Tag: prospects

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)

Two Red Sox prospects named Dominican Summer League All-Stars

Two young prospects have been selected to represent the Red Sox in the 2024 Dominican Summer League All-Star Game on Sunday.

First baseman/outfielder Justin Gonzales and outfielder Anderson Fermin will suit up for the American League as they go up against DSL All-Stars from the National League at the Milwaukee Brewers’ Dominican complex in Santo Domingo. First pitch is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET.

Gonzales and Fermin are two 17-year-olds who signed with Boston as international free agents back in January. The Dominican Republic natives received bonuses of $250,000 and $400,000, respectively. The former has spent his first professional season with DSL Red Sox Blue while the latter has been playing for DSL Red Sox Red.

Gonzales, a right-handed hitter, has batted .324/.402/.537 with six doubles, four triples, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 21 runs scored, three stolen bases, 13 walks, and 10 strikeouts in 30 games (122 plate appearances) for DSL Red Sox Blue. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder has made 20 starts at first base, eight in right field, one in center field, and one at DH. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 55 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, Gonzales — who turns 18 in December — “already has plus raw power that could end up a plus-plus tool.” He “uses the whole field, typically stays within the strike zone, and doesn’t miss much when he does swing thanks to a fairly short stroke for his size.”

Fermin, a switch-hitter, has slashed .300/.423/.336 with two doubles, one triple, 14 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 23 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 29 games (137 plate appearances) for DSL Red Sox Red. The 5-foot-11, 174-pounder has made 24 starts in center field, four at DH, and one in left field. He is not ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com.

In his recent evaluation of the Red Sox farm system, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen classified Fermin as a “compact rookie-level hitter.” He noted that Fermin, who turns 18 in September, “tracks pitches very well and has the speed to develop in center. His sweeping, downward bat path produces very little power right now.”

While Gonzales and Fermin were selected to the Dominican Summer League All-Star Game as players, DSL Red Sox Red manager Sandy Madera was named to the American League’s coaching staff under DSL Rangers Red skipper Nick Janssen.

(Picture: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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’ Kyle Teel rips two doubles at All-Star Futures Game

Red Sox catching prospect Kyle Teel delivered a standout performance in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on Saturday afternoon.

Teel went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles in the American League’s 6-1 loss to the National League, making him the only player on either side to record multiple hits in the seven-inning exhibition.

Representing the Red Sox alongside fellow top prospect Marcelo Mayer — who went 0-for-2 with two groundouts — in the 25th annual Futures Game, Teel entered the contest as a defensive replacement for starting catcher Samuel Basallo in the fifth inning. The 22-year-old backstop was unable to throw out Dylan Crews stealing second base in the top half of the frame but made up for it with his first plate appearance in the latter half.

With one out and the bases empty, Teel found himself matched up against Reds pitching prospect Rhett Lowder. The left-handed hitter worked a 2-2 count before barreling an 86.3 mph slider from the right-hander to deep left-center for an opposite-field double. The ball left his bat at 98.8 mph and traveled 379 feet over the outstretched glove of National League center fielder Druw Jones.

Teel advanced to third base on a fielding error but was left stranded there. He got his next opportunity with one out in the bottom of the seventh, this time pitted against another righty in the Pirates’ Bubba Chandler. Though he fell behind in the count at 1-2, Teel kept things rolling by lacing an 86.3 mph fastball down the left-field line for his second double of the day.

Teel was, yet again, left in scoring position as Chandler recorded the game’s final two outs to seal the 6-1 victory for the National League. Reds prospect Cam Collier was named Futures Game MVP after going 1-for-2 with a 409-foot solo home run.

Selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Virginia, Teel is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 27 prospect in the sport. He has batted .298/.384/.455 with 16 doubles, eight home runs, 49 RBIs, 53 runs scored, six stolen bases, 33 walks, and 70 strikeouts in 65 games (294 plate appearances) for Double-A Portland to begin his first full professional season.

Defensively, Teel has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this season come at catcher. The 6-foot, 190-pounder has logged 380 innings behind the plate for the Sea Dogs, allowing three passed balls and throwing out 11 of 64 possible base stealers in that time.

Along with Mayer and outfielder Roman Anthony, who won the inaugural Future Skills Showcase on Saturday, Teel is the third member of the Red Sox’ Big Three. The top three prospects in the organization are knocking on the door for a promotion to Triple-A Worcester but are all planning on returning to Portland after the All-Star break, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

“We still have half a season left,” Teel told Speier. “This is a really cool journey. [The Futures Game] is a little sidequest we get to do midway through our season, but we’ve still got to compete for the playoffs with the Sea Dogs. The only thing that we can really control is playing for the Sea Dogs right now. That’s it. So we want to do that the best that we can and develop the most that we can.”

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Red Sox top prospect Yoeilin Cespedes likely requires surgery after breaking bone in left hand

Top Red Sox prospect Yoeilin Cespedes has a broken hamate bone in his left hand that will likely require surgery, as was first reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Cespedes had yet to appear in a game for Low-A Salem after earning a promotion from the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 25. The 18-year-old middle infielder was instead placed on the 7-day injured list last Wednesday due to what was initially believed to be left-hand soreness.

As noted by Speier, however, the issue lingered longer than expected. Further testing led to the diagnosis of a hamate fracture, according to Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham. Since surgery to remove a broken hamate typically sidelines players for approximately six to eight weeks, the rest of Cespedes’ season could be in jeopardy if he does indeed go under the knife.

Before being promoted to Salem late last month, the right-handed hitting Cespedes batted a stout .319/.400/.615 with 10 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 24 RBIs, 20 runs scored, three stolen bases, 12 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 25 games (105 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox to open the 2024 campaign.

Defensively, Cespedes split his playing time on the field between second base and shortstop. The 5-foot-8, 181-pounder made seven starts at the former and 10 at the latter. He also started eight games at DH, though five of those starts came in the early stages of the FCL season as he was still working his way back from a quadriceps strain that sidelined him during spring training.

Cespedes, who turns 19 in September, is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.4 million as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of Azua last January. He made a positive first impression in his professional debut by being named a 2023 Dominican Summer League All-Star and the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Had he remained healthy upon making the jump to Salem, Cespedes could have put himself in the conversation to join fellow Red Sox prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell on Baseball America’s top-100 list this summer. He will now have to wait a bit until he is cleared to return to action.

(Picture of Yoeilin Cespedes: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Top prospects Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel to represent Red Sox in Futures Game festivities

The Big Three of outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and catcher Kyle Teel have been invited to represent the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game in Arlinton, Texas on July 13.

Mayer and Teel will play for the American League in the Futures Game itself while Anthony (an inactive selection) is slated to take part in the first-ever MLB Futures Skills Showcase — a three-round competition of hitting challenges — that follows the seven-inning exhibition at Globe Life Field.

Anthony, Mayer, and Teel have spent the entirety of the 2024 season together at Double-A Portland and are currently regarded by Baseball America as The Nos. 1, 2, and 3 prospects in Boston’s farm system, respectively. All three are represented in Baseball America’s top 100 prospects rankings as well.

Anthony has overtaken Mayer for the top spot in the organization. The left-handed hitting 20-year-old is batting .246/.358/.441 with 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 24 RBIs, 35 runs scored, six stolen bases, 36 walks, and 66 strikeouts in 60 games (260 plate appearances) for Portland this season. He has made 46 starts in center field and one in right field.

Mayer, who suited up for the American League in Seattle last year, joins Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts as the only Red Sox position prospects to be named to multiple Futures Games. The left-handed hitting 21-year-old is slashing .307/.371/.479 with 25 doubles, seven home runs, 36 RBIs, 54 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 27 walks, and 57 strikeouts in 68 games (299 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs this season. He has made 56 starts at shortstop and one at third base.

As noted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Mayer was scratched from Portland’s lineup on Monday after experiencing back stiffness during batting practice. He may sit again on Tuesday, but the issue is still considered minor and one that is not expected to keep the former fourth-overall pick out for long.

Teel, meanwhile, is enjoying a strong first full season in pro ball after being selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last year’s draft out of Virginia. The left-handed hitting 22-year-old is batting .302/.390/.464 with 14 doubles, eight home runs, 48 RBIs, 51 runs scored, five stolen bases, 31 walks, and 67 strikeouts in 60 games (272 plate appearances) for Portland. He has thrown out 10 of 60 possible base stealers in his 40 starts behind the plate.

All three of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel remain in Portland for the time being but are undoubtedly nearing a promotion to Triple-A Worcester. It remains to be seen if they will move up as a group or individually, though Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham acknowledged in a recent conversation with Speier that “the conversations are happening constantly.”

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

Red Sox’ Franklin Arias named Florida Complex League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Franklin Arias has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of June 24-30, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Arias went 7-for-15 (.467) with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, four runs scored, five stolen bases, three walks, and three strikeouts in five games for the FCL Red Sox last week. The 18-year-old then went 4-for-7 (.571) with two doubles, one RBI, three runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and one strikeout between Games 1 and 2 of Monday’s doubleheader against the FCL Braves at the JetBlue Park complex in Fort Myers.

Following Monday’s performance, Arias is now batting a stout .308/.432/.513 with 13 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 23 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 35 games (146 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox after a relatively slow start to the season. The right-handed hitter leads Boston’s rookie-level affiliate in doubles, runs scored, stolen bases, extra-base hits (17), and total bases (60), per MiLB.com.

Defensively, Arias has seen all of his playing time on the field this season come at either shortstop or second base. The projectable 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has made 23 starts at short, where he has committed five errors in 98 chances, and eight at second, where he has yet to commit an error. He has also served as the FCL Red Sox’ designated hitter three times, including Game 2 of Monday’s twin bill.

Arias is currently regarded by both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Caracas in January 2023. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June and slashed .350/.440/.453 over 37 games while impressing with his defense.

Arias, who does not turn 19 until November, is the second member of this year’s FCL Red Sox to earn Player of the Week honors, joining fellow infielder and 2023 signee Yoeilin Cespedes (June 3-9). Cespedes has since received a promotion to Low-A Salem but has yet to appear in a game there due to left-hand soreness, according to SoxProspects.com Chris Hatfield.

As part of a new scheduling quirk, the 2024 Florida Complex League regular season will end on July 25. Barring a trade or other sort of surprise, it seems more likely than not that Arias will be joining Cespedes in Salem before the end of the summer.

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

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Cutter Coffey earns South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Cutter Coffey has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of June 10-16, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Coffey put on quite the power display in High-A Greenville’s last series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field. The right-handed hitting infielder went 8-for-19 (.421) with one double, six home runs, 15 RBIs, eight runs scored, five walks, and just one strikeout.

After going deep in Hickory last Sunday, Coffey homered in all five games he appeared in this past week. The 20-year-old slugger clubbed solo shots on Tuesday and Wednesday, a three-run blast on Thursday, a grand slam and another three-run homer on Friday, and a two-run bomb on Saturday before getting Sunday’s series finale off.

With his grand slam on Friday, Coffey became the first player in Greenville Drive history to hit a home run in five consecutive games. His three-run home run later that night helped him notch the first multi-homer game of his professional career.

Since returning from Greenville’s 7-day injured list on May 22, Coffey has batted .240/.337/.627 with two doubles, nine home runs, 24 RBIs, 13 runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 17 strikeouts in his last 19 games (86 plate appearances). On the 2024season as a whole, he has slashed .232/.313/.507 with six doubles, 11 homers, 33 runs driven in, 26 runs scored, four stolen bases, 15 walks, and 37 strikeouts over 35 games (160 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Among 83 hitters in the South Atlantic League who have made at least 160 trips to the plate to this point in the year, Coffey ranks 10th in slugging percentage, 17th in OPS (.820), second in isolated power (.275), 15th in swinging-strike rate (9.2 percent), and 20th in wRC+ (122), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Coffey has seen playing time at every infield position besides first base for Greenville this season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has logged 140 1/3 innings at third base, 113 innings at shortstop, and 17 innings at second base, committing 13 errors in 91 total defensive chances. He has also started four games as the Drive’s designated hitter.

Coffey, who just turned 20 last month, is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 35 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The California native was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Liberty High School in Bakersfield. He signed with the club for $1.85 million and forwent his commitment to the University of Texas by doing so.

After making his professional debut in the Florida Complex League that summer, Coffey spent the first four months of the 2023 campaign with Low-A Salem before first arriving in Greenville last August. He has since hit .202/.293/.399 in 53 games (239 plate appearances) with the Drive, though the results as of late have certainly been more encouraging.

Coffey is the second member of the Drive to earn South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors this season, joining fellow infielder Tyler Miller (April 22-28). On the flip side, right-hander Juan Daniel Encarnacion was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 6-12.

Miller and Encarnacion have since been promoted to Double-A Portland. As such, it will be interesting to see if Coffey joins them on the Sea Dogs before the season draws to a close.

(Picture of Cutter Coffey: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

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’ Yoeilin Cespedes named Florida Complex League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Yoeilin Cespedes has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of June 3-9, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Cespedes, 18, appeared in four games for the FCL Red Sox last week. The right-handed hitter went 7-for-16 (.438) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, six runs scored, three stolen bases, one walk, and one strikeout. He homered in back-to-back games (June 4 and 7) and is now riding a seven-game hitting streak as well as a 10-game on-base streak.

On the 2024 season — his first in the United States — as a whole, Cespedes is batting a stout .315/.393/.616 with eight doubles, one triple, four homers, 22 RBIs, 16 runs scored, three stolen bases, nine walks, and 13 strikeouts over 20 games (84 plate appearances) for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate.

Among 81 qualified hitters in the Florida Complex League coming into play on Monday, Cespedes ranked 12th in strikeout rate (15.5 percent), 14th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage, second in slugging percentage, fifth in OPS (1.009), third in isolated power (.301), and 10th in wRC+ (157), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Cespedes has effectively seen his playing time split between second base and shortstop so far this year. The 5-foot-10, 181-pounder has made five starts at the former and seven at the latter, committing three errors (all at short) and turning three double plays. He has also started eight games at DH, though five of those starts came in the early stages of the FCL season since he was still working his way back from a quadriceps strain.

Cespedes, who does not turn 19 until September, is currently regarded by both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.4 million as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of Azua in January 2023.

As part of his professional debut last season, Cespedes was named a Dominican Summer League All-Star and the Red Sox’ Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the Year. He is not yet viewed as a top-100 prospect in the sport but may not be too far off from garnering that kind of consideration.

Unlike past years, the 2024 Florida Complex League season will end in late July as part of a new scheduling quirk. Even if it looks like he is ready for a new challenge, the Red Sox will be sure to exhibit patience when it comes to Cespedes’ development. Still, it will be interesting to see if he makes the jump to Low-A Salem — and therefore gets his first taste of full-season ball — before or after the FCL Red Sox play their final game of the summer.

(Picture of Yoeilin Cespedes: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)