Tag: pitching prospects

Red Sox to call up top pitching prospect Chris Murphy, per report

The Red Sox are calling up top pitching prospect Chris Murphy from Triple-A Worcester, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. To make room for Murphy on the active roster, right-handed reliever Kaleb Ort was optioned back to Worcester following Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Rays at Fenway Park.

Murphy, who is celebrating his 25th birthday on Monday, will be active and available out of the bullpen for Tuesday’s series opener against the Guardians in Cleveland. Depending on how things play out, the left-hander could get the start in Thursday’s series finale at Progressive Field since the Red Sox have not yet named a starter for that contest.

In 10 outings (9 starts) for the WooSox this season, Murphy has posted a 7.71 ERA and 5.56 FIP with 42 strikeouts to 25 walks in 39 2/3 innings of work. His last appearance came out of the bullpen, as he struck out three and did not issue a walk over three scoreless, one-hit frames in an 8-6 loss to the Louisville Bats on June 1.

Among 87 International League pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings to this point in the year, Murphy ranks 21st in strikeouts per nine innings (9.53), 77th in walks per nine innings (5.67), 37th in strikeout rate (21.6 percent), 70th in walk rate (12.9 percent), 27th in swinging-strike rate (12.1 percent), 78th in batting average against (.309), 84th in WHIP (1.91), 82nd in ERA, 61st in FIP, and 52nd in xFIP (5.33), per FanGraphs.

A native of California, Murphy was originally selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft out of San Diego. He signed with Boston for $200,000 and was added to the club’s 40-man roster last November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Murphy throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 91-96 mph four-seam fastball, an 84-89 mph slider, an 83-85 mph changeup, and a 73-76 mph curveball.

Despite the struggles he has endured with Worcester this season, Murphy is still regarded by Baseball America as the No. 13 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fourth among pitchers in the organization. MLB Pipeline, on the other hand, places the southpaw 14th on its list.

Assuming he gets into a game this week, Murphy will become the third player to make their major-league debut with the Red Sox this season, joining second baseman Enmanuel Valdez and outfielder Masataka Yoshida. He is also in line to become the 22nd different non-position player pitcher to be used by the club so far this year.

Ort, meanwhile, was initially recalled from Worcester over the weekend and appeared in each of Boston’s last two games against Tampa Bay. The 31-year-old righty pitched well, striking out three in two perfect innings on Sunday and tossing a scoreless ninth inning on Monday.

On the 2023 campaign as a whole, Ort has forged a 5.87 ERA and 5.31 FIP with 16 strikeouts to seven walks over 14 appearances (15 1/3 innings) for the Red Sox. With the WooSox, he has put up a 2.45 ERA and 5.29 FIP with nine punchouts to six walks in eight outings spanning 7 1/3 innings of relief.

 (Picture of Chris Murphy: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Red Sox pitching prospect Isaac Coffey strikes out 11 yet again in latest start for High-A Greenville

For the second straight outing and the third time in his last five starts, Red Sox pitching prospect Isaac Coffey recorded 11 strikeouts for High-A Greenville on Thursday night.

Going up against Rome on the road at AdventHealth Stadium, Coffey struck out 11 and did not walk a single batter over six scoreless, three-hit innings. The right-hander finished with 87 pitches (64 strikes) and induced 21 swings-and-misses. He also retired the final eight hitters he faced as the Drive went on to defeat the Braves by a final score of 6-2.

Coffey, who was credited with the winning decision, improved to 3-2 on the year. The 22-year-old has posted a 2.89 ERA and 4.64 FIP with 61 strikeouts to seven walks over eight starts spanning 43 2/3 innings of work for Greenville this season.

Following Thursday’s performance, Coffey now leads qualified South Atlantic League pitchers in strikeouts. He also ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.57), second in strikeout rate (35.1 percent), first in walks per nine innings (1.44), first in walk rate (4.0 percent), ninth in batting average against (.217), second in WHIP (0.78), seventh in swinging-strike rate (14.9 percent), fourth in ERA, 13th in FIP, and first in xFIP (2.91), per FanGraphs.

Coffey, who turns 23 next month, was selected by the Red Sox in the 10th round of last year’s amateur draft out of Oral Roberts, where he was a two-way player. Since signing with Boston for just $7,500, though, the California native has been used strictly on the mound.

As noted in his Baseball America scouting report from before the 2022 draft, Coffey “will not light up the radar gun, but he has the ability to spot his deceptive 89-91 fastball from a low three-quarter slot.” The 6-foot-1, 205-pound hurler also “does a fine job spotting up his slider-changeup mix to attack both left-handed and right-handed hitters.”

Considering how much success Coffey has enjoyed at the High-A level as of late (1.96 ERA in four May starts), one has to wonder if the righty could soon be in line for a promotion to Double-A Portland. That in itself would represent a new challenge for a young pitcher who is seemingly having his way with the opposition right now.

(Picture of Isaac Coffey: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Dalton Rogers to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Dalton Rogers from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

In six starts for Salem to begin the 2023 season, Rogers posted a 2.49 ERA and 2.18 FIP with 38 strikeouts to 13 walks over 21 2/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .139 batting average against.

Among 84 Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 20 innings coming into play on Wednesday, Rogers ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (15.78), first in strikeout rate (41.3 percent), third in opponents’ batting average, 22nd in WHIP (1.11), 30th in swinging-strike rate (13.6 percent), 20th in ERA, second in FIP, and seventh in xFIP (2.83), per FanGraphs.

As is the case with most young hurlers, though, Rogers has proven to be vulnerable to ball four at times. The 22-year-old averaged more than five walks per nine innings in his six starts with Salem, which is certainly suboptimal. Still, he managed to avoid any serious damage thanks to his ability to miss bats.

Rogers is in the midst of his first full professional season after being selected by Boston in the third round (99th overall pick) of last year’s draft out of Southern Mississippi. The Brandon, Miss. native, who spent part of his summer pitching for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, signed with the club for $447,500 and made two relief appearances for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox in his pro debut.

Coming into the 2023 campaign, Rogers was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The publication noted that the 5-foot-11, 172-pound lefty “hides the ball well while driving down the mound to create good extension and a low release height. That combination, along with the ride and arm-side run on his 93-94 mph fastball (which tops out at 96), has given hitters fits at the top of the zone. He’s leaned heavily on his fastball to this point, though he has two secondaries — a low-80s changeup and low-80s slider — with the shape to develop into weapons if he can control them.”

As things stand now, Rogers is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the Red Sox’ No. 37 prospect, which ranks 11th among pitchers in the organization. Like Baseball America, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall notes that the southpaw possesses a deceptive delivery and operates with a three-pitch mix that is headlined by a mid-90s heater that has the potential to be a “plus pitch.”

Both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com are relatively high on Rogers, which likely reflects how the Red Sox feel about him. With that being said, though, Rogers will need to continue improving his control and command if he intends on developing as a starter. If not, he could eventually head to the bullpen as a multi-inning threat.

Rogers, who does not turn 23 until next January, becomes the second member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Salem to Greenville this season. Fellow lefty Nathan Landry, who was taken in the 15th round out of Missouri, was promoted earlier this month.

(Picture of Dalton Rogers: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Angel Bastardo named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo has been named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 15-21, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Bastardo made his seventh start of the season for High-A Greenville in its 3-2 loss to the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field last Wednesday. Though he did not factor into the decision, the right-hander allowed just one hit on two walks and seven strikeouts over six scoreless innings. He finished with 80 pitches (50 strikes) and induced 11 swings-and-misses.

In seven starts for the Drive this season, Bastardo has posted a 5.03 ERA and 4.13 FIP with 47 strikeouts to 17 walks over 34 innings of work. The 20-year-old has impressed as of late by holding opposing hitters to a .170 batting average against in the month of May.

Among qualified pitchers in the South Atlantic League, Bastardo ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.44), second in strikeout rate (32.9 percent), fifth in opponents’ batting average (.206), 13th in WHIP (1.26), first in swinging-strike rate (20.2 percent), 11th in FIP, and eighth in xFIP (3.88), per FanGraphs.

Bastardo, who turns 21 next month, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 40 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 14th among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron in July 2018.

With a projectable 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph and shows sink, an 83-86 mph curveball that varies in shape, and an 84-88 mph changeup that can be inconsistent at times, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Given that he has made just seven starts at the High-A level thus far and still has areas to improve in (i.e. command and control of the strike zone), it would not be surprising if Bastardo were to spend most of the 2023 season with Greenville before garnering consideration for a promotion to Double-A Portland.

With that being said, that timeline could accelerate if Bastardo continues to turn in impressive outings for the Drive as he has been doing. It is also worth mentioning that the righty can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at the end of the year, though him being added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November seems unlikely at this point since he is still a ways away from sniffing the major-leagues.

(Picture of Angel Bastardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Grant Gambrell shines in debut for Double-A Portland

Red Sox pitching prospect Grant Gambrell shined in his debut for Double-A Portland on Thursday night.

Though the Sea Dogs fell to the Hartford Yard Goats by a final score of 4-3 in 12 innings, Gambrell was on point on a cool evening at Dunkin’ Park. The right-hander allowed just one earned run on two hits and zero walks to go along with eight strikeouts over six strong innings of work.

Gambrell retired the first 15 batters he faced and took a bid for a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up a first-pitch leadoff home run to Drew Romo. He also surrendered a one-out triple to Bret Boswell, but he prevented a second run from crossing the plate by getting Bladimir Restituyo to ground out and striking out top Rockies prospect Zac Veen.

All told, Gambrell needed just 64 pitches (47 strikes) to get through six efficient frames. He induced 10 swings-and-misses and did not factor into the decision after Niko Kavadas hit a then-game-tying home run with one out in the top of the ninth.

With Shane Drohan making the jump and debuting for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, the Red Sox needed someone to take the left-hander’s place in Portland’s starting rotation. They achieved that by officially promoting Gambrell from High-A Greenville hours before his Sea Dogs debut.

After missing the entirety of the 2022 season with a significant ankle injury, Gambrell broke camp with Greenville earlier this spring. The 25-year-old hurler did not get off to the best of starts, posting a 6.87 ERA and 6.61 FIP with 21 strikeouts to nine walks in four April outings spanning 18 1/3 innings.

Once the calendar flipped from April to May, though, Gambrell appeared to have flipped a switch. After yielding two unearned runs and striking out eight over six innings on May 6, the righty gave up three runs and struck out seven over a season-high seven innings last Saturday.

With back-to-back impressive showings, Gambrell became a logical candidate for a promotion. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, the Drive already have a crowded starting rotation and have more reinforcements coming in Hayden Mullins, Bradley Blalock, and Jeremy Wu-Yelland, who are all currently on the injured list.

Boston originally acquired Gambrell and fellow righty Luis De La Rosa from the Royals in June 2021 to complete one part of the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City four months prior. Coming into the 2023 campaign, Gambrell had appeared in just eight games as a member of the Red Sox organization.

A former third-round draft selection of the Royals out of Oregon State in 2019, Gambrell stands at a burly 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. The California native throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph four-seam fastball, a 79-81 mph breaking ball, and an 83-86 mph curveball, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Gambrell, who does not turn 26 until November, figures to spend the rest of the season with Portland. There could be some challenges as he adjusts to more advanced competition at a new level, but he certainly got off to an encouraging start on Thursday.

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote top pitching prospect Shane Drohan to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting top pitching prospect Shane Drohan from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, according to Chris Henrique of Beyond the Monster.

Drohan, 24, has gotten his 2023 season off to a blistering start. In six starts for Portland to begin the year, the left-hander posted a miniscule 1.32 ERA and 2.26 FIP with 36 strikeouts to nine walks over 34 innings of work.

After earning Eastern League Pitcher of the Month honors in April, Drohan tossed six scoreless innings in his first start of May and then allowed a season-high three earned runs over five innings in his last time out against the Somerset Patriots this past Wednesday.

Among qualified Eastern League pitchers, Drohan ranks 15th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.53), third in walks per nine innings (2.38), ninth in strikeout rate (28.1 percent), fourth in walk rate (7 percent), second in batting average against (.161), second in WHIP (0.82), sixth in swinging-strike rate (14.7 percent), first in ERA, third in FIP, and seventh in xFIP (3.03) per FanGraphs.

Drohan is in his third full season with the Red Sox organization after originally being selected in the fifth and final round of the COVID-shortened 2020 amateur draft out of Florida State. The Fort Lauderdale native signed with the club for $600,000 and has since risen through the prospect ranks.

After closing out the 2022 campaign in Portland, Drohan made an effort to put on weight during the offseason. The lefty came into the spring listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds and impressed at camp by displaying a newly-implemented cutter as well as a fastball with increased velocity.

As noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, Drohan now sits between 92-94 mph and tops out at 96 mph with his heater after averaging 90.8 mph with the offering last year. In addition to the cutter, the southpaw also operates with an 83-76 mph changeup and a 75-78 mph curveball.

Given the kind of season he has put together thus far, Drohan is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks first among pitchers in the organization. He is now slated to join a WooSox starting rotation that includes fellow left-handed pitching prospects Brandon Walter and Chris Murphy.

It should be interesting to see how Drohan adjusts to facing more advanced competition moving forward. Although he does not turn 25 until next January, Drohan can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft or the first time in his career later this year. Even before Monday’s promotion, he had already made a strong case to be added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November.

(Picture of Shane Drohan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata heads to Triple-A Worcester’s injured list with shoulder inflammation

Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata has been placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Mata exited his start against the Rochester Red Wings early on Tuesday. The right-hander appeared to be in visible discomfort after delivering a 1-0, 86.2 mph fastball to Franklin Barreto with one out and one runner on in the bottom of the third inning at Innovative Field.

After WooSox catcher Jorge Alfaro motioned to the visitor’s dugout, a conference on the mound ensued. Mata then left the field with a trainer and was replaced by Jake Faria, who allowed both runners he inherited to score in what would go down as a 7-3 loss to the Red Wings.

Up until that point in the contest, Mata had yielded six runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks to go along with five strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings of work. The 24-year-old finished with 49 pitches (29 strikes). He topped out at 99.1 mph with his slider, an offering that accounted for four of the five swings-and-misses he induced.

Following Tuesday’s injury-shortened outing, Mata now owns an 0-3 record and 5.61 FIP with 27 walks to 26 strikeouts in seven starts (25 2/3 innings) for the WooSox so far this season. Despite those unimpressive numbers, the native Venezuelan is still regarded by publications such as Baseball America as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Originally signed as an international free agent coming out of Maracay for just $25,000 in January 2016, Mata was added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November 2020 to receive protection from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. He tore the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his right elbow the following March and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter.

After missing all of the 2021 season, Mata returned to action last June as part of a rehab assignment with Low-A Salem. He made one start for Salem, three starts for High-A Greenville, and nine starts (10 total appearances) for Double-A Portland before earning a promotion to Worcester in late August.

Since then, Mata has forged a 4.59 ERA with 52 strikeouts to 46 walks in 12 starts (49 innings) with the WooSox. Alongside the likes of lefties Brandon Walter and Chris Murphy, who are also on the 40-man roster, Mata represents legitimate big-league pitching depth for the Red Sox at the club’s top affiliate.

With that being said, though, Mata has just one minor-league option remaining, meaning this is the final year the Red Sox can freely shuttle the righty between Boston and Worcester without having to first expose him to waivers.

Even before this latest setback, there were signs that Mata could transition to a bullpen role in the near future since he has power stuff but has had difficulty in harnessing it effectively. Depending on how long he is out for (the hope is the issue isn’t too serious), that scenario could become a reality if the Red Sox want to get a look at Mata at the major-league level before season’s end.

(Picture of Bryan Mata: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect C.J. Liu throws seven-inning no-hitter for Double-A Portland

Red Sox pitching prospect Chih-Jung “C.J.” Liu threw a seven-inning no-hitter in Game 1 of Double-A Portland’s doubleheader against the Akron RubberDucks on Friday night.

Making his fifth start of the season for Portland on the road at Canal Park, Liu walked just two and struck out six over seven scoreless, no-hit frames. The right-hander took a bid for a perfect game into the bottom of the third before issuing a two-out walk to Connor Kokx. He then retired the next eight batters he faced before giving up another free pass to Kokx with out in the sixth.

Liu once again stranded Kokx at first base by recording back-to-back strikeouts of Julian Escobedo and Angel Martinez. He preserved the no-hit effort by sitting by inducing one groundout and two flyouts in a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

All told, Liu sat down 21 of the 23 RubberDucks hitters he faced on 91 pitches (48 strikes). With Stephen Scott handling catching duties, the 24-year-old hurler induced 12 swings-and-misses and earned the winning decision with the first complete game shutout of his professional career.

Liu becomes the second Sea Dogs pitcher in franchise history to throw a complete game, seven-inning no-hitter. Brayan Bello, who is now with the Red Sox, first accomplished the feat at Hadlock Field exactly one year ago Friday.

Through five starts with the Sea Dogs to begin the 2023 season, Liu has posted a 3.65 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 29 strikeouts to 11 walks over 24 2/3 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .216 against him.

A native of Taiwan, Liu originally signed with the Red Sox for $750,000 as an international free agent coming out Tainan City in October 2019. He was considered to be a switch-hitting two-way player at that time but has since been converted into a full-time pitcher. Liu did not name his pro debut until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and closed out the 2022 campaign with Portland after earning a late-season promotion from High-A Greenville.

Listed at 6-feet and 185 pounds, Liu throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph, an 80-82 mph changeup, an 83-86 mph slider, and a 78-80 mph curveball, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Liu, who just turned 24 in April, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 58 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 24th among pitchers in the organization. He can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this year if he is not added to the Sox’ 40-man roster by the deadline to do so in November.

(Picture of C.J. Liu: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Shane Drohan named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for April

Red Sox pitching prospect Shane Drohan has unsurprisingly been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for the month of April, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

In his first four starts of the season for Double-A Portland, Drohan has posted a miniscule 0.78 ERA and 1.53 FIP to go along with 26 strikeouts to just four walks over 23 innings of work. The left-hander is currently holding opposing hitters to a .163 batting average against.

Among 32 qualified Eastern League pitchers, Drohan ranks 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.17), second in walks per nine innings (1.57), fourth in strikeout rate (30.6 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (17.3 percent), second in walk rate (4.7 percent), first in batting average against, first in WHIP (0.74), second in ERA, first in FIP, and fourth in xFIP (2.79), per FanGraphs.

Drohan, 24, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the COVID-shortened 2020 amateur draft out of Florida State. The Fort Lauderdale native signed with the club for $600,000 and has since emerged as one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the organization.

After closing out the 2022 campaign in Portland, Drohan made an effort to put on weight during the offseason. He came into the spring listed at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and impressed at camp by displaying a newly-implemented cutter as well as a fastball with increased velocity.

Per SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, Drohan now sits between 92-94 mph and tops out at 96 mph with his heater after averaging 90.8 mph with the offering last year. In addition to the cutter, the southpaw also operates with an 83-76 mph changeup and 75-89 mph curveball.

Given the uptick in velocity and strong start to the season, Drohan is now regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks tops among all of the club’s young pitchers. He is slated to make his fifth start of the year for the Sea Dogs in Erie on Thursday night.

With that being said, Drohan could soon be in line for a promotion to Triple-A Worcester if he continues to impress with Portland. Although he does not turn 25 until next January, Drohan can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this year. As things stand now, he has already made a legitimate case to be added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November.

(Picture of Shane Drohan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo strikes out 11 in latest start for High-A Greenville

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo had a performance to remember in his third start of the season for High-A Greenville on Friday night.

Going up against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on the road at First National Bank Field, Bastardo allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks to go along with 11 strikeouts over six solid innings of work in a tough-luck 2-1 losss.

The 11 punchouts represent a career-high for Bastardo, who finished with 84 pitches (58 strikes). The right-hander also induced 27 swings-and-misses while lowering his ERA on the season to 5.93 across 13 2/3 innings with the Drive.

Among 27 qualified South Atlantic League pitchers coming into play on Saturday, Bastardo ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (13.83), second in strikeout rate (35.5 percent), 11th in batting average against (.212), second in line-drive rate (9.7 percent), first in swinging-strike rate (23.8 percent), and seventh in FIP (3.57), per FanGraphs.

While those numbers are undoubtedly encouraging, Bastardo also ranks 23rd in walks per nine innings (4.61), 21st in walk rate (11.9 percent), and 17th in WHIP (1.32), so there is still room for improvement in different areas, like command and control.

Bastardo, 2o, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 56 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 23rd among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron shortly after his 16th birthday in July 2018.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph and shows sink, an 83-86 mph curveball that varies in shape, and an 84-88 mph changeup that can be inconsistent at times, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Considering that he has only pitched at one level per year since debuting in the Dominican Summer League in 2019 and does not turn 21 until June, it seems likely that Bastardo will spend most — if not the entirety — of the 2023 season in Greenville’s starting rotation.

Bastardo can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter. With those prior points in mind, though, the Red Sox probably won’t add the righty to their 40-man roster by the November deadline since he is still relatively raw and at least one full season away from garnering any sort of big-league consideration.

(Picture of Angel Bastardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)