Tag: portland sea dogs

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Connelly Early to Double-A Portland

In addition to promoting David Sandlin, the Red Sox are also elevating pitching prospect Connelly Early from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Early, 22, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The left-hander was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (151st overall pick) of last year’s draft out of Virginia. He received a $408,500 signing bonus and debuted for Low-A Salem in September.

To begin his first full professional season, Early emerged as a key member of Greenville’s rotation by posting a 3.72 ERA and 3.64 FIP with 90 strikeouts to 24 walks in 15 starts (67 2/3 innings) for the Drive. That translates to a 30.9 percent strikeout rate and an 8.2 percent walk rate. Opposing hitters batted just .208 against him.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Early throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted by SoxProspects.com, the lefty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-93 mph that has touched 95 mph this year, a frequently-used 80-82 mph changeup that is considered to be his best secondary offering, a 79-81 mph curveball, and an 87-88 mph cutter.

In making the jump to Portland, Early will be reunited — for the time being, at least — with his old battery mate at Virginia in top catching prospect Kyle Teel, who could soon be on the receiving end of a promotion to Triple-A Worcester alongside the likes of shortstop Marcelo Mayer and outfielder Roman Anthony.

Early and Sandlin, meanwhile, figure to provide support to a Sea Dogs starting rotation that has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks. From a developmental perspective, they will also be challenged with facing more advanced hitting in the upper minors for the first time in their respective careers.

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

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect David Sandlin to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect David Sandlin from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per his agent Craig Rose of Paragon Sports International.

Sandlin, 23, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 13 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among pitchers in the organization. The right-hander made his 10th start of the season for Greenville in Sunday’s series finale against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and four strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings. He threw 64 pitches (46 strikes) and induced eight swings-and-misses.

In his 10 outings for the Drive this year, Sandlin posted a 5.12 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 50 strikeouts to 11 walks over 31 2/3 innings. That translates to a strikeout rate of 37.3 percent and a walk rate of 8.2 percent. Opposing hitters batted .254 against him.

Just a few days before celebrating his 23rd birthday back in February, Sandlin was acquired by the Red Sox from the Royals in a spring training trade that sent reliever John Schreiber to Kansas City. The former 2022 11th-round draft selection out of Oklahoma broke camp with Greenville but missed more than a month of action after being placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation in mid-May.

Sandlin returned to the mound on June 15 and had pitched to a 3.95 ERA with 25 strikeouts to just two walks in his last five starts (13 2/3 innings) coming into play on Sunday. In these shorter outings, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty has been touching 99-100 mph with his fastball, according to reports from The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen. He also incorporates a splitter, cutter, slider, and curveball into his arsenal.

In making the jump from Greenville to Portland, Sandlin will be tasked with going up against tougher competition in the Eastern League moving forward. He also figures to provide support to a Sea Dogs’ starting rotation that has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks.

It is not yet known who will be taking Sandlin’s spot in Greenville’s rotation, but left-hander Noah Dean would seem to be a logical choice since he started for Low-A Salem on Sunday and has been on a similar pitching schedule since Sandlin returned from the injured list last month.

(Picture of David Sandlin: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Allan Castro makes MLB Pipeline’s Team of the Week

Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro made MLB Pipeline’s Team of the Week for the week of July 8-14, MLB.com revealed on Monday.

Castro, Boston’s No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has been swinging a hot bat as of late for High-A Greenville. In last week’s series on the road against the Rome Emperors, the switch-hitting 21-year-old went 8-for-18 (.444) with four home runs, eight RBIs, seven runs scored, one walk, and five strikeouts. Three of those four homers came in a doubleheader at AdventHealth Stadium on Thursday.

After accounting for the only scoring with an early two-run double in Sunday’s win over Rome, Castro is now riding a six-game hitting streak. In 10 games this month, he has gone 14-for-39 (.359) with seven home runs. On the 2024 season as a whole, he has batted .239/.365/.434 with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 homers, 35 RBIs, 49 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 50 walks, and 75 strikeouts in 76 games (329 plate appearances) for Greenville. That includes a .233/.324/.367 slash line against left-handed pitching and a .241/.375/.453 slash line against righties.

Among 69 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League, Castro ranks eighth in walk rate (15.2 percent), 31st in strikeout rate (22.8 percent), 10th in on-base percentage, 24th in slugging percentage, 15th in OPS (.799) and wRC+ (125), 17th in isolated power (.195), and 28th in line-drive rate (22.4 percent) and swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Castro has primarily split his playing time this season between center and right field. The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder has made a team-leading 41 starts in center for the Drive and has recorded three assists to one error in 83 defensive chances. In 22 starts as a right fielder, he has recorded two assists to zero errors over 41 chances.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Castro originally signed with the Red Sox for $100,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in July 2019. He did not make his professional debut until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but was named Boston’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year that fall for his performance in the Dominican Summer League.

Since then, Castro has emerged as an intriguing prospect who has shown that he can play all three outfield positions. He can become Rule 5 eligible if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster at the end of the year, which makes him a potential candidate to be moved as part of a bigger deal ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.

Assuming he remains in the organization for the time being, though, Castro could be in line for a promotion to Double-A Portland soon. He made the jump from Salem to Greenville during last year’s All-Star break and has held his own there, so it may be time for a new challenge.

(Picture of Allan Castro: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo likely requires Tommy John surgery

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo is likely to require Tommy John surgery, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Like fellow right-hander Luis Perales, Bastardo has damage in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of his throwing elbow. Surgery is viewed as the likely outcome, though the 22-year-old will meet with a doctor before making a final decision.

Bastardo, who just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, has been on Double-A Portland’s injured list since June 6. The night prior, he left his start at Hadlock Field in the fourth after crumpling to the ground in pain following the delivery of a pitch. He was initially diagnosed with a sprained UCL, but it appears further imaging and testing revealed a more serious prognosis.

In 10 starts for Portland this season, Bastardo posted a 5.36 ERA and 4.32 FIP with 53 strikeouts to 21 walks over 45 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .225 against him. His 26.6 percent punchout rate ranks 16th among 50 Eastern League pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings coming into play on Tuesday, per FanGraphs.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for $35,000 in July 2018, Bastardo 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 by Speier, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound righty has shown an intriguing fastball that has reached 97-98 mph this year. He also features a swing-and-miss changeup, a curveball, and a slider.

If he does indeed undergo Tommy John surgery, Bastardo would be looking at a lengthy rehab process that would keep him sidelined for the rest of 2024 and most — if not all — of 2025. An internal bracing procedure to repair the damaged UCL would have a faster recovery timeline but would still necessitate a lengthy absence.

Unlike Perales, who is slated to visit Dr. Jeffrey Dugas in Birmingham, Ala. next week, Bastardo is not on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster. He can, however, become a minor-league free agent at the end of the 2025 season, so the timing of all this is far from ideal.

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

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Eastern League Player of the Week

Rising Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of June 10-16, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Campbell enjoyed a productive week in Double-A Portland’s series against the Reading Fightin Phils. Appearing in all six games at FirstEnergyStadium, Campbell went 12-for-28 (.429) with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and eight strikeouts.

After collecting six hits in the first two games of the series, Campbell went 0-for-5 on Thursday to snap a nine-game hitting streak. He then went deep twice on Friday to mark the first multi-homer game of his professional career and closed out the weekend by stroking three more hits on Sunday.

Since being promoted on June 4, Campbell has batted .392/.456/.667 with six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 10 runs driven in, 13 runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and 10 strikeouts in his first 12 games (57 plate appearances) with Portland. This comes after he slashed .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight homers, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) with Greenville to begin his first full season as a pro.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at two different positions since joining the Sea Dogs earlier this month. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has started four games at second base and six in center field after being used in a similar capacity with the Drive. He has also started two games as Portland’s designated hitter after serving as Greenville’s DH on eight separate occasions.

Campbell, who turns 22 later this month, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Georgia Tech product was taken by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall selection in last year’s draft, which is the pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

After signing with the Red Sox for $492,700 last summer, Campbell made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League but quickly worked his way up to Greenville, skipping Low-A Salem altogether, in late August. He then played a major role in helping the Drive take home their first South Atlantic League title since 2017.

As highlighted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Campbell spent most of the offseason in Fort Myers to work on his strength and conditioning as well as his swing. He added some bulk to his wiry frame and proceeded to turn heads in his first spring training by displaying eye-opening exit velocity at the plate on the back fields of the Fenway South complex.

“He hits the crap out of the ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham recently told Speier. “His swing is incredibly fast. He drives the ball to all fields. He has really good plate discipline. He’s a hitter that does a lot of things really well. It’s exciting to see what he could potentially do and already what he’s done.”

Cambell is the fourth member of the Sea Dogs to earn Eastern League Player of the Week honors this season, joining Matthew Lugo (April 15-21), Blaze Jordan (April 22-28), and Kyle Teel (May 27-June 2). On the flip side, left-hander Zach Penrod was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 13-19.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Daniel Encarnacion earns promotion to Double-A Portland, struggles in Sea Dogs debut

The Red Sox promoted pitching prospect Juan Daniel Encarnacion from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland on Thursday, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Encarnacion got the start for Portland against the Reading Fightin Phils at FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday night. The 23-year-old right-hander did not fare well in his Double-A debut, as he surrendered seven earned runs on five hits, four walks, and one strikeout over just 2 1/3 innings of work. Only 29 of the 58 pitches he threw went for strikes.

The decision to elevate Encarnacion from Greenville comes at a time when Portland finds itself short on starting pitching depth. Within recent days, the Sea Dogs have placed fellow righties Angel Bastardo, Luis Perales, and CJ Liu on the 7-day injured list for varying reasons.

Encarnacion spent parts of three seasons (2022-2024) with Greenville and was evidently ready for a new challenge at a more advanced level. In nine starts for the Drive this year, the righty posted a 4.50 ERA and 3.54 FIP with 52 strikeouts to 13 walks over 40 innings pitched. Opposing hitters batted .250 against him.

Though some of those numbers may not necessarily jump off the page, Encarnacion did show signs of improvements in other areas — such as his command and control — while with Greenville this season compared to last. To expand further on that, he cut his walk rate from 9.2 percent to 7.5 percent and raised his strikeout rate from 22.1 percent to 29.9 percent.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Encarnacion originally signed with the Red Sox for $40,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Pedro de Macoris in September 2018. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 59 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 31st among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 173 pounds, Encarnacion 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 lanky hurler primarily operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 85-87 mph slider, and an 89-91 mph changeup.

Encarnacion, who just turned 23 in March, is the 13th different pitcher to start a game for the Sea Dogs this season. Friday’s outing aside, it should be interesting to see how he fares in the upper minors moving forward.

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

Red Sox promote top prospect Nick Yorke to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted second baseman/left fielder Nick Yorke from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Yorke, 22, is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitter had been with Portland since the start of the 2023 season, batting .263/.343/.415 with 33 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs, 88 RBIs, 95 runs scored, 26 stolen bases, 69 walks, and 158 strikeouts over 155 total games (703 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

After representing the Red Sox in last summer’s All-Star Futures Game and being named the Sea Dogs’ 2023 Most Valuable Player, Yorke somewhat surprisingly returned to Portland for the start of the 2024 campaign. He batted .251/.325/.366 with eight doubles, four homers, 27 RBIs, 21 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 18 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 45 games (197 plate appearances) leading up to Wednesday’s promotion.

While a .691 OPS does not necessarily jump off the page, Yorke has cut down his strikeout rate from 24.1 percent last year to 18.3 percent this year. He has also been swinging a hotter bat as of late and has gone 8-for-27 (.296) with one double, one home run, and four RBIs over his last six games dating back to May 29. He went 2-for-4 with one run scored, one walk, and two strikeouts in Portland’s series-opening win over Akron at Hadlock Field on Tuesday night.

On the other side of the ball, Yorke has added some versatility to his profile this season after coming up strictly as an infielder. In addition to making 33 starts at second base for Portland, the 6-foot, 200-pounder started 11 games and logged 98 1/3 innings in left field, where he recorded one outfield assist without committing an error.

Yorke was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 17th overall pick in the COVID-shortened 2020 amateur draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School. The California native signed for $2.7 million and burst onto the scene in 2021 en route to being recognized as the Red Sox’ Minor League Offensive Player of the Year. He entered Baseball America’s top 100 prospects rankings and peaked at No. 31 in 2022 but has since fallen out of the national spotlight to some degree.

With that being said, Yorke now finds himself just one call away from the major leagues. He will make his Triple-A debut on Wednesday night, as he is slated to start at second base and bat sixth for the WooSox in the second game of their six-game series against the Rochester Red Wings at Polar Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. eastern time.

Yorke, who does not turn 23 until next April, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster this winter. He could, of course, emerge as an intriguing trade candidate later this summer if he draws interest from other clubs.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote Rule 5 pickup Mickey Gasper to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted minor-league catcher Mickey Gasper from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Gasper, 28, joined the Red Sox via the minor-league phase of last December’s Rule 5 Draft. Before that, the New Hampshire native had spent the first six seasons of his professional career in the Yankees organization after being selected by New York in the 27th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Bryant.

In 44 games for Portland to begin the 2024 campaign, the switch-hitting Gasper batted .282/.403/.458 with 13 doubles, four home runs, 22 RBIs, 28 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 22 strikeouts over 176 plate appearances. That includes a .205/.279/.256 slash line against left-handed pitching and a far more encouraging .311/.444/.534 slash line against righties.

Among 88 qualified hitters in the Eastern League coming into play on Tuesday, Gasper ranks eighth in walk rate (14.8 percent) and OPS (.861), second in strikeout rate (12.5 percent), 17th in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, 13th in slugging percentage, 19th in isolated power (.176), first in swinging-strike rate (4.4 percent), and ninth in wRC+ (146), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gasper has seen all his playing time on the field to this point in the season come at either catcher or first base. In deference to top catching prospect Kyle Teel in Portland, the 5-foot-10, 205-pounder has made 16 of his 43 starts behind the plate while throwing out six of 29 possible base stealers.

Gasper is not in Worcester’s starting lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against Rochester but does have past experience at the Triple-A level. He appeared in 22 games across two separate stints for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders last year and hit .191/.295/.265 with one homer and four RBIs.

With Gasper making the jump to Worcester, Elih Marrero has been sent down to Portland. This shakeup comes after fellow catcher Tyler Heineman was recalled by the Red Sox as a corresponding move for rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreu going on the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain.

(Picture of Mickey Gasper: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox top catching prospect Kyle Teel named Eastern League Player of the Week

Top Red Sox catching prospect Kyle Teel has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of May 27-June 2, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Teel enjoyed a productive week in Double-A Portland’s latest series on the road against the Altoona Curve. Appearing in all six games, the left-handed hitting 22-year-old went 10-for-24 (.417) with one double, three home runs, 11 RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks, and five strikeouts.

After going deep in Tuesday’s opener and going hitless on Wednesday, Teel went 3-for-4 on Thursday before coming through in the clutch on back-to-back nights. With his side trailing and down to their final strike on Friday, Teel crushed a game-tying three-run homer. He followed that up by clubbing a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth on Saturday. The Sea Dogs won both contests and are riding a three-game winning streak after taking Sunday’s series finale.

On the heels of another strong road trip, Teel is now batting a stout .307/.411/.497 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 34 RBIs, 34 runs scored, three stolen bases, 24 walks, and 40 strikeouts over 40 games (180 plate appearances) for Portland this season. That is especially encouraging when considering he was slashing just .213/.333/.344 through the end of April.

Among 88 qualified Eastern League hitters, Teel ranks 16th in walk rate (13.3 percent) and isolated power (.190), fourth in batting average and on-base percentage, sixth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.908), ninth in line-drive rate (28.3 percent), and second in wRC+ (159), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Teel has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this season come at catcher. The 6-foot, 190-pound backstop has logged 232 1/3 innings behind the plate for Portland thus far, allowing just two passed balls while throwing out five of 36 possible base stealers. He has also started 13 games as the Sea Dogs’ designated hitter.

Teel, who turned 22 in February, is in the midst of his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of Virginia. The New Jersey native signed with the club for $4 million and made it up to Portland before the 2023 campaign drew to a close. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect (and best defensive catcher) in Boston’s farm system and the No. 47 prospect in the sport.

Teel joins Matthew Lugo (April 15-21) and Blaze Jordan (April 22-28) as the third member of the Sea Dogs to earn Eastern League Player of the Week honors this season. On the flip side, left-hander Zach Penrod was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 13-19.

Lugo and Penrod have since earned promotions to Triple-A Worcester after getting off to impressive starts in Portland. Teel, one-third of Boston’s ‘Big Three’ alongside fellow top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony, may not be too far behind.

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote hard-hitting prospect Kristian Campbell to Double-A Portland

With Matthew Lugo making the jump to Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox are promoting fellow prospect Kristian Campbell from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Campbell, who turns 22 later this month, is enjoying a productive first full season in pro ball after being drafted by the Red Sox out of Georgia Tech last summer. The right-handed hitter batted .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts over 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive to begin the 2024 campaign.

Among 70 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League, Campbell ranks seventh in batting average and total bases (82), third in on-base percentage and extra-base hits (21), second in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.976), fourth in isolated power (.252), and 15th in walk rate (14.7 percent), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, Campbell has mainly split his playing time this season between second base and center field. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder did not commit an error at either position with Greenville and made one start at third base. He has prior experience at both corner outfield spots as well.

A Georgia native himself, Campbell was taken by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall selection in the 2023 amateur draft. That was the same pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

Campbell signed with the Red Sox for $492,700 last July and, after a brief stop in the Florida Complex League, played a pivotal role in Greenville taking home the 2023 South Atlantic League title. The 21-year-old spent most of this past offseason in Fort Myers and drew plenty of praise during spring training thanks in part to displaying eye-popping exit velocity at the plate. To that end, he is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

As is the case with Lugo in Worcester, it should be interesting to see how Campbell adjusts to more advanced competition in Portland. He nonetheless joins a stacked Sea Dogs roster that — at the moment — includes the likes of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel, Luis Perales, Wikelman Gonzalez, Nick Yorke, and Eddinson Paulino, among others.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)