Tag: Jhostynxon Garcia

Which prospects did Red Sox trade to Pirates for Johan Oviedo?

To acquire right-hander Johan Oviedo (and two others) from the Pirates on Thursday night, the Red Sox traded outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and pitching prospect Jesus Travieso to Pittsburgh.

Garcia, who turns 23 next week, was ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 6 prospect. Otherwise known as “The Password,” the native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent in July 2019 and was added to the club’s 40-man roster last November following a breakout 2024 campaign.

This past season, Garcia represented the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta and was called up for his major league debut in late August. The right-handed hitting slugger did not get much of a chance to put his power on display, as he went just 1-for-7 (.143) with one double, two walks, and five strikeouts in a brief five-game cameo before being sent back down on August 29. He made two starts in right field and one start in left field.

Between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, however, Garcia batted .267/.340/.470 with 17 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 75 RBIs, 79 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 45 walks, and 131 strikeouts over 114 games (434 plate appearances) in 2025. He led the organization in homers for a second straight season to earn Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Though he is brimming with potential on both sides of the ball, Garcia did not have a clear path to playing time with the Red Sox, as he was behind the likes of Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela on the club’s outfield depth chart. Barring another move, he should have more of an opportunity with the Pirates in 2026 and will presumably compete for a spot on Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster when spring training begins.

Like Garcia, Travieso also hails from Venezuela. The 18-year-old right-hander was ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 16 prospect and originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent last January. He made his stateside debut this past season after spending all of 2024 in the Dominican Summer League.

In 19 total outings (16 starts) between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem, Travieso posted a 3.06 ERA with 90 strikeouts to 36 walks over 64 2/3 innings in which opponents batted .236 against him. Undersized at 5-foot-11, Travieso is equipped with a live arm and features a 94-96 mph fastball that can reach 100 mph, an 84-86 mph slider, and a changeup.

Travieso, who turns 19 in March, has starter upside but may be better suited for a relief role in the long run, given his frame and below-average command. Regardless, he seems likely to open the 2026 season with either Pittsburgh’s Low-A or High-A affiliate.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Power-hitting OF prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to represent Red Sox in 2025 All-Star Futures Game

Power-hitting outfield prospect Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia has been selected to represent the Red Sox at the 2025 All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta on July 12, Major League Baseball announced earlier Monday.

Garcia, the Red Sox’ lone selection at this point in time, was one of five outfielders named to the American League’s initial Futures Game roster. The 22-year-old is slated to join the Orioles’ Enrique Bradfield Jr., the Tigers’ Max Clark, the Mariners’ Lazaro Montes, and the White Sox’ Braden Montgomery (who was part of last December’s Garrett Crochet trade) in representing their respective organizations in the seven-inning exhibition at Truist Park.

Originally signed for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019, Garcia is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 6 prospect and the No. 91 prospect in the sport. Following a standout 2024 season, the San Fernando de Apure native was added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection purposes last November and returned to Double-A Portland out of his first big league camp this spring.

In 33 games for the Sea Dogs out of the gate, Garcia batted .256/.355/.393 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 17 RBIs, 19 runs scored, four stolen bases, 18 walks, and 29 strikeouts over 138 plate appearances. The right-handed hitter received a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late May and has since slashed .292/.363/.569 with five doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 23 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 15 walks, and 38 strikeouts through 33 games (146 plate appearances) for the WooSox.

Among 197 hitters who have made at least 140 trips to the plate in the International League this season, Garcia ranks sixth in isolated power (.281), eighth in slugging percentage, 10th in OPS (.932), 16th in wRC+ (141), 17th in wOBA (.404), 36th in batting average, and 56th in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Garcia has seen playing time at all three outfield positions between his stops in Portland and Worcester this year. With the WooSox in particular, the 6-foot, 215-pounder has logged 177 1/3 innings in center field, 80 innings in right field, and five innings in left field, committing three errors and recording two outfield assists in 77 total chances. He has also made two starts at DH.

“Garcia is a complete player,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier) on Monday. “We’re very proud of him.”

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote OF prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Garcia is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The 22-year-old was added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster last November to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft. As a result, he took part in his first major league spring training before breaking camp with Portland (where he appeared in 30 games in 2024) last month.

To open the 2025 season, the right-handed hitting Garcia batted .256/.355/.393 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, 17 RBIs, 19 runs scored, four stolen bases, 18 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 33 games (138 plate appearances) for Portland. His 13 percent walk rate ranks 18th among qualified hitters in the Eastern League, while his 21 percent strikeout rate ranks 23rd, per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia saw the lion’s share of his playing time with Portland this season come in center field. The 6-foot, 215-pounder made 31 starts and logged 258 2/3 innings in center for the Sea Dogs, committing just one error and recording three assists in 52 defensive chances. He also made one start in right field and one start at DH.

Aptly nicknamed “The Password” because of his hard-to-spell first name, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. The San Fernando de Apure native steadily climbed the organizational ladder to begin his professional career before breaking out and rising through three minor-league levels last season to earn a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster. He is the older brother of catching prospect Johanfran Garcia.

Garcia, who does not turn 23 until December, told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith (through interpreter Daveson Perez) earlier this spring that one of his goals for this season was “to have at least a couple of games toward the end of the year in the big leagues.”

With his Triple-A debut likely to come in Worcester’s series opener against Durham at Polar Park on Tuesday, Garcia is one step closer to reaching that goal.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox OF prospect Jhostynxon Garcia recognized for productive week with Double-A Portland

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia was named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week for April 14-20 on Monday.

Garcia, Boston’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, appeared in five of Double-A Portland’s six games on the road against the Hartford Yard Goats this past week. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 9-for-19 (.474) with two doubles, one home run, five RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and two strikeouts.

Batting out of the three-hole in all five games he got into at Hartford’s Dunkin’ Park, Garcia doubled and drove in two runs on Tuesday, recorded three hits and drove in two runs on Wednesday, singled twice on Thursday, sat on Friday, went hitless on Saturday, and homered for the first time this season in Sunday’s series finale.

Through his first 11 games for the Sea Dogs in 2025, Garcia is batting .308/.429/.462 with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, seven runs scored, two stolen bases, nine walks, and 11 strikeouts over 49 plate appearances. Among 84 qualified Eastern League hitters, he ranks eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in walk rate (18.4 percent) and batting average, 10th in wOBA (412), 12th in OPS (.890) and wRC+ (156), 15th in line-drive rate (28.6 percent), 20th in slugging percentage, 29th in swinging-strike rate (10.1 percent), 32nd in strikeout rate (22.4 percent), and 34th in isolated power (.154), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia has seen all his playing time to this point in the season come in center field. The 6-foot, 215-pounder has logged 99 errorless innings in center for Portland thus far, recording one outfield assist in the process of doing so. He also has past experience in the corners, with MLB Pipeline grading his field tool as a 50 and his arm tool as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Aptly nicknamed “The Password” because of his hard-to-spell first name, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. The San Fernando de Apure native was a lesser-known prospect at this time a year ago, but he put together a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him soar from Low-A all the way to Double-A while clubbing an organizational-leading 23 home runs in 107 games.

Garcia, the older brother of Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia, was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last November to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft and subsequently took part in his first major league camp this spring. Though he was not competing for an Opening Day roster spot, the elder Garcia still had the chance to showcase himself (at the Spring Breakout and Futures at Fenway South games) and impress manager Alex Cora in Fort Myers.

“Good swing,” Cora said of Garcia when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) back in February. “He moves in the outfield, too. He’s a big dude, but he moves. … So he’s impressive.”

Garcia, who does not turn 23 until December, told Smith in camp that his goal for the season was “to have at least a couple of games toward the end of the year in the big leagues.” For as lofty as that may seem, it could become feasible if Garcia continues to produce with Portland and forces his way up to Triple-A Worcester before long.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Johanfran Garcia emerges as organization’s top catching prospect following Kyle Teel trade

After the Red Sox included Kyle Teel in the five-player trade that netted them frontline starter Garrett Crochet from the White Sox last month, Johanfran Garcia emerged as the highest-ranked catching prospect in the organization heading into 2025.

Garcia got off to a blazing hot start at the plate in 2024 but saw his season come to an abrupt end on May 1 when he was carted off the field at Low-A Salem after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee while running the bases. The then-19-year-old was placed on the full-season injured list on May 8 and underwent season-ending surgery shortly thereafter.

Garcia, who turned 20 in December, had been one of the top performers in the lower minors before suffering the injury. In 14 games for Salem (Boston’s Carolina League affiliate), the right-handed hitter batted a stout .385/.467/.596 with five doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, six walks, and 15 strikeouts over 60 plate appearances.

At season’s end, Garcia was one of 254 hitters who made at least 60 trips to the plate in the Carolina League. Among those 254, he ranked first in batting average, OPS (1.063), wOBA (.498), and wRC+ (207), second in slugging percentage, fourth in on-base percentage, eighth in line-drive rate (32.4 percent), and 12th in isolated power (.212), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Garcia unsurprisingly saw all of his playing time on the field in 2024 come at catcher. The 5-foot-11, 196-pound backstop logged 85 innings behind the plate for Salem, allowing two passed balls and throwing out six of 32 potential base stealers. He also made four starts at DH and has past experience at first base.

The younger brother of Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia (who was added to the 40-man roster in November), Johanfran originally signed with Boston for $850,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2022. The Valencia native is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the organization’s No. 17 prospect, eight spots below his older brother.

When making a recent appearance on Boston Sports Entertainment Network’s ‘The Pesky Podcast,’ Garcia (through interpreter and former Red Sox player development coach Fabian Castorena) said that he is feeling “much better now” and “is working to get back to the field.” In terms of where he is at in the rehab process with his right knee, he said that he is “about 65 to 70 percent ready to go.”

Since he is coming off major knee surgery and spent much of this past year rehabbing in Fort Myers, the Red Sox will likely exercise caution when it comes to Garcia’s status leading into the start of spring training next month. With that being said, he is projected by SoxProspects.com (who has him ranked 15th in the system) to open the 2025 season at High-A Greenville.

(Picture of Johanfran Garcia: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox add prospects Hunter Dobbins, Jhostynxon Garcia to 40-man roster ahead of Rule 5 deadline

The Red Sox added pitching prospect Hunter Dobbins and outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to their 40-man roster on Tuesday to protect them from being available to other clubs in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

To accommodate the additions of Dobbins and Garcia, Boston designated right-handers Isaiah Campbell and Bryan Mata for assignment. As such, the Red Sox’ 40-man roster is back at full capacity.

Dobbins, 25, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The right-hander was originally selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Texas Tech but did not make his professional debut until the following June as he was still recovering from Tommy John surgery.

This past season, Dobbins was recognized as the Red Sox’ Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.08 ERA (3.04 FIP) with 120 strikeouts to 48 walks in 25 starts (125 2/3 innings) between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Opposing hitters batted .237 against him altogether.

Equipped with a diverse arsenal, Dobbins experienced an uptick in velocity this year. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound righty averaged 93-96 mph and topped out at 98 mph with his fastball while also mixing in a newly-implemented 89-92 mph splinker (a splitter-sinker hybrid), a 78-80 mph sweeper, an 81-83 mph slider, and a 76-78 mph curveball that features 12-to-6 break.

“Obviously a guy who had a really, really good season for us,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said of Dobbins when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) at the GM Meetings earlier this month. “Was exciting to follow the progress — both the uptick in raw stuff across the board and swing and miss and durability and the ability to post. He’s put himself on the radar and it will be an important offseason for him to continue to develop. It would be foolish not to be really excited about what he was able to accomplish.”

Dobbins, who does not turn 26 until next August, still has some room to grow as far as his command and control are concerned. With that being said, he should provide the Red Sox with starting rotation depth in Worcester to open the 2025 campaign and could be in line to make his major-league debut before the season is over.

Garcia, on the other hand, is a little farther away. The 21-year-old originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. He is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system after putting together a breakout 2024 season that saw him rise across three levels.

In 107 games between Low-A Salem, High-A Greenville, and Portland, Garcia batted .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 over 459 total plate appearances. For his efforts, the free-swinging right-handed hitter was named to Baseball America’s Second Team Minor League All-Star Team and the All-MiLB Prospect First Team.

Defensively, Garcia saw playing time at all three outfield spots 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 chances. His other three starts there came at DH.

Garcia, who turns 22 next month, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season. Unlike Dobbins, Garcia likely won’t figure into Boston’s big-league plans until 2026 at the earliest. He could, of course, be moved in a trade well before then.

(Picture of Hunter Dobbins: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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 to promote OF prospects Jhostynxon Garcia, Allan Castro to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting outfield prospects Jhostynxon Garcia and Allan Castro from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Josh Ball.

Garcia and Castro, both 21, are currently regarded by Baseball America as the Nos. 18 and 23 prospects in Boston’s farm system, respectively. They originally joined the Red Sox organization as international free agents coming out of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic in July 2019.

Affectionately nicknamed “The Password” because of all the consonants in his first name, Garcia is on the move for the second time this season. The right-handed hitter opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem and connected on five home runs while producing a .882 OPS in his first 24 games before receiving a promotion to Greenville in late May. He then batted a stout .311/.371/.627 with 14 doubles, two triples, 16 homers, 37 RBIs, 44 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 53 games (229 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Defensively, Garcia saw playing time at all three outfield positions in his time with Greenville. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder logged 17 innings in left field, 165 innings in right field, and 191 innings in center field, committing two errors and recording two outfield assists in 80 total chances. He also started 10 games at DH.

Castro, meanwhile, is on the move for the first time in 2024 after breaking camp with Greenville this past spring. The switch-hitter got off to somewhat of a slow start offensively before turning a corner in July. All told, he slashed .243/.363/.449 with 21 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 61 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 95 games (413 plate appearances) for the Drive this season.

On the other side of the ball, Castro — like Garcia — made starts at all three outfield spots for Greenville. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder logged 19 innings in left field, 251 innings in right field, and 413 2/3 innings in center field, committing just one error and recording five outfield assists in 151 total chances. He also started 17 games at DH.

As SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall alluded to recently, it will be interesting to see how Garcia and Castro adjust to facing more advanced pitching at the Double-A level. They are both Rule 5-eligible at year’s end, so encouraging stints with Portland could strengthen their case to be added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster this winter.

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

Red Sox promote prospects Jhostynxon Garcia, Jedixson Paez to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and right-hander Jedixson Paez from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Garcia and Paez are currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the Nos. 35 and 47 prospects in Boston’s farm system. The pair of Venezuelans originally signed with the Red Sox as international free agents in July 2019 and January 2021, respectively.

Garcia, 21, batted .258/.365/.517 with six doubles, one triple, a team-leading five home runs, 19 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 15 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 24 games (104 plate appearances) for Salem to begin the 2024 season. The right-handed hitter was sidelined for over two weeks (from late April through early May) with a left hamstring strain but still maintained his status as one of the Red Sox’ top power threats upon returning to action.

Among 109 Carolina League hitters who have made at least 100 trips to the plate this year, Garcia ranks 21st in walk rate (14.4 percent), 34th in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage and OPS (.882), first in isolated power (.258), third in speed score (8.2), and sixth in wRC+ (152), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia made 12 starts in center field and nine starts in right field for Salem. The 6-foot, 163-pounder committed one error and recorded one outfield assist (both from center) in 39 total defensive chances between the two spots. He has past experience in left field as well.

Garcia, who does not turn 22 until December, will join an outfield mix in Greenville that already includes the likes of Allan Castro, Kristian Campbell, Miguel Ugueto, and Bryan Gonzalez. He should provide the Drive with additional depth in the absences of Juan Chacon and Caden Rose, who are both currently on the 7-day injured list.

Paez, meanwhile, posted a 2.53 ERA (2.28 FIP) with 35 strikeouts to four walks in seven appearances (five starts) spanning 32 innings for Salem this season. The 20-year-old righty was used as a bulk reliever in his last two times out and went four innings in each outing, allowing a total of three runs (two earned) on 11 hits, one walk, and five punchouts.

Among 48 pitchers in the Carolina League who have accrued at least 30 innings this year, Paez ranks 16th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.84), third in walks per nine innings (1.13), walk rate (3 percent), and swinging-strike rate (16.7 percent), 18th in strikeout rate (26.5 percent), 14th in groundball rate (47.2 percent), ninth in ERA, and second in FIP and xFIP (.251), per FanGraphs. He also leads that group with a .380 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that the defense behind him has struggled at times.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Paez throws from a three-quarters arm slot and has some effort in his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young hurler operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 89-91 mph fastball that tops out at 92 mph, a 76-79 mph curveball, and an 82-84 mph changeup.

Paez, who does not turn 21 until next January, is slated to join a rotation mix in Greenville that includes the likes of the recently-activated Yordanny Monegro, Dalton Rogers, Juan Daniel Encarnacion, Cooper Adams, Connelly Early, and Hayden Mullins.

(Picture of Jedixson Paez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia ended 2023 season on encouraging note

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia enjoyed a productive second half with Low-A Salem in 2023.

Garcia was a late addition to Salem’s roster after beginning the year at extended spring training in Fort Myers. The 21-year-old was then called up on June 1 as a corresponding move for fellow outfielder Miguel Bleis landing on the injured list with a left shoulder subluxation that would ultimately require season-ending surgery.

Having only played in the rookie-level Dominican Summer and Florida Complex Leagues up until that point in his professional career, Garcia made his full-season debut for Salem on the same night he was promoted. The right-handed hitter got off to a rough start out of the gate and found himself batting just .174/.285/.204 with three doubles, seven RBIs, 13 runs scored, two stolen bases, 14 walks, and 37 strikeouts in his first 28 games (116 plate appearances) with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Despite riding a 3-for-38 (.079) skid going into the major-league All-Star break in mid-July, Garcia seemingly took advantage of the time off and came out on the other side firing. From July 14 through the end of the month, he slashed a stout .327/.426/.654 with his first three home runs of the season and 11 RBIs over 15 games.

Though his production dipped a bit in August, Garcia most notably recorded the first four-hit game of his career on Aug. 23, when he went 4-for-5 with a double, a two-run homer, three runs scored, one walk, and one stolen base at home against the Fredericksburg Nationals. He then closed out the 2023 campaign by posting an .812 OPS in six September contests.

All told, Garcia batted .230/.329/.374 with 14 doubles, six triples, four home runs, 29 RBIs, 46 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 37 walks, and 79 strikeouts in 73 games (310 plate appearances) for Salem last season. That includes a more respectable .264/.356/.473 slash line with 11 doubles, all six of those triples and all four of those homers, 17 runs driven in, seven stolen bases, 23 walks, and 42 strikeouts in 45 games (194 plate appearances) after the All-Star break.

Among the 71 Carolina League hitters who made at least 300 trips to the plate in 2023, Garcia ranked 23rd in walk rate (11.9 percent), 34th in on-base percentage, 26th in slugging percentage, 28th in OPS (.703), 17th in isolated power (.143), ninth in speed score (7.7), sixth in line-drive rate (26.1 percent), and 31st in wRC+ (102), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia saw all of his playing time in the outfield last year come in either center right. The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder logged a team-high 417 1/3 innings at the former and 163 2/3 innings at the latter, combining for five outfield assists while committing a total of five errors in 165 total defensive chances.

A native of Venezuela, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Fernando de Apure in July 2019. His younger brother, Johanfran, also signed with the club in January 2022 and is now regarded as one of the top young catching prospects in Boston’s farm system.

While he may not get as much shine as his little brother, Jhostynxon was ranked by FanGraphs’ Eric Longengahen as the No. 60 prospect in the Red Sox’ system last June. That was, of course, before the 2023 draft and before the likes of Kyle Teel, Nazzan Zanetello, and Antonio Anderson joined the organization. Still, Longenhagen had some encouraging things to say about the older Garcia.

“Garcia’s power is immense for a [then] 20-year-old,” Longenhagen wrote. “He is much bigger and stronger than his listed height and weight (on his minor league player page, not in this article), and has thunderous power to the opposite field. His swing’s finish is incredible, and it’s rare for a hitter this dense and strong to be that fluid in the hips.”

Garcia, who does not turn 22 until December, is projected to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the 2024 season. As other publications have noted, Garcia’s development moving forward is tied to his hit tool and defensive capabilities since he has already shown the ability to hit for power.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Garcia fares against more experienced pitching as he continues to climb the minor-league ladder.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)