Tag: pitching prospects

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Dalton Rogers to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Dalton Rogers from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Rogers had spent parts of the last three seasons with Greenville since initially being elevated from Low-A Salem in May 2023, so one could say this was a well-earned promotion. To open the 2025 campaign, the 24-year-old left-hander posted a 1.31 ERA (3.21 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 10 walks in five outings (one start) spanning 20 2/3 innings for the Drive. Opposing hitters batted just .173 against him.

Among the 55 South Atlantic League pitchers who entered Tuesday having thrown at least 20 innings thus far in 2025, Rogers ranked second in groundball rate (56.5 percent), third in ERA, fourth in line-drive rate (10.9 percent), 10th in strikeout rate (32.6 percent) and batting average against, 12th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.19) and swinging-strike rate (15 percent), 13th in xFIP (3.45), 16th in FIP, and 20th in WHIP (1.11), per FanGraphs.

Rogers was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (99th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Southern Mississippi. The Flowood, Miss. native received an under-slot $447,500 signing bonus that July and made his professional debut shortly thereafter. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 58 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 32nd among pitchers in the organization.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, Rogers throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the diminutive lefty operates with a five-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that has reached 96 mph this season, an 87-89 mph cutter, an 85-87 mph changeup, an 82-85 mph slider, and a 72-75 mph curveball.

Rogers, who does not turn 25 until next January, will join fellow recently-promoted southpaw Jeremy Wu-Yelland in an otherwise right-handed heavy Portland bullpen. Like Wu-Yelland, Rogers can become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. How he fares in his first test against upper-minors hitting could go a long way in determining his status within the organization moving forward.

In addition to promoting Rogers to Portland, the Red Sox elevated right-handers Alex Hoppe and Wyatt Olds to Triple-A Worcester ahead of the WooSox’ series opener on the road against the Buffalo Bisons.

(Picture of Dalton Rogers: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Former Red Sox prospect Gilberto Batista (part of Danny Jansen trade) named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week

Former Red Sox prospect Gilberto Batista has been named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 5-11, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

One of three prospects traded to the Blue Jays for veteran catcher Danny Jansen last July, Batista was excellent in his latest start for Low-A Dunedin on Saturday. The young right-hander earned the win on the road against Fort Myers, scattering four hits and one walk while striking out a career-high of nine over five scoreless innings.

Retiring 13 of the 18 batters he faced on the night, Batista finished with 62 pitches (42 strikes) and induced a game-high 13 swings and misses. The 20-year-old hurler averaged 93.5 mph and reached 95.3 mph with his four-seam fastball, a pitch he threw 25 times. He also featured an 85-88 mph slider (thrown 24 times), an 84-86 mph slider (thrown seven times), a 92-95 mph sinker (thrown three times), and an 84-86 mph changeup (thrown seven times), according to Baseball Savant.

Following Saturday’s outing, Batista now owns a 1.74 ERA and 4.21 FIP with 28 strikeouts to five walks through seven appearances (four starts) for Dunedin this season. Opposing hitters have batted .235 against him. Among 16 qualified pitchers in the Florida State League, he most notably ranks second in walks per nine innings (1.45) and walk rate (4.1 percent), fourth in ERA, sixth in swinging-strike rate (13.4 percent), and eighth in xFIP (3.53), per FanGraphs.

Batista was originally signed by the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in November 2022. The 6-foot, 165-pound righty made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and was later recognized as the organization’s 2023 Latin Program Pitcher of the Year. He opened the 2024 campaign in the Florida Complex League and was promoted to Low-A Salem in late July, though he was dealt to the Blue Jays alongside infielders Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino for Jansen before he could appear in a game for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Since that four-player trade was made, Batista has forged a 2.08 ERA (4.04 FIP) with 77 strikeouts to 21 walks in 11 outings (seven starts) spanning 47 2/3 innings for Dunedin. He is not currently regarded by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline as one of the Blue Jays’ top pitching prospects, but he did receive an honorable mention from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan last month as a “kitchen sink righty and strike-throwing athlete with below-average present stuff” who could profile as a depth starter in the future.

With that, it should be interesting to see if Batista — who does not turn 21 until next January — can leverage his performance with Dunedin into a promotion to Toronto’s High-A affiliate in Vancouver before long.

(Picture of Gilberto Batista courtesy of the Dunedin Blue Jays)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Jeremy Wu-Yelland to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Jeremy Wu-Yelland from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

After pitching for China in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in March, Wu-Yelland opened the 2025 season in Greenville’s bullpen. The 25-year-old left-hander posted a 3.09 ERA (1.96 FIP) with 20 strikeouts to five walks over seven relief appearances (11 2/3 innings) for the Drive. He went 2-for-2 in save opportunities and held opposing hitters to a .222 batting average.

Among 133 South Atlantic League pitchers who came into play Thursday having thrown at least 11 innings, Wu-Yelland ranked fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (15.43), sixth in swinging-strike rate (18.3 percent), seventh in FIP, 10th in strikeout rate (39.2 percent), 13th in xFIP (2.60), 50th in ERA, 64th in groundball rate (43.5 percent), 65th in walk rate (9.8 percent) and batting average against, and 66th in walks per nine innings (3.86), per FanGraphs.

Wu-Yelland was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round (118th overall) of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of Hawaii. The Spokane, Wash. native signed for $200,000 and made his professional debut in May 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery the following April. He then missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign and was limited to just three outings in the Florida Complex League as a result of being shut down in 2023. He returned to the mound in May 2024 and finished with a 5.67 ERA (3.77 FIP) in 23 appearances (33 1/3 innings) for Greenville last year.

With 54 career innings at the High-A level to his name, the Red Sox likely figured it was time to present Wu-Yelland with a new challenge in the form of a promotion to Portland. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound southpaw has been up to 98 mph with his upper-90s fastball this season and has also featured a cutter and slider. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 57 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 31st among pitchers in the organization.

Wu-Yelland, who turns 26 next month, will join a right-handed heavy bullpen mix in Portland that includes the likes of Jack Anderson, Jonathan Brand, Zach Bryant, Yovanny Cruz, Alex Hoppe, Gabriel Jackson, Reidis Sena, and Christopher Troye. It should be interesting to see if he makes his Double-A debut at Hadlock Field before the end of the weekend.

(Picture of Jeremy Wu-Yelland: Patrick Mulligan/Getty Images)

Red Sox acquire pitching prospect John Holobetz from Brewers to complete Quinn Priester trade

Exactly four weeks after dealing right-hander Quinn Priester to the Brewers, the Red Sox completed their April 7 trade with Milwaukee by adding some minor-league pitching depth on Monday.

Having already obtained outfielder Yophery Rodriguez and a competitive balance draft pick (33rd overall in this year’s draft) last month, Boston acquired minor-league righty John Holobetz from Milwaukee as the player to be named later (as opposed to cash considerations) in the deal to officially complete the swap.

Holobetz, 22, was selected by the Brewers in the fifth round (156th overall) of last summer’s draft out of Old Dominion (where he primarily pitched out of the bullpen) by way of Radford. The Pennsylvania native signed with Milwaukee for an under-slot $322,500 but did not make his professional debut until this April. He posted a 3.00 ERA (2.48 FIP) with 31 strikeouts to five walks in five outings (three starts) spanning 24 innings for Low-A Carolina to begin the 2025 season. Opposing hitters batted just .180 against him.

Among 15 qualified Carolina League pitchers, Holobetz currently leads the pack in strikeout rate (31.3 percent), batting average against, WHIP (0.88), FIP, and xFIP (2.71). He also ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.63), walks per nine innings (1.88), and walk rate (5.1 percent), and seventh in ERA, per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Holobetz throws from a three-quarters arm slot and puts a lot of effort into his delivery. At present, he features a 92-94 mph fastball that has reached 96 mph this season, an 83-86 mph slider, and a high-80s changeup. According to Holobetz’s Baseball America pre-draft scouting report, “scouts believe the changeup is his best pitch, a potential weapon, but his breaking ball is more of a work in progress. Despite his reliever history, he throws enough strikes to potentially start in pro ball.”

Holobetz, who turns 23 in late July, was initially assigned to Low-A Salem but will instead report to High-A Greenville to begin his career as a member of the Red Sox organization.

(Picture of John Holobetz: Old Dominion University Athletics)

Red Sox sign former Seton Hall righty Jay Allmer to minor-league deal

The Red Sox purchased the contract of right-hander Jay Allmer from the Lake Country DockHounds of the independent American Association on Wednesday, per the league’s transactions log.

Allmer signed with Lake Country back in November but did not appear in a game for the club, as the 2025 American Association season does not get underway until next week. The 22-year-old went undrafted out of Seton Hall last summer after posting a 2.73 ERA with 35 strikeouts to 19 walks over 25 relief appearances (29 1/3 innings) for the Pirates as a senior.

Though he did not get picked in the draft, Allmer spent the remainder of his summer pitching for the Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plain League and the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League. In 37 outings between the two summer ball teams, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound righty posted a 3.05 ERA with 48 strikeouts to 11 walks across 44 1/3 total innings of relief.

A native of North Carolina, Allmer originally committed to UNC Asheville out of high school. He spent the first two seasons (2021-2022) of his collegiate career with the Bulldogs, compiling a 14.95 ERA in 19 appearances (18 2/3 innings) before transferring to Seton Hall ahead of his junior season in 2023.

According to Mason Feole of Connected Performance, Allmer initially received little to no interest as a free agent in 2024 but “embraced the adversity” that came with that and worked diligently “to ensure that he was ready for the opportunity and locked in on making the necessary changes in order to make it happen.”

Allmer, as Feole noted in an Instagram post on Wednesday, increased the peak velocity of his fastball from 91 to 97 mph. In addition to a mid-90s heater, Allmer also features a lower-90s sinker, a mid-80s sweeper, an upper-80s changeup, and a 78-80 mph slider.

“At the end of the day, Jay is a Red Sox because he is simply good enough to be,” Feole wrote. “He has changed who he is as a player to be good enough, and now he’s achieved it. Incredibly proud of his mindset and approach to this progression and change.”

Allmer, who turns 23 in June, has been assigned to Low-A Salem and is active for Wednesday’s contest against Fredericksburg. He will presumably provide Boston’s Carolina League affiliate with right-handed bullpen depth behind the likes of Austin Ehrlicher, Joe Vogatsky, Nicholas Judice, Eybersson Polanco, and Nicolas De La Cruz.

(Picture of Jay Allmer: Seton Hall University Athletics)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Matt McShane (acquired in offseason trade) to High-A Greenville

In addition to shortstop Franklin Arias and left-hander Brandon Clarke, the Red Sox promoted pitching prospect Matt McShane from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville on Tuesday.

McShane, 22, opened his first season as a member of the Red Sox organization in Salem’s bullpen. The right-hander posted a 0.63 ERA (1.89 FIP) with 20 strikeouts to four walks over seven relief appearances (14 1/3 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate. Opposing hitters batted just .185 against him.

Among the 59 pitchers in the Carolina League who have thrown at least 14 innings to this point in the year, McShane ranks second in ERA and FIP, third in xFIP (2.24) and swinging-strike rate (19.6 percent), fifth in strikeout rate (34.5 percent), seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (12.56), 11th in WHIP (0.98), 13th in walk rate (6.9 percent), 14th in walks per nine innings (2.51), 16th in batting average against, and 22nd in groundball rate (48.4 percent), per FanGraphs.

McShane was acquired by the Red Sox from the Pirates for fellow righty Chase Shugart (who had been designated for assignment) in January. The Pennsylvania native was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the 13th round of last summer’s draft out of St. Joseph’s. He received a $150,000 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until April 6 of this year.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, McShane operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 95 mph, an 82-86 mph slider, and a 79-81 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report. He is not currently ranked by the site as one of the organization’s top 60 prospects.

McShane, who does not turn 23 until November, figures to provide Greenville with additional right-handed bullpen depth behind the likes of Isaac Stebens, Cooper Adams, Adam Smith, and Darvin Garcia. He will likely make his High-A debut at some point during the Drive’s series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field this week.

(Picture of Matt McShane: St. Joseph’s University Athletics)

Red Sox prospect Trennor O’Donnell named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Trennor O’Donnell has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 21-27, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

O’Donnell shined for Low-A Salem in Sunday’s series finale on the road against Hickory. The 23-year-old right-hander scattered three hits over five scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking none en route to notching his first win of the season. He retired the final eight batters he faced and finished with 56 pitches (40 strikes), generating four swings and misses on the afternoon.

The Red Sox ultimately defeated the Crawdads by a final score of 19-1 at L.P. Frans Stadium to salvage a series split and improve to 8-13 on the young season.

O’Donnell, Boston’s eighth-round selection in the 2023 draft, has appeared in four games (made two starts) for Salem so far this year. The Ball State product has posted a 4.20 ERA (3.96 FIP) with 19 strikeouts to nine walks over 15 innings in which opposing hitters have batted .271 against him.

Among the 33 pitchers in the Carolina League who have thrown at least 15 innings to this point in 2025, O’Donnell most notably ranks seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (11.40), ninth in strikeout rate (27.5 percent), and 11th in xFIP (3.83), per FanGraphs. He also ranks 25th in BABIP (.385), which suggests that he may be the victim of some poor luck.

O’Donnell, who turns 24 in June, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. The imposing 6-foot-7, 240-pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, he features an 89-91 mph fastball, a 79-81 mph sweeper, an 85-86 mph slider, and an 86-87 mph changeup. He has also begun throwing a splinker (splitter-sinker hybrid), according to Beyond the Monster’s Andrew Parker.

Since making his professional debut last April, O’Donnell has pitched exclusively at the Low-A level, compiling a career 4.04 ERA (3.33 FIP) with 90 strikeouts to 30 walks over 78 total innings for Salem. Taking that into consideration, it would not be too surprising if the native Texan received a promotion to High-A Greenville in the not-so-distant future.

Regardless of his outlook, though, O’Donnell becomes the second member of the 2025 Salem Red Sox to earn Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors. He joins fellow righty Blake Aita (March 31-April 6) in accomplishing that feat.

Looking outside of the organization, former Red Sox prospects Brandon Walter (signed a minor-league contract with the Astros after being released last August) and Elmer Rodriguez (traded to the Yankees for Carlos Narvaez in December) were named the Pacific Coast and South Atlantic League Pitchers of the Week for the week of April 21-27, respectively.

(Picture of Trennor O’Donnell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Hayden Mullins to Double-A Portland

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

Mullins, 24, has certainly gotten his season off to an encouraging start. In four outings (three starts) to open the 2025 campaign for Greenville, the left-hander posted a 1.06 ERA (2.22 FIP) with 27 strikeouts to three walks over 17 innings in which opposing hitters batted just .186 against him. He fanned six across four scoreless frames in his last time out against Hub City this past Thursday.

Entering play on Sunday, Mullins was one of 31 qualified pitchers in the South Atlantic League. Among those 31, he ranked first in strikeout rate (42.9 percent) and xFIP (2.10), second in strikeouts per nine innings (14.29), third in FIP and swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), fifth in ERA, eighth in walks per nine innings (1.59) and walk rate (4.8 percent), 10th in WHIP (0.82), 13th in batting average against and line-drive rate (20 percent), and 15th in groundball rate (44 percent), per FanGraphs.

A former 12th-round draft selection of the Red Sox coming out of Auburn in 2022, Mullins received a $97,500 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until August 2023 due to Tommy John surgery recovery and rehab. The Tennessee native spent all of 2024 with Greenville and has since compiled a 3.48 ERA (3.81 FIP) with 145 strikeouts to 45 walks over 106 total innings at the High-A level.

Listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, Mullins 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 under-the-radar lefty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that reaches 95 mph, an 81-85 mph slider, a 78-80 mph curveball, and an 81-83 mph changeup. He has flashed bat-missing ability with most, if not all, of his offerings.

Mullins, who turns 25 in September, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 14th among pitchers in the organization. He is not included in Baseball America’s or MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Red Sox prospects list at the moment, but that could soon change if he shows that he can adjust and hold his own against more advanced competition in the upper-minors.

As he prepares to make the leap from High-A to Double-A for the first time, it is worth noting that Mullins can become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November protection deadline. The Red Sox will presumably use this promotion to help determine if Mullins is worthy of such a spot, though he could emerge as a possible trade candidate well before that decision needs to be made.

Regardless, Mullins is slated to join a talented pitching staff in Portland that– as of this writing– includes the likes of David Sandlin, Yordanny Monegro, Blake Wehunt, and fellow southpaw Connelly Early, among others. He will likely make his Double-A debut at some point during the Sea Dogs’ upcoming series on the road against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this coming week.

(Picture of Hayden Mullins: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Blake Aita named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week after impressive pro debut

Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Aita has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 31-April 6, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Aita, Boston’s sixth-round selection in the 2024 draft out of Kennesaw State, made his professional debut by getting the start in Low-A Salem’s season opener against the Delmarva Shorebirds last Friday. The right-hander tossed five scoreless, no-hit innings in which he walked only one and struck out four en route to notching the first win of his young career.

After retiring the first seven batters he faced at Carilion Clinic Field, Aita issued a one-out walk to Yasmil Bucce in the top of the third. The 21-year-old then negated that free pass by getting Edrei Campos to ground into an inning-ending double play and cruised from there by sitting down the side in order in his final two frames. He finished with 58 pitches (36 strikes) and induced seven swings and misses as Salem defeated Delmarva, 12-1.

Aita was taken by the Red Sox with the 177th overall pick in last summer’s draft and received an under-slot $300,000 signing bonus. The Tennessee native did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate after putting pen to paper, likely because he had just logged 85 1/3 innings and earned 2024 All-Atlantic Sun First Team honors in his sophomore season at Kennesaw State. He, instead, had to wait until late last week to make his pro debut.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Aita throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the sturdy righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph fastball (his velocity ticked up in spring training), an 80-82 mph sweeper, an 86-89 mph cutter, and an 85-89 mph changeup.

Aita, who turns 22 in June, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 39 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 20th among pitchers in the organization. Though it is still early into the minor-league season, it should be interesting to see if Aita can work his way up to High-A Greenville before long.

(Picture of Blake Aita: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Valera opening 2025 season with High-A Greenville

Rising Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Valera will open the 2025 minor-league season with High-A Greenville, as was revealed when the Drive released their Opening Day roster earlier Wednesday.

It is an aggressive assignment for Valera, who turns 19 in May and is easily the youngest player on Greenville’s roster. Still, despite having limited experience above rookie ball, the Red Sox believe the right-hander is deserving of such a challenge after putting together an impressive spring in Fort Myers.

“He had a productive offseason coming into camp strong, physically and mentally,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said of Valera. “We saw a jump in velocity and an improvement in his secondaries with a willingness to challenge in the zone. He earned an opportunity to be challenged in Greenville.”

Valera, who originally signed with Boston for a modest $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023, was not on many people’s radars at this time last year. The Sabana Grande de Palenque native was coming off a debut season in which he put up a 5.93 ERA (4.67 FIP) with 31 strikeouts to 20 walks over 15 appearances (27 1/3 innings) in the Dominican Summer League.

To open the 2024 campaign, though, Valera began to draw attention to himself thanks to what he was doing in the Florida Complex League. In 11 outings (nine starts) for the FCL Red Sox, the righty posted a 1.79 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks over 40 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .128 against him. He was then rewarded with a promotion to Low-A Salem on July 23 and closed out the season by pitching to a 2.35 ERA (3.54 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in seven starts (23 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate while holding opponents to a .120 batting average.

Altogether, Valera forged a 1.99 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to 28 walks in 18 appearances (16 starts) spanning 63 1/3 innings between the FCL and Salem. He led all Red Sox minor-leaguers who logged at least 60 innings last season in ERA, batting average against (.125), WHIP (0.85), line-drive rate (10.3 percent), and groundball rate (56.6 percent), per FanGraphs. To that end, he was recognized as a 2024 Florida Complex League All-Star and SoxProspects.com’s Pitcher of the Year.

Looking to build off the momentum he gained in his first season stateside, Valera came into camp this spring and wasted little time turning heads on the backfields. He was named to the Red Sox’ Spring Breakout roster last month and pitched against prospects from the Twins organizations in the first-ever “Futures at Fenway South” game at JetBlue Park on March 14. As part of that showcase, in which he struck out four and allowed two runs in three innings, Valera showed flashes of his potential.

Valera, as noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, featured a 97-99 mph fastball that reached 100 mph “multiple times.” The 6-foot-3, 205-pound hurler also mixed in an 89-92 mph slider, an 86-88 mph sweeper, and a 91-94 mph changeup. If there were any drawbacks from the performance, it’s that Valera lost the strike zone a bit after his typical three-quarters arm slot got “out of sync.” Josh Norris echoed the same sentiment in a recent piece for Baseball America.

Lauded by club officials for his work ethic and openness to instruction, Valera is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization. MLB Pipeline has him ranked 18th among its top 30 Red Sox prospects, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 19 ahead of its next rankings update.

In Greenville, Valera is slated to join a talented pitching staff that includes the likes of Payton Tolle, Jedixson Paez, Hayden Mullins, and Jojo Ingrassia, among others. The 2025 season begins for the Drive on Friday night when they open a three-game weekend series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field.

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