Tag: pitching prospects

How did Red Sox relief prospect Alex Hoppe fare in 2023?

Red Sox relief prospect Alex Hoppe certainly made his impact felt on the mound during his first full professional season in 2023.

Hoppe, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of UNC Greensboro, signed with Boston for just $32,250 last July after earning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year honors as a fifth-year senior.

Having logged 66 2/3 innings in his final season with the Spartans, Hoppe did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate in the closing weeks of the 2022 campaign. The 24-year-old Iowan instead made the jump to High-A Greenville right out of spring training in early April and made his pro debut shortly thereafter.

Hoppe got off to a rough start with the Drive but began to turn things around for the better as the calendar flipped to May. By the end of July, the right-hander owned a 3.93 ERA and 3.38 FIP with 48 strikeouts to 14 walks in 31 relief appearances (34 1/3 innings) for Greenville.

Wanting to see more, the Red Sox promoted Hoppe to Double-A Portland on August 1. With the Sea Dogs, Hoppe pitched to a 4.50 ERA and 4.42 FIP with 16 strikeouts to just three walks over 12 outings (14 innings) in which he converted two saves in three opportunities. He closed out his season by tossing a scoreless ninth inning in a 6-3 win over the Hartford Yard Goats on Sept. 12 at Hadlock Field.

All told, Hoppe posted a 4.10 ERA (3.68 FIP) to go along with 64 strikeouts to 17 walks across 43 appearances spanning 48 1/3 innings of work between Greenville and Portland. Among the 59 minor-league pitchers in the Red Sox system who threw 40 or more innings this season, Hoppe ranked ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.92) and strikeout rate (30.3 percent), 15th in walks per nine innings (3.17), 14th in walk rate (8.1 percent), 10th in groundball rate (48.4 percent), 16th in swinging-strike rate (15.3 percent), 25th in ERA, 11th in FIP, and fourth in xFIP (3.13), per FanGraphs.

On the flip side of that, though, is the fact that Hoppe gave up 52 hits in 48 1/3 innings, leading to a WHIP of 1.43 and opponents’ batting average of .271. While neither of those figures are eye-popping, it should be noted that Hoppe also yielded a .374 batting average on balls put in play this year, which suggests that luck was not exactly on his side.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Hoppe throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a pitch arsenal that is headlined by a 96-99 mph fastball that can reach triple digits. The hard-throwing righty also mixes in an 84-87 mph slider and a rarely-used 85-87 mph changeup, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Hoppe, who turns 25 next month, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 32 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 12th among pitchers in the organization. Ian Cundall, the site’s director of scouting, wrote in September that Hoppe is “one of the top true relief prospects in the system for me.”

Assuming he remains in the organization through the winter, Hoppe is projected to return to Portland’s bullpen for the start of the 2024 season. His development moving forward will likely hinge on his ability to refine the command and control of his secondary offerings. If he can do that, he could be a fast riser next year.

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

Who is Gilberto Batista? Get to know the Red Sox’ Latin Program Pitcher of the Year

Like infielder Yoeilin Cespedes, pitching prospect Gilberto Batista was recognized as the Red Sox’ 2023 Minor League Latin Program Pitcher of the Year at Fenway Park last month.

Batista made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League this past June after signing with the Red Sox for a mere $10,000 as an international free agent last November. In 11 appearances (nine starts) for Boston’s DSL Red affiliate, the 18-year-old right-hander posted a 3.54 ERA with a team-leading 54 strikeouts to just eight walks over 40 2/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .228 batting average against.

Batista’s best start of the year came on July 14. Going up against DSL Cubs Blue on the road, the Dominican-born hurler struck out seven (tying a season-high in that category) across four scoreless, no-hit frames. He took a bid for a perfect game into the bottom of the third inning before leadoff man Omar Ferrera reached on a Franklin Arias throwing error. Batista then struck out the side before retiring the last three batters he faced in the fourth.

Among 94 pitchers in the DSL who threw at least 40 innings this season, Batista ranked fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.95), 11th in walks per nine innings (1.77), fifth in strikeout rate (33.5 percent), first in swinging-strike rate (50.7 percent), 12th in walk rate (5.0 percent), 19th in WHIP (1.03), 11th in FIP (3.02), and first in xFIP (2.74), per FanGraphs.

Batista (right) pictured with fellow countryman Brayan Bello (left) at the club’s academy in El Toro

Listed at 6-feet and 165 pounds, Batista operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that touches 95 mph, a “true” curveball, a “hard” slider, and a changeup, according to Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero.

“As he’s added 11 pounds since March, his velocity has started to tick up,” Romero said of Batista in a recent email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com. “After a sluggish start to his DSL season, he really excelled July and August. He’s an above average athlete with a lightning quick arm who loves to compete.”

Batista, who turns 19 in January, is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to the United States and pitch in the rookie-level Florida Complex League at some point in 2024.

(Picture of Alex Cora, Gilberto Batista, and Yoeilin Cespedes: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Former Red Sox prospect Marques Johnson named California League Pitcher of the Week

Former Red Sox relief prospect Marques Johnson ended the first full season of his professional career on a strong note by earning California League Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday.

Johnson, who the Red Sox traded to the Giants for fellow reliever Mauricio Llovera in late July, made two appearances for San Francisco’s Low-A affiliate in San Jose in its most-recent series against the Stockton Ports. The right-hander struck out 10 and walked only one of the 17 batters he faced over five scoreless, one-hit innings of relief.

After joining the Giants organization ahead of the trade deadline, Johnson closed out the 2023 campaign by pitching to a 0.00 ERA and 3.40 FIP with 20 strikeouts to nine walks across 11 outings (18 1/3 innings) for San Jose in which he held opposing hitters to a .145 batting average against. He also converted his lone save opportunity, which came in a 14-1 win over Stockton on Friday.

A native of California himself, Johnson was selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of last year’s draft out of Long Beach State. He signed with Boston for $122,500, but did not make his pro debut with Low-A Salem until this April. As a member of the Salem Red Sox, the 23-year-old righty posted a 6.55 ERA with 43 strikeouts to 24 walks over 28 appearances (34 1/3 innings) out of the bullpen.

While that ERA is far from eye-popping, Johnson produced a far more favorable 3.75 FIP with Salem. He had also been pitching much better in the weeks leading up to the trade, yielding just one earned run in his final seven appearances (9 2/3 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate. It appears as though those results carried over into the California League and Johnson now has some hardware to prove it.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Johnson throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-96 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph and features high spin rates, an 83-85 mph slider, and an 86-88 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Johnson, who does not turn 24 until next July, possesses intriguing potential if he can further refine his control and command of the strike zone. And while San Jose’s regular season is over, the Giants are slated to open a three-game playoff series on the road against the Modesto Nuts on Tuesday.

(Picture of Marques Johnson: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro to High-A Greenville

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

Monegro is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The 20-year-old hurler originally signed with the Red Sox for a modest $35,000 coming out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020 and has since emerged as one of the more intriguing arms in the system.

In what has been a breakout 2023 season, Monegro first made his impact felt in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, where he struggled to a 7.36 ERA in 25 2/3 innings last year. This June, however, the Santo Domingo native dazzled in three starts for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate. He allowed just two earned runs over 15 innings of work in which he struck out 20 and walked only four en route to earning FCL Pitcher of the Month honors.

Before June came to a close, though, Monegro made the jump to Salem. He made his full-season debut on the 25th and proceeded to put up a 2.43 ERA (2.32 FIP) with 60 strikeouts to 17 walks in nine starts (40 2/3 innings) for the Red Sox while holding opposing hitters to a .217 batting average against. In what might go down as his final start at the Low-A level, Monegro yielded one unearned run on two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts across five solid frames in a 2-1 win over the Fredericksburg Nationals last Thursday.

Among Carolina League pitchers with at least 40 innings under their belt coming into play on Tuesday, Monegro ranks fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (13.28), eighth in strikeout rate (34.5 percent), first in swinging-strike rate (18 percent), seventh in ERA, first in FIP, and sixth in xFIP (2.92), per FanGraphs.

While the success that Monegro has enjoyed this summer may be a surprise to some, the Red Sox had high hopes for the righty well before the minor-league season even started. Assistant general manager Eddie Romero even acknowledged as much in an email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com last month.

“We were really excited about Monegro heading into the spring,” Romero wrote. “He impressed a lot with the physical shape he came into spring training, and has continued to work since then — this has been key to his early-season success. He’s super athletic with a lightning quick arm which contributes to his ability to have a plus breaking ball. He’s tightened up his delivery to let his athleticism show and be consistent with his mechanics. Hope he continues this success into the second half.”

With a projectable 6-foot-4, 180-pound-frame, Monegro throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s four-seam fastball that tops out at 95-96 mph, a high-80s slider, and an upper-70s curveball. As noted by publications such as Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, Monegro is more control-over-command at the moment and is still considered a work in progress as a result.

That being said, Monegro will have the chance to put an exclamation point on what has already been an encouraging season with Greenville. The Drive open a six-game series against the Brooklyn Cyclones at Fluor Field on Tuesday night, and so Monegro will more than likely make his High-A debut this week.

(Picture of Yordanny Monegro: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Angel Bastardo to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Angel Bastardo from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log. Bastardo is expected to make his Double-A debut in Thursday’s game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels at Hadlock Field.

Bastardo, the reigning South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Greenville. In 21 starts for the Drive, the 21-year-old right-hander posted a 4.62 ERA — but much more encouraging 3.84 FIP — with a league-leading 139 strikeouts to 46 walks over 103 1/3 innings of work.

Among qualified Sally League pitchers coming into play on Thursday, Bastardo ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (12.11), second in strikeout rate (31.8 percent), third in batting average against (.223), fifth in groundball rate (46.3 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), third in FIP, and second in xFIP (3.71), according to FanGraphs.

While the strikeout numbers are promising, Bastardo has struggled at times when it comes to his control and command of the strike zone. In his last time out against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on August 12, for instance, he issued a season-high five walks in addition to giving up four home runs. He was placed on Greenville’s development list Tuesday but now appears ready to return to action.

A native of Venezuela, Bastardo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron in July 2018. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks seventh among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, a mid-80s changeup, a power 12-6 curveball that sits between 82-84 mph, and a mid-80s slider that features gyro-like spin.

In similar fashion to fellow righty Grant Gambrell, who received a promotion to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Bastardo can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at year’s end. The Red Sox, of course, would need to add Bastardo to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November in order to prevent that from happening.

Bastardo, who does not turn 22 until next June, is the fourth member of Greenville’s Opening Day starting rotation to make the jump to Portland this season, joining Gambrell, Wikelman Gonzalez, and Isaac Coffey.

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

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Grant Gambrell to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Grant Gambrell from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Gambrell, 25, initially made the jump to Portland in late May after posting a 4.88 ERA in six starts (31 1/3 innings) with High-A Greenville to begin the 2023 season. In 15 starts for the Sea Dogs, the right-hander forged a 3.42 ERA and 3.99 FIP with 84 strikeouts to 32 walks over 84 1/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .227 batting average against.

Among 32 Eastern League pitchers who have accrued 80 or more innings to this point in the season, Gambrell came into play Thursday ranking 14th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.96), 11th in walks per nine innings (3.42), 12th in strikeout rate (23.8 percent), 15th in walk rate (9.1 percent), sixth in batting average against, sixth in WHIP (1.22), ninth in groundball rate (44.3 percent), fourth in ERA, eighth in FIP, and 11th in xFIP (3.91), per FanGraphs.

A California native, Gambrell was originally selected by the Royals in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Oregon State. He was then dealt to the Red Sox in June 2021 alongside fellow righty Luis De La Rosa as part of the seven-player trade that sent outfielder Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City four months earlier.

Gambrell’s first season as a member of the Red Sox organization did not go well. He struggled to a 7.16 ERA in eight starts (32 2/3 innings) for Greenville before being shut down with an ankle injury that August. He then missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign as a result of undergoing five surgeries to remove a benign tumor from his calcaneus, or the heel bone.

“I’m just grateful to even be out here because a couple years ago, it was a pretty dark time,” Gambrell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith back in June. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it again. So it’s just taking advantage of every opportunity that I get.”

Now fully healthy, Gambrell finds himself just one call away from the major-leagues. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization.

As he explained to Smith, Gambrell eliminated a four-seam fastball from his arsenal and now uses a 92-95 mph two-seam fastball. He added a cutter in spring training and also mixes in a slider and changeup.

“Not that I took baseball for granted when I was playing but definitely being away from the sport for a year and a half, two years, you look at it in a different way, a different perspective,” said Gambrell. “I’m honestly glad I did get to go through that because it allowed me to be more appreciative for the sport, more appreciative for everybody around me.”

Gambrell, who turns 26 in November, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline later this fall. Depending on how he performs with Worcester down the stretch, he has a chance to put himself in consideration for one of those spots.

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

How Red Sox pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro has fared since promotion to Low-A Salem

Red Sox pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro was sharp in his latest start for Low-A Salem this past Friday night.

Going up against the Augusta GreenJackets in front of a crowd of 5,383 at Carilion Clinic Field, Monegro worked five scoreless innings. The right-hander scattered three hits and issued just one walk while striking out 11 of the 19 batters he faced.

Interestingly enough, Monegro walked the very first batter of the game in Ambioris Tavarez, who later stole second base but did not advance any further. An inning later, Monegro gave up a leadoff double to Pier-Olivier Boucher to put himself in immediate trouble. Again, though, the 20-year-old hurler stranded a runner in scoring position by punching out three GreenJackets in a row.

In both the third and fourth innings, Monegro surrendered a leadoff single. Both runners stole second base with two outs, but Monegro did not falter and instead fanned Drew Compton and Jose Dilone on four and six pitches, respectively. He ended his night by striking out the side on 15 pitches in a 1-2-3 top of the fifth.

Finishing with 82 pitches (55 strikes), Monegro induced 18 swings-and-misses, the most of any pitcher at the Low-A level on Friday, per Baseball Savant. For as impressive as Monegro was, though, he did not factor into the decision as Salem went on to fall to Augusta by a final score of 3-1. GreenJackets starter Owen Murphy was credited with the win after striking out eight over 6 1/3 frames of one-run ball and was subsequently named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

While Monegro may have fallen short of that honor, Friday’s outing represented his second double-digit strikeout game of the season and his first since June 25. In seven starts for Salem now, Monegro has posted a 2.56 ERA (2.45 FIP) with 47 strikeouts to 14 walks over 31 2/3 innings in which he has held opposing hitters to a .223 batting average against. That comes after he pitched to a minuscule 1.20 ERA in three starts (15 innings) for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox to kick off the 2023 campaign.

Promoted from the FCL to Salem on June 20, Monegro is averaging the sixth-most strikeouts per nine innings (13.36) among the 160 Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings to this point in the season. Using those same parameters, Monegro also ranks 15th in strikeout rate (33.6 percent), third in swinging-strike rate (17.1 percent), 20th in ERA, first in FIP, and 14th in xFIP (3.11), per FanGraphs.

Monegro originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020. There was not much fanfare surrounding the Santo Domingo native coming into this season after he struggled to a 7.36 ERA in his first go-around at the Florida Complex League last year, but he has since caught the attention of fans and evaluators alike.

Baseball America, for instance, now has Monegro as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system after he was unranked to begin the season. In similar fashion, MLB Pipeline — which previously had him unranked — pegged Monegro as the Sox’ No. 22 prospect in its midseason rankings, which were released last week.

Though Monegro’s sudden success this year may be a surprise to some, internally, the Red Sox had high hopes for the righty well before the minor-league season even started. Assistant general manager Eddie Romero acknowledged as much in a recent email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com.

“We were really excited about Monegro heading into the spring,” Romero wrote. “He impressed a lot with the physical shape he came into spring training, and has continued to work since then — this has been key to his early-season success. He’s super athletic with a lightning quick arm which contributes to his ability to have a plus breaking ball. He’s tightened up his delivery to let his athleticism show and be consistent with his mechanics. Hope he continues this success into the second half.”

Listed at a projectable 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Monegro throws from a high three-quarter arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s four-seam fastball that tops out at 95-96 mph, a high-80s slider, and an upper-70s curveball. As noted in his Baseball America scouting report, Monegro is more of a control-over-command pitcher since he is generally around the strike zone.

Monegro, who turns 21 in October, has already done an admirable job in raising his prospect profile this summer. Barring any surprises, it will certainly be interesting to see how he goes about putting the finishing touches on what has been a breakout season.

(Picture of Yordanny Monegro: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox pitching prospects Angel Bastardo, Luis Cohen earn monthly awards

A pair of Red Sox pitching prospects were recognized for their respective performances in July on Thursday.

High-A Greenville starter Angel Bastardo was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month while FCL Red Sox starter Luis Cohen was named the Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Month, Minor League Baseball announced.

In five July starts for Greenville, Bastardo went 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA and 42 strikeouts to seven walks over 28 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .192 batting average against. The right-hander’s month could have have gone even better had he not been rocked for a season-high six runs over four innings against the Bowling Green Hot Rods on July 26.

That being said, Bastardo rebounded in his last time out against the Rome Braves this past Tuesday, allowing two earned runs on five hits, one walk, and five strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings. All told, the hard-throwing 21-year-old has forged a 3.90 ERA (3.25 FIP) with a South Atlantic League-leading 130 strikeouts to 39 walks in 19 starts (97 innings) for the Drive this season.

Among qualified Sally League pitchers entering Thursday, Bastardo ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.06), second in strikeout rate (32.4 percent), fourth in batting average against (.211), fourth in WHIP (1.19), fifth in groundball rate (48 percent), second in swinging-strike rate (16.6 percent), sixth in ERA, first in FIP, and second in xFIP (3.48), per FanGraphs.

A native of Venezuela, Bastardo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Moron in July 2018. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound hurler is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization.

As noted in SoxProspects.com scouting report, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph sinker that tops out at 97 mph, an 82-86 mph curveball that features 11-to-5 break, and an 83-86 mph changeup. Though an intriguing arm, he still needs to work on refining his control and command of the strike zone.

Bastardo, who just turned 21 in June, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this year if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. With that, one has to wonder if Bastardo could soon be on the verge of a promotion to Double-A Portland, which would seemingly allow the Red Sox to see how he fares against more advanced hitters before deciding if he is worthy of a 40-man roster spot.

Cohen, meanwhile, went 1-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 21 strikeouts to seven walks over five July appearances (three starts) spanning 19 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .159 batting average against. On the 2023 campaign as a whole, the 20-year-old righty has posted a 3.60 ERA (3.81 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 11 walks in seven outings (four starts, 25 innings) for Boston’s rookie-level, Fort Myers-based affiliate.

Among 73 Florida Complex League pitchers who came into Thursday with at least 20 innings under their belts to this point in the season, Cohen ranks 25th in strikeouts in per nine innings (10.08), 18th in walks per nine innings (3.96), 18th in strikeout rate (27.7 percent), 26th in walk rate (10.9 percent), 25th in batting average against (.216), 12th in WHIP (1.20), 34th in swinging-strike rate (24.7 percent), 25th in ERA, 12th in FIP, and 26th in xFIP (4.52), per FanGraphs.

Like Bastardo, Cohen also hails from Venezuela. The Tucacas native joined the Red Sox organization as an international free agent last January and received a modest $10,000 signing bonus in doing so. While he is unranked by publications such as Baseball America or SoxProspects.com, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen recently tabbed Cohen as the 36th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system.

“Cohen is an athletic, undersized righty with a precocious breaking ball and several starter traits (except for his size),” Longenhagen wrote of the 6-foot, 172-pound hurler in June. “He’s been sitting 91-94 mph (mostly 93 in my look) throughout relatively short extended spring/complex outings, but he shows the same premium hip/shoulder separation (an indication of power and athleticism, in my opinion) that runs through this system, and therefore has a chance to throw harder at physical maturity even though he’s on the smaller side.

“The money pitch here is Cohen’s sweeping breaker, which has big action and length in the 78-84 mph range,” added Longenhagen. “His 81-83 mph changeup sometimes cuts on him but at other times is average. Like a lot of the other pitchers in this system, there are probably going to be a couple viable secondary offerings in place here, and how Cohen’s fastball velocity and command (the latter is key if little-to-no more velo comes) develop will dictate his ultimate ceiling. It’s more of a backend look due to the lack of projectability.”

Given the fact that he does not turn 21 until next May, Cohen still has plenty of time to grow and fill out his undersized frame. At this point in time, it remains to be seen if the Red Sox will be aggressive with Cohen’s development (i.e. have him pitch at Low-A Salem this season) or will instead put that sort of assignment off until next year.

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

Red Sox’ Grant Gambrell earns Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors

For the second week in a row, a Red Sox pitching prospect was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

After Wikelman Gonzalez received the award last week, fellow right-hander Grant Gambrell earned Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of July 24-30 on Monday, Minor League Baseball announced.

Gambrell made his 12th start of the season for Double-A Portland this past Friday night. Going up against the Richmond Flying Squirrels on the road, the 25-year-old scattered three hits and a walk to go along with eight strikeouts over seven scoreless innings of work.

Gambrell encountered no more than four batters in all seven frames he was on the mound. He stranded three runners in scoring position, induced one inning-ending double play, and retired nine of the last 11 Flying Squirrel hitters he faced from the middle of the fifth through the end of the seventh.

Finishing with 84 pitches (52 strikes), Gambrell induced eight whiffs and ultimately earned the winning decision to improve to 4-2 in a Sea Dogs uniform. Through 12 outings with Portland now, the righty has posted a 3.12 ERA and 3.67 FIP with 72 strikeouts to 23 walks across 69 1/3 innings.

Among 46 Eastern League pitchers who have accrued 60 or more innings to this point in the season, Gambrell ranks 19th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.35), eighth in walks per nine innings (2.99), 17th in strikeout rate (25.3 percent), 10th in walk rate (8.1 percent), 11th in batting average against (.218), seventh in WHIP (1.15), third in line-drive rate (17.2 percent), eighth in groundball rate (47.3 percent), fourth in ERA, eighth in FIP, and eighth in xFIP (3.56), per FanGraphs.

A former third-round selection of the Royals coming out of Oregon State in 2019, Gambrell was acquired by the Red Sox in June 2021 as part of the three-team trade that had sent outfielder Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City four months earlier.

Gambrell made eight starts for High-A Greenville down the stretch in 2021 and struggled to a 7.16 ERA over 32 2/3 innings. The California native then missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign undergoing five surgeries to remove a benign tumor from his calcaneus, the heel bone.

“I’m just grateful to even be out here because a couple years ago, it was a pretty dark time,” Gambrell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last month. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it again. So it’s just taking advantage of every opportunity that I get.”

After a lengthy recovery period, Gambrell returned to competitive action this spring and broke camp with Greenville. He initially got off to a tough start, but showed signs of improvement as the calendar flipped from April to May and leveraged that into a promotion to Portland on May 18. All told, Gambrell has forged a 3.67 ERA with 108 strikeouts to 32 walks in 18 starts (100 2/3 innings) between the two affiliates this year.

As he explained to Smith in early June, Gambrell eliminated his four-seam fastball and now uses only his 92-95 mph two-seam fastball. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler added a cutter during spring training and also mixes in a slider and changeup.

“Not that I took baseball for granted when I was playing but definitely being away from the sport for a year and a half, two years, you look at it in a different way, a different perspective,” Gambrell said. “I’m honestly glad I did get to go through that because it allowed me to be more appreciative for the sport, more appreciative for everybody around me.”

Gambrell, who turns 26 in November, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline. If he continues to pitch the way he has as of late, the Red Sox could be faced with an interesting decision this fall.

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

Red Sox’ Wikelman Gonzalez named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 17-23, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Gonzalez fired six no-hit innings in Double-A Portland’s 6-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field on Sunday afternoon. The right-hander allowed one earned run on four walks, but he also struck out 10 to mark his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season.

After issuing back-to-back walks to begin things in the first inning, Gonzalez settled into a groove and retired 15 consecutive batters at one point before running into some trouble with one out in the top of the sixth. There, he walked Steward Berroa — who stole second and third base — on six pitches and Riley Trotta — who stole second base — on five pitches.

With only one out and two runners in scoring position, Gonzalez yielded an RBI groundout to Alan Roden that actually got New Hampshire on the board first. The righty was able to limit the damage to one run, though, as he then got Damiano Palmegiani to fly out to left field to retire the side.

Going into their half of the sixth inning down a run, the Sea Dogs lineup responded by putting up a six-spot. Coming up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, Tyler McDonough and Matt Donlan came through with back-to-back two-run hits to put Portland up 4-1. Elih Marrero then doubled in Donlan before Chase Meidroth pushed across Marrero to extend the lead to five runs at 6-1 heading into the seventh.

Having thrown 91 pitches (52 strikes) to that point in the contest, Gonzalez’s day was over. The 21-year-old hurler induced 15 swings-and-misses while mixing in a 94-96 mph fastball, a 75-79 mph curveball, a changeup, and a slider, per SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall.

In relief of Gonzalez, Brendan Cellucci received the first call out of the Sea Dogs bullpen and sat down six of the seven hitters he faced across two scoreless frames. Luis Guerrero then came on for the ninth and allowed a run to score on two walks and a sacrifice fly before ultimately closing it out to preserve the combined no-hit bid.

Sunday marked Portland’s second no-hitter of the season and seventh in franchise history. Back in early May, right-hander CJ Liu hurled seven no-hit innings as part of a 5-0 road win in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Akron RubberDucks.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, earned the winning decision in Sunday’s series finale against the Fisher Cats to move to 1-0 in his first two starts for the Sea Dogs. Since being promoted from High-A Greenville earlier this month, Gonzalez has allowed just one earned run on four hits and five walks to go along with 19 strikeouts over 12 innings of work with Portland. Opposing hitters are batting just .105 against him in that span.

A native of Venezuela, Gonzalez originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2018. The 6-foot, 167-pounder is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fourth among pitchers in the organization.

Gonzalez, who does not turn 22 until next March, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this winter. Assuming he remains in the organization past the trade deadline, the Red Sox would need to add Gonzalez to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November if they intend on preventing him from becoming Rule 5 eligible.

(Picture of Wikelman Gonzalez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)