Tag: greenville drive

Red Sox promote 2021 draft picks Nathan Hickey, Niko Kavadas to High-A Greenville

With infielder Alex Binelas and catcher Stephen Scott earning promotions to Double-A Portland on Friday, the Red Sox also promoted first-base prospect Niko Kavadas and catching prospect Nathan Hickey from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Kavadas, 23, was originally selected by the Sox in the 11th round of last year’s amateur draft out of the University of Notre Dame. The Indiana native came into his first full professional season ranked by FanGraphs as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

In 59 games with Salem this year, the left-handed hitting Kavadas batted .286/.453/.609 (188 wRC+) with 18 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 35 runs scored, one stolen base, 54 walks, and 70 strikeouts over 254 plate appearances. Ten of his 14 homers have come in the month of June.

Among qualified Carolina League hitters this season, Kavadas ranks second in walk rate (21.3%), first in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, first in OPS (1.062), first in isolated power (.323), and first in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, Kavadas has seen all his playing time as a pro come at first base. He should help fill the gap left behind by Binelas in Greenville.

Hickey, meanwhile, was selected by Boston in the fifth round of last year’s amateur draft out of the University of Florida. The Jacksonville native is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 23 prospect in the Sox’ farm system, which ranks tops among catchers in the organization.

With the Salem Sox this season, the left-handed hitting Hickey slashed .271/.429/.507 (160 wRC+) to go along with 12 doubles, seven home runs, 39 runs driven in, 31 runs scored, 39 walks, and 39 strikeouts across 41 games spanning 182 trips to the plate.

Among qualified catchers at the Low-A level, Hickey ranks first in walk rate (21.4%), first in on-base percentage, second in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.936), second in isolated power (.236), and first in wRC+, according to FanGraphs.

Defensively, the 6-foot, 210 pound backstop has logged 227 2/3 innings behind the plate so far this season and has thrown out three of a possible 34 base stealers. In Greenville, he will join a group of catchers that includes Alex Erro and Jaxx Groshans.

(Picture of Nathan Hickey: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox promote prospects Alex Binelas, Stephen Scott to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted infielder Alex Binelas and catcher Stephen Scott from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Binelas, 22, was one of three players the Sox acquired from the Brewers in the trade that sent outfielder Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee last December. The Wisconsin native was originally selected by the Brewers in the third round of last year’s draft out of the University of Louisville and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 17 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

In 58 games with the Drive this season, the right-handed hitting Binelas batted .245/.355/.495 (127 wRC+) with 10 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 43 RBIs, 41 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 38 walks, and 69 strikeouts over 259 plate appearances.

Defensively, the 6-foot-3, 225 pounder saw playing time at both corner infield spots for the Drive this year. He logged 253 2/3 innings at first base and 196 innings at third.

Scott, on the other hand, was originally taken by the Red Sox in the 10th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Vanderbilt University. Drafted and signed as an outfielder, the North Carolina native has since become a full-time catcher.

With the Drive this season, the left-handed hitting Scott slashed just .188/.305/.336 to go along with eight doubles, one triple, three homers, 14 RBIs, 17 runs scored, two stolen bases, 23 walks, and 28 strikeouts over 37 games spanning 154 trips to the plate.

On the other side of the ball, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound 25-year-old logged 286 2/3 innings behind the plate in Greenville and threw out 12 of a possible 42 base stealers. He will join a catching group in Portland that includes Kole Cottam and Elih Marrero.

(Picture of Alex Binelas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox relief prospect Cody Scroggins has strung together 9 straight scoreless appearances for High-A Greenville

It has been exactly one month since Red Sox relief prospect Cody Scroggins first embarked upon a lengthy scoreless appearances streak with High-A Greenville.

In his last nine outings dating back to May 21, Scroggins has allowed five hits and six walks to go along with 14 strikeouts over nine cumulative scoreless frames.

The impressive run has lowered Scroggins’ ERA on the season down to 4.03. The 25-year-old right-hander has also gone 5-for-5 in save opportunities while posting a 3.10 FIP and 3.66 xFIP with 33 punchouts to 15 walks across 21 appearances (22 1/3 innings) for the Drive in 2022.

Among South Atlantic League pitchers who have accrued at least 20 innings on the mound so far this season, Scroggins ranks 15th in strikeouts per nine innings (13.30), 28th in strikeout rate (31.4%), 20th in FIP, and 26th in xFIP, per FanGraphs.

The Red Sox originally selected Scroggins in the ninth round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Arkansas. The Oklahoma-born righty signed with the club for $100,000 and began his pro career with the Lowell Spinners.

After his first full professional season was wiped out as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Scroggins pitched to a 3.33 ERA in 48 2/3 innings between Low-A Salem and Greenville in 2021. All told, he currently owns a 4.91 ERA in 39 appearances at the High-A level since being promoted to Greenville last July.

Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot, 195 pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that has some sink to it, an 84-86 mph slider, and an 85-87 mph changeup.

While not regarded by publications such as SoxProspects.com as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, Scroggins did receive somewhat of a shoutout from FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein and Tess Taruskin back in March. They described the former Razorback as “a slider monster who sits 92-95 and has very poor control,” which would explain the high number of walks.

Scroggins, who turns 26 in August, would appear to be a prime candidate to earn a mid-season promotion to Double-A Portland if a spot becomes available in the Sea Dogs’ bullpen at some point this summer.

Until then, Scroggins will look to keep his scoreless appearances streak rolling as the Drive open a six-game series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Cody Scroggins: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Jacob Webb to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted relief prospect Jacob Webb to High-A Greenville, per the team’s minor-league transactions log. A spot on Greenville’s roster became available when fellow right-hander Brian Van Belle was promoted to Double-A Portland on Monday.

Webb, 23, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 14th round of the 2021 amateur draft of Miami University and signed with the club for $122,500 last July. The Ohio native is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 57 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking 26th among pitchers in the organization.

After closing out the 2021 campaign in Salem, Webb returned to the Red Sox for the start of his first full professional season. Leading up to Tuesday, the righty posted a 2.19 ERA and 3.33 FIP with 39 strikeouts to 19 walks over 18 relief appearances spanning 24 2/3 innings of work. He also converted three of a possible six save opportunities.

Among Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 20 innings on the mound so far this year, Webb ranks seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (14.23), 16th in strikeout rate (33.6%), 11th in swinging strike rate (18.3%), 18th in ERA, and 26th in FIP, per FanGraphs.

As indicated by his 16.4% walk rate, command has been an issue at times for Webb. Still, the stuff is there and it clearly played a factor into his promotion. Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the burly 6-foot-5, 245 pound hurler works with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball, an 81-85 mph slider, and a changeup.

Now that he has been promoted to Greenville, Webb will join a Drive bullpen that includes the likes of Ryan Fernandez, Cody Scroggins, Casey Cobb, Devin Roedahl, Michael Gettys, Jacinto Arredondo, Robert Kwiatkowski, and Austin Lambright.

(Picture of Jacob Webb: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Brendan Cellucci finding success as opener with High-A Greenville

On the morning of May 11, Red Sox pitching prospect Brendan Cellucci woke up with an 11.70 ERA through his first nine appearances (10 innings) of the season for High-A Greenville.

Since being selected by the Sox in the 12th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Tulane University, Cellucci had always been used as a reliever. But the left-hander was struggling mightily while repeating High-A to begin the 2022 campaign.

So, after the first week of May, the Drive decided to switch things up with their pitching staff. Cellucci would become an opener and make his first professional start on Wednesday, May 11, against the Asheville Tourists.

In two scoreless innings of work at McCormick Field that night, the 23-year-old faced the minimum while walking one and striking out four on 26 pitches — 19 of which were strikes.

Since then, Cellucci has thrived as an opener who pitches exclusively on Wednesdays and Sundays. In 10 starts for the Drive, the lefty has posted a miniscule 1.83 ERA and 2.82 FIP with 30 strikeouts to 14 walks over his last 19 2/3 innings of work.

As a reliever to start off the year, Cellucci produced an 18.2% strikeout rate, 18.2% walk rate, .317 batting average against, and a 2.30 WHIP. As a quote-unquote starter, he has produced a 38% strikeout rate, 17.7% walk rate, .138 batting average against, and a 1.17 WHIP, per FanGraphs.

Walks do remain an issue for Cellucci, though the Philadelphia-area native has been able to cut down on the free passes just a bit since moving to Greenville’s starting rotation.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Cellucci operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 83-86 mph curveball, and an 85-87 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Cellucci, who turns 24 at the end of the month, is currently regarded by FanGraphs as the 39th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. Back in March, FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein and Tess Taruskin described Cellucci as a southpaw with a solid foundation who “just needs to work on his ability to locate his three offerings in order to actualize his potential role as an impact reliever.”

With that being said, Cellucci can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter. The Red Sox, of course, would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the November deadline if they intend to prevent that from happening.

In the meantime, it certainly seems as though Cellucci could be on his way to earning a midsummer promotion to Double-A Portland given that he has already logged 67 innings in Greenville dating back to the start of last season.

(Picture of Brendan Cellucci: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut named South Atlantic League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Nick Northcut has been named South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of June 6-12, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In High-A Greenville’s latest series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field, Northcut went 7-for-22 (.318) with two doubles, four home runs, 11 RBIs, seven runs scored, three walks, and nine strikeouts over six games. All four of those homers were hit within a two-day stretch on Friday and Saturday.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, the right-handed hitter is batting .231/.286/.574 with seven doubles, a team-high 20 home runs and 46 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 12 walks, and 79 strikeouts over 50 games (210 plate appearances) for the Drive. He has put up those numbers while primarily playing both corner infield positions.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Northcut ranks first in home runs, second in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.860), first in isolated power (.344), and 17th in wRC+ (124), per FanGraphs.

Northcut, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday on Monday, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 60th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Ohio native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Mason High School.

While power has been his standout tool this season, Northcut is working to become more selective at the plate. His 37.6% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate are among the worst marks in the Sally League, but the Red Sox have otherwise been pleased with what they have seen from the young slugger.

As he inches closer towards setting a new single-season home run record in Greenville, Northcut becomes the first member of the Drive to earn South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors since Ceddanne Rafaela did so on April 18.

Rafaela has since been promoted to Double-A Portland. Perhaps Northcut is not too far behind him.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Brian Van Belle to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Brian Van Belle from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per his agent Gavin Kahn of EnterSports Management.

Van Belle, 25, has made 12 appearances (9 starts) for the Drive this season, posting a 6.14 ERA and 6.03 FIP with 55 strikeouts to eight walks over 58 2/3 innings pitched.

While those numbers may not seem all that encouraging, Van Belle has pitched better as of late. Going back to May 18, the right-hander has pitched to a 2.77 ERA to go along with 24 strikeouts to just three walks over his last five outings (2 starts) that span 26 total innings of work.

Among qualified South Atlantic League pitchers, Van Belle ranks first in walks per nine innings (1.23), first in walk rate (3.1%), and eighth in xFIP (3.90), per FanGraphs.

After not being selected in the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft, Van Belle signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent that June. The University of Miami product had been viewed as one of the top college seniors who was passed over in that draft and ultimately signed with Boston for $20,000.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Van Belle — a Miami-area native himself — is equipped with a repeatable delivery and a three-pitch mix that consists of a 90-92 mph fastball that tops out at 93 mph, an 82-85 mph changeup, and a 77-80 mph curveball that is labeled as a “work in progress,” according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Van Belle, who turns 26 in September, will presumably join a Sea Dogs’ starting rotation that has seen two of its top starters in Brayan Bello and Brandon Walter earn promotions to Triple-A Worcester within the last month.

Since he last pitched for Greenville on Friday, it feels safe to assume that Van Belle will make his Double-A debut on the road in Portland’s upcoming series against the Reading Fightin Phils.

(Picture of Brian Van Belle: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut has homered 4 times in last 2 games as he approaches High-A Greenville’s single-season record

Nick Northcut became the first Red Sox minor-leaguer to reach the 20 home run plateau this season in High-A Greenville’s 3-2 win over the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field on Saturday night.

After going deep three times on Friday, Northcut went 1-for-3 on Saturday with two RBIs, one scored, and one strikeout while batting third and starting at first base for the Drive.

His latest homer came with one out and one runner on in the sixth inning. Matched up against Tourists starter Rhett Kouba, Northcut took the right-hander deep over everything in left field to give the Drive a 3-2 lead.

Prior to Friday’s outburst, Northcut was in the midst of a 12-for-77 (.156) slump over his last 20 games dating back to May 15. Following Saturday’s performance, the right-handed-hitting slugger is now batting .229/.278/.573 with six doubles, those 20 home runs, 45 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 10 walks, and 77 strikeouts across 49 games (205 plate appearances) this season.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Northcut ranks first in home runs, tied for first in RBIs, second in slugging percentage, eighth in OPS (.851), first in isolated power (.344), and first in at-bats per home run (9.6), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 205 pound infielder has logged 190 innings at first base (9 of which came on Saturday), 200 1/3 innings at third base, and six innings at shortstop for the first time in his professional career.

Northcut, who turns 23 on Monday, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 60th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the Ohio native in the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Mason High School and swayed him away from his commitment to Vanderbilt University by signing him for $565,000.

In addition to the power he possesses from the right side of the plate, there is a fair amount of swing-and-miss in Northcut’s game as indicated by his 38.1% strikeout rate (fifth-highest in the Sally League) and 4.9% walk rate (third-lowest in the Sally League).

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, however, the Red Sox are not too concerned about Northcut’s strikeout tendencies since he is generally doing a quality job of swinging at the right pitches and staying away from the ones out of the zone.

“He’s missing some pitches that we think he can hit, but he’s doing a fantastic job not chasing,” hitting coordinator Reed Gragnani told Speier last month. “We can coach that. … If he gets better at making contact in the zone, even at an average rate in MLB or even at this level, then you’re talking about a premium power hitter that can hit .270 with the damage.”

With 20 home runs already under his belt, Northcut is fast-approaching Greenville’s single-season home run record of 24, which was set by outfield prospect Tyler Dearden, who is now with Double-A Portland, just last year.

It took Dearden 91 games and until September 12 to accomplish that feat. At the pace he is currently on, it will not take Northcut nearly as long to etch his name into Drive history.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox pitching prospect Shane Drohan records season-high 14 strikeouts in latest start for High-A Greenville

Red Sox pitching prospect Shane Drohan struck out a career-high 14 batters in his 10th start (11th overall appearance) of the season for High-A Greenville on Tuesday night.

Matched up against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field, the left-hander allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and just one walk to go along with those 14 punchouts over 5 2/3 innings of work.

Drohan took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning before serving up a two-out solo shot to Astros prospect Cristian Gonzalez. In the sixth, he allowed one runner to reach base on a fielding error and another to reach base on a one-out single. He then served up a three-run home run to Colin Barber that made it a 4-0 game in favor of Asheville. His night came to an end after he fanned his 14th and final batter and was replaced by Casey Cobb out of the Greenville bullpen.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 86 (60 strikes), Drohan wound up inducing 32 swings-and-misses on Tuesday, according to Red Sox Stats on Twitter. Since the Drive ultimately fell to the Tourists by a final score of 6-3, Drohan was the tough-luck loser and is now 3-4 on the year.

In his 11 outings with the Drive this season, Drohan has posted a 4.53 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 71 strikeouts to 19 walks over 53 2/3 total innings pitched. The 23-year-old is also holding opposing hitters to a .228/.303/.383 slash line against.

Among qualified South Atlantic League pitchers, Drohan ranks sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.91), 11th in walks per nine innings (3.19), sixth in strikeout rate (31.3%), second in swinging strike rate (17.9%), ninth in walk rate (8.3%), 10th in batting average against, ninth in WHIP, ninth in FIP (4.02), and ninth in xFIP (3.90), per FanGraphs.

The Red Sox originally selected Drohan in the fifth round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft out of Florida State University. The Fort Lauderdale native signed with the club for $600,000 and is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 47th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot-3, 195 pound southpaw throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 88-92 mph fastball, a 75-78 mph curveball, and a 78-81 mph changeup.

Drohan, who does not turn 24 until January, seems like a prime candidate to get to Double-A Portland by season’s end. There are several things that go into a decision like that, but it would not be surprising to see the lefty pitching for the Sea Dogs before long.

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

Red Sox activate top prospect Nick Yorke from High-A Greenville’s injured list

The Red Sox have activated top prospect Nick Yorke from High-A Greenville’s 7-day injured list. In a corresponding move, fellow infielder Ricardo Cubillan was transferred to Greenville’s development list, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Yorke had been sidelined because of turf toe and last appeared in a game for the Drive on May 26. He was officially placed on the injured list last Thursday, though the move must have been made retroactively since he was reinstated just five days later.

In 34 games with Greenville this season, the right-handed hitting second baseman is batting .245/.319/.361 (88 wRC+) with five doubles, four home runs, 18 RBIs, 25 runs scored, five stolen bases, 16 walks, and 32 strikeouts over 163 plate appearances.

Boston originally selected Yorke with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif. In his first full professional season, he took home Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors last September.

Now, the talented 20-year-old is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Sox’ farm system and the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)