Tag: pitching prospects

How did former Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz fare in first season with Yankees organization?

With the Red Sox and Yankees set to square off in a best-of-three Wild Card series in the Bronx beginning Tuesday night, it feels like an appropriate time to revisit the noteworthy trade the two clubs made at the Winter Meetings last December.

Just hours after pulling off a blockbuster five-player trade with the White Sox for All-Star ace Garrett Crochet on December 11, the Red Sox acquired rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz.

In a rare swap between division rivals, Boston obtained a 26-year-old backstop who has since emerged as the club’s top catching option and one of the best defenders at his position. New York, on the other hand, obtained a young pitcher who just now appears to be tapping into his potential.

A former fourth-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2021 out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez-Cruz reached High-A Greenville last season before being dealt to the Yankees a little more than nine months ago. The 22-year-old right-hander began opening eyes in spring training and broke camp with High-A Hudson Valley in early April.

In 15 appearances (14 starts) for the Renegades, Rodriguez-Cruz posted a 2.26 ERA (2.58 FIP) with 99 strikeouts to 37 walks over 83 2/3 innings in which he held opponents to a .174 batting average. He was rewarded with a promotion to Double-A Somerset shortly before the MLB All-Star break in July and — even after struggling in his debut at the level — produced a 2.64 ERA (2.28 FIP) with 74 strikeouts to 20 walks over 11 starts (61 1/3 innings) for the Patriots in which opposing hitters batted .198 against him.

Following the conclusion of the Double-A season, the Yankees moved Rodriguez up another level so that he could end the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The righty started the RailRiders’ penultimate game of the regular season on September 20, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, no walks, and three strikeouts over five innings. He took the mound again in the deciding Game 3 of the International League championship series last Thursday and was saddled with the loss after surrendering five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Despite how it ended, 2025 was nonetheless a standout year for Rodriguez-Cruz. Between three minor-league levels, he finished the regular season having forged a 2.58 ERA (2.47 FIP) with 176 strikeouts to 57 walks across 27 total outings (26 starts) spanning exactly 150 innings pitched. Among the 288 minor-leaguers who threw at least 100 innings this season, he ranked third in FIP, fifth in xFIP (2.81), seventh in groundball rate (54.5 percent), 13th in batting average against (.192), 17th in ERA, 19th in strikeout rate (29 percent), 25th in WHIP (1.07), 30th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.56), and 39th in swinging-strike rate (13.8 percent), per FanGraphs.

In the days since his season drew to a close, Rodriguez-Cruz has already been recognized by Baseball America as a High-A All-Star, a First Team Minor League All-Star, and the Yankees’ 2025 Minor League Player of the Year. The 6-foot-3 hurler is currently ranked by the publication as the No. 5 prospect in New York’s farm system and the No. 99 prospect in the sport. What helped him gain traction this year is an already-diverse pitch mix that now consists of a mid-90s sinker that has reached 98 mph, a four-seam fastball, a sweeper, a curveball, a splitter, and a gyro slider.

Rodriguez-Cruz, who does not turn 23 until next August, is in line to be added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection purposes this winter. If that does indeed happen, Rodriguez-Cruz could very well put himself in position to debut at the big-league level at some point in 2026.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: Madison McCall/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)

Who is Jesus Travieso? Red Sox pitching prospect posted 3.06 ERA, 31.8 K% in 2025

Red Sox pitching prospect Jesus Travieso entered 2025 as a relative unknown.

Signed for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2024, Travieso made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June, pitching to a 3.80 ERA (3.13 FIP) with 27 strikeouts to 10 walks in 11 starts (21 1/3 innings) in which opposing hitters batted .238 against him.

With only 21 1/3 professional innings under his belt, Travieso came into the 2025 season without much pomp and circumstance. The 18-year-old right-hander arrived stateside for his domestic debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League but struggled out of the gate, surrendering nine earned runs in his first three starts (seven innings) with the FCL Red Sox through May 19.

The following week, Travieso worked out of the bullpen for the first time as a pro and notched the first save of his young career with three scoreless frames against the FCL Braves. Including that outing, he forged a 0.84 ERA with 40 strikeouts to 18 walks over his next nine appearances (seven starts) spanning 32 innings in which opponents batted .147 against him. He was then rewarded with a promotion to Low-A Salem shortly after the FCL season ended in late July.

Carrying with him a 2.77 ERA through his first 12 outings (10 starts) of the year, Travieso was roughed up for four earned runs over 2 1/3 innings in his Low-A debut on July 27. The righty fared far better from there, though, as he finished the season by putting up a 2.31 ERA with 36 strikeouts to 10 walks in his final six appearances (five starts) and 23 1/3 innings for Salem. Opposing hitters did, however, bat .253 against him in that span.

Overall, Travieso posted a 3.06 ERA (3.15 FIP) with 90 strikeouts to 36 walks across 19 outings (16 starts) spanning 64 2/3 total innings between the FCL and Salem in 2025. Among 34 Red Sox minor-leaguers who threw at least 60 innings this year, Travieso ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.53) and swinging-strike rate (17.5 percent), third in strikeout rate (31.8 percent), sixth in FIP and xFIP (3.16), 10th in ERA, and 17th in batting average against (.236), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 140 pounds and equipped with a live arm, Travieso does not get much extension but still reached 99 mph with his upper-90s fastball this season. Throwing from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporating a high leg kick into his delivery, the projectable hurler also features an 82-86 mph slider and a changeup, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Travieso, who does not turn 19 until next March, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as Boston’s No. 38 prospect, which ranks 22nd among pitchers in the organization. He is projected by the site to return to Salem for the start of the 2026 season and will undoubtedly be an intriguing high-upside arm to follow.

(Picture of Jesus Travieso: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect, top international signing Sadbiel Delzine fare in professional debut?

Red Sox pitching prospect Sadbiel Delzine missed most of his first professional season due to injury. When on the mound, though, the young right-hander showed flashes of intriguing potential.

As an amateur coming out of Venezuela, Delzine stood out thanks in part to his physical upside, power, and pitchability. Given those traits, the San Felix native drew a great deal of interest from teams — including the Red Sox — leading up to the start of the 2025 international signing period in January.

After celebrating his 17th birthday on January 9, Delzine officially signed with Boston for $500,000 on January 15. Not only did he receive the highest signing bonus of any Venezuelan pitcher in the 2025 international class, but that $500,000 also represents the most the Red Sox have doled out for an international pitcher since they landed Chih-Jung Liu out of Taiwan for $750,000 in October 2019.

Roughly five months after putting pen to paper, Delzine made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League on June 3. He made three starts for DSL Red Sox Blue over the course of the next two weeks, posting a 4.82 ERA (2.75 FIP) with nine strikeouts to one walk across 9 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .297 against him.

In the weeks following his June 17 outing against DSL Astros Blue (in which he pitched into the fourth inning for the first time as a pro), it was revealed that Delzine had been dealing with right flexor soreness. That ailment led to him being shut down for the remainder of the regular season, though he did return in time to make one playoff start that saw him allow one earned run on one hit, two walks, and one strikeout in his lone inning of work against DSL Athletics on August 26.

The overall body of work is obviously small, but Delzine was one of 31 Red Sox minor-leaguers to throw at least nine regular-season innings in the Dominican Summer League this year. Among those 31, he notably ranked first in groundball rate (64.3 percent), walk rate (2.6 percent), swinging-strike rate (30.8 percent), FIP, and xFIP (3.26), seventh in strikeout rate (23.1 percent), and 10th in WHIP (1.29), per FanGraphs.

“If he’d qualified, Delzine would be right there with Kendry Chourio and Kevin Defrank in the conversation for the best pitching prospect in the DSL,” Baseball America’s Josh Norris wrote on Tuesday. “Alas, an injury limited him to just 9 1/3 innings in the regular season before he re-emerged during postseason play.”

Already, Delzine is listed at 6-foot-5 and 198 pounds, though he is likely even bigger. The imposing righty primarily operates with an upper-90s mph fastball that has reached 96 mph. He also features a mid-80s gyro slider, a low-80s curveball, a mid-80s changeup, and an upper-80s cutter.

“At his best, Delzine showed a loose arm and a projectable body already capable of generating upper-90s velocity with his fastball,” Norris continued. “He backed it with a nasty curveball in the 79-84 mph range and a slider that came in a few ticks hotter. The heat was there when he returned to the mound, but the command of his pitches and synchronization of his body was a bit off-kilter.”

Delzine is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 25 prospect, which ranks 12th among pitchers in the organization. Barring a trade or other surprise move by the Red Sox this winter, he will likely begin his age-18 season by making his stateside debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League next summer.

(Picture of Sadbiel Delzine via his Instagram)

Red Sox’ Yhoiker Fajardo named Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for August

Red Sox pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for August, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Fajardo dominated Carolina League hitters to the tune of a 1.14 ERA (1.67 FIP) with 36 strikeouts to eight walks in six starts (23 2/3 innings) for Low-A Salem last month. Opponents batted just .159 against the 18-year-old right-hander, who was recognized as the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on two separate occasions.

In 12 starts for Salem this season, Fajardo has forged a 2.79 ERA (2.43 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 16 walks over 48 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .230 against him. That comes after he posted a 0.44 ERA (2.41 FIP) with 24 strikeouts to seven walks in six outings (four starts) spanning 20 2/3 innings for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox to open the 2025 campaign before being promoted on June 17.

Among the 107 pitchers who entered play Thursday having thrown at least 45 innings in the Carolina League this year, Fajardo ranked second in FIP, fourth in swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), sixth in line-drive rate (16.1 percent), 11th in xFIP (3.08), 14th in groundball rate (51.6 percent), 17th in strikeout rate (26.9 percent), 23rd in ERA, 25th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.87) and walks per nine innings (2.98), 26th in walk rate (8.1 percent) and WHIP (1.18), and 53rd in batting average against, per FanGraphs.

Fajardo has been nothing short of a revelation this season after being acquired from the White Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser last December. The native Venezuelan had originally signed with Chicago for $400,000 as an international free agent in February 2024 and was fresh off earning Dominican Summer League All-Star honors in his professional debut. He is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 22 prospect (12th among pitchers), while MLB Pipeline has him at No. 25 (14th among pitchers) and SoxProspects.com has him at No. 18 (11th among pitchers), respectively.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, Fajardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young righty features a 93-95 mph fastball that can reach 96-97 mph depending on what variation (two-seam or four-seam) he throws, a tight 82-85 mph slider, and an 85-88 mph kick changeup.

Fajardo, who turns 19 in October, was also named SoxProspects.com’s Pitcher of the Month and the Red Sox’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August in recent days. He is slated to make one more start for Salem in the back half of its series against Fayetteville this weekend before the 2025 Carolina League regular season draws to a close on Sunday.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Yhoiker Fajardo named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for second time this season

Red Sox pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 18-24, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Fajardo takes home the honor for the second time this season, having previously done so for the week of July 28-August 3. The 18-year-old right-hander made two starts and tossed seven scoreless innings in Low-A Salem’s series against the Carolina Mudcats at Carilion Clinic Field this past week.

After retiring the first three batters he faced on Thursday, Fajardo’s outing was interrupted by rain, and the contest was ultimately suspended in the middle of the first. That allowed him to retake the mound on Sunday afternoon, and he responded by yielding just two hits and no walks while striking out eight over six dominant innings in Salem’s 3-2 victory.

Fajardo fanned the first five batters he faced and took a no-hit bid into the top of the sixth before giving up back-to-back one-out singles. The hard-throwing righty escaped that jam by inducing a groundout and flyout to keep Carolina off the board and end his day on a high note. He threw 74 pitches (55 strikes) and generated 16 whiffs, tied for the most of any pitcher at the Low-A level on Sunday, according to Baseball Savant.

In 11 starts for Salem since being promoted from the rookie-level Florida Complex League (where he forged a 0.44 ERA in 20 2/3 innings) on June 17, Fajardo has posted a 2.84 ERA (2.49 FIP) with 46 strikeouts to 14 walks over 44 1/3 frames in which opposing hitters have batted .217 against him. That includes a 0.92 ERA (1.67 FIP) with 29 strikeouts to six walks across 19 2/3 innings in August.

Among 126 pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings in the Carolina League this season, Fajardo ranks third in FIP and swinging-strike rate (16.7 percent), fifth in line-drive rate (15.8 percent), 11th in xFIP (3.14), 16th in WHIP (1.11) and groundball rate (52.6 percent), 24th in ERA, 25th in walks per nine innings (2.84), 28th in strikeout rate (25.8 percent) and walk rate (7.9 percent), 42nd in batting average against, and 50th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.34), per FanGraphs.

Hailing from Venezuela, Fajardo originally signed with the White Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent in February 2024. The Villa de Cura native made the most of his professional debut and was recognized as a Dominican Summer League All-Star last year before being acquired by the Red Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser in December. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 22 prospect, which ranks 11th among pitchers in the organization. Elsewhere, MLB Pipeline has him at No. 25 while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 18 on their respective lists.

Listed at a projectable 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, Fajardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young hurler features a 93-96 mph two-/four-seam fastball combination that can reach 97 mph and also mixes in a tight 82-86 mph slider as well as an 85-88 mph changeup.

Fajardo, who does not turn 19 until October, is in line to make one or two more starts before Salem’s season ends on September 7. With that being said, it will be interesting to see if he could receive another promotion to aid in High-A Greenville’s quest for a playoff spot. As of this writing, the Drive are one game back of second-half leading Hub City for first place in the South Atlantic League South division standings.

(Picture of Yhoiker Fajardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox LHP prospect Brandon Clarke ‘unlikely to pitch again this year’ due to recurrence of blisters

Red Sox pitching prospect Brandon Clarke was placed on High-A Greenville’s 7-day injured list on Friday due to a recurrence of blisters and is unlikely to pitch again this year as a result, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Clarke is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 7 prospect, which ranks fourth among pitchers in the organization. The 22-year-old left-hander was selected in the fifth round (148th overall) of last summer’s draft out of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. He forwent his commitment to transfer to South Carolina by signing with the Red Sox for an under-slot $400,000, but did not make his professional debut until April.

On the heels of an impressive spring training, Clarke broke camp with Low-A Salem and dominated Carolina League hitters to the tune of a 0.93 ERA (0.94 FIP) with 17 strikeouts to two walks in three starts (9 2/3 innings) to open the season. He received a promotion to Greenville in late April and produced solid results through the end of May, resulting in his vaulting into the back end of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list. After tossing 4 1/3 scoreless frames against Bowling Green on May 24, however, he missed the next month-plus due to a blister caused by a hangnail.

Upon returning to the mound on June 26, Clarke struggled to a 7.71 ERA (5.42 FIP) in seven starts (14 innings) before being placed on Greenville’s injured list. Overall, he has posted a 5.08 ERA (4.20 FIP) with 43 strikeouts to 25 walks across 11 outings (28 1/3 innings) for the Drive. Opposing South Atlantic League hitters have batted .150 against him.

If Clarke is indeed done for the year, he will wrap up his first pro season having forged a 4.03 ERA (3.37 FIP) with 60 strikeouts to 27 walks in 14 starts (38 innings) between Salem and Greenville. That translates to a 34.5 percent strikeout rate, a 15.5 percent walk rate for the 6-foot-4, 220-pound southpaw, who regularly reached 98-99 mph with his upper-90s fastball while incorporating an 87-90 mph slider, 81-85 mph sweeper, and an 87-89 mph changeup into his arsenal.

(Picture of Brandon Clarke: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospects Connelly Early, David Sandlin to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospects Connelly Early and David Sandlin from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Early, 23, and Sandlin, 24, are currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s Nos. 11 and 12 prospects, which rank sixth and seventh among pitchers in the organization, respectively. Both hurlers are moving up a level after first arriving in Portland a little over a year ago and putting together encouraging starts to their 2025 seasons.

Early, a left-hander, posted a 2.51 ERA (2.59 FIP) with a staff-leading 96 strikeouts to 29 walks over 15 appearances (12 starts) spanning 71 2/3 innings in which he held opponents to a .202 batting average. Sandlin, a right-hander, forged a 3.61 ERA (3.29 FIP) with 86 strikeouts to 27 walks across 17 outings (13 starts) spanning a staff-leading 82 1/3 innings in which opponents batted .227 against him.

Among 24 pitchers who have thrown at least 70 innings in the Eastern League this year, Early ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.06), strikeout rate (32.3 percent), swinging-strike rate (14.9 percent), FIP, and xFIP (2.90), third in batting average against, groundball rate (49.7 percent), and ERA, and sixth in WHIP (1.13). Sandlin, meanwhile, ranks fifth in FIP, sixth in xFIP (3.50), seventh in strikeout rate (25.4 percent), eighth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.40), ninth in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent) and WHIP (1.18), 10th in batting average against and ERA, 11th in walks per nine innings (2.95), and 12th in walk rate (8 percent), per FanGraphs.

Early was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2023 draft out of Virginia (by way of Army) and received a $408,500 signing bonus. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound southpaw features a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 82-85 mph changeup, an 80-83 mph sweeper, an 84-87 mph slider, and a 77-80 mph curveball, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Sandlin was acquired from the Royals for reliever John Schreiber last February after originally being selected by Kansas City in the 11th round (325th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Oklahoma (by way of Eastern Oklahoma State). As highlighted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty operates with a 94-97 mph fastball that can reach 99-100 mph, a 90-93 mph slider, an 85-88 mph sweeper, an 88-91 mph splitter, and a 77-81 mph curveball.

Unlike Early, Sandlin can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. That could make him an intriguing trade candidate in the coming days if the Red Sox elect to deal from their pool of Rule 5-eligible prospects in an effort to improve the big-league club like they did last summer.

Barring a move involving either before Thursday’s trade deadline, though, Early and Sandlin are slated to join a starting rotation mix in Worcester that currently includes the likes of Cooper Criswell and Kyle Harrison (who are both on the 40-man roster) as well as Isaac Coffey, Robert Stock, and Tyler Uberstine. The WooSox open a six-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park on Tuesday.

(Picture of Connelly Early: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Austin Ehrlicher to High-A Greenville

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

Ehrlicher enjoyed a strong start to his 2025 season in Salem. The 22-year-old right-hander posted a 3.22 ERA (2.96 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 25 walks over 15 outings (eight starts) spanning 44 2/3 innings in which he held opponents to a .195 batting average. He struck out seven across four scoreless, two-hit frames against Augusta in his last appearance before the All-Star break on July 11.

Among the 87 pitchers who came into play Tuesday having thrown at least 40 innings in the Carolina League this year, Ehrlicher ranked seventh in strikeout rate (28.8 percent), ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.68) and FIP, 15th in batting average against (.195), 19th in swinging-strike rate (13.6 percent), 24th in ERA, 27th in WHIP (1.23), and 29th in xFIP (3.56), per FanGraphs.

Ehrlicher was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round (549th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Santa Rosa Junior College. As a draft-and-follow pick, the California native remained in school for another year and then forwent his commitment to transfer to Arizona State by signing with Boston for $200,000 in June 2023. At that time, he was working his way back from an elbow injury, which delayed his professional debut until last April. He appeared in two games out of the bullpen for Salem before ultimately being shut down for the remainder of the 2024 campaign due to shoulder inflammation.

Now healthy, Ehrlicher has been rewarded with a new challenge in the form of a promotion to Greenville. A former two-sport athlete who also played basketball at Santa Rosa, the 6-foot-5, 185-pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball, an 83-86 mph sweeper, and an 89-90 mph changeup, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Ehrlicher, who just turned 22 last month, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top prospects by publications such as SoxProspects.com, which describes him as a “high variance arm with several key traits including standout athleticism, projectability, and feel for spin.” He is slated to join a Greenville pitching staff that already includes fellow righties Blake Aita, Jonathan Brand, Darvin Garcia, John Holobetz, Danny Kirwin, Matt McShane, Adam Smith, and Isaac Stebens.

(Picture of Austin Ehrlicher: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Cooper Adams to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Cooper Adams from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Adams, who turned 25 last month, is not regarded among the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system but is nonetheless having an interesting year. The right-hander appeared in 21 games (made one start) for Greenville to begin his second season in the organization and posted a 3.95 ERA (2.99 FIP) with 55 strikeouts to 20 walks over 43 1/3 innings in which opponents batted .256 against him.

In his last 11 outings dating back to May 28, Adams has pitched to a 1.89 ERA (2.53 FIP) with 21 strikeouts to eight walks across 19 innings in which he has held opponents to a .219 average. Overall, right-handed hitters are batting .263 against him, while left-handed hitters are batting .250 against him.

Among 67 pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings in the South Atlantic League this year, Adams most notably ranks fifth in swinging-strike rate (15.9 percent), 12th in FIP, 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.42), 15th in strikeout rate (29.3 percent), and 21st in xFIP (3.48), per FanGraphs.

After going undrafted out of Mount St. Mary’s University as a fifth-year senior in 2023, Adams worked to add velocity to his repertoire through strength training and mechanical changes at Tread Athletics in North Carolina. The Maryland native later threw for interested teams at the facility’s annual pro day weekend and ultimately signed with the Red Sox last February.

From there, Adams spent the entirety of his first professional season at Greenville, where he forged a 5.08 ERA (5.48 FIP) over 26 appearances (six starts) spanning 79 2/3 innings. He also pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League to close out an eventful 2024, which he described to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith earlier this spring as “a big development year.”

“And I credit all the guys with the Red Sox,” said Adams, who shouted out then-development coach (and now Low-A Salem’s pitching coach) Alex Reynolds as well as longtime Greenville pitching coach Bob Kipper. “That led me to go to the offseason and go, ‘OK, I’m gonna work on getting my pitches more consistent, getting the shapes of my pitches consistent. And then being able to throw them in locations and throw strikes.”

Adams carried over that momentum from the offseason into Fort Myers and earned a spot on the Red Sox’ 2025 Spring Breakout roster. He retired two of the four batters he faced in the fourth inning of a 7-5 loss to the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park on March 13.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Adams throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium leg kick into his delivery. The righty now sits 94-95 mph and can reach velocities north of 97 mph with his fastball. He has also featured a 92-94 mph sinker, an 86-91 mph cut-slider, an 83-85 mph curveball, and an 86-88 mph changeup, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

With his promotion to Portland, Adams is slated to join a Sea Dogs bullpen that already includes the likes of Jeremy Wu-Yelland, Noah Song, Yovanny Cruz, and Jack Anderson, among others.

(Picture of Cooper Adams: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Connelly Early named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

For the second time in as many weeks, a Red Sox pitching prospect has been recognized as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

After right-hander David Sandlin took home the honor last week, left-hander Connelly Early was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 23-29 on Monday, Minor League Baseball announced.

Early was stellar for Double-A Portland and was credited with the win in Sunday’s series finale on the road against Binghamton. The 23-year-old lefty walked three and struck out seven over six scoreless, no-hit innings. He retired 17 of the 20 batters he faced, throwing 82 pitches (56 strikes) and generating 12 whiffs as the Sea Dogs defeated the Rumble Ponies by a final score of 3-1 at Mirabito Stadium.

In 12 outings (nine starts) for Portland to this point in the season, Early has posted a 1.94 ERA (2.20 FIP) with a staff-leading 81 strikeouts to 24 walks over 55 2/3 innings in which opponents have batted just .189 against him. That includes a .141 batting average against left-handed hitters and a .212 batting average against right-handed hitters.

Among 29 pitchers in the Eastern League who have thrown at least 55 innings this year, Early ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (13.10), strikeout rate (35.4 percent), swinging-strike rate (15.2 percent), batting average against, FIP, xFIP (2.77), groundball rate (52.7 percent), and line-drive rate (14.3 percent), third in ERA, and seventh in WHIP (1.10), per FanGraphs.

Early, who turned 23 in April, is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 10 prospect, which ranks fifth among pitchers in the organization. The Midlothian, Va. native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (151st overall) in the 2023 draft out of Virginia by way of Army West Point. He received an at-slot $408,500 signing bonus and has only seen his stock rise since entering the professional ranks..

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Early throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his repeatable delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the athletic southpaw primarily operates with a four- to five-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph fastball (topped out at 96.6 mph on Sunday), an 82-85 mph changeup, an 80-83 mph sweeper, an 84-87 mph slider, and a 77-80 mph curveball.

As is the case with Sandlin, Early, too, is seemingly on the verge of a promotion to Triple-A Worcester. Both hurlers simultaneously made the jump to Portland after the MLB All-Star break last July, so it will be interesting to see if that pattern repeats itself in the coming weeks.

(Picture of Connelly Early: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)