Tag: greenville drive

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Connelly Early fare in first full pro season?

Connelly Early was the lone member of the Red Sox’ 2023 draft class to pitch more than 100 innings this season.

Early, Boston’s fifth-round pick in last year’s draft out of the University of Virginia, made 23 starts between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2024. The 22-year-old left-hander posted a 3.99 ERA and 3.24 FIP with 138 strikeouts to 39 walks over 103 2/3 innings. Opponents batted just .214 against him as he held right-handed hitters to a .221 average and left-handed hitters to a .195 average.

Selected 151st overall, Early signed with the Red Sox for $408,500 last July and marked his professional debut by making one start for Low-A Salem before the 2023 campaign ended. The Virginia native then broke camp with Greenville this spring and pitched to 3.72 ERA (3.56 FIP) with 90 strikeouts to 24 walks in 15 starts (67 2/3 innings) for the Drive.

Following the MLB All-Star break, Early received a promotion to Portland in late July. To close out his first full professional season, the lefty produced a 4.50 ERA (but a much more encouraging 2.66 FIP) with 48 strikeouts to 14 walks in eight starts (36 innings) for the Sea Dogs. It is worth noting that he yielded six unearned runs in his final outing of the year on September 12.

Among the 163 pitchers who threw at least 35 innings in the Eastern League this season, Early ranked second in groundball rate (58.9 percent), sixth in FIP, seventh in swinging-strike rate (16.4 percent), eighth in xFIP (2.95), 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.0), 16th in strikeout rate (30.6 percent), 71st in batting average against (.225), and 81st in walk rate (9.6 percent), per FanGraphs.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Early throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. The athletic southpaw operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 91-93 mph fastball that tops out at 95-96 mph, an 80-82 mph whiff-inducing changeup, a 79-81 mph curveball, and a cutter-slider hybrid that sits between 87-88 mph.

Lauded for his pitchability, Early is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 13th among pitchers in the organization. As far as other publications are concerned, MLB Pipeline has him ranked 24th on its Top 30 Red Sox prospects list while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 25.

“It’s been really cool to watch his continued development this year,” Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (via text) last month. “He has been the epitome of what we have been pushing as a player development group and has succeeded on reaching every goal we have put in front of him.”

Assuming he remains in the organization through the winter, Early — who turns 23 in April — is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 minor-league season. He explained some of the challenges of going up against hitters at the Double-A level when speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith earlier this summer.

“They’re kind of like sitting on one of your pitches,” Early said. “Obviously they do a very good job of just going in-depth on scouting reports on the pitchers they are going to face. So it’s still making your pitches, executing them as well as you can. Don’t give the hitter too much credit but they are up there trying to find a spot where you’re going to make a mistake and you’ve just gotta keep them off balance.”

(Picture of Connelly Early: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Jedixson Paez fare in 2024?

Red Sox pitching prospect Jedixson Paez was the youngest in the organization to reach the century mark in strikeouts this season.

Paez, 20, struck out 113 of the 390 batters he faced in 2024. The young right-hander posted a 3.17 ERA (3.17 FIP) with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 113:12 in 22 appearances (12 starts) spanning a career-high 96 2/3 innings between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville. Opponents batted .258 against him.

In seven outings (five starts) to open the season, Paez pitched to a 2.53 ERA (2.17 FIP) with 35 strikeouts to four walks over 32 innings for Salem. He was promoted in late May and subsequently produced a 3.48 ERA (3.67 FIP) with 78 strikeouts to eight walks in 15 outings (seven starts) spanning 64 2/3 innings for Greenville.

Among the 70 pitchers who threw at least 60 innings in the South Atlantic League this year, Paez led in walks per nine innings (1.11), walk rate (3.1 percent), swinging-strike rate (17.8 percent), and xFIP (2.70). He also ranked ninth in WHIP (1.05), 17th in strikeout rate (30.2 percent), 23rd in groundball rate (45.2 percent) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.86), 26th in FIP, and 29th in ERA, per FanGraphs.

A native of Venezuela, Paez originally signed with the Red Sox for $450,000 as an international free agent coming out of Tinaquillo in January 2021. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League shortly after that and was later recognized as the organization’s Latin Program Pitcher of the Year.

Since then, there is no denying that Paez has emerged as one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system given his strong command-and-control profile. Red Sox assistant general manager acknowledged as much when speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith back in July.

“He’s always had this incredible poise and just an advanced feel,” Romero said of Paez. “It’s always been like that β€” strike-throwing ability over high velo or pure off-the-charts stuff. But his pitchability is incredible. We’ve seen the velo tick up now into the low 90s. Really good feel for a breaking ball. He has a four- or five-pitch mix that he really controls and commands really well. And that’s been kind of what has driven his success.”

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Paez complements his lower-90s fastball that tops out at 94 mph with an 84-86 mph changeup, an 80-83 mph slider, a 78-80 mph curveball, and an 86-88 mph cutter. The athletic righty throws these offerings from a three-quarters arm slot and can manipulate them effectively while attacking the strike zone.

“Now that he’s physically getting stronger we are seeing that velo start to tick up a little bit,” said Romero. β€œSo he’s really exciting. A true starter in every sense. … He does a lot of the little things like he fields the position really well and holds runners well. So he’s mature in a lot of ways.”

Paez, who turns 21 in January, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 15th among pitchers in the organization. While Baseball America does not have him ranked among the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects, FanGraphs has him at No. 8 and MLB Pipeline has him at No. 23 on their respective lists.

If he remains with the Red Sox through the offseason, Paez is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Greenville for the start of the 2025 minor-league campaign. He can then become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time next winter.

(Picture of Jedixson Paez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox pitching prospect David Sandlin reached triple-digits with his fastball this season

In his first year with the Red Sox, pitching prospect David Sandlin emerged as one of the hardest throwers in the organization.

Sandlin was one of 90 prospect-eligible pitchers to reach triple-digits in the minor leagues this season, according to Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes. The 23-year-old right-hander accomplished that feat by maxing out at 100.4 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Acquired from the Royals for reliever John Schreiber in February, Sandlin broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring. The former 11th-round draft selection out of Oklahoma posted a 5.17 ERA (5.73 FIP) with 21 strikeouts to eight walks in his first four starts (15 2/3 innings) for the Drive before being placed on the 7-day injured list on May 14.

Due to right forearm tightness, Sandlin was sidelined for over a month and did not return to the mound until June 15. He then pitched to a 5.06 ERA (2.93 FIP) with 29 strikeouts to just three walks in his next six starts (16 innings) for Greenville before receiving a promotion to Double-A Portland on July 23. With the Sea Dogs, he produced a 5.61 ERA (5.36 FIP) with 32 strikeouts to seven walks in eight starts (25 2/3 innings) to close out the 2024 campaign.

Altogether, Sandlin forged a 5.34 ERA and 4.78 FIP with 82 strikeouts to 18 walks in 18 total starts (57 1/3 innings) between Greenville and Portland this season. Opposing hitters batted .269 against him, though his 33.2 percent strikeout rate, 15.9 percent swinging-strike rate, 7.3 percent walk rate, and 3.10 xFIP were among the top marks for those in the system who eclipsed the 50-inning plateau, per FanGraphs.

“David did join the Fuego club,” Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard said of Sandlin reaching triple-digits when speaking with NESN’s Tom Caron and The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier on NESN’s ‘310 To Left’ Podcast last month. “He hit 100 and was sitting 96. It’s unreal stuff. Really excited about his development this year, again really raising the floor to give him a shot to be an elite starter.”

To complement his high-octane heater, Sandlin mixes in three other pitches: an 85-88 mph sweeping slider, an 86-90 mph splitter, and a 77-81 mph curveball. The athletic 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty throws those offerings from a three-quarters arm slot while incorporating a high leg kick into his delivery.

Sandlin, who turns 24 this coming February, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among pitchers in the organization. He is projected to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season but will need to show that he can go deeper into his outings to fully tap into his starter potential.

(Picture of David Sandlin: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Jhostynxon Garcia recognized by Baseball America for breakout season

Earlier this week, Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia was named a 2024 Second Team Minor-League All-Star by Baseball America.

Garcia came into the 2024 season with very little fanfare and was not ranked by Baseball America as one of the top 30 prospects in Boston’s farm system. The 21-year-old returned to Low-A Salem this spring and batted .258/.365/.517 with six doubles, one triple, five home runs, 19 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 15 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 24 games (104 plate appearances) before being promoted to High-A Greenville in late May.

Upon joining Greenville, Garcia turned things up a notch offensively and slashed a stout .311/.371/.627 to go along with 14 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 37 RBIs, 44 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 53 games (229 plate appearances) for the Drive. The right-handed hitter then received another promotion to Double-A Portland in mid-August and closed the year by posting a .263/.320/.386 line with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, 10 RBIs, 14 runs scored, two stolen bases, six walks, and 24 strikeouts in 30 games (126 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Altogether, Garcia hit .286/.356/.536 with 24 doubles, five triples, an organizational-leading 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 78 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 33 walks, and 99 strikeouts in 107 total games (459 plate appearances) across three different levels in 2024. That includes a .274/.347/.506 slash line in 405 plate appearances against right-handed pitching and a .380/.426/.760 slash line in 54 plate appearances against lefties.

Among the 386 minor-leaguers who made at least 450 trips to the plate this season, Garcia ranked fifth in wRC+ (151), ninth in isolated power (.250), 10th in slugging percentage, 15th in OPS (.892), 53rd in batting average, 80th in speed score (7.1), and 127th in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia saw playing time at all three outfield positions between his stops in Salem, Greenville, and Portland this year. With the Sea Dogs in particular, the 6-foot-215-pounder made 27 of his 30 starts in center field, where he recorded one outfield assist and committed two errors in 61 defensive chances.

Aptly nicknamed “The Password” because of his unique first name, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Fernando de Apure, Venezuela in July 2019. His younger brother, Johanfran, signed with Boston in January 2022 and is still viewed as one of the organization’s premier catching prospects even after tearing his right ACL in early May and undergoing season-ending surgery.

The elder Garcia, meanwhile, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system. If not for Kristian Campbell, the argument could be made that he was the organization’s top breakout performer this year. That is noteworthy when considering Garcia can become Rule 5-eligible this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November.

Assuming he remains with the Red Sox in some capacity, though, Garcia — who turns 22 in December — is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland in 2025.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez named 2024 South Atlantic League All-Star

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez has been named a 2024 South Atlantic League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Gonzalez, who celebrated his 23rd birthday earlier this week, put up impressive power numbers in his second season with High-A Greenville. The right-handed hitting slugger batted .272/.337/.508 with 13 doubles, two triples, a career-high 20 home runs, 59 RBIs, 58 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 29 walks, and 115 strikeouts in 91 games (362 plate appearances) for the Drive.

With 31 home runs in 201 games for Greenville dating back to the start of the 2023 campaign, Gonzalez now sits atop the leaderboard for most career homers in Drive franchise history. The record was previously held by Chris Turner, who connected on 29 total big flies over 187 games for Boston’s South Atlantic League affiliate from 2005-2006.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, was among the top power threats at his level this season. Of the 132 qualified hitters in High-A, Gonzalez finished with the second-most home runs, the second-highest slugging percentage, the fourth-highest isolated power mark (.235), the sixth-highest OPS (.845), and the eighth-highest wRC+ (136). He also ranked 20th in batting average, 59th in on-base percentage, and 66th in speed score (5.9), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Gonzalez saw the majority of his playing time with Greenville this year come at first base. The burly 6-foot-1, 220-pounder made a team-leading 74 starts at first for the Drive and committed 14 errors in 537 chances. He also logged seven innings at third base, 22 innings in left field (where he recorded two outfield assists), and 88 innings in right field.

After Greenville’s season ended on September 8, Gonzalez and several of his teammates were promoted to Double-A Portland for the final week of the Eastern League regular season. He appeared in just two of the Sea Dogs’ six games against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout as a pinch-hitter in both contests.

Gonzalez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, originally signed with the Red Sox for $500,000 as an international free agent coming out of Villa Mella in July 2018. Given the amount of swing-and-miss in his game, he is not currently regarded by publications such as SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

If Gonzalez, who is Rule 5-eligible this offseason, remains with the Red Sox through the winter, he is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland in 2025.

(Picture of Bryan Gonzalez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Hayden Mullins fare in first full pro season?

Red Sox pitching prospect Hayden Mullins went a career-high 5 2/3 innings in his final outing of the season for High-A Greenville last Wednesday.

Taking over for starter Tyler Uberstine with one out in the top of the second, Mullins retired 15 of the 19 batters he faced over 5 2/3 scoreless frames of relief. The 23-year-old left-hander allowed three hits and one walk while striking out five. He threw 70 pitches (44 strikes), eliciting 12 swings-and-misses as the Drive ultimately fell to the Winston-Salem Dash, 1-0, at Fluor Field.

In 22 appearances (17 starts) for Greenville this season, Mullins posted a 3.94 ERA and 4.12 FIP with 118 strikeouts to 42 walks over a staff-leading 89 innings. That includes a 3.33 ERA (3.97 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to eight walks in his final five outings (24 1/3 innings) dating back to August 10. Opposing hitters batted just .221 against him during that stretch.

Among the 27 pitchers who threw at least 85 innings in the South Atlantic League this year, Mullins ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.93), third in swinging-strike rate (15.1 percent), fourth in strikeout rate (30.3 percent), fifth in xFIP (3.70), eighth in batting average against (.223), 10th in groundball rate (42.7 percent), 12th in FIP and WHIP (1.29), and 13th in ERA, per FanGraphs.

Mullins, who turns 24 on Saturday, was selected by the Red Sox in the 12th round (369th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Auburn. The Tennessee native signed with the club for $97,500 but did not make his professional debut until last August as he was still recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 13th among pitchers in the organization.

Listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, Mullins throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, who saw Mullins pitch in-person on August 23, the undersized lefty sits between 91-94 mph and tops out at 95 mph with his fastball. He also mixes in an 81-85 mph sweeping slider and a deceptive 83-85 mph changeup.

Should he remain with the Red Sox through the winter, Mullins is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Double-A Portland in 2025. He has intriguing potential as a pure reliever but will need to shore up his command and control to remain in a starting role moving forward.

(Picture of Hayden Mullins: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Blake Wehunt to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Blake Wehunt from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Wehunt, 23, is on the move for the second time this year. The right-hander opened his first full professional season at Low-A Salem, forging a 2.16 ERA (2.76 FIP) with 44 strikeouts to 15 walks in eight starts (33 1/3 innings) for the Red Sox before receiving a promotion to Greenville in early June.

In 13 starts for the Drive, Wehunt posted a 4.42 ERA and 3.57 FIP with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks over 59 innings. That includes a 2.37 ERA (2.82 FIP) in his last four outings (19 innings) dating back to August 16. Opposing hitters batted just .143 against him in that stretch.

Among the 84 pitchers who came into play Sunday having thrown at least 55 innings in the South Atlantic League this season, Wehunt ranks 19th in WHIP (1.10), 23rd in batting average against (.213), 26th in walks per nine innings (2.90) and xFIP (3.66), 27th in FIP, 28th in walk rate (7.8 percent), 38th in strikeout rate (26.7 percent), 39th in groundball rate (41.8 percent), and 41st in strikeouts per nine innings (9.92), per FanGraphs.

Wehunt, who turns 24 in November, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of last year’s draft out of Kennesaw State. The Georgia native signed for $100,000 and marked his pro debut by making a scoreless relief appearance in the Florida Complex League. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 34 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at an imposing 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Wehunt throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, who saw Wehunt pitch in Greenville on August 22, the burly righty sits between 93-94 mph and reaches 96 mph with his fastball. He can also mix in an 87-89 mph cutter, an 81-86 mph sweeping slider, and an 84-86 mph splitter.

Wehunt is slated to join a rotation mix in Portland that includes the likes of Wikelman Gonzalez, Juan Encarnacion, Connelly Early, David Sandlin, and Isaac Coffey. While Greenville’s season ended on Sunday, the Sea Dogs have six games remaining on their schedule and currently hold a 1 1/2-game lead in their division.

(Picture of Blake Wehunt: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez sets new franchise record for High-A Greenville

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez made some history in High-A Greenville’s 4-3 loss to the Winston-Salem Dash at Fluor Field on Thursday night.

By crushing his 30th home run as a member of the Drive in the second inning of Thursday’s defeat, Gonzalez moved past Chris Turner for most homers in franchise history. Turner had held the record for the last 18 years after going deep 29 times for Greenville from 2005-2006.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, homered 11 times in 110 games for the Drive last season and connected on his team-leading 19th big fly of the 2024 campaign on Thursday. Batting cleanup, the 22-year-old slugger led off the bottom of the second by depositing a 434-foot solo shot off Dash starter Jake Bockenstedt into the apartments beyond the left-center field wall. He finished the night having gone 2-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.

Following Thursday’s performance, the right-handed hitting Gonzalez is now batting .264/.331/.497 with 13 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, 56 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 29 walks, and 114 strikeouts in 89 games (353 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. That includes a .370/.439/.534 slash line over his last 21 games (82 plate appearances) dating back to August 6.

Among 48 qualified South Atlantic League hitters coming into play on Friday, Gonzalez ranks second in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.828) and isolated power (.233), fourth in wRC+ (132), ninth in batting average, and 23rd in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gonzalez made his 72nd start of the season at first base for the Drive on Thursday night. There, the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has committed 14 errors in 526 defensive chances. He has also started 10 games in right field, two games in left field (where he has recorded two outfield assists), and one game at third base.

Gonzalez, who turns 23 in less than two weeks, originally signed with the Red Sox for $500,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018. The Villa Mella native earned mid-season Dominican Summer League All-Star honors as part of his professional debut in 2019 but is not currently regarded by publications such as SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

Assuming he ends the season in Greenville and remains in the organization through the winter, Gonzalez is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Double-A Portland in 2025.

(Picture of Bryan Gonzalez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote OF prospect Nelly Taylor to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Nelly Taylor from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Taylor is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 50 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The athletic 21-year-old is in his first full professional season after being selected in the 11th round of the 2023 draft out of Polk State College (Winter Haven, Fla). He had committed to transfer to Florida State before signing with the Red Sox for $300,000 last July.

In 101 games for Salem this season, Taylor batted .228/.336/.358 with 24 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 46 RBIs, 69 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 60 walks, and 106 strikeouts over 434 plate appearances. While a .694 OPS is far from eye-popping, the left-handed hitter is slashing .302/.408/.476 in August.

Among 52 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Taylor ranks fourth in line-drive rate (27.2 percent), 11th in speed score (7.6), 12th in walk rate (13.8 percent), 20th in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent), 21st in on-base percentage, 22nd in isolated power (.130), and 26th in slugging percentage and wRC+ (109), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Taylor has drawn encouraging reviews for his defensive prowess in the outfield this season. The 6-foot, 180-pounder saw playing time at all three spots for Salem, though 54 of his 93 non-DH starts came in center. There, he recorded one outfield assist and committed one error in 131 chances. He notched two more outfield assists in right as well.

Taylor, who does not turn 22 until January, has a unique story in that he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer, when he was just five years old. As he explained to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith in a wide-ranging profile last September, Taylor had the tumor removed but was unable to play contact sports — such as football — in his youth as a result.

According to his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Taylor is “a player fans will want to root for” since he has “the work ethic to reach his potential.” He is slated to bat fifth and start at DH for Greenville in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

(Picture of Nelly Taylor: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Mikey Romero from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Romero is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The left-handed hitting 20-year-old batted .271/.319/.498 with 20 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, one stolen base, 16 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 59 games (276 plate appearances) for Greenville this season.

Among the 85 South Atlantic League hitters who have made at least 275 trips to the plate this year, Romero ranks fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in isolated power (.227), ninth in OPS (.817), 12th in batting average, 16th in wRC+ (126), 21st in strikeout rate (21 percent), and 34th in line-drive rate (22.7 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Romero saw all of his playing time on the field with the Drive come at either shortstop or second base. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 307 2/3 innings at short and 134 innings at second, committing eight errors in 179 total chances. He also started eight games at DH.

A native of Southern California, Romero was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for $2.3 million that July but has struggled to stay on the field since entering the professional ranks.

After a strong pro debut between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2022, Romero was limited to just 34 games between three affiliates last year. He received a promotion from Salem to Greenville on August 15 but appeared in only three games for the Drive before being shut down for the rest of the season with “persistent lower-back issues.”

To that end, Romero did not make his 2024 debut until early May, as he opened the season on the injured list and completed a three-game rehab assignment in the FCL before rejoining the Greenville lineup on May 15. He initially got his second stint with the Drive off to a slow start but turned in a monster July (.354/.382/.781 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 19 games) and was recognized as the South Atlantic League Player of the Month.

Leading up to Sunday’s promotion, Romero had slashed .260/.327/.360 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 12 August contests for Greenville. He suffered a concussion earlier this month after taking a bad hop to the face in the infield but returned to action on August 14 following a brief seven-day stint on the injured list.

Romero, who does not turn 21 until January, should help fill the void in the Portland lineup that was created when top prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell were promoted to Triple-A Worcester within one week of each other. In doing so, he will be getting the opportunity to face more advanced pitching in the upper minors for the first time in his young career.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)