Tag: portland sea dogs

Red Sox pitching prospect Ryan Zeferjahn (0.00 ERA in April) off to strong start for Double-A Portland

Red Sox pitching prospect Ryan Zeferjahn put the finishing touches on a stellar month of April for Double-A Portland on Tuesday night.

Zeferjahn was the second reliever used by Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson in Tuesday’s series opener against the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field. The 26-year-old took over for fellow right-hander Jonathan Brand to begin the top half of the seventh inning.

After fanning the first two batters he faced, Zeferjahn gave up a two-out single to Robert Moore, who went from first to third on a throwing error committed by third baseman Blaze Jordan. With runners on the corners and still one out to get, Zeferjahn escaped the jam by getting Trevor Schweke to fly out to Roman Anthony in center field.

Zeferjahn came back out for the eighth inning but made quick work of Reading this time around by retiring the side in order. Altogether, he needed just 27 pitches (21 strikes) to punch out four over two scoreless, one-hit frames of relief. He induced four swings-and-misses as the Sea Dogs bested the Fightin Phils by a final score of 9-3 to snap a three-game losing streak.

Following Tuesday’s performance, Zeferjahn is now 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0.57 FIP) and 19 strikeouts to two walks over six relief appearances (11 2/3 innings) for Portland this season. He has converted both of his save opportunities while holding opposing hitters to a .178 batting average against.

Among 99 pitchers in the Eastern League who entered Wednesday with at least 10 innings under their belts to this point in the year, Zeferjahn ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings (14.66), sixth in walks per nine innings (1.54), second in strikeout rate (40.4 percent), seventh in walk rate (4.3 percent), 22nd in batting average against, 11th in WHIP (0.86), 27th in swinging-strike rate (14.3 percent), first in ERA, second in FIP, and second in xFIP (1.55), per FanGraphs.

Zeferjahn is in the midst of his fourth full professional season after originally being selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Kansas. The former Jayhawak signed with Boston for $500,000 and made his pro debut as a starter but has since transitioned to the bullpen on a full-time basis.

Though he struggled to a 5.02 ERA (5.44 FIP) in 34 outings (43 innings) for Portland in 2023, Zeferjahn has been turning heads with improved results so far this year. As noted by The Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo, Zeferjahn was recently singled out by a Red Sox front office source “as someone who has raised eyebrows” thanks in part to a great offseason.

“The focus for him was throwing strikes, being competitive in the zone,” Brian Abraham, Boston’s director of player development, said of Zeferjahn. “It’s only been a short amount of time this year but he’s done that.”

Zeferjahn, who just turned 26 in February, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 46 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system, which ranks 21st among pitchers in the organization. The 6-foot-5, 209-pound righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a high-90s fastball that can touch triple digits, a high-80s slider, a low-80s changeup, and a high-70s curveball.

Considering the fact that he can once again become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at the end of the year, it would not be too surprising if Zeferjahn made the jump from Portland to Triple-A Worcester before long. A promotion to Worcester may help the Red Sox in determining if Zeferjahn is worthy of a spot on the 40-man roster this winter.

(Picture of Ryan Zeferjahn: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Caleb Bolden to Double-A Portland

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

Bolden has enjoyed a strong start to the 2024 season with Greenville. The 25-year-old right-hander has allowed just two unearned runs on six hits and six walks to go along with 20 strikeouts over eight appearances (13 innings) for the Drive in which he has held opposing hitters to a .136 batting average against. He has also gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities.

Bolden was originally selected by the Red Sox in the seventh round of the 2022 amateur draft out of TCU. As a graduate transfer who previously spent four years at Arkansas, the Texas native received a modest $7,500 signing bonus from Boston and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League.

Since then, Bolden has compiled a 3.84 ERA and 3.23 FIP with 104 strikeouts to 37 walks over 42 relief outings (72 2/3 innings) at three different minor-league levels. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. He operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 95 mph, an 80-82 mph sweeping slider, and an 83-85 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Bolden, who does not turn 26 until December, is the second reliever from the Red Sox’ 2022 draft class to make the jump from Greenville to Portland in as many weeks. Fellow righty Jonathan Brand was promoted last Wednesday. Those two now help make up a Sea Dogs bullpen that already includes the likes of Alex Hoppe, Ryan Zeferjahn, Christopher Troye, and Felix Cepeda.

(Picture of Caleb Bolden: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Robert Kwiatkowski earns win in Triple-A debut

Red Sox minor-league reliever Robert Kwiatkowski earned the winning decision in his debut for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday afternoon.

Kwiatkowski, who was promoted from Double-A Portland earlier Sunday morning, made his first appearance for the WooSox in the third inning of their series finale against the Toledo Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field. The 26-year-old right-hander took over for starter Justin Hagenman, who had surrendered two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings of work.

Kwiatkowski subdued the lone runner he inherited by getting the first batter he faced to ground into a force out at second base. He then fanned Mud Hens right fielder Bligh Madris on four pitches to record his first Triple-A strikeout and end the inning.

After his side jumped out to a 4-2 lead, Kwiatkowski worked his way around a leadoff walk in an otherwise clean bottom of the fourth. He gave up a hard-hit double to Jace Jung with one out in the fifth but escaped the frame unscathed by punching out Keston Hiura and getting Justice Bigbie to ground out to the rehabbing Vaughn Grissom at second base.

All told, Kwiatkowski allowed just the one hit and one walk across 2 2/3 scoreless frames of relief as Worcester went on to defeat Toledo by a final score of 8-5. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound hurler struck out three of the 10 batters he faced and induced six swings-and-misses on the 42 pitches (27 strikes) he threw. He averaged 93.4 mph and topped out at 94.3 mph with his four-seam fastball while mixing in a high-80s changeup, a low-80s slider and curveball, and a high-80s sinker, per Baseball Savant.

Kwiatkowski, who turns 27 in June, opened the 2024 season with Portland after spending nearly two months there last year. In his second stint with the Sea Dogs, he posted a 2.08 ERA and 3.67 FIP with eight strikeouts to two walks over five relief outings (8 2/3 innings) in which he held opposing hitters to a .175 batting average against.

In making his WooSox debut on Sunday, Kwiatkowski joined fellow righty Brian Van Belle as the only other undrafted free agent signed by the Red Sox in 2020 to make it as far as Triple-A. Of the 16 undrafted free agents Boston signed in the wake of the COVID-shortened draft that summer, Kwiatkowski, Van Belle, and Juan Montero (a catcher with Low-A Salem) are all who still remain in the organization.

A Georgia native, Kwiatkowski inked his first professional contract with the Red Sox after spending the final two years of his collegiate career at Marshall. As was the case for all undrafted free agents in 2020, Kwiatkowski received a modest $20,000 signing bonus. He made his pro debut in May 2021 and has since forged a 4.23 ERA (4.37 FIP) with 125 strikeouts to 59 walks over 101 appearances (four starts, 174 1/3 innings) across four minor-league levels.

(Picture of Robert Kwiatkowski: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Blaze Jordan earns Eastern League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox corner infield prospect Blaze Jordan has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of April 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

This marks the second consecutive week where a Sea Dogs player earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors. Left fielder Matthew Lugo was recognized for a stellar series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field last week.

Jordan appeared in all six of Double-A Portland’s games against the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin’ Park this past week. The right-handed hitting 21-year-old went 12-for-27 (.444) with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, five runs scored, zero walks, and two strikeouts.

Jordan crushed his first home run of the season and drove in a game-high four runs in Tuesday’s series opener. He then pushed across two more runs on Wednesday, had three hits on Thursday, homered again on Friday, and recorded four hits over the weekend to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

Over the life of that hitting streak, which began on April 19, Jordan has batted a stout .385/.390/.461. After getting his 2024 campaign off to a slow start, he is now slashing .265/.307/.441 with six doubles, two home runs, 13 runs driven in, 10 runs scored, one walk, and seven strikeouts in 17 games (75 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Defensively, Jordan has split his playing time on the field between both corner infield spots. To this point in the year, the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has logged 60 innings at first base and 68 1/3 innings at third base. He has committed one error at each position and has also made two starts as Portland’s designated hitter.

Jordan is in the midst of his fourth full professional season after originally being selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi. The Southaven native forwent his commitment to Mississippi State by signing with Boston for $1.75 million.

Though he dealt with — and was even hospitalized by — struggles relating to anxiety and depression early in his pro career, Jordan has worked to overcome those issues, as he revealed in a heartfelt social media post last October. After going public with that information, he strove to get in better shape over the winter and came into the spring ranked by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system.

Jordan, who does not turn 22 until December, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time later this year if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. Taking that — as well as the fact that he played in 49 games for Portland to close out last season — into consideration, it will be interesting to see if Jordan can make his way to Triple-A Worcester at some point in 2024.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Jonathan Brand to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted relief prospect Jonathan Brand from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Brand, 24, has yet to allow an earned run in six appearances for Greenville this season. The right-hander has given up just one unearned run on eight hits and three walks to go along with 18 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings in which he has held opposing hitters to a .186 batting average against.

Brand was originally selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Miami University (Ohio). The Georgia native had committed to go to Auburn University as a graduate transfer, but he forwent that commitment by signing with Boston for just $7,500.

Since making his professional debut in the Florida Complex League in August 2022, Brand owns a career 1.90 ERA (2.90 FIP) in 37 total appearances (52 innings) across three different minor-league levels. That includes a 2.58 ERA (3.52 FIP) with 47 strikeouts to 14 walks in 29 relief outings (38 1/3 innings) for Low-A Salem last year.

Despite those impressive numbers, Brand is still not viewed as a top pitching prospect within Boston’s farm system. Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 5-foot-9, 200-pound righty throws from a three-quarters arm slot and utilizes a medium leg kick in his delivery. He operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of an 89-90 mph fastball, a 74-76 mph curveball, an 80-82 mph slider, and an 80-82 mph changeup.

It remains to be seen if Brand’s first stint with Portland will be a short or long-lived one. Regardless, he takes the place of lefty Brendan Cellucci — who was promoted to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday — in the Sea Dogs’ bullpen.

(Picture of Jonathan Brand: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Matthew Lugo named Eastern League Player of the Week

Red Sox prospect Matthew Lugo has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of April 15-21, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Lugo appeared in five of Double-A Portland’s six games against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field this past week. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 7-for-16 (.438) with three doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBIs, three runs scored, five walks, and four strikeouts.

Lugo played hero for the Sea Dogs on more than just one occasion during their latest series. He came through with a game-winning, three-run triple in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Fisher Cats, then drove in the first two runs of a 3-0 victory on Wednesday. He also homered and collected a game-high four RBIs on Saturday and doubled in a run on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to six games.

On the 2024 season as a whole, Lugo is now batting a stout .357/.471/.857 with three doubles, one triple, three homers, 12 runs driven in, five runs scored, six walks, and eight strikeouts through nine games (34 plate appearances) for Portland. He currently leads a talented Sea Dogs team in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS (1.328), and total bases with 24.

Lugo, who turns 23 next month, is repeating Double-A this year after struggling to a .242/.297/.381 slash line in 83 games (318 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs in 2023. The former 2019 second-round draft selection out of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico was regarded by SoxProspects.com as a top-15 prospect organization around this time last season but has since dropped from the site’s rankings completely.

The nephew of Beltran himself, Lugo initially came up as an infielder after signing with Boston for $1.1 million in June 2019. More recently, however, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has transitioned to the outfield. So far this season, he has made a team-leading eight starts in left field for the Sea Dogs and has yet to commit an error over 64 2/3 innings.

Given that this is the third straight season in which Lugo has appeared in at least one game for the Sea Dogs, it should be interesting to see if he can force his way up to Triple-A Worcester sooner rather than later. He certainly couldn’t ask for a better start this year, though.

(Picture of Matthew Lugo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer off to strong start with Double-A Portland

After a winter full of skepticism, shortstop Marcelo Mayer is using the early stages of the minor-league season to show why he should still be considered the top prospect in the Red Sox organization.

To begin the 2024 campaign, Mayer has strung together a seven-game hitting streak for Double-A Portland. Following Sunday’s 9-5 win over the Reading Fightin Phils, the left-handed hitter is now 10-for-28 (.357) with one double, one home run, five RBIs, seven runs scored, two stolen bases, two walks, and eight strikeouts for the Sea Dogs.

On the other side of the ball, Mayer has seen all of his playing time on the field to this point in the season come at shortstop. The 6-foot-3, 188-pounder has logged a team-leading 50 innings at short thus far and has yet to commit an error.

Still just 21 years old, Mayer really couldn’t ask for a better start after what went down last season. The former fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft suffered a left shoulder impingement while with High-A Greenville early in the year and attempted to play through the discomfort. He managed to make it to Portland and represent the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game over the summer, but he struggled mightily at the plate before going on the injured list — and ultimately being shut down — in the first week of August.

Mayer received a pain-killing injection in September and spent his offseason rehabbing at home in Chula Vista, Calif., and at the Red Sox’ JetBlue Park complex in Fort Myers, Fla. He focused on building strength back up in that injured shoulder and was deemed a “full go” for Boston’s rookie development program in January.

Though he did not receive an invite to major-league spring training, Mayer got into two Grapefruit League games (as well as the Spring Breakout prospect showcase) and made his impact felt in other areas before breaking camp with Portland for the start of his third full professional season. As Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham recently told MLB.com’s Ian Browne, Mayer appears to be benefitting from the work he put in during the offseason.

“He worked incredibly hard throughout his progression in the offseason and spring training to prepare for the 2024 season,” said Abraham. “Whether that be rehab-related, strength-related, on-field performance-related, we saw a player working with an intent to be an impact player this season and moving forward. It’s been great to see him continue to mature both on and off the baseball field.”

Mayer, who does not turn 22 until December, is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball. If he continues to produce the way he has been to start the season, it will not be long until he garners consideration for a promotion to Triple-A Worcester. From there, the big-leagues are only one call away.

“Continue to become an improved all-around player,” Abraham said when asked about the organization’s developmental goals for Mayer this season. “Improve his range in the field and keep looking to impact the baseball. Have the continued ability to add good weight and strength. Offensively, it’s focusing on pitches within the zone he can do damage with. In simpler terms, increasing his walk percentage and decreasing his strikeout percentage will allow him to be a better overall hitter and maximize his potential.”

Mayer, for his part, explained his own mindset when speaking with WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford on the ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ podcast earlier this month. He did so while emphasizing that his shoulder felt great.

“I think I do feel close, but obviously I need to handle business here (in Double-A) first. I need to handle business in Triple-A. So there is still two levels to go,” Mayer said. “I feel close. I feel ready to go, excited for the new year. I’m ready to show myself and what I’m able to do. Again, I’m healthy.”

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo impresses in 2024 debut for Double-A Portland

The conditions were far from ideal, but Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo still impressed in his 2024 debut for Double-A Portland over the weekend.

Due to a snowstorm hitting southern Maine and blanketing Hadlock Field with snow on Thursday, Portland was forced to postpone its first two games of the season against the Hartford Yard Goats on Friday and Saturday. Thanks to diligent work from the team’s grounds crew, though, the Sea Dogs were able to celebrate Opening Day in front of a crowd of 6,074 on Sunday afternoon.

Bastardo, in turn, rose to the occasion. The 21-year-old right-hander allowed only one earned run on one hit and two walks to go along with three strikeouts over five solid innings of work. That lone run came in the top of the third after Rockies prospect Ryan Ritter drew a leadoff walk, stole two bases, and scored from third on an RBI groundout off the bat of Bladimir Restituyo.

That sequence of events gave the Yard Goats an early 1-0 lead, but Bastardo did not waver. He instead got through the rest of the third inning unscathed and went on to retire the final seven batters he faced before making way for reliever Theo Denlinger in the top half of the sixth.

Finishing with 67 pitches (44 strikes), Bastardo induced seven swings-and-misses. He was later charged with the tough-luck loss as the Sea Dogs fell to the Yard Goats by a final score of 1-0 after being held to just three hits as a team. As such, he is now 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 0.60 WHIP on the young season.

Bastardo, who turns 22 in June, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks seventh among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of the town of Moron in July 2018.

Bastardo first arrived in Portland last August after pitching to a 4.62 ERA (3.82 FIP) with 139 strikeouts to 46 walks over 21 starts (103 1/3 innings) for High-A Greenville. He then made three starts for the Sea Dogs before the 2023 campaign drew to a close, allowing a total of nine earned runs on 12 hits, nine walks, and 10 strikeouts across 16 frames in which he held opposing hitters to a .207 batting average against.

Unlike other intriguing pitching prospects in the system such as Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales, Bastardo was not added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November despite being Rule 5-eligible. He was ultimately passed over in December’s Rule 5 Draft (meaning he could become eligible again this offseason) and now appears set for a key role in Portland’s starting rotation to begin the year.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and features a medium leg kick in his delivery. The righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 84-88 mph changeup, an 81-84 mph curveball with 11-to-5 break, and an 85-88 mph slider, per his scouting reports from Baseball America and SoxProspects.com.

As is the case with most young arms in the organization, it will be interesting to see if Bastardo can benefit from the revamped pitching infrastructure the Red Sox have begun to implement under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. How he fares this year in regards to improving his command and control could impact how he is viewed (as a starter or future reliever) moving forward.

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

Red Sox relief prospect Felix Cepeda to begin 2024 season at Double-A Portland

One of the Red Sox’ more unheralded relief prospects will be getting his first taste of competition in the upper-minors to begin the 2024 season.

Felix Cepeda has been assigned to Double-A Portland, per his Instagram account. The Sea Dogs open their season with a three-game series against the Hartford Yard Goats at Hadlock Field beginning Friday night.

Cepeda, 23, split the 2023 campaign between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville, so this serves as a promotion of sorts. The right-hander posted a 2.38 ERA and 3.45 FIP with 60 strikeouts to 29 walks over 33 total relief appearances (53 innings) in which he held opposing hitters to a .194 batting average against.

After spending all of 2022 at Salem, Cepeda returned there for the start of the 2023 season. The Dominican-born righty forged a 3.03 ERA (3.61 FIP) with 39 punchouts to 23 walks in 19 outings (32 2/3 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate before earning a promotion to Greenville in mid-July. With the Drive, he pitched to a 1.33 ERA (3.19 FIP) to go along with 21 strikeouts to just six walks over 14 appearances (20 1/3 innings) to close out the regular season. He then made three straight scoreless appearances in the playoffs (including the clincher) to help Greenville take home its first South Atlantic League title since 2017.

Altogether, it was a solid showing for Cepeda in 2023. Among the Red Sox minor-leaguers who eclipsed the 50-inning threshold in the regular season last year, Cepeda ranked 20th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.19), 16th in strikeout rate (26.4 percent), third in batting average against, ninth in WHIP (.125), sixth in line-drive rate (17.2 percent), 15th in groundball rate (43.8 percent), 18th in groundball rate (13.7 percent), fourth in ERA, sixth in FIP, and 19th in xFIP (4.31), per FanGraphs. He also lowered his walk rate from 15 percent to 8.1 percent after making the jump from Salem to Greenville over the summer.

Even though he had logged a career-high in innings pitched by the time the Drive were crowned South Atlantic League champions at Fluor Field in late September, Cepeda’s season was not over. Like several other Red Sox prospects, Cepeda headed out west in early October to play in the Arizona Fall League. He proceeded to appear in eight games for the Glendale Desert Dogs, allowing eight runs (six earned) on eight hits, three walks, and six strikeouts across eight frames of relief.

Coming off an eventful 2023 that resulted in him being named a SoxProspects.com All-Star for the first time, Cepeda reached another milestone this spring by getting into three Grapefruit League games last month. He yielded a total of two runs (both of which came in the same outing) on four hits, two walks, and two strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings while also recording a save against the Twins at JetBlue Park on March 23.

Cepeda, who does not turn 24 until July, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 48 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 20th among pitchers in the organization. Originally signed for $40,000 as an international free agent coming out of the city of Bonao in 2017, Cepeda now stands at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and primarily operates with a two-pitch mix that consists of a 95-96 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph and an 83-86 mph slider that features 10-to-4 break.

In Portland, Cepeda figures to join a bullpen that includes the likes of Alex Hoppe (once healthy), CJ Liu, Christopher Troye, and Ryan Zeferjahn, among others. It is also worth noting that Cepeda can become eligible for minor-league free agency after the 2024 season, so he will — in essence — be pitching for a new contract this year.

(Picture of Felix Cepeda: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Could Red Sox prospect Christopher Troye make MLB debut this season?

When discussing which prospects could possibly make their major-league debuts for the Red Sox in 2024, Christopher Troye should be among those in the conversation.

Troye, a hard-throwing catcher-turned-reliever, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 34 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 14th among pitchers in the organization. The 25-year-old right-hander was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 12th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of UC Santa Barbara.

A native of California himself, Troye signed with Boston for a slightly under-slot $122,500 and made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. He was, however, limited to just two appearances with the FCL Red Sox before the 2021 season drew to a close.

The start of Troye’s first full season in pro ball was slightly delayed due to an unspecified injury in 2022. He arrived at Low-A Salem from the Fort Myers complex that May and spent the rest of the year with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate, pitching to a 4.86 ERA (3.10 FIP) with 50 strikeouts to 24 walks over 26 relief appearances spanning 33 1/3 innings of work.

Because of those gaudy strikeout numbers, Troye began to garner more attention heading into the 2023 campaign. He broke camp with High-A Greenville last spring and promptly posted a 1.96 ERA (3.46 FIP) with 37 punchouts to nine walks in 14 outings (18 1/3 innings) for the Drive. Around the same time he was named the Red Sox’ Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for May, Troye received a promotion to Double-A Portland.

To start things off with the Sea Dogs, Troye produced a 4.63 ERA (2.85 FIP) with 22 strikeouts to 13 walks across his first 10 appearances (11 2/3 innings) through July 3. He then spent nearly three weeks on the injured list before returning to action on July 22. From that point forward, he forged a 3.26 ERA (2.86 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in his final 14 relief outings (19 1/3 innings) of the year.

Altogether, Troye went 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA (3.08 FIP) and 87 strikeouts to 36 walks in 38 total appearances (49 1/3 innings) between Greenville and Portland last season. Among the 59 Red Sox minor-leaguers who accrued more than 40 innings on the mound, Troye led the way in both strikeouts per nine innings (15.87) and strikeout rate (39.5 percent). He also ranked second in batting average against (.169), 13th in swinging-strike rate (15.8 percent), eighth in ERA, third in FIP, and fifth in xFIP (3.33), per FanGraphs.

Shortly after the minor-league season, Troye joined seven other Red Sox prospects in heading out west and taking part in the Arizona Fall League. He made eight appearances for the Glendale Desert Dogs, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits, six walks, and 11 strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings. Though that translates to a 6.23 ERA, it is worth noting that five of those six runs were surrendered in a single outing back in early October.

Fast forward more than five months later, and Troye — who turned 25 in February — has undoubtedly established himself as one of the more intriguing relief prospects in the organization. That much was made evident when he was included on the Red Sox’ first-ever Spring Breakout roster. And even though he did not pitch in the actual showcase against the Braves at JetBlue Park last Saturday, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall said on the NESN broadcast that afternoon that he could see Troye or fellow righty Luis Guerrero reaching the majors at some point this season.

Troye, like Guerrero, possesses tantalizing yet raw stuff. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph, an 82-85 mph curveball, and an 88-91 mph cutter. His heater “has among the highest [induced vertical break] in the system and shows plus carry up in the zone,” according to his recently-updated SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Even if Troye, who is expected to break camp with Portland next month, were not to make his big-league debut in 2024, this season can be considered important for other reasons. Troye, like other college draftees from 2021, can become Rule 5 eligible for the first time in his career this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November.

There is still plenty of time between now and then, but Troye could put himself on a similar track to Ryan Fernandez, who was left unprotected by the Red Sox and then scooped up by the Cardinals with the sixth overall pick in December’s Rule 5 Draft. As of now, it appears as though Fernandez is slated to make St. Louis’ Opening Day roster as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.

Troye, meanwhile, already has the kind of velocity that can play at the next level. It is now just a matter of him improving his command of the strike zone while also harnessing his arsenal in order to further develop and elevate his profile. With that being said, Troye does an impressive job documenting his journey through pro ball on X/Twitter as well as Instagram.

(Picture of Christopher Troye: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)