Tag: greenville drive

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Max Carlson to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Max Carlson from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Carlson, 22, has made three appearances out of the Salem bullpen to begin his first full professional season. The right-hander has allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and four walks to go along with 14 strikeouts over 8 1/3 innings of relief. That translates to a 5.40 ERA, though he owns a more favorable 3.60 FIP and 2.98 xFIP.

A native of Minnesota, Carlson was selected by Boston in the 12th round of last year’s draft out of the University of North Carolina. The former Tar Heel was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 385 prospect in his class. He signed with the Red Sox for $150,000 and made his pro debut in the Florida Complex League, tossing a scoreless sixth inning in his lone outing of the year.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Carlson throws from a three-quarters arm slot and utilizes a full wind-up in his delivery. The righty operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 90-93 mph that tops out at 95 mph, a whiff-inducing changeup that sits in the low-80s, and an infrequently-used 81-84 mph slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Carlson, who does not turn 23 until September, is the second member of Boston’s 2023 draft class to earn a promotion in as many weeks. Lefty Zach Fogell, the club’s 18th-round pick out of Connecticut, also made the jump from Salem to Greenville last Friday.

In addition to promoting Carlson, the Red Sox added outfielder Kelvin Diaz to Salem’s roster from extended spring training. Diaz, 21, stole 21 bases in 48 Florida Complex League games last season. He originally signed with Boston for $300,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019.

(Picture of Max Carlson: Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Zach Fogell to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted relief prospect Zach Fogell from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to MiLB.com’s transactions log.

Fogell, 23, appeared in just two games for Salem to start the 2024 minor-league season. The left-hander allowed two hits and one walk to go along with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in which he held opposing hitters to a .111 batting average against.

A native of Rhode Island, Fogell was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of last year’s amateur draft out of the University of Connecticut. He signed with Boston for $150,000 and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League before first arriving in Salem last August.

Since entering the pro ranks a little less than nine months ago, Fogell has yet to surrender an earned run in seven total appearances (10 innings) between the FCL and Salem. He also got into a pair of major-league spring training games earlier this year and did not give up a run in 1 1/3 innings there, either.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Fogell throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium leg kick into his delivery. The southpaw operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball with late sink, an 88-90 mph changeup with arm-side run, and a sweepy 80-82 slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Fogell, who turns 24 in July, is not currently regarded by any major publication as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. He joins fellow 2023 draftees Kristian Campbell, Connelly Early, Caden Rose, and Cade Feeney on Greenville’s active roster.

In addition to promoting Fogell to Greenville, the Red Sox added right-hander Trennor O’Donnell to Salem’s roster from extended spring training. Like Fogell, O’Donnell was drafted in the eighth round last year but has yet to make his professional debut.

(Picture of Zach Fogell: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox OF prospect Caden Rose homers in professional debut

Over the weekend, Red Sox outfield prospect Caden Rose recorded the first hit and home run of his professional career on one swing of the bat.

Rose, who has been assigned to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 campaign, rode the bench in the Drive’s season opener against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Friday but got the start in left field at First National Bank Field on Saturday night.

Batting out of the seven-hole, Rose struck out swinging in each of his first two plate appearances before stepping up again with two outs and nobody on in the top of the sixth inning. Matched up against lefty reliever Jaden Woods, the right-handed hitting Rose worked a 2-0 count and then crushed a solo shot to the berm in left-center field.

With that, Rose notched his first homer of the season and his first as a pro. The 22-year-old later lined out in his final plate appearance Saturday before going 0-for-3 with a walk while patrolling center field in Sunday’s series finale. The Drive lost both of those games and are now 1-2 to start their South Atlantic League title defense.

To summarize, Rose is 1-for-7 (.143) with one home run, one RBI, one run scored, one walk, and two strikeouts to kick off the young season. The University of Alabama product is getting his first taste of affiliated action after being selected by the Red Sox in the seventh round (208th overall pick) of last July’s amateur draft.

A native of Alabama himself, Rose signed with Boston for $150,000 after spending three years in Tuscaloosa. Because of injuries to his shoulder and hamstring sustained earlier in the spring, Rose did not appear in any minor-league games for the Red Sox in 2023 and instead spent his time rehabbing at the club’s JetBlue Park in Fort Myers.

Despite playing hurt, however, Rose still put together a solid junior season in which he batted .261/.383/.503 with 10 doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBIs, 45 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 26 walks, and 40 strikeouts over 48 games (186 plate appearances) for the Crimson Tide. He was then named to the 2023 NCAA All-Tournament Team after Alabama made it to the super regionals.

“Obviously you come in right after you get drafted and you want to play and showcase your abilities,” Rose told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last September. “But that’s something I just wasn’t in the spot to do when I got drafted. I dealt with some injuries this year that I played on throughout the season and kind of just made them worse. So the best thing for me and my future was to come down here and rehab. And that’s what I’ve done. I’m fired up to get back out there next year.”

Standing at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Rose has past experience at both second base and shortstop but figures to stick in the outfield to begin his pro career. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Rose has a “solid defensive profile” and “the combination of instincts and quickness teams look for in center field.” He also has “sneaky pop for his size, “above-average speed,” and “leaves it all on the field.”

Rose, who does not turn 23 until October, is part of a crowded outfield mix in Greenville that includes the likes of Allan Castro, Kristian Campbell, Juan Chacon, Miguel Ugueto, Eduardo Lopez, and Bryan Gonzalez. He is already one of three players to make their pro debuts for the Drive so far this season, joining righties Cooper Adams and Conor Steinbaugh.

(Picture of Caden Rose: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox OF prospect Eduardo Lopez homers on first pitch he sees this spring

Over the weekend, Red Sox outfield prospect Eduardo Lope left a strong impression by homering in his first at-bat of the spring.

Called up from minor-league camp for Sunday’s split-squad Grapefruit League contest against the Yankees at JetBlue Park, Lopez came into the game in the top half of the sixth inning as a defensive replacement for starting left fielder Jarren Duran.

An inning and a half later, Lopez stepped up to the plate for the first time to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Hitting from the left side, the switch-hitting 21-year-old wasted little time introducing himself to Yankees pitching prospect Clayton Beeter, as he promptly drilled the first pitch he saw from the righty over the visitor’s bullpen in deep right field for his first-ever home run in a major-league spring training game.

By going deep in his first and only plate appearance of the afternoon, Lopez gave the Red Sox a commanding nine-run lead as they went on to defeat the Yankees by a final score of 12-6.

Unlike other minor-leaguers who have made cameos for the Sox in Grapefruit League action this spring, Lopez is not currently viewed as one of the premier prospects in the organization. The Dominican Republic native was Boston’s top international signing in 2018, as he received a $1.15 million bonus to go pro that July. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and showed signs of promise there but has not yet lived up to his potential.

That, in part, is due to how often Lopez has been injured. The 2020 minor-league season being wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic certainly did not help things, but Lopez has been hindered by different issues since making his stateside debut three years ago. He was limited to just 11 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021 “due to an unspecified injury that may have been to his left hand/wrist,” according to SoxProspects.com. He returned to Salem in 2022 but made three separate trips to the injured list altogether there.

Last season actually represented a breakthrough of sorts for Lopez as he played in a career-high 79 games at High-A Greenville. In those 79 games, he held his own by batting .261/.356/.384 with 16 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 45 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 42 walks, and 81 strikeouts over 315 plate appearances for the Drive before being shut down in early September.

Though his offensive production tapered off to some degree in the second half, it was nonetheless a solid 2023 season for Lopez. Among those in the South Atlantic League who made at least 300 trips to the plate last year, Lopez ranked 15th in walk rate (13.3 percent), 19th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, 35th in OPS (.740), 28th in line-drive rate (20.8 percent), 36th in swinging-strike rate (12.6 percent), and 33rd in wRC+ (107), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, as he has throughout his career, Lopez saw playing time at all three outfield positions while with Greenville. The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder logged 147 innings in left, 218 2/3 innings in center, and 229 innings in right while committing a total of three errors in 130 chances. He also made one start at first base last July, which is something he had never done before then.

Lopez, who turns 22 in May, is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Double-A Portland for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. With that being said, it may be tough for Lopez to find at-bats if he is behind the likes of Roman Anthony, Corey Rosier, Phillip Sikes, and others on the Sea Dogs’ outfield depth chart to open the year.

(Picture of Eduardo Lopez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Despite being unranked by MLB Pipeline, Kristian Campbell earns spot on Red Sox’ Spring Breakout roster

Of the 18 position-playing prospects on the Red Sox’ roster for this weekend’s inaugural Spring Breakout matchup against the Braves at JetBlue Park, Kristian Campbell is the only one who is not currently ranked by MLB Pipeline.

Campbell is one of four 2023 draftees to make the cut for Boston, joining the likes of first-rounder Kyle Teel, second-rounder Nazzan Zanetello, and third-rounder Antonio Anderson. The 21-year-old was, of course, taken by the Red Sox with the 132d overall selection last July, which is the pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the prior offseason.

As a result of being redshirted his freshman year, Campbell played just one season at Georgia Tech before going pro as a draft-eligible sophomore. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native signed with Boston for $492,700 and made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

In eight games with the FCL Red Sox, Campbell went 9-for-23 (.391) with two doubles, one triple, two RBIs, four runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks, and five strikeouts. The right-handed hitter then received a promotion to High-A Greenville on August 24, meaning he would be skipping the Low-A level altogether.

With Greenville, Campbell batted .267/.400/.422 with two more doubles, one more triple, the first home run of his young career, three runs driven in, five runs scored, one stolen base, and seven strikeouts over 14 games (55 plate appearances) to close out the regular season. He then recorded a pair of three-hit games in the playoffs while helping the Drive take home their first South Atlantic Title since 2017.

“The lights were not too bright for him,” Greenville manager Iggy Suarez said of Campbell last September. “First year in pro ball, first season, and he’s in the thick of things. The bigger the moment, he embraced it and he wanted it. It’s almost a veteran approach.”

Including the postseason, Campbell slashed a stout .350/.469/.538 with five doubles, two triples, two homers, 11 RBIs, 12 runs scored, three stolen bases, 11 walks, and 21 strikeouts across 26 total games between the FCL and Greenville last year. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder put up those numbers while making starts at second base and both corner outfield spots.

“I was listed as an infielder, mainly a middle infielder, but I can also play the outfield,” Campbell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last fall. “At Georgia Tech, I just played second base. I’ve always taken reps in the outfield during batting practice and stuff. So it’s always come kind of natural.”

Campbell, who does not turn 22 until late June, got into his first big-league spring training game on February 25 and struck out in his only plate appearance after taking over in center field for top prospect Roman Anthony. He is expected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2024 minor-league campaign.

Despite not being ranked by MLB Pipeline at the moment, Campbell did receive some attention from Baseball America last month. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, who also compiles the Red Sox’ organizational rankings for BA, wrote that Campbell was drafted where he was “based not only on his combination of bat-to-ball skills, strike-zone discipline, and plus speed but also a sense that he could add to his profile with strength gains and by getting exposure to the outfield, where his speed is an asset.”

To that end, Campbell should get the opportunity to showcase such skills when he and his fellow Red Sox prospects take on their peers from the Braves in Fort Myers on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time and the seven-inning exhibition will be broadcasted on NESN.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz focused on his own development in 2023

Despite dealing with elbow issues last year, Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz still enjoyed a relatively productive 2023 season with Low-A Salem.

Rodriguez-Cruz made 14 starts for Salem, which is where he ended his first full professional season in 2022. In 2023, the 20-year-old right-hander posted a 2.60 ERA and 4.37 FIP with 51 strikeouts to 27 walks over 55 1/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .219 batting average against.

Prior to the major-league All-Star break in mid-July, Rodriguez had gone 6-2 with a 2.53 ERA (4.45 FIP) in his first 12 outings (53 1/3 innings) of the season. He was then placed on Salem’s injured list on July 21 with right elbow inflammation and did not return to action until the first of September.

Rodriguez-Cruz made two more starts for Salem before the minor-league campaign drew to a close and went an inning in each, allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. He later told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith at the Red Sox’ fall performance program in Fort Myers that he thought his season “went well.”

“Nobody expects to be injured but besides that, I started the season strong,” Rodriguez-Cruz said. “I feel like I was doing great. I was developing some stuff the organization wants me to do. I feel like I was doing all those things.”

Among the 111 pitchers who tossed 50 or more innings in the Carolina League last year, Rodriguez-Cruz most notably ranked 33rd in batting average against, 42nd in WHIP (1.27), 36th in groundball rate (48.3 percent), and seventh in ERA, per FanGraphs.

Rodriguez-Cruz was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round (105th overall pick) of the 2021 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The Trujillo Alto native forwent his commitment to the University of Oregon by signing with Boston for $497,500 as a 17-year-old that July.

Since debuting in the rookie-level Florida Complex League the following June, Rodriguez-Cruz has compiled a 2.31 ERA (3.76 FIP) with 93 strikeouts to 42 walks over 27 total appearances (24 starts) spanning 93 2/3 innings in pro ball thus far.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Rodriguez-Cruz throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 91-93 mph fastball that tops out at 95 mph, a 76-78 mph curveball that features long, 11-to-5 break, an 86-88 mph changeup, and an 84-86 mph slider that is considered by SoxProspects.com to be a “work in progress.”

To that end, Rodriguez-Cruz indicated to Smith back in September that one of his main goals of the offseason was to build strength as he continues to fill out.

“That’s going to help me to improve velo and all that and stay healthy,” the righty explained. “I feel like working on my body is my main priority.”

Having said that, it will be interesting to see if Rodriguez-Cruz benefits from the new pitching infrastructure the Red Sox are putting in place under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Brian Abraham, Boston’s farm director, described Rodriguez-Cruz to Smith as a “development staff’s dream because he’s young, he has a live arm, he’s athletic, he’s got a good frame to put on weight, and he works hard.”

Rodriguez-Cruz — who does not turn 20 until August — is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 season.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean ended debut season on positive note last year

For Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean, the 2023 season was not without its challenges.

Dean spent all of 2023 with Low-A Salem. The 22-year-old left-hander posted a 6.29 ERA and 5.51 FIP with 86 strikeouts to 72 walks in 21 appearances (17 starts) spanning 63 innings of work for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Despite being regarded by Baseball America as “one of the more exciting pure relievers” in his class when he was taken by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Old Dominion, Dean — who did not pitch with an affiliate after signing for $322,500 — made his professional debut as a starter last April.

Maybe it was to be expected, but Dean struggled in that unfamiliar role out of the gate. The New Jersey native put up an 8.31 ERA in four April starts, though he managed to hold opponents to a .194 batting average against while doing so. He then put together two scoreless, five-inning starts to begin and end a more encouraging month of May.

June (15 earned runs in nine innings) yielded far less promising results. The same can be said for July (eight earned runs in 14 2/3 innings) as well, but it appears as though Dean began to figure things out a bit after the All-Star break.

In his final three starts of July, for instance, Dean struck out 20 of the 50 batters he faced over 12 frames in which he pitched to a 4.50 ERA. He made one more start on August 6, but lasted just two-thirds of an inning in that outing before moving to the bullpen for the remainder of the season.

As a reliever, Dean appeared in four games for Salem down the stretch and did not allow a run in three of them. Walks were still somewhat of an issue, but the lefty forged a 2.93 ERA while punching out 21 and yielding just five hits across 15 1/3 innings out of the Red Sox’ bullpen.

Altogether, it was a mixed bag of sorts for Dean in his debut season, but he certainly ended things on a positive note. He was one of just seven southpaws to take the mound for Salem in 2023 and unsurprisingly fared better against left-handed hitters (.196 opponents’ batting average) than right-handed hitters (.246 opponents’ batting average).

Among the 74 pitchers who logged at least 60 innings in the Carolina League last year, Dean ranked seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (12.29), 19th in strikeout rate (28.5 percent), 29th in batting average against (.232), and seventh in batting average on balls in play (.358), which suggests that he might have gotten unlucky at times on account of poor defense behind him or something similar.

On the flip side of those impressive strikeout numbers, though, Dean was also among the worst in the Carolina League when it came to giving up ball four. Using the same parameters as above, Dean ranked 74th in walks per nine innings (10.29), walk rate (23.8 percent), and WHIP (1.97), 71st in ERA and xFIP (5.41), and 72nd in FIP, per FanGraphs.

To that end, it will be of the utmost importance for Dean to refine both his command and control of the strike zone as he continues to develop. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound hurler already possesses an intriguing three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, a 77-81 mph curveball, and an 83-85 mph changeup, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Dean, who turns 23 in March, is not currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. He is projected by the site to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 season, but will likely do so as a member of the Drive’s bullpen as opposed to their starting rotation.

(Picture of Noah Dean: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Albert Feliz led Low-A Salem in homers (10) last season

Coming into the 2023 season, Red Sox first base prospect Albert Feliz had hit 10 career home runs in 106 professional games. Thanks to a power-filled second half, he was able to match that total with Low-A Salem last year.

As a 21-year-old, Feliz got into 90 games for Salem in 2023. The right-handed hitter slashed .242/.315/.407 with 17 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 29 walks, and 121 strikeouts over 333 plate appearances.

Nine of those team-leading 10 home runs came after the calendar flipped from June to July, as Feliz slugged a stout .497 in his final 48 games (185 plate appearances) of the year. During that impressive stretch, he recorded both the second four-hit game (July 6) and multi-homer game (August 31) of his young career.

Among the 71 hitters who made at least 300 trips to the plate in the Carolina League last season, Feliz posted the 11th-highest slugging percentage, isolated power mark (.165), and line-drive rate (24.4 percent). He also ranked 30th in batting average, 24th in OPS (.723), and 26th in wRC+ (104), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Feliz saw the majority of his playing time with Salem come at first base, as he made a team-high 48 starts there while only committing six errors in 382 chances. Elsewhere, the burly 6-foot-2, 200-pounder logged 131 1/3 innings in left field (where he recorded three outfield assists) and 14 innings in right. He also pitched in one game (Aug. 25), which is something he has done in each of the last three seasons.

Feliz, who turns 22 in April, is not currently regarded by any major publication as one of the top-ranked prospects in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2018.

After a strong pro debut in 2019, when he went deep nine times in 66 Dominican Summer League games, Feliz’ career was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As a result of the pandemic, Feliz did not make his stateside debut until July 2021. His first game in the rookie-level Florida Complex League actually came on the three-year anniversary of his signing date (July 2).

In the time that has passed since then, Feliz has established himself as a bat-first prospect with plus-plus raw power to the pull side and some holes in his swing. Couple those issues to make contact with a limited defensive profile, and it becomes clear that Feliz still has some work to do on the developmental side of things.

With that being said, Feliz is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 minor-league campaign. The Drive are fresh off winning their second South Atlantic League title and open their season on the road in early April.

(Picture of Albert Feliz: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Isaac Coffey fare in first full pro season?

Of the 13 pitchers the Red Sox drafted in 2022, no one pitched more innings in their first full professional season than 10th-round selection Isaac Coffey.

Coffey, the 309th overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Oral Roberts, received a modest signing bonus of $7,500 and made just two relief appearances in the rookie-level Florida Complex League as part of his pro debut. The right-hander then broke camp with High-A Greenville last spring to kick off his 2023 campaign.

In 11 starts for the Drive, Coffey posted a 2.83 ERA and 3.90 FIP with 83 strikeouts to just 11 walks over 60 1/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .223 batting average against. He recorded three double-digit strikeout games in that stretch before earning a promotion to Double-A Portland in late June.

Coffey debuted for the Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field on his 23rd birthday (June 21) and put together one of his shortest outings of the year, allowing four runs over the first two-plus innings of a 5-4 loss to the Reading Fightin Phils. He rebounded to the tune of six scoreless, three-hit frames in a winning effort against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats eight days later and wound up producing a 3.92 ERA (4.93 FIP) with 72 strikeouts to 23 walks in 12 total appearances (11 starts) spanning 57 1/3 innings with Portland.

Among the 106 hurlers who accrued 50 or more innings in the Eastern League last season, Coffey ranked 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.3), 44th in walks per nine innings (3.61), 20th in strikeout rate (28.7 percent), 42nd in walk rate (9.2 percent), 20th in batting average against (.215), 21st in WHIP (1.20), 47th in swinging-strike rate (13.1 percent), 45th in ERA, and 48th in xFIP (4.15), per FanGraphs.

Altogether, Coffey went 11-6 with a 3.37 ERA (4.40 FIP) and 155 strikeouts to 33 walks in 23 outings (22 starts, 117 2/3 innings pitched) between Greenville and Portland. For his work with the Drive specifically, he was named a 2023 South Atlantic League All-Star alongside teammates Blaze Jordan and Roman Anthony.

A former two-way player in college, Coffey stands at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. The California native throws from a deceptive sidearm slot and — as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report — operates with a three-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.

As for how his unique delivery came into existence, Coffey explained to FanGraphs’ David Laurila last June that it dates back to his early days at Oral Roberts, where — in addition to pitching — he saw limited playing time at both middle infield positions.

“I was always a three-quarters guy, never straight over the top, and in my freshman year I had 14 starts while also playing some third base,” Coffey said. “Then, in my junior year [Coffey’s sophomore year coincided with the pandemic], I was fielding ground balls at third base and kind of throwing it over to first sidearm. Doing that felt natural. Our pitching coach saw that and was like, ‘Hey, let’s get you on the mound and play with some different arm slots.’ We did that, dropping way down to going higher up, and settled on the where I’m at right now. It felt comfortable, and my velo and movement both ticked up from where they had been.”

Coming into his age-24 season, Coffey is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 44 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 18th among pitchers in the organization. Barring a trade, he is projected to return to Portland’s starting rotation this spring.

Because he does not light up the radar gun, Coffey will need to show signs of improvement when it comes to handling more mature hitters in the upper-minors. He was solid with the Sea Dogs during the latter half of the 2023 season, but the Red Sox may be looking for more when it comes to evaluating Coffey’s development and future as a starter or reliever.

To that end, Coffey also told Laurila over the summer that he would be willing to do “whatever they want me to do” as it pertains to his future role and potential path to the big-leagues.

“I’ll dive into that role as best as I can,” said Coffey. “Right now it’s being a starter. It’s what I’ve always done. I came out of the ‘pen once in high school and not at all in college. I threw two innings in the [Florida Complex League] after I got drafted, but that’s it as far as relieving. But again, whatever they want in the future, I’ll dive right into it.”

(Picture of Isaac Coffey: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Eddinson Paulino was a stabilizing force for High-A Greenville in 2023

Red Sox infield prospect Eddinson Paulino proved to be one of the organization’s more durable minor-leaguers in 2023.

Paulino, 21, spent this entire past season with High-A Greenville. The sweet-swinging left-handed hitter slashed a respectable .257/.338/.420 and led the affiliate in games played (115), hits (113), doubles (28), home runs (12, tied with two other players), RBIs (58) and runs scored (68, tied with one other player). He also finished second on the team in triples (4), stolen bases (26), and walks (50) en route to being named an MiLB.com organizational All-Star for the second straight year.

While a .758 OPS (and 108 wRC+) on the season in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League is not exactly eye-popping, Paulino ended the year on a strong note by batting .306/.359/.472 with one homer and three RBIs in nine September contests. He then recoreded two doubles and drove in a total of five runs in the SAL playoffs to help the Drive win their first league title since 2017 and second in franchise history.

Among 56 qualified South Atlantic League hitters in the regular season, Paulino ranked 18th in strikeout rate (22.6 percent), 21st in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, 19th in slugging percentage, 20th in OPS, 18th in isolated power (.164), 20th in speed score (6.7), and 23rd in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Paulino saw playing time at every infield position besides first base for Greenville. The versatile 5-foot-10, 155-pounder logged a team-high 474 innings at shortstop, 253 innings at second base, and 243 innings at third base, committing a total of 19 errors in 359 defensive chances. He did not see any time in the outfield, which is notable considering the fact that he made 11 starts in center and one in left while with Low-A Salem last season.

Paulino was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system coming into the 2023 season and ended it ranked 16th. The native of the Dominican Republic originally signed with the Red Sox for $205,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santiago in July 2018, officially putting pen to paper on his 16th birthday.

Since making his domestic debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League a little more than two years ago, Paulino has been able to elevate his profile thanks in part to his hand-eye coordination, pitch recognition skills, and ability to make hard contact. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, however, Paulino “struggled to make consistent contact on pitches in the zone at times” in 2023. He also drew walks less frequently, reached base at a lower clip, and struck out more often this year compared to last.

Though he could be traded at some point before spring training begins in February, Paulino — SoxProspects.com’s 17th-ranked Red Sox prospect — is currently projected by the site to make the jump to Double-A Portland for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. If that is indeed the case, it will certainly be worthwhile to see how Paulino fares against more advanced pitching in the Eastern League.

(Picture of Eddinson Paulino: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)