Tag: prospects

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez sets new franchise record for High-A Greenville

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez made some history in High-A Greenville’s 4-3 loss to the Winston-Salem Dash at Fluor Field on Thursday night.

By crushing his 30th home run as a member of the Drive in the second inning of Thursday’s defeat, Gonzalez moved past Chris Turner for most homers in franchise history. Turner had held the record for the last 18 years after going deep 29 times for Greenville from 2005-2006.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, homered 11 times in 110 games for the Drive last season and connected on his team-leading 19th big fly of the 2024 campaign on Thursday. Batting cleanup, the 22-year-old slugger led off the bottom of the second by depositing a 434-foot solo shot off Dash starter Jake Bockenstedt into the apartments beyond the left-center field wall. He finished the night having gone 2-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.

Following Thursday’s performance, the right-handed hitting Gonzalez is now batting .264/.331/.497 with 13 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, 56 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 29 walks, and 114 strikeouts in 89 games (353 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. That includes a .370/.439/.534 slash line over his last 21 games (82 plate appearances) dating back to August 6.

Among 48 qualified South Atlantic League hitters coming into play on Friday, Gonzalez ranks second in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.828) and isolated power (.233), fourth in wRC+ (132), ninth in batting average, and 23rd in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gonzalez made his 72nd start of the season at first base for the Drive on Thursday night. There, the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has committed 14 errors in 526 defensive chances. He has also started 10 games in right field, two games in left field (where he has recorded two outfield assists), and one game at third base.

Gonzalez, who turns 23 in less than two weeks, originally signed with the Red Sox for $500,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018. The Villa Mella native earned mid-season Dominican Summer League All-Star honors as part of his professional debut in 2019 but is not currently regarded by publications such as SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

Assuming he ends the season in Greenville and remains in the organization through the winter, Gonzalez is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Double-A Portland in 2025.

(Picture of Bryan Gonzalez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Franklin Arias named 2024 Florida Complex League MVP

Red Sox middle infield prospect Franklin Arias has been named the 2024 Florida Complex League MVP, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday. He was also recognized as an FCL All-Star and the FCL’s top MLB prospect.

Arias is currently regarded by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old 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.

Among 71 qualified FCL hitters, Arias led in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.055), and wRC+ (181). He also ranked fifth in isolated power (.229), sixth in speed score (8.7), 16th in walk rate (16.5 percent), 17th in swinging-strike rate (10.2 percent), and 23rd in strikeout rate (17.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Arias was promoted from the FCL to Low-A Salem on July 23. He has since slashed .231/.308/.350 with five doubles, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 13 runs scored, five stolen bases, 12 walks, and 24 strikeouts in his first 29 games (130 plate appearances) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Between the two stops, Arias has seen the majority of his playing time this season come at either shortstop or second base. With Salem in particular, the projectable 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has made 16 starts at short and eight at second, committing five errors in 109 total defensive chances. He has also started five games at DH.

Arias, who turns 19 in November, originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2023. The Caracas native was viewed as a glove-first infielder when he made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June, but he has added to his profile by making significant strides 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 The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier last 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.”

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox promote OF prospect Nelly Taylor to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Nelly Taylor from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Taylor is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 50 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The athletic 21-year-old is in his first full professional season after being selected in the 11th round of the 2023 draft out of Polk State College (Winter Haven, Fla). He had committed to transfer to Florida State before signing with the Red Sox for $300,000 last July.

In 101 games for Salem this season, Taylor batted .228/.336/.358 with 24 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 46 RBIs, 69 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 60 walks, and 106 strikeouts over 434 plate appearances. While a .694 OPS is far from eye-popping, the left-handed hitter is slashing .302/.408/.476 in August.

Among 52 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Taylor ranks fourth in line-drive rate (27.2 percent), 11th in speed score (7.6), 12th in walk rate (13.8 percent), 20th in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent), 21st in on-base percentage, 22nd in isolated power (.130), and 26th in slugging percentage and wRC+ (109), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Taylor has drawn encouraging reviews for his defensive prowess in the outfield this season. The 6-foot, 180-pounder saw playing time at all three spots for Salem, though 54 of his 93 non-DH starts came in center. There, he recorded one outfield assist and committed one error in 131 chances. He notched two more outfield assists in right as well.

Taylor, who does not turn 22 until January, has a unique story in that he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer, when he was just five years old. As he explained to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith in a wide-ranging profile last September, Taylor had the tumor removed but was unable to play contact sports — such as football — in his youth as a result.

According to his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Taylor is “a player fans will want to root for” since he has “the work ethic to reach his potential.” He is slated to bat fifth and start at DH for Greenville in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

(Picture of Nelly Taylor: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer ‘likely done’ for season due to lumbar strain

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer is likely done for the remainder of the season, as was first reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Mayer, who has not played in a game since July 30 for Double-A Portland, is dealing with a lumbar strain in his lower back. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted to Triple-A Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel on August 12 but was placed on the injured list last Tuesday.

As noted by Speier, Mayer is no longer with the WooSox and is instead rehabbing at the Red Sox’ Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, Fla. According to Brian Abraham, Boston’s director of player development, Mayer is expected to make a full recovery and can look forward to a normal offseason.

“We just got to a point where he really was plateauing with the improvement, and needed to get a little bit more deeper into what was going on,” Abraham told Speier. “Certainly unfortunate for Marcelo, but I think the good news is we know what the issue is.”

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. The Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.) product has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted a stout .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He made 65 starts at shortstop and one at third base, committing 11 errors in 216 total defensive chances.

Mayer was placed on the Sea Dogs’ injured list on August 1, two days after exiting Portland’s game with what was initially described as lower back and upper glute muscle soreness. The issue was deemed minor and the Red Sox proceeded to elevate Mayer to Worcester “with the expectation that he’d quickly find his way into the lineup,” according to Speier.

Mayer, however, hit a snag of sorts as the soreness in his lower back persisted. He was subsequently sent for an MRI, which led to the diagnosis of a lumbar strain. Rather than act aggressively, the Red Sox elected to send Mayer to extended spring training so that he could focus on his rehab.

“A really strong year from Marcelo. We’re going to take the positives out of it,” said Abraham. “Promoted to Triple-A, an opportunity to make some noise going into next year. We’re expecting a full recovery, so it will be all in the rear-view mirror by the time this offseason rolls around and he prepares for next year.”

If Mayer does not play again in 2024, this will mark the second straight year he has not been able to finish a season, which raises concerns about his durability. He was shut down last August with a left shoulder impingement he suffered while running the bases three months prior.

“I mean, obviously not ideal,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Mayer when speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Monday. “He had a good season, did a good job. But honestly, I didn’t know. I’ll talk to [player development] and see what happens. But getting him right is the most important thing. There’s a lot of potential there. There’s things that we have to work on. [The] injuries, obviously, from my end, [are] concerning, to be honest with you. Just have to make sure we can keep him healthy.”

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

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Mikey Romero from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Romero is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The left-handed hitting 20-year-old batted .271/.319/.498 with 20 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, one stolen base, 16 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 59 games (276 plate appearances) for Greenville this season.

Among the 85 South Atlantic League hitters who have made at least 275 trips to the plate this year, Romero ranks fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in isolated power (.227), ninth in OPS (.817), 12th in batting average, 16th in wRC+ (126), 21st in strikeout rate (21 percent), and 34th in line-drive rate (22.7 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Romero saw all of his playing time on the field with the Drive come at either shortstop or second base. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 307 2/3 innings at short and 134 innings at second, committing eight errors in 179 total chances. He also started eight games at DH.

A native of Southern California, Romero was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for $2.3 million that July but has struggled to stay on the field since entering the professional ranks.

After a strong pro debut between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2022, Romero was limited to just 34 games between three affiliates last year. He received a promotion from Salem to Greenville on August 15 but appeared in only three games for the Drive before being shut down for the rest of the season with “persistent lower-back issues.”

To that end, Romero did not make his 2024 debut until early May, as he opened the season on the injured list and completed a three-game rehab assignment in the FCL before rejoining the Greenville lineup on May 15. He initially got his second stint with the Drive off to a slow start but turned in a monster July (.354/.382/.781 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 19 games) and was recognized as the South Atlantic League Player of the Month.

Leading up to Sunday’s promotion, Romero had slashed .260/.327/.360 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 12 August contests for Greenville. He suffered a concussion earlier this month after taking a bad hop to the face in the infield but returned to action on August 14 following a brief seven-day stint on the injured list.

Romero, who does not turn 21 until January, should help fill the void in the Portland lineup that was created when top prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell were promoted to Triple-A Worcester within one week of each other. In doing so, he will be getting the opportunity to face more advanced pitching in the upper minors for the first time in his young career.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list with low back inflammation, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Mayer is dealing with a lower back and upper glute muscle issue that has kept him sidelined for the last three weeks. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted from Double-A Portland to Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel last Monday but has not yet appeared in a game for the WooSox.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. He has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He spent nine days (August 1-10) on the Sea Dogs’ injured list before being activated and joining the WooSox at Polar Park last Tuesday.

“I’m feeling much better,” Mayer told reporters (including Speier) that same afternoon. “My lower back and my upper glute was just bothering me a little bit. I missed a week in Somerset due to pec soreness and then my back kind of flared up on me. So we’ve just kind of been being cautious with it.  Don’t want to play when my back is hurt and then I end up getting more hurt than I need to, so we’ve just been taking it pretty slow, but I feel good.”

As noted by Speier, the decision to place Mayer on the injured list was made in part to create an opening on Worcester’s roster. Still, the fact of the matter is that Mayer is facing yet another lengthy late-season absence due to injury. He missed the final six weeks of the 2023 campaign with a left shoulder impingement.

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

Red Sox to promote rising prospect Kristian Campbell to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting fast-rising prospect Kristian Campbell from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Campbell is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 98 prospect in the sport. The 22-year-old will reunite with fellow recently-promoted top-100 prospects Marcelo Mayer (No. 10), Roman Anthony (No. 18), and Kyle Teel (No. 31) after spending the last two-plus months with “The Big Three” in Portland.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, Campbell opened his first full professional season at High-A Greenville after turning heads at spring training. The right-handed hitter proceeded to bat .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive. He then earned a promotion to Portland in early June.

With the Sea Dogs, Campbell turned things up a notch and slashed a stout .362/.463/.582 with 17 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 56 games (255 plate appearances). He was named Eastern League Player of the Week twice (June 10-16, August 5-11) and the Eastern League Player of the Month for June.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at four different positions so far this season. With Portland specifically, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder made 21 starts at shortstop, 15 at second base, 11 in center field, and one at third base. He is considered a fringe-average fielder despite possessing plus speed.

Given the fashion in which Campbell has broken out to the point where he is now only one call away from the major leagues, the case can be made that the Red Sox have a Big Four in Worcester as opposed to just a Big Three. Regardless of that, the WooSox are off on Monday and are slated to open a six-game road series against the Norfolk Tides on Tuesday night.

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

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Eastern League Player of the Week for second time this season

Rising Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of August 5-11, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Campbell takes home the honor for the second time this season after first doing so for Double-A Portland in mid-June. In the Sea Dogs’ most recent series against the Altoona Curve last week, the right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 8-for-18 (.444) with three home runs, five RBIs, six runs scored, five stolen bases, six walks, and three strikeouts over 25 plate appearances.

After reaching base six times through the first two games of the six-game set at Hadlock Field, Campbell got Thursday off. He then homered in three straight games over the weekend and is now riding a nine-game hitting streak as well as a 26-game hitting streak.

Since being promoted from High-A Greenville on June 4, Campbell has batted a stout .380/.484/.592 with 16 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 32 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 32 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 49 games (223 plate appearances) for Portland. Among the 98 hitters who have made at least 220 trips to the plate in the Eastern League this season, Campbell leads the pack in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.077), line-drive rate (31.5 percent), and wRC+ (203). He also ranks fifth in swinging-strike rate (7.1 percent) and seventh in walk rate (14.3 percent), strikeout rate (14.8 percent), and isolated power (.212), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at four different positions for the Sea Dogs so far this year. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder has logged 160 2/3 innings at shortstop, 131 innings at second base, 83 innings in center field, and nine innings at third base. He has also made five starts at DH.

Campbell, who turned 22 in June, was selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick of last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech. That is the same pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

A native of Georgia himself, Campbell signed with the Red Sox for $492,700, made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League, and then helped Greenville win its second South Atlantic League title before the 2023 campaign drew to a close. Just over a year since entering the pro ranks, Campbell is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 98 prospect in the sport.

With the recent promotions of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel, Campbell is now the highest-ranked Red Sox prospect on Portland’s roster. With that, it should be worthwhile to see if he can keep this level of production up and possibly reunite with The Big Three in Worcester before the end of the season.

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

Red Sox to promote top prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting their top three prospects — shortstop Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony, and catcher Kyle Teel — from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Mayer, Anthony, and Teel are currently regarded by Baseball America as the Nos. 10, 18, and 31 prospects in the sport, respectively. Dubbed “The Big Three” within Boston’s farm system, the talented trio represented the organization at last month’s All-Star Futures Game in Arlington, Texas. They are expected to join the WooSox and make their Triple-A debuts on Tuesday, when the club opens a six-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park.

Mayer, the longest-tenured of the three, was originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.). The left-handed hitting 21-year-old batted .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts in 77 games (335 plate appearances) for Portland this season. As noted by Speier, he was recently sidelined by minor hip soreness but was activated from the injured list over the weekend and should be ready to play.

Defensively, Mayer saw the vast majority of his playing time with Portland this season come at shortstop. The 6-foot-3, 188-pounder logged 543 innings at short for the Sea Dogs, committing 10 errors in 212 chances. He also started one game at third base and nine at DH.

Anthony, meanwhile, was taken by the Red Sox with the 79th overall selection in the 2022 draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla). The left-handed hitting 20-year-old slashed .269/.367/.489 with 20 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 48 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 84 games (376 plate appearances) for Portland this season. He is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak.

On the other side of the ball, Anthony had been serving as the Sea Dogs’ primary center fielder leading up to Sunday’s promotion. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder logged 489 1/3 innings in center for Portland, committing three errors in 132 chances. He also made two starts in left field (where he recorded two outfield assists), one start in right field, and 15 starts at DH.

Unlike Mayer and Anthony, Teel is in just his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of the University of Virginia. The left-handed hitting 22-year-old batted .298/.390/.462 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, 65 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 48 walks, and 87 strikeouts in 84 games (382 plate appearances) for Portland this season.

From behind the plate, Teel started 57 games at catcher for the Sea Dogs and threw out 18 of 91 would-be base stealers. The 6-foot, 190-pound backstop has shown “major improvement in his receiving, game-calling, and throwing since the beginning of July,” according to Speier.

After spending the better part of the last four months at Double-A, Mayer, Anthony, and Teel will make the highly-anticipated jump to Triple-A this week. Put another way, they are all just one call away from reaching the major leagues.

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

Red Sox catching prospect Andruw Musett comes through with walk-off single in Low-A Salem debut

Red Sox catching prospect Andruw Musett came through with an extra-innings walk-off single as part of his Low-A Salem debut in Tuesday’s series-opening win over the Delmarva Shorebirds.

With two outs and Antonio Anderson representing the winning run at third base in the bottom of the 10th, Musett worked a 2-1 count against Shorebirds reliever Eddy Alberto before ripping a groundball single back up the middle to drive in Anderson and lift the Red Sox to their 55th win of the season.

In addition to going 2-for-5 with a clutch RBI in his first game at Carilion Clinic Field, Musett also threw out two of four would-be base stealers from behind the plate. The 18-year-old backstop was added to Salem’s roster on Tuesday morning after spending the last three months in the Florida Complex League.

With the rookie-level FCL Red Sox this season, the right-handed hitting Musett batted .255/.395/.358 with eight doubles, two home runs, 20 RBIs, 25 runs scored, one stolen base, 30 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 46 games (137 plate appearances). Among 71 qualified FCL hitters, he ranked ninth in strikeout rate (13.4 percent), 12th in walk rate (17.4 percent) and swinging-strike rate (9.6 percent), 22nd in on-base percentage, 30th in wRC+ (116), and 33rd in OPS (.753), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Musett unsurprisingly saw most of his playing time in the FCL come at catcher. The 5-foot-10, 198-pounder made 29 starts behind the plate, allowing two passed balls and gunning down 19 of 42 base stealers. He also started 16 games at first base and eight at DH.

Musett, who turns 19 in November, originally signed with the Red Sox for $90,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2023. The Barquisimeto native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June and slashed .289/.433/.414 over 44 games. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 55 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, meanwhile, tabbed Musett as the Red Sox’ 42nd-ranked prospect in his review of the system last month. Longenhagen described Musett as “rhythmic and loose in the batter’s box, and shockingly fluid and flexible for a hitter his size.” He added that Musett “needs to develop a lot as a defender in order to stick behind the dish.”

(Picture of Andruw Musett: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)