The right-handed hitter crushed his eighth homer of the season to open the scoring in the first inning and drove in pair with a two-run double in the third. He then plated his fourth and final run of the night with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth.

With two outs and a runner at third base representing the potential tying run in the 10th inning, Jordan had a chance to pull Greenville back even with Greensboro. But he struck out swinging on four pitches as the Drive fell to 33-27 on the season.

By recording two hits on Thursday, Jordan extended his hitting streak to six games. He is now batting .333/.429/.563 in the month of June. On the 2023 campaign as a whole, the 20-year-old slugger has slashed a stout .315/.368/.516 with 18 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 42 RBIs, 33 runs scored, one stolen base, 18 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 55 games (242 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Among the top hitters in the South Atlantic League, Jordan ranks second in total bases (113), third in extra-base hits (27), fourth in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.884), 16th in isolated power (.201), and third in strikeout rate (14.9 percent), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

On the other side of the ball, Jordan made his 30th start of the season at first base on Thursday night. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has also made 23 starts at third base. Between the two infield corners, he has committed three errors (all at third) in 257 total defensive chances.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (89th overall pick) in the 2020 amateur draft out of DeSoto Central High School (Miss.), Jordan is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in the organization. Despite being in his third full professional season, the Southaven native is still among the youngest position players to swing a bat at the High-A level this year. That is understandable since he reclassified back in 2019 in order to graduate from high school a year early.

Given how well he has performed lately, Jordan — who does not turn 23 until December — could soon be nearing a promotion to Double-A Portland. That may be contingent on things that are out of his control, but if Jordan continues to produce, the Red Sox will find a way to make it happen.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox pitching prospect Dalton Rogers tosses 6 scoreless, no-hit innings for High-A Greenville

Red Sox pitching prospect Dalton Rogers put together one of the best starts of his young career for High-A Greenville on Wednesday night.

Going up against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Fluor Field, Rogers struck out 11 and walked only one over six scoreless, no-hit innings. The right-hander took a perfect game bid into the fourth before issuing a two-out walk to Will Matthiessen. He then retired seven of the last eight batters he faced.

Finishing with 78 pitches (50 strikes), Rogers induced 17 swings-and-misses, the third-most for any pitcher at the High-A level on Wednesday. The 22-year-old also earned his first winning decision with Greenville as the Drive went on to defeat the Grasshoppers by a final score of 5-2.

In four starts for the Drive now, Rogers has posted a 2.75 ERA and 1.07 WHP with 27 strikeouts to 13 walks across 19 2/3 innings in which he has held opposing hitters to a .121 batting average against. This comes after he forged a 2.49 ERA in six starts (21 2/3 innings) to start the season with Low-A Salem and was promoted to Greenville in late May.

Rogers was selected by the Red Sox in the third round (99th overall pick) of last year’s amateur draft out of Southern Mississippi. A native of the Magnolia state himself, Rogers signed with the club for $447,500. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, Rogers throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 81-83 mph changeup, and an 82-84 mph slider. As indicated in his Baseball America scouting report, Rogers’ command of the strike zone remains a work in progress, so that will be something to monitor moving forward.

Rogers, who does not turn 23 until next January, is one of five members of the Red Sox’ 2022 draft class on Greenville’s active roster. Fellow lefty Nathan Landry, right-handers Isaac Coffey and Alex Hoppe, and recently-promoted outfielder Roman Anthony are the others.

(Picture of Dalton Rogers via the Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote top outfield prospect Roman Anthony to High-A Greenville

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

Anthony, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the Florida native in the second round of last year’s draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School. He forwent his commitment to Mississippi by signing with the club for $2.5 million.

In 42 games with Salem this season, Anthony batted .228/.376/.316 with nine doubles, one triple, one home run, 18 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 38 walks, and 18 strikeouts over 202 plate appearances. While that slash line is far from eye-popping, the left-handed hitter has caught the attention of evaluators thanks in part to his under-the-hood numbers.

As highlighted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier last week, Anthony has a sound approach at the plate when it comes to pitch recognition and swing decisions. He has also shown that he can hit the ball hard, but his production in that regard has been weighed down by a 49.2 ground-ball rate this year. As such, he is working to put the ball in the air on a more frequent basis.

“He looks like he’s been in pro ball for multiple years versus a guy who’s getting his first full taste of full-season ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Anthony in a recent conversation with Speier. “If you can have those foundational areas as a hitter and you hit the ball hard, you’d like to think it will eventually lead to more baseball-card-type success versus some of the back-end numbers that he’s shown a lot of success with.”

On the other side of the ball, Anthony saw playing time at all three outfield positions for Sale. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder logged nine innings in left, 156 innings in center, and 127 innings in right. He committed just two errors in 61 defensive chances and recorded two outfield assists.

Anthony, who does not turn 20 until next May, becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this season, joining the likes of left-handers Dalton Rogers and Nathan Landry. With the Drive, Anthony will join a crowded outfield mix that already includes Max Ferguson, Miguel Ugueto, Bryan Gonzalez, Nick Decker, Eduardo Lopez, and Kier Meredith.

(Picture of Roman Anthony: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Theo Denlinger to Triple-A Worcester

As part of a slew of minor-league roster moves, the Red Sox promoted relief prospect Theo Denlinger from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday.

Denlinger, 26, was acquired from the White Sox back in February in exchange for fellow right-hander Franklin German.

To begin his first season as a member of the Red Sox organization, Denlinger posted a 2.29 ERA and 3.10 FIP with 20 strikeouts to seven walks in 14 relief appearances (19 2/3 innings) for the Sea Dogs. Opponents only hit .149 against him while his 6.4 percent line-drive rate and 57.4 percent groundball rate would rank among the best in the Eastern League if he was qualified.

Denlinger, who turns 27 in July, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 48 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 19th among pitchers in the organization. The Iowa native was originally selected by Chicago in the seventh round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Bradley College (Peoria, Ill.) and signed with the club for just $10,000.

Standing at a burly 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Denlinger primarily operates with a two-pitch mix that consists of a 93-96 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph and a 79-82 mph slider that features long, 11-to-5 break. He has also shown the ability to throw a two-seam fastball and cutter, both of which he first implemented last year.

Denlinger becomes the second member of the White Sox’ 2021 draft class to make the jump to Worcester this season, joining fellow righty reliever Taylor Broadway. Broadway, of course, was acquired from Chicago as the player to be named later in last August’s Reese McGuire/Jake Diekman trade. He currently owns a 5.40 ERA (6.91 FIP) in 15 outings (23 1/3 innings) for the WooSox.

Troye, Bell also promoted

Denlinger was not the only Red Sox relief prospect to receive a promotion on Tuesday. Righties Christopher Troye and Brock Bell were also moved up to Portland and Greenville, respectively.

Troye, 24, forged a 1.96 ERA and 3.60 FIP with 37 strikeouts to nine walks in 14 appearances (18 1/3 innings) for Greenville. The 2021 12th-round draft pick out of UC Santa Barbara has struck out nearly 49 percent of the batters he has faced so far this season.

Bell, 25, produced a 4.58 ERA and 4.64 FIP with 15 strikeouts to five walks in 11 appearances (19 2/3 innings) for Low-A Salem. The 2019 seventh-round selection out of State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota is the son of former All-Star infielder Jay Bell.

(Picture of Theo Denlinger: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote top prospect Marcelo Mayer to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting top prospect Marcelo Mayer from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Mayer will join the Sea Dogs in New Jersey this week for their upcoming series against the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the Yankees. The 20-year-old shortstop would then be on track to make his Hadlock Field debut on June 6, when the Sea Dogs return home to host the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians affiliate) in the first of a six-game set.

The promotion comes at a time when Mayer has been absolutely raking with Greenville. In 18 games with the Drive this month, the left-handed hitter has slashed a stout .321/.357/.641 with seven doubles, six home runs, 23 RBIs, 14 runs scored, two stolen bases, four walks, and 17 strikeouts over 84 plate appearances.

On the 2023 campaign as a whole, Mayer has batted .290/.366/.524 with 11 doubles, one triple, seven homers, 34 runs driven in, 23 runs scored, five stolen bases, 17 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 35 games (164 plate appearances) for Greenville. He missed some time earlier this month due to some left shoulder soreness, but now appears to be fully healthy.

Among qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League, Mayer currently ranks 15th in batting average, 11th in slugging percentage and OPS (.890), seventh in extra-base hits (19), ninth in total bases (76), and 11th in isolated power (.234), per MiLB.com.

On the other side of the ball, Mayer has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this season come at shortstop. The 6-foot-2, 188-pounder served as Greenville’s designated hitter on Sunday, but has otherwise logged 279 innings at short while committing a total of seven errors in 99 defensive opportunities.

A native of California, Mayer was originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft out of Eastlake High School. He became Boston’s highest-drafted player since 1967 and signed with the club for $6.664 million.

Less than two full years after signing, Mayer now finds himself one step closer to the major-leagues. As noted by Speier, he is the youngest Red Sox draftee to reach Double-A since 2010, when both Anthony Rizzo and Casey Kelly made the jump to Portland.

Mayer, who does not turn 21 until December, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 12 prospect in the sport. Barring a surprise, he will likely spend the rest of the season with the Sea Dogs, which could — in theory — put him on track to garner big-league consideration at some point in 2024.

For the time being, though, Mayer will join a talented Sea Dogs roster that includes No. 3 prospect Ceddanne Rafaela, No. 7 prospect Nick Yorke, No. 15 prospect Nathan Hickey, No. 18 prospect Matthew Lugo, No. 23 prospect Niko Kavadas, and No. 27 prospect Chase Meidroth.

Mayer, Meidroth, and Hickey were all on Greenville’s Opening Day roster.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Isaac Coffey strikes out 11 yet again in latest start for High-A Greenville

For the second straight outing and the third time in his last five starts, Red Sox pitching prospect Isaac Coffey recorded 11 strikeouts for High-A Greenville on Thursday night.

Going up against Rome on the road at AdventHealth Stadium, Coffey struck out 11 and did not walk a single batter over six scoreless, three-hit innings. The right-hander finished with 87 pitches (64 strikes) and induced 21 swings-and-misses. He also retired the final eight hitters he faced as the Drive went on to defeat the Braves by a final score of 6-2.

Coffey, who was credited with the winning decision, improved to 3-2 on the year. The 22-year-old has posted a 2.89 ERA and 4.64 FIP with 61 strikeouts to seven walks over eight starts spanning 43 2/3 innings of work for Greenville this season.

Following Thursday’s performance, Coffey now leads qualified South Atlantic League pitchers in strikeouts. He also ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.57), second in strikeout rate (35.1 percent), first in walks per nine innings (1.44), first in walk rate (4.0 percent), ninth in batting average against (.217), second in WHIP (0.78), seventh in swinging-strike rate (14.9 percent), fourth in ERA, 13th in FIP, and first in xFIP (2.91), per FanGraphs.

Coffey, who turns 23 next month, was selected by the Red Sox in the 10th round of last year’s amateur draft out of Oral Roberts, where he was a two-way player. Since signing with Boston for just $7,500, though, the California native has been used strictly on the mound.

As noted in his Baseball America scouting report from before the 2022 draft, Coffey “will not light up the radar gun, but he has the ability to spot his deceptive 89-91 fastball from a low three-quarter slot.” The 6-foot-1, 205-pound hurler also “does a fine job spotting up his slider-changeup mix to attack both left-handed and right-handed hitters.”

Considering how much success Coffey has enjoyed at the High-A level as of late (1.96 ERA in four May starts), one has to wonder if the righty could soon be in line for a promotion to Double-A Portland. That in itself would represent a new challenge for a young pitcher who is seemingly having his way with the opposition right now.

(Picture of Isaac Coffey: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Dalton Rogers to High-A Greenville

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

In six starts for Salem to begin the 2023 season, Rogers posted a 2.49 ERA and 2.18 FIP with 38 strikeouts to 13 walks over 21 2/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .139 batting average against.

Among 84 Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 20 innings coming into play on Wednesday, Rogers ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (15.78), first in strikeout rate (41.3 percent), third in opponents’ batting average, 22nd in WHIP (1.11), 30th in swinging-strike rate (13.6 percent), 20th in ERA, second in FIP, and seventh in xFIP (2.83), per FanGraphs.

As is the case with most young hurlers, though, Rogers has proven to be vulnerable to ball four at times. The 22-year-old averaged more than five walks per nine innings in his six starts with Salem, which is certainly suboptimal. Still, he managed to avoid any serious damage thanks to his ability to miss bats.

Rogers is in the midst of his first full professional season after being selected by Boston in the third round (99th overall pick) of last year’s draft out of Southern Mississippi. The Brandon, Miss. native, who spent part of his summer pitching for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, signed with the club for $447,500 and made two relief appearances for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox in his pro debut.

Coming into the 2023 campaign, Rogers was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The publication noted that the 5-foot-11, 172-pound lefty “hides the ball well while driving down the mound to create good extension and a low release height. That combination, along with the ride and arm-side run on his 93-94 mph fastball (which tops out at 96), has given hitters fits at the top of the zone. He’s leaned heavily on his fastball to this point, though he has two secondaries — a low-80s changeup and low-80s slider — with the shape to develop into weapons if he can control them.”

As things stand now, Rogers is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the Red Sox’ No. 37 prospect, which ranks 11th among pitchers in the organization. Like Baseball America, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall notes that the southpaw possesses a deceptive delivery and operates with a three-pitch mix that is headlined by a mid-90s heater that has the potential to be a “plus pitch.”

Both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com are relatively high on Rogers, which likely reflects how the Red Sox feel about him. With that being said, though, Rogers will need to continue improving his control and command if he intends on developing as a starter. If not, he could eventually head to the bullpen as a multi-inning threat.

Rogers, who does not turn 23 until next January, becomes the second member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this season. Fellow lefty Nathan Landry, who was taken in the 15th round out of Missouri, was promoted earlier this month.

(Picture of Dalton Rogers: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)