Tag: promotions

Red Sox to promote prospects Franklin Arias, Juan Valera to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Franklin Arias and pitching prospect Juan Valera from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, according to reports from The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier and SoxProspects.com.

Arias, 18, is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitter batted .355/.471/.584 with 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 51 games (206 plate appearances) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox this season.

In the month of July alone, Arias has slashed a ridiculous .482/.574/.768 with five doubles, one triple, three homers, nine RBIs, 18 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 12 walks, and 14 strikeouts over 18 games (68 plate appearances). Among 70 qualified FCL hitters coming into play on Monday, Arias led the pack in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS (1.055), and wRC+ (180). He also ranked second in slugging percentage, fifth in isolated power (.229), 17th in walk rate (16.5 percent), and 23rd in strikeout rate (17.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Arias has split his playing time on the field this season between shortstop and second base. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder committed nine errors in 33 starts at short for the FCL Red Sox but did not commit an error in 10 starts at second. He also made four starts at DH.

Arias, who turns 19 in November, originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2023. The Caracas native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year and has since added to his glove-first profile by showing signs of immense improvement at the plate.

“He’s one of these guys that you can close your eyes and you know he’s going to field a ground ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Arias when speaking with Speier earlier this month. “He’s a very easy plus defender, which is, I think, what’s really exciting about him. The bat has always been behind, and now the bat is starting to creep up and all of a sudden, you’re looking at a player who does a little bit of everything.”

Valera, meanwhile, is not yet ranked by Baseball America but is rated by SoxProspects.com as the No. 42 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The 18-year-old right-hander posted a 1.79 ERA and 3.29 FIP with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 appearances (nine starts) spanning 40 1/3 innings for the FCL Red Sox this season. Opposing hitters batted just .128 against him.

Dating back to the beginning of June, Valera has pitched to a 0.98 ERA (2.20 FIP) with 29 strikeouts to four walks over his last seven starts (27 2/3 innings). That includes punching out a season-high seven batters in five perfect frames against the FCL Braves last Thursday.

Among the 20 FCL pitchers who entered Monday with at least 40 innings under their belt to this point in the year, Valera ranked first in batting average against and WHIP (0.77), second in FIP, third in groundball rate (56 percent), fourth in ERA fifth in strikeout rate (26 percent), sixth in walk rate (9.1 percent) and xFIP (3.98), and eighth in swinging-strike rate (16 percent), per FanGraphs.

Valera, who turned 18 in May, originally signed with the Red Sox for $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023. The Sabana Grande de Palenque native appeared in 15 games (one start) as part of his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last season but has really burst onto the scene this year.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Valera primarily operates with a 93-97 mph fastball and an 83-85 mph slider, according to his initial SoxProspects.com scouting report. The projectable righty does not yet feature a third pitch and is inconsistent when it comes to throwing strikes. Still, “he checks a lot of boxes that you look for in a pitching prospect his age.”

While Arias and Valera are getting somewhat of a head start in making the jump to Salem, others in Fort Myers will likely join them at some point in August since the 2024 FCL season will conclude on July 30 at the latest.

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez, Noah Dean to High-A Greenville

With Connelly Early and David Sandlin making the jump to Double-A Portland, the Red Sox are promoting pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Noah Dean from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to reports from SoxProspects.com and MiLB Central’s Chase Ford.

Rodriguez, 20, and Dean, 23, are currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the Nos. 16 and 46 prospects in Boston’s farm system. That ranks fourth and 23rd among pitchers in the organization, respectively.

Rodriguez, who turns 21 next month, has spent parts of the last three seasons with Salem after originally being selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. To begin the 2024 campaign, the right-hander posted a 2.51 ERA and 2.73 FIP with 73 strikeouts to 25 walks in 14 appearances (13 starts) spanning 61 innings of work for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate. Opposing hitters batted just .206 against him.

Listed at a lean 6-foot-3 and 160 pounds, Rodriguez throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As recently noted by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, the lanky righty has seen an uptick in his fastball velocity this season to the point where he is now averaging 95 mph and touching 98 mph with the pitch. He also features an upper-70s curveball, a mid-80s slider, and an upper-80s changeup.

Dean, who turned 23 in March, had been with Salem since making his professional debut last April. The New Jersey native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Old Dominion. After struggling to a 6.29 ERA in 2023, Dean kicked off the 2024 season by forging a 3.96 ERA (3.89 FIP) with 86 strikeouts to 31 walks over 15 appearances (13 starts) spanning 61 1/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a minuscule .139 batting average.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dean has overhauled his delivery and now throws from cross-bodied, three-quarters arm slot. The lefty sits between 92-94 mph with his fastball while also mixing in a mid-80s changeup and a slider. SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall noted last month that Dean has relied on his slider more and used his heater less this season, which has resulted in softer contact.

Command and control remain areas of improvement for both Rodriguez and Dean, who are now slated to join a starting rotation mix in Greenville that includes the likes of Hayden Mullins, Dalton Rogers, Yordanny Monegro, Blake Wehunt, and Jedixson Paez.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

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 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 to promote infield prospect Tyler Miller to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting corner infield prospect Tyler Miller from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Miller, 24, had been with Greenville since the start of the 2023 season. In his first 36 games this year, the left-handed hitter batted .275/.321/.450 with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, nine walks, and 28 strikeouts over 140 plate appearances for the Drive. He slashed .313/.365/.552 against right-handed pitching and just .171/.194/.171 against lefties.

Among 78 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League this season, Miller ranks 23rd in strikeout rate (20 percent) and OPS (.771), 17th in batting average and slugging percentage, 21st in isolated power (.176), 20th in line-drive rate (26 percent), 28th in swinging-strike rate (10.7 percent), and 30th in wRC+ (119), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Miller has primarily split his playing time between first and third base in 2024. With Greenville, the 6-foot-1, 193-pounder made 18 starts at first and 16 at the hot corner while committing six errors in 211 total defensive chances. He also has limited experience at all three outfield spots.

Miller was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn. The Alabama native signed for $157,800 that July and has since posted a slash line of .252/.313/.400 with 29 homers and 61 RBIs in 268 career games (1,106 plate appearances) across three different minor-league levels. He is not currently viewed by SoxProspects.com as one of the top 60 prospects in Boston’s farm system.

By making the jump to Portland, Miller should provide the Sea Dogs with additional depth at first and third base in the absence of Blaze Jordan, who has been sidelined since May 12 after fracturing his left ring finger on a play at the plate. Besides Jordan, Alex Binelas has been the only Sea Dogs player to log innings at both corner infield positions this year.

Miller, who does not turn 25 until December, is the first position player from Greenville’s 2024 Opening Day roster to receive a promotion to Portland. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, it appears as though the Red Sox opened a spot for Miller on the Sea Dogs’ roster by releasing reliever Cody Scroggins.

(Picture of Tyler Miller: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote top pitching prospect Luis Perales to Double-A Portland

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

Perales, 21, is coming off one of the best starts of his young career in his last time out against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Tuesday. The right-hander allowed only one hit and two walks to go along with a season-high 12 strikeouts over five scoreless innings. He threw 81 pitches (49 strikes) and induced 26 swings-and-misses.

On the 2024 campaign as a whole, Perales has posted a 3.42 ERA and 1.98 FIP with 46 strikeouts to 10 walks across seven starts (26 1/3 innings) for Greenville. He missed some time last month due to side soreness but has impressed since returning to the mound, pitching to a 2.11 ERA (1.97 FIP) with 39 punchouts to eight walks over his last five outings (21 1/3 innings) dating back to April 27.

Among 60 pitchers in the South Atlantic League who came into play Wednesday with at least 25 innings under their belts this season, Perales ranked first in strikeouts per nine innings (15.72), strikeout rate (39.7 percent), and swinging-strike rate (20.7 percent), per FanGraphs. He also led the pack in batting average on balls put in play (.474), which suggests that the defense behind him has been lacking at times.

In addition to the gaudy strikeout numbers, Perales has also given up fewer walks and has induced softer contact. As The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier recently noted, Perales has cut down his walk rate from 12.7 percent last year to 8.6 percent this year while elevating his groundball rate from around 30 percent to 47.3 percent.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, Perales throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-to-high leg kick into his delivery. The righty primarily operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a high-90s fastball that tops out at 98-99 mph, a low-90s cutter, a low-80s changeup, and a mid-80s slider.

Perales, who does not turn 22 until next April, originally signed with the Red Sox for $75,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. Alongside fellow countryman Wikelman Gonzalez, Perales was added to the club’s 40-man roster over the winter to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among pitchers in the organization behind fellow righties Gonzalez and Richard Fitts.

In Portland, Perales is slated to join a starting rotation that — for the time being — includes the likes of Gonzalez, Angel Bastardo, Isaac Coffey, Zach Penrod, Helcris Olivarez, and Hunter Dobbins. If any of these arms were to make the jump to Triple-A Worcester to accommodate the addition of Perales, Penrod would seemingly be a prime candidate.

(Picture of Luis Perales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Brian Van Belle to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Brian Van Belle from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per his agent Gavin Kahn of EnterSports Management.

Van Belle, 26, posted a 3.00 ERA and 4.14 FIP with 69 strikeouts to 25 walks in 14 appearances (13 starts) spanning 81 innings of work for the Sea Dogs this season. The right-hander was used as a bulk reliever in his last time out against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this past Sunday and allowed five runs over five innings after taking over for the rehabbing Richard Bleier.

So, as a starter to this point in the season, Van Belle has pitched to a 2.61 ERA and 3.98 FIP with 65 strikeouts to 22 walks across 76 innings in which he has held opposing hitters to a .233 batting average against. Coming into play on Thursday, Van Belle ranked fifth among qualified Eastern League pitchers in walks per nine innings (2.78), per FanGraphs. He also ranked fifth in walk rate (7.6 percent), ninth in batting average against (.240), sixth in WHIP (1.20), eighth in line-drive rate (20.1 percent), third in swinging-strike rate (14.7 percent), third in ERA, and 10th in FIP.

A native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., Van Belle originally joined the Red Sox organization as an undrafted free agent in June 2020. Despite being viewed as one of the top college seniors in that summer’s class, the Miami product was passed over in the draft, which was reduced to five rounds on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As he recently explained to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, though, Van Belle received plenty of interest on the open market in the days following the draft’s completion. The Red Sox separated themselves — in part — by offering future tuition money in addition to a league-mandated $20,000 signing bonus.

So along with the opportunity to play with the Red Sox, I have two years of grad school in my back pocket if I ever want to use it,” Van Belle told Smith last month. “Obviously your baseball career only lasts so long. Just having that backup plan there that they provided was awesome.”

In total, Boston signed 16 undrafted free agents in the wake of the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft. Of the nine who are still in the organization, Van Belle is the first to make it as far as Triple-A and is now just one call-up away from the major-leagues.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Van Belle throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and operates with a low-90s fastball that tops out at 94 mph, a mid-80s circle changeup, a high-70s curveball that features 12-to-6 break, and a newly-implemented cutter.

Van Belle, who turns 27 in September, becomes the latest prospect to make the jump from Portland to Worcester this season, joining the likes of other pitchers such as Shane Drohan, Theo Denlinger, Ryan Fernandez, Brendan Nail, and Rio Gomez.

It is also worth mentioning that Van Belle can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster ahead of the protection deadline in November.

(Picture of Brian Van Belle: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Rafaela was informed of the decision following Portland’s 7-3 loss to the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field on Sunday afternoon. He did not play in the game.

“It’s very exciting,” Rafaela told Speier. “I’ve been waiting for this chance. I’m happy I get it. I need to go up there and do the same thing I’ve been doing . . . I’ve been working, developing, and I feel very ready right now.”

In 60 games for the Sea Dogs this season, Rafaela batted .294/.332/.441 (107 wRC+) with 18 doubles, six home runs, 37 RBIs, 40 runs scored, an Eastern League-leading 30 stolen bases, 14 walks, and 55 strikeouts across 266 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old initially got his 2023 campaign off to a slow start, but he has turned it around as of late and is slashing a stout .341/.384/.533 (143 wRC+) in his last 34 games (152 plate appearances) dating back to May 13.

On the other side of the ball, Rafaela is considered to be one of the more polished defenders in the Red Sox organization, as evidenced by him being named the club’s Minor League Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. This season alone, the versatile 5-foot-9, 165-pounder made 43 starts at center field and seven at shortstop for Portland. He committed eight errors in 163 defensive chances.

While the defensive abilities are undoubtedly there, there are some concerns when it comes to Rafaela’s plate discipline. He struck out in 20.7 percent and walked in only 5.3 percent of his plate appearances with the Sea Dogs this year, though he has worked to improve both of those marks in recent weeks.

A native of Curacao, Rafaela originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent in June 2018. He has since risen through the ranks and was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Rafaela, who turns 23 in September, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in the Red Sox farm system behind only Marcelo Mayer, Miguel Bleis, Nick Yorke, and Roman Anthony. He is now slated to join a talented WooSox roster that includes other top prospects such as Shane Drohan, Brandon Walter, Enmanuel Valdez, and Wilyer Abreu.

By earning a promotion to Worcester, Rafaela is one step closer to reaching the major-leagues. To get there, he will need to show that he can handle and succeed against advanced competition at the Triple-A level.

(Picture of Ceddanne Rafaela: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Bradley Blalock to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Bradley Blalock from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

Blalock, 22, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization. The right-hander has posted a 1.50 ERA and 2.82 FIP with 22 strikeouts to just four walks in four starts (18 innings) for Salem this season. He has put up those numbers while holding opposing hitters to a .167 batting average against.

In his last time out against the Delmarva Shorebirds at Carilion Clinic Field this past Thursday, Blalock struck out six and walked only one over five frames of one-run ball. He induced 11 swings-and-misses and topped out at 99 mph with his fastball after reaching 97 mph with the offering in his previous three outings.

A native of Georgia, Blalock was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 32nd round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Grayson High School. The club swayed Blalock away from his commitment to Kennesaw State by signing him to an over-slot bonus of $250,000 that July.

Blalock debuted in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League but had his first full season in pro ball derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He then pitched to a 4.27 ERA in 23 starts for Salem in 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery last March.

During the lengthy 14-month rehab process, Blalock altered his pitch mix by drawing inspiration from Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman. In addition to a revitalized fastball that has flashed increased velocity post-surgery, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound righty now works with a split-change (Gausman’s pitch), an 84-86 mph gyro slider, and a curveball that features 11-to-5 break.

“It’s definitely cool to be back,” Blalock told Smith last week. “I was talking to somebody about this the other day. It definitely kind of reminded me of that COVID year in 2020. It was just like, ‘Hey, an extra year down and I can get better. I’ve got something to prove.’ I put my head down. Got in there every day with the training staff, in the weight room and the pitching coach in Fort Myers and definitely took advantage of all the resources I had down there.

“Some people go into it and they are like, ‘Oh, dang. This is gonna suck. I don’t know what to expect for the next year,’” he continued. “I feel like the first two days after I knew I was going to have surgery, it was definitely tough. But after that it was like, ‘OK, what’s next? I’m gonna put my head down and grind.’ I was definitely in the best possible spot I could be in to have this with the resources we have.”

Blalock, who does not turn 23 until December, is now set to join a starting rotation in Greenville that includes Wikelman Gonzalez, Angel Bastardo, Juan Daniel Encarnacion, and Dalton Rogers. He will help fill the void left behind by fellow righties Isaac Coffey and Hunter Dobbins, who were both promoted to Double-A Portland on Monday.

(Picture of Bradley Blalock: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)