Tag: greenville drive

Red Sox promote pitching prospects Wikelman Gonzalez, Luis Guerrero to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted top pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield.

In addition to Gonzalez, fellow right-hander Luis Guerrero has also been promoted to Greenville.

Gonzalez, 20, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization. Fresh off being named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on Monday, the Venezuelan-born righty has posted a 4.54 ERA and 3.85 FIP with 98 strikeouts to 48 walks over 21 starts (81 1/3 innings) for Salem this season. That includes a 1.69 ERA (2.76 FIP) in the month of August.

Among Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 80 innings, Gonzalez ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings (10.84), fourth in strikeout rate (27.4%), second in batting average against (.209), and seventh in FIP, per FanGraphs.

Boston originally signed Gonzalez for $250,000 as an international free-agent coming out Maracay in July 18. The 6-foot, 170-pound hurler now “features an easy, compact delivery” and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 87-89 mph changeup, and a 78-80 mph curveball, according to his Baseball America scouting report.

Guerrero, meanwhile, was selected by the Red Sox in the 17th round of last year’s amateur draft out of Chipola College in Marianna, Fla. The native Dominican signed with Boston for $122,500 last August.

Now 22 years old, Guerrero made his pro debut in the Florida Complex League earlier this summer before making the jump to Low-A in June. He has since pitched to a 4.18 ERA (3.54 FIP) to go along with 37 strikeouts to 14 walks across 18 relief outings spanning 23 2/3 innings of work with the Salem Sox.

Unlike Gonzalez, Guerrero is not regarded by any major publications as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. The 6-foot, 215-pounder does, however, work with a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 80-83 mph changeup, an 81-83 mph slider, and a 75-79 mph curveball, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

(Picture of Wikelman Gonzalez: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox’ Blaze Jordan homers, collects career-best 4 hits in latest strong showing for High-A Greenville

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan has certainly made the most of his promotion to High-A Greenville so far.

In the Drive’s 7-5 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Tuesday night, Jordan went 4-for-5 with a solo home run, an RBI single, and two runs scored out of the three-hole. The four hits represent a single-game career high for the 19-year-old.

Since being promoted from Low-A Salem last week, Jordan has gone 10-for-23 (.435) at the plate with three homers, seven RBIs, seven runs scored, two walks, and five strikeouts in his first six games with Greenville.

The right-handed hitting infielder earned that promotion after batting .286/.357/.446 (123 wRC+) to go along with 40 extra-base hits (eight home runs), 57 runs driven in, 48 runs scored, four stolen bases, 37 walks, and 67 strikeouts across 95 games (415 plate appearances) with Salem to begin the season.

Defensively, Jordan has already logged 27 innings at third base and 18 innings at first base to begin his tenure with the Drive. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder saw playing time at both of those positions — as well as designated hitter — while he was in Salem, where he was named Carolina League Player of the Week on two separate occasions.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, Miss., Jordan is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top power hitter and the No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Given that he has just recently made the jump to High-A, it seems likely that Jordan — who turns 20 in December — will return to Greenville for the start of the 2023 season if he remains in the organization through the winter.

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

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Shane Drohan to Double-A Portland

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

Drohan, 23, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 10th among pitchers in the organization.

In 22 appearances (20 starts) for the Drive this season, Drohan has posted a 4.00 ERA and 4.19 FIP to go along with 136 strikeouts to 40 walks over 105 2/3 innings of work. That includes a 1.17 ERA in three outings this month.

Among qualified South Atlantic League pitchers, the left-hander ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (11.58), fifth in walks per nine innings (3.41), first in strikeout rate (30.2%), fifth in walk rate (8.9%), first in swinging strike rate (17.2%), second in batting average against (.225), third in WHIP (1.24), fifth in ERA, sixth in FIP, and fourth in xFIP (3.90), per FanGraphs.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Drohan was first taken by the Phillies in the 23rd round of the 2017 draft out of Cardinal Newman High School. But he opted to honor his commitment to Florida State University rather than go pro as a teenager.

After three seasons with the Seminoles and one summer on Cape Cod, Drohan was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth and final round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft. He signed with the club for $600,000 and made his professional with Low-A Salem last May.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Drohan throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 88-92 mph fastball that tops out at 94 mph, a 75-78 mph curveball, and a 78-81 mph changeup, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Drohan, who turns 24 in January, has the potential to become a back-end starter at the big-league level. He does not become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft until after the 2023 season.

(Picture of Shane Drohan: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

In midst of rocky 2022 season with High-A Greenville, Red Sox top prospect Nick Yorke appears to be finding his groove again

He may no longer be regarded by Baseball America as one of the game’s top 100 prospects (for now), but it appears as though Red Sox infield prospect Nick Yorke is starting to find his groove again.

In High-A Greenville’s last series against the Hickory Crawdads at Fluor Field, Yorke appeared in all six games and went 8-for-24 (.333) with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, five runs scored, three walks, and five strikeouts. Those two homers were just his second and third since the beginning of July.

The 2022 season has been a tough one for Yorke from both a performance-related and physical perspective. After being named the organization’s Minor League Offensive Player of the Year in 2021, the 20-year-old has been limited to just 63 games so far this season due to a plethora of injuries — including turf toe, back stiffness, and left wrist soreness.

Over the course of those 63 games, the right-handed hitting Yorke has batted .237/.306/.376 (85 wRC+) to go along with eight doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 38 runs driven in, 39 runs scored, five stolen bases, 26 walks, and 68 strikeouts across 294 plate appearances.

Defensively, Yorke has unsurprisingly seen all his playing time on the field come at second base. The 6-foot, 200-pounder has logged 453 innings at the keystone position and has yet to commit an error of any sort.

Despite all of the struggles he has endured this season, Yorke is still ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the native Californian with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose.

Yorke, who does not turn 21 until next April, does not seem like a candidate to get promoted to Double-A Portland at the moment. That could potentially change if he continues to stay hot at the plate for Greenville.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox release Brandon Howlett

The Red Sox have released minor-league third baseman/right fielder Brandon Howlett, according to the team’s transactions log.

Howlett, who turns 23 next month, was originally selected by Boston in the 21st round of the 2018 amateur draft out George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, Fla. He forwent his commitment to Florida State University by signing with the Sox for $185,000.

After putting together a decent season (117 wRC+ in 96 games) with High-A Greenville in 2021, Howlett broke camp this spring with Double-A Portland. But the right-handed hitter struggled to the tune of a .167/.278/.205 slash line in 27 games (90 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs before getting demoted back to Greenville in early June.

Following that demotion, Howlett fared better in his return to the Drive by batting .194/.378/.379 with 10 doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, and 16 runs scored over 34 games (135 plate appearances). Although he managed to get on base more via ball four, Howlett was still striking out at a near-35 percent clip, which is among the highest marks for South Atlantic League Hitters who have made at least 130 trips to the plate to this point in the season.

Between the strikeout issues and the recent promotions of fellow infielders Marcelo Mayer and Blaze Jordan from Low-A Salem, Howlett’s future with the Red Sox became bleak enough to the point where he was officially cut loose on Wednesday.

In the four-plus years he spent with Boston, Howlett peaked as the organization’s 14th-ranked prospect in 2019, per Baseball America. He was also Baseball America’s 20th-ranked Red Sox prospect in 2020 before being dropped from the list altogether last year.

(Picture of Brandon Howlett: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox relief prospect Ryan Fernandez has struck out 40 percent of the batters he has faced since earning promotion to Double-A Portland

Red Sox relief prospect Ryan Fernandez needed just 24 pitches — 19 of which were strikes — to toss two scoreless innings and wrap up a 9-4 win for the Portland Sea Dogs over the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin’ Donuts Park on Wednesday night.

Since earning a promotion from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland on July 3, Fernandez has made eight relief appearances for the Sea Dogs. The right-hander has posted a 3.60 ERA and 3.43 FIP with 16 strikeouts to just two walks over 10 innings of work in those outings.

Prior to making the jump to Double-A, Fernandez began the 2022 season in Greenville and pitched to a 4.00 ERA (but more respectable 3.19 FIP) with 40 punchouts to nine walks across 25 appearances spanning 27 innings of relief for the Drive.

So, between the two levels to this point in the season, the 24-year-old has produced a 3.89 ERA and 3.25 FIP while recording 56 strikeouts and issuing 11 walks over 33 relief appearances (37 total innings). He has also converted 10 of a possible 13 save opportunities.

To put that all into perspective: Among the 57 pitchers in the Red Sox farm system who have thrown at least 30 innings coming into play on Thursday, Fernandez ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (13.62), 12th in walks per nine innings (2.68), first in strikeout rate (35.9%), third in swinging strike rate (20.8%), 12th in walk rate (7.1%), 10th in groundball rate (52.3%), 13th in FIP, and third in xFIP (2.74), per FanGraphs.

The Red Sox originally selected Fernandez in the 23rd round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Hillsborough Community College in Plant City, Fla. The Tampa native signed with the club for $125,000 and made his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League.

Despite the amount of success he has enjoyed so far this season, Fernandez has not yet caught the attention of any industry publications to the point where is ranked as one of the top 30 or so prospects in Boston’s farm system.

Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot, 170-pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 96-98 mph fastball that tops out at 99 mph, a 90-92 mph cutter with a high spin rate, and an 87-89 mph slider.

Fernandez, who does not turn 25 until next June, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is left off the Red Sox’ 40-man roster in November. With that being said, it would not be too surprising if Boston has Fernandez pitch in the Arizona Fall League later this year so that it may further evaluate him.

Having Fernandez pitch in Arizona this fall would also give other clubs the opportunity to see the Florida-born righty in-person.

(Picture of Ryan Fernandez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote power-hitting prospect Nick Northcut to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted power-hitting prospect Nick Northcut from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Northcut, 23, has batted .223/.286/.530 with 13 doubles, 26 home runs, 58 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 21 walks, and 118 strikeouts in 77 games (322 plate appearances) with the Drive this season. The right-handed hitting infielder broke Greenville’s single-season home run record earlier this month and currently leads the organization in homers.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters coming into play on Tuesday, Northcut ranks first in home runs, third in RBIs, second in slugging percentage, 14th in OPS (.816), first in isolated power (.307), and 26th in wRC+ (111), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder has seen the majority of his playing time on the field this season come at either first or third base. He has logged 361 1/3 innings at the hot corner and 228 innings at first base while also making one appearance at shortstop.

Despite the impressive power numbers he has put up this year, Northcut is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top 30 or so prospects within Boston’s farm system. That lack of recognition can likely be attributed to his .286 on-base percentage, 35.4% strikeout rate, and 6.5% walk rate.

A Cincinnati-area native, Northcut was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. He forwent his commitment to Vanderbilt University by signing with Boston for $565,000.

Since making his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League, Northcut has appeared in a total of 274 minor-league games across four different minor-league levels. He will now join the Sea Dogs, who open a six-game series against the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin’ Donuts Park on Tuesday night.

As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, it is possible that Northcut’s stay with the Sea Dogs is only temporary since Portland is currently thin on infield depth.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote Michael Gettys to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted converted reliever Michael Gettys from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Gettys, 26, has posted a 3.34 ERA and 4.37 FIP to go along with 23 strikeouts to seven walks over 22 relief appearances (29 2/3 innings pitched) for the Drive this season. The right-hander last gave up an earned run on June 12.

Among South Atlantic League pitchers who have accrued at least 20 innings on the mound, Gettys currently ranks 19th in walks per nine innings (2.12), 14th in walk rate (5.4%), and 53rd in ERA, per FanGraphs.

An outfielder by trade, Gettys was originally selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2014 amateur draft out of Gainesville (Ga.) High School. The Georgia native was once regarded as a highly-touted prospect and spent the first seven seasons of his professional career with San Diego before becoming a minor-league free-agent at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign.

That November, Gettys inked a minors pact with the Red Sox and broke camp with Triple-A Worcester the following spring. The right-handed hitter saw playing time at all three outfield positions for the WooSox but could never really get it going at the plate as he sputtered along to a .201/.271/.349 slash line in 46 games.

After spending a good portion of last August on the development list, Gettys made his professional debut as a pitcher in the Florida Complex League on Aug. 31. The 6-foot-1, 217-pound hurler made five appearances for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate and really has not looked back since.

Gettys became a minor-league free-agent again in November but only spent 10 days on the open market before officially re-signing with the Red Sox on Nov. 17.

He now becomes the latest pitcher within the organization to make the jump from Greenville to Portland this season, joining fellow righties Ryan Fernandez and Brian Van Belle. It seems as though Gettys is taking the roster spot of left-hander Jay Groome, who was promoted to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

(Picture of Michael Gettys: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut sets new single-season home run record for High-A Greenville

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Nick Northcut etched his name into Greenville Drive history on Wednesday afternoon.

In the fourth inning of High-A Greenville’s 9-4 win over Hudson Valley in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., Northcut clubbed a two-run home run off Renegades starter Blas Castano to left-center field.

It was Northcut’s 25th big fly of the year, meaning he had surpassed Tyler Dearden for the most single-season home runs in Drive history. Dearden (now with Double-A Portland) needed 91 games to hit 24 home runs last year.

Northcut, on the other hand, only needed 72 games to mash 25 homers for Greenville this season. Following Wednesday’s two-hit, two-RBI performance, the right-handed hitting infielder is now batting .221/.283/.529 with 10 doubles, 25 runs driven in, 40 runs scored, 19 walks, and 108 strikeouts across his first 300 plate appearances at the High-A level.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Northcut currently ranks first in home runs, third in RBIs, second in slugging percentage, 15th in OPS (.812), first in isolated power (.308), and first in at-bats per home run (11.04), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, Northcut made his 39th start of the season at third base on Wednesday. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder has logged 337 1/3 innings at the hot corner as well as 228 innings at first base and six innings at shortstop.

Northcut, 23, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of William Mason High School. The Ohio native forwent his commitment to Vanderbilt University by signing with the club for $565,000.

Despite the impressive power numbers he has put up this year, Northcut is not regarded by industry publications such as Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or SoxProspects as one of the top-ranked prospects in Boston’s farm system.

That likely has to do with Northcut’s low on-base percentage, low walk rate (6.3%), and high strikeout rate (36%). If Northcut can improve upon those tendencies, perhaps he could earn garner more recognition and even earn a promotion to Portland before season’s end.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote speedy outfield prospect Phillip Sikes to High-A Greenville

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

Sikes made his debut for the Drive in their game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Monday night and went 1-for-4 with a single and strikeout. The 23-year-old was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of last summer’s draft out of Texas Christian University.

After signing with Boston for $97,500 last July, Sikes began his first full professional season in Salem. In 50 games with the Red Sox, the right-handed hitting speedster batted .258/.390/.516 (150 wRC+) to go along with 18 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 28 RBIs, 36 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 28 walks, and 55 strikeouts over 195 plate appearances.

He was sidelined for approximately 10 days (June 16-25) due to an undisclosed injury, but made his impact felt upon his return to Salem’s lineup by slashing a stout .385/.462/.846 in his last six games leading up to Monday’s promotion.

Among Carolina League hitters who have made at least 190 trips to the plate this season, Sikes ranks 17th in walk rate (14.4%), eighth in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.905), third in isolated power (.258), second in speed score (9.1), and fourth in wRC+ (150), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Sikes started in right field while making his debut for Greenville on Monday. With Salem, the 6-foot-2, 190 pounder logged 102 2/3 innings in left field, 226 innings in center, and 72 innings in right. He also made two scoreless appearances as a pitcher.

Sikes, who does not turn 24 until next April, is not yet regarded by any major publication as one of the top outfield prospects in the Red Sox’ farm system. That being said, the native Texan has gotten his professional career off to a solid start and should figure to spend the rest of the 2022 campaign in Greenville.

On that note, Sikes becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2021 draft class to suit up for the Drive so far this season, as he joins the likes of Tyler McDonough, Nathan Hickey, Wyatt Olds, Niko Kavadas, and Jacob Webb.

(Picture of Phillip Sikes via the Salem Red Sox)