Tag: pitching prospects

Who is Brian Van Belle? Red Sox pitching prospect walked just 3.9% of the batters he faced with High-A Greenville in 2021

Brian Van Belle was one of the top college seniors who did not hear his name called in the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft, so it did not take long for the University of Miami right-hander to land with a Major League Baseball team.

Just five days after the conclusion of the 2020 draft, Van Belle officially signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent. The Pembroke Pines, Fla. native received a modest $20,000 signing bonus that summer and proceeded to impress the club at fall instructors in Fort Myers.

Following his first minor-league spring training, Van Belle broke camp and spent the entirety of the 2021 season with High-A Greenville. In 18 starts for the Drive, the 25-year-old posted a 4.10 ERA and 4.23 FIP to go along with 82 strikeouts to just 13 walks over 79 innings pitched. It should be mentioned that he missed three weeks of action while on the injured list from August 19 through September 9.

On paper, a 4.10 ERA might not exactly jump off the page. In Van Belle’s case, however, there was a stretch over the summer when the righty was arguably one of the best starting pitchers in the lower-minors.

In four outings last July, Van Belle went 3-0 while not allowing a single run. He struck out 24 of the 84 batters he faced and walked just four of them across 22 innings of work en route to being named the High-A East Pitcher of the Month and the Red Sox’ Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month.

All told, Van Belle was one of 32 hurlers in the High-A East who accrued at least 70 innings on the mound last year. Among that group, the former Hurricane ranked 10th in ERA, 12th in FIP, second in walks per nine innings (1.48), and second in walk rate (3.9%), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Van Belle has a repeatable delivery and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 90-92 mph fastball that tops out at 93 mph, an 82-85 mph changeup, and a 77-80 mph curveball that is considered to be a “work in progress,” according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report. As indicated by his low walk rate, his command is what makes him stick out.

Van Belle, who turns 26 in September, is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. That said, he is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 season in Double-A Portland’s starting rotation and should get more exposure there as he looks to build off a solid debut campaign.

(Picture of Brian Van Belle via the Greenville Drive’s Twitter)

Is right-hander Jacob Wallace ‘the best pure relief prospect’ in the Red Sox’ farm system?

It has been roughly 18 months since the Red Sox traded veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar to the Rockies for a player to be named later in August 2020. Less than three weeks later, the trade was completed when Boston acquired pitching prospect Jacob Wallace from Colorado.

A former third-round draft pick of the Rockies in 2019, Wallace drew immediate interest from the Red Sox fanbase since he hails from Methuen, Mass. and played his college baseball at the University of Connecticut.

After making his organizational debut at fall instructs, Wallace entered last spring ranked by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in the Sox’ farm system. The right-handed reliever broke minor-league camp with High-A Greenville, though he did not get off to the best of starts.

In his first 27 appearances out of the bullpen for the Drive, Wallace struggled to the tune of a 7.96 ERA and 5.66 FIP to go along with 43 strikeouts to 19 walks over 31 2/3 innings of work.

That miserable stretch lasted from May 5 through Aug. 1. Four days later, it was almost as if a flip had switched for Wallace when he punched out four of the six batters he faced in two scoreless frames against the Rome Braves at Fluor Field.

From that point on, the 23-year-old seemingly turned his 2021 around for the better by posting a 2.12 ERA and miniscule 1.12 FIP while recording 33 strikeouts to just six walks across his final 12 outings (17 innings pitched) of the year.

Most notably, Wallace made some history when he tossed the ninth and final inning of a combined no-hitter against the Asheville Tourists on September 2. Jeremy Wu-Yelland had started that contest and hurled five shutout frames, while Jose Espada Oddanier Mosqueda combined for three scoreless innings before Wallace closed out a 6-0 victory for Greenville.

Among High-A East pitchers who accrued at least 40 innings on the mound last season, Wallace ranked sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (14.05), 10th in strikeout rate (34.5%), and fourth in swinging strike rate (18.5%), per FanGraphs.

While Wallace was clearly among the top strike throwers at the High-A level in 2021, the righty still seemed to struggle with his control to some degree. His 4.62 walks per nine innings and 11.4% walk rate last year are indicators of that.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Wallace utilizes a unique delivery and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 96-98 mph fastball, an 84-86 mph slider, and a slider that he added after turning pro, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Along those same lines, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall tweeted on Monday that he believes Wallace is “the best pure relief prospect in the system” and “could move quick if he can build on his end to 2021.”

Wallace, who does not turn 24 until August, is currently projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 minor-league season with Double-A Portland. The hard-throwing hurler can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career next winter, so the Red Sox would need to add him to their 40-man roster by late November if they want to prevent that from happening.

(Picture of Jacob Wallace courtesy of the Greenville Drive)

Who is Jordan DiValerio? Red Sox pitching prospect walked just 5.1% of the batters he faced with Low-A Salem in 2021

Jordan DiValerio was one of 16 undrafted free agents the Red Sox signed in the wake of the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft.

Two days before officially signing with the club, DiValerio received a phone call and recruiting pitch from Boston ace Chris Sale, which made the decision to put pen to paper that much easier.

“It was definitely really surprising,” DiValerio told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo at the time when describing his conversation with Sale. “It means so much to just be wanted by such a great organization.”

A right-handed senior coming out of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, DiValerio signed with the Sox for $20,000. Due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Nescopeck, Pa. native was unable to make his professional debut in 2020 since the minor-league season had already been cancelled.

Instead, DiValerio got his first taste of pro ball during fall instructs in Fort Myers. He took what he learned there into minor-league camp the following spring and opened the 2021 season with Low-A Salem.

In 31 appearances (one start) for Salem, the righty posted a 5.72 ERA and 4.21 FIP to go along with 72 strikeouts to just 16 walks over 72 1/3 innings of work. The length of his outings ranged from 2/3 of an inning to four full frames.

On the surface, a 5.72 ERA is not exactly an eye-popping statistic. But, in DiValerio’s case, his ERA does not tell the full story when you consider the fact that he also put up a 4.21 FIP and much more respectable 3.95 xFIP.

Among the 35 pitchers who accrued at least 70 innings in the Low-A East last year, DiValerio ranked ninth in FIP, seventh in xFIP, fourth in walks per nine innings (1.99), fourth in walk rate (5.1%), and seventh in swinging strike percentage (14.6%), per FanGraphs. The 24-year-old hurler also yielded a .347 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests he might have been the victim of some bad luck behind him.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, DiValerio throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and operates with a five-pitch mix that consists of an 89-92 mph that tops out at 94 mph, a 77-79 mph curveball, an 80-83 mph changeup and splitter, and an 82-84 mph slider, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Like fellow right-hander Devon Roedahl, DiValerio — who does not turn 25 until October — may not be regarded by any major publication as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. That being said, he is projected by SoxProspects.com to kick off the 2022 season in the bullpen for High-A Greenville.

As is the case with Roedahl, perhaps DiValerio can earn himself a promotion to Double-A Portland before the end of the year.

(Picture of Jordan DiValerio via his Instagram)

Who is Devon Roedahl? Red Sox pitching prospect was named Low-A East Postseason All-Star in 2021, is projected to begin 2022 season at High-A Greenville

The Red Sox selected two prospects out of the University of Houston during the 2019 amateur draft. The first player, first baseman Joe Davis, was drafted in the 19th round while the second player, right-hander Devon Roedahl, was drafted in the 27th round. Both Davis and Roedahl were signed by former area scout Tim Collinsworth.

While Davis has already established himself as somewhat of a folk hero within Boston’s farm system, what Roedahl did last year seems to have slipped under the radar a bit.

As a junior coming out of Houston, Roedahl ultimately signed with Boston for just $25,000 in June 2019. The Beaumont, Texas native made his pro debut in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League and made 16 appearances there to close out the 2019 campaign.

The following spring, Roedahl — like many 2019 draftees — had his first full year in pro ball wiped out from under him when the 2020 minor-league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He did not receive the benefit of an invite to the Sox’ alternate training site; nor did he participate in fall instructs.

On the heels of a lost 2020, Roedahl finally had the chance to embark upon his first full season as a professional last spring. The righty broke minor-league camp with Low-A Salem and spent the entirety of the year there while operating on a fairly consistent schedule.

Across 37 relief appearances out of Salem’s bullpen, Roedahl posted a 2.52 ERA and 3.42 xFIP to go along with 62 strikeouts to just 12 walks over 60 2/3 total innings of work. He also recorded 11 saves.

Although he was admittedly facing younger competition, Roedahl still ranked fifth in walk rate (4.9%) among Low-A East pitchers who accrued at least 60 innings on the mound last year. He also ranked fifth in walks per nine innings (1.78), 18th in strikeout rate (25.5%), ninth in batting average against (.208), sixth in WHIP (0.99), third in ERA, and fourth in xFIP, per FanGraphs.

Because of these numbers, Roedahl was named to the 2021 Low-A East Postseason All-Star team as well as the 2021 SoxProspects.com All-Star team. The 6-2, 225 pounder works with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 91-93 mph fastball, an 83-85 mph splitter, and an 82-85 mph slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Roedahl, who turned 25 in November, is not going to pop up on any Red Sox top prospects lists anytime soon. Still, he is one of several minor-leaguers who can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in their respective careers next winter.

With that being said, Roedahl — who is likely already in Fort Myers for spring training — is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 season in High-A Greenville’s bullpen. Perhaps he can make his way to Double-A Portland by the end of the year.

(Picture of Devon Roedahl via his Instagram)

Could Red Sox lose pitching prospect Durbin Feltman in Rule 5 Draft?

If there is a Rule 5 Draft before the start of the 2022 MLB season, the Red Sox — like all other teams — will be at risk of losing some minor-league players.

After adding the likes of Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Josh Winckowski, and Jeter Downs to their 40-man roster in November, Boston now has 60 minor-leaguers who are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, according to SoxProspects.com.

The major-league phase of the 2021 Rule 5 Draft was scheduled to take place during December’s winter meetings, but was and remains indefinitely postponed as a result of the ongoing lockout.

As of now, there is no guarantee that a Rule 5 Draft will take place before the season starts or there will be a 2022 major-league season to begin with. Under the assumption that a deal gets between MLB and the MLBPA gets done within the next few weeks, FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein wrote on Monday that front offices believe “they will get somewhere in the neighborhood of seven days from the joint presser of an agreement and starting spring training.”

At the time the Red Sox protected the four previously listed prospects from the Rule 5 Drat last fall, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom had mentioned how it was difficult to determine how many players they would be protecting and how many they would wind up exposing.

“We had a few tough calls, and I think some of that is a credit to the depth we built up in the system,” said Bloom. “Any time you add someone or leave someone off, in some sense it’s a calculated gamble. Over time, you learn sometimes the best way to lose a player is to add somebody that you shouldn’t. It might lead to you being in a crunch down the road, experiencing that pain of losing a player in another way, whether it’s that [unprotected] player or someone else.

“Knowing there are other things we want to accomplish this off-season with our 40-man roster and players we’d like to bring in both during the off-season and as we get into next year, wanting to have as much space as possible, that’s something you have to factor into the decisions you make,” he added. “So there were a few that were not easy, but ultimately, this is how we felt most comfortable.”

By adding four prospects to their 40-man roster in November, the Sox brought up the size of their 40-man to 37 players. They then non-tendered outfielder Tim Locastro, signed a trio of veteran pitchers (Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, and James Paxton) to major-league deals, and traded Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers for fellow outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. as well as a pair of prospects.

That flurry of moves increased the size of Boston’s 40-man roster to 39 players right before the lockout commenced on Dec. 2. It remains that way to this day thanks to the work stoppage.

Based off what Goldstein wrote, though, it does appear that the Rule 5 Draft is still on and will be completed before Opening Day — whenever that may be.

With that being said, The Athletic’s Keith Law recently suggested that the Red Sox could lose pitching prospect Durbin Feltman in the Rule 5 Draft if it does indeed happen.

Feltman, who turns 25 in April, was originally selected by Boston in the third round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Texas Christian University. The right-handed reliever opened the 2021 season with Double-A Portland and closed it with Triple-A Worcester.

Between the two levels, Feltman posted a 2.96 ERA and and 3.87 FIP to go along with 62 strikeouts to just 14 walks over 39 appearances spanning 51 2/3 innings of work.

Despite those solid numbers, the 24-year-old was not added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November, thus leaving him eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.

“Feltman had a solid year between Double and Triple A, working more in the low 90s now, topping out at 95 mph instead of the upper 90s he showed in college,” Law wrote of the righty. “He walked just four guys in 24 Triple-A innings to close out the season, and since the Red Sox declined to add him to their 40-man roster, he seems likely to be a Rule 5 pick for someone.”

Given the fact that he was left off the Red Sox’ 40-man roster, it does seem like the club is relatively low on Feltman at this point. This is reflected by him not receiving an invite to the team’s Winter Warm-Up program in Fort Myers last month and that he has fallen down to No. 48 in SoxProspects.com’s prospect rankings.

“He was trending down based on looks and reports last season and he was in danger of this kind of drop in the spring if his stuff was the same,” SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield tweeted on January 24. “When he wasn’t invited to the Winter Warm-Up, comparing to those who were, that was sort of telling.”

Coming out of TCU, Feltman had the projection of a high-leverage reliever who could work his way through the minors quickly. After four years in pro ball, it now appears that the Texas-born hurler has the ceiling of a middle reliever at the big-league level.

As SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall wrote last year, “middle relievers like [Feltman] are often left unprotected.” The Red Sox must have felt this way, but could another team be willing to poach Feltman away from Boston if they felt he had some untapped potential?

Only time will tell.

(Picture of Durbin Feltman: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

Red Sox pitching prospect Chase Shugart ‘had a lot of success in Puerto Rico’ this winter, Brian Abraham says; ‘It was a really good experience for him’

Chase Shugart was one of several Red Sox minor-leaguers who spent part of their off-season playing winter ball outside of the United States.

Suiting up for Indios de Mayaguez of the Puerto Rican Winter League, Shugart posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with nine strikeouts to two walks over five relief appearances spanning 6 1/3 innings of work during the regular season.

In the postseason, Shugart’s star shined even brighter. The right-handed pitching prospect allowed a total of one run on five hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts across six outings (6 1/3 innings pitched) out of the bullpen for Mayaguez. That’s good for an ERA of 1.42.

Prior to making the trek to Puerto Rico in December, Shugart had only been used as a starter since being drafted by the Red Sox in the 12th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of the University of Texas.

Last season alone, the 25-year-old pitched to the tune of a 4.78 ERA and 4.34 FIP to go along with 93 strikeouts to 24 walks over 22 starts (105 1/3 innings) for High-A Greenville.

Upon returning from Puerto Rico earlier this month, Shugart was one of 28 Red Sox minor-leaguers to receive an invite to the team’s weeklong Winter Warm-Up minicamp in Fort Myers.

That minicamp commenced at the Fenway South complex on Monday, and it also gave reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) an opportunity to speak with Sox director of player development Brian Abraham.

When asked about the long-term role of certain pitchers in the organization such as Shugart, Abraham seemed to indicate that Boston will attempt to maintain as much flexibility as they can moving forward.

“I think there’s still an opportunity to start, but I think ultimately we see him more as a bulk reliever type role,” Abraham said of Shugart. “He had a lot of success in Puerto Rico in the short amount of time he had down there. It was a really good experience for him based on the conversations we had with him today.”

Shugart, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 198 pounds, is a four-pitch pitcher who operates with a fastball that hovers around 93-95 mph and tops out at 97 mph, a 74-80 mph curveball, an 81-84 mph slider, and an 84-87 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

While he may have only been used as a starter to this point in his professional career, Shugart does have experience in the bullpen that goes beyond what he did in Puerto Rico.

To begin his career at Texas, the Bridge City native pitched out of the bullpen during both his freshman and sophomore seasons before moving to the Longhorns’ starting rotation in 2018.

As Abraham alluded to in his conversation with the media on Monday, the Red Sox value relievers who can provide the club with multiple innings out of the bullpen when needed.

Given his history as a starting pitcher, Shugart could potentially fit that mold if he is going to become a reliever on a full-time basis. With that being said, Shugart is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 minor-league season in Double-A Portland’s bullpen.

(Picture of Chase Shugart via his Instagram)

Red Sox’ Brayan Bello recognized by MLB Pipeline as top international prospect in Boston’s farm system

With the 2021-2022 international signing window officially opening this weekend, MLB Pipeline recently identified each team’s top international prospect across Major League Baseball.

For the Red Sox, that was none other than pitching prospect Brayan Bello, who signed with Boston out of the Dominican Republic for just $28,000 back in July 2017.

Then just 18 years old, Bello has since emerged as one of the premier young hurlers in the Sox’ farm system at the age of 22.

This past season, the right-hander began the year in the starting rotation High-A Greenville and quickly made strides there. He posted a 2.27 ERA and 2.82 FIP to go along with 45 strikeouts to seven walks over six starts (31 2/3 innings pitched) for the Drive before earning a promotion to Double-A Portland in early June.

With the Sea Dogs, Bello picked up where he left off by pitching to the tune of a 4.66 ERA — but much more respectable 3.12 FIP — with 87 strikeouts and 24 walks across 15 starts spanning 63 2/3 innings of work.

During his run in Portland, Bello was selected to represent the Red Sox in the All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field alongside infielder Jeter Downs. He allowed one run on one hit while recording the final two outs of the third inning of that contest on July 11.

At the conclusion of the 2021 minor-league season, Bello was recognized by the Sox and was named the organization’s starting pitcher of the year. The fiery righty was subsequently added to the club’s 40-man roster in November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Bello operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s four-seam fastball that touches 98 mph, a changeup, and a slider. He is also in the midst of developing a two-seamer, according to Baseball America.

In terms of prospect ranks, Bello is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks tops among pitchers in the organization. The Samana native is also ranked by MLB Pipeline as the top pitching prospect the Red Sox have in the fold.

Bello, who turns 23 in May, is presently projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the upcoming 2022 campaign with Portland. That being said, an early promotion to Triple-A Worcester certainly seems possible depending on the kind of start he gets off to in the spring.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Cesar Ruiz could be primed for breakout in 2022

Baseball America’s Ben Badler recently identified Red Sox pitching prospect Cesar Ruiz as a potential breakout candidate for 2022 among pitchers who spent the 2021 season in the Dominican Summer League and “are under the radar now but could make bigger names for themselves next year.”

Ruiz, 18, originally signed with Boston for $200,000 out of Venezuela in July 2019. After the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the young right-hander got his first taste of pro ball this summer.

In eight starts for the Red Sox Red DSL affiliate, Ruiz posted a 4.50 ERA and 4.14 FIP to go along with 17 strikeouts to 11 walks over 20 total innings of work. He held opposing hitters to a .197 batting average against, but did so while putting up an 18.9% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate.

While those numbers may not be all that eye-popping, Badler notes that despite his lower profile, Ruiz — who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds — is still filling out and has even more room to grow in 2022.

“Signed in 2019 touching 88 mph, Ruiz touched 90 mph later that year after signing, then this year was sitting 89-93 mph and touched 95 mph as an 18-year-old,” Badler wrote on Monday. “Ruiz has good arm action, a relatively smooth delivery and has more strength projection left in his 6-foot-3 frame, so there’s a chance he could still add more velocity. He has added more power to his breaking ball since signing, showing feel to spin a pitch with average or better upside.”

Back in September, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall echoed the same sort of sentiment, writing that Ruiz “showed some of the best present stuff of any arm on the DSL Red Sox while still possessing plenty of projection.

“His delivery is on the stiff side, but his fastball already gets up to 93 mph and sits 89-92 mph,” added Cundall. “He also throws a slider at 81-83 mph and changeup at 80-83 mph.” 

Since he was used in relatively short bursts in the Dominican this year, Ruiz is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 minor-league campaign in the bullpen for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox.

The Red Sox, as noted by Badler, have had recent success when it comes to scouting and signing pitchers from Venezuela, with right-handers Jedixson Paez, Alvaro Mejias, Luis Perales, and Wilkelman Gonzalez standing out among the rest.

Perhaps Ruiz will join this promising group of Venezuelan-born hurlers and establish himself even more beginning in the spring.

(Picture of Cesar Ruiz via his Instagram)

Red Sox pitching prospect Thaddeus Ward plays catch for first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery

Red Sox pitching prospect Thaddeus Ward posted a video on social media of himself playing catch on Wednesday, marking the first time he has done so since undergoing Tommy John surgery.

https://twitter.com/TWard_12/status/1455891775718051847?s=20

Ward, 24, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking seventh among pitchers in the organization.

The right-hander was originally selected by the Sox in the fifth round of the 2018 amateur draft out of the University of Central Florida and had opened the 2021 minor-league season with Double-A Portland.

Just two starts and eight innings into his tenure with the Sea Dogs, however, it was revealed that Ward would require Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow after he suffered a forearm strain in mid-May. The procedure was later performed by Dr. James Andrews in Florida in early June, thus ending the righty’s year prematurely.

Fast forward six months later, though, and it appears that Ward is on the right track towards a full recovery. While it’s likely that he won’t pitch in a game again until late 2022 at the earliest, the Red Sox will still have an interesting decision to make regarding Ward’s status in the coming weeks.

Major-league clubs have until November 19 to add eligible minor-leaguers to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, which is slated to take place during the winter meetings in December.

Along with the likes of Jeter Downs, Brayan Bello, and Gilberto Jimenez, Ward is one of several top Red Sox prospects who could become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if they are not added to Boston’s 40-man roster later this month.

A native of Fort Myers, Fla., the 6-foot-3, 192 pound hurler is certainly an interesting candidate to be added. In his first full professional season in 2019, he posted a 2.14 ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio of 157:57 over 25 starts spanning 126 1/3 innings pitched between Low-A Greenville and High-A Salem.

This past spring, he put up a 5.63 ERA and 2.64 FIP to go along with 11 strikeouts to five walks in his two outings for Portland prior to getting injured.

With that being said, there would be some caveats to adding Ward on account of the fact that he is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, which can take anywhere between 12-18 months to heal from.

Put another way, if the Red Sox were to add Ward to their 40-man roster before the Nov. 19 deadline, he would essentially be taking up a spot on their roster going into next season. Boston could place Ward, who turns 25 in January, on the 60-day injured list to temporarily clear a roster spot, but would subsequently be starting his service time clock as a result of doing so.

If Ward were to be left unprotected heading into next month’s Rule 5 Draft, other clubs would have the chance to select him. Any team that picks him up, though, would then ordinarily be tasked with carrying him on their active roster for a minimum of 90 days.

Since that would be unlikely to execute in Ward’s case, his new club would presumably place him on the 60-day injured list for the entirety of the 2022 campaign before being subject to the same set of rules in 2023.

Those rules being that once healthy, Ward will have to remain on his new team’s 26-man roster for the entire 2023 season or otherwise be offered back to the Red Sox.

It’s a fascinating situation, and one that can definitely be classified as unique and maybe even somewhat confusing. That said, all signs seem to point to the Red Sox not adding Ward to their 40-man roster by the Nov. 19 deadline and thus exposing him to this winter’s Rule 5 Draft.

(Picture of Thaddeus Ward: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

New Podding the Red Sox episode: Red Sox pitching prospect Brandon Walter joins the show

On this week’s installment of Podding the Red Sox: A BloggingtheRedSox.com Podcast, I am joined by Red Sox pitching prospect Brandon Walter.

Walter, 25, was originally selected by Boston in the 26th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware.

A native of Delaware himself, the left-hander is a few weeks removed from a breakout 2021 season in which he enjoyed much success with Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville.

All told, Walter posted a 2.92 ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio of 132:20 over 25 appearances (14 starts) spanning 81 1/3 innings pitched between the two levels this season.

Among the topics Brandon and I discussed are what he attributes to his stellar 2021 campaign, what he did during the COVID-19 layoff last year, how he has changed as a pitcher since undergoing Tommy John surgery in college, what his draft experience was like coming out of the University of Delaware in 2019, how he has exceeded expectations as a 26th-round selection, what his plans for the offseason look like, where he would like to begin the 2022 season, and much more!

The episode is available to listen to on iTunes and Spotify, among other platforms.

Thank you to Brandon for taking some time out of his Monday to have a conversation with yours truly. You can follow Brandon on Twitter (@b_walt_) by clicking here and on Instagram (@b_walt_) by clicking here.

Thank you for listening and we will see you next time! Please make sure to subscribe and leave a five-star review if you can!

(Picture of Brandon Walter courtesy of the Greenville Drive)