Tag: prospects

Red Sox outfield prospect Phillip Sikes homers twice, drives in 4 runs for Low-A Salem as impressive month of May rolls on

Red Sox outfield prospect Phillip Sikes had a monster game in Low-A Salem’s 8-2 win over the Fredericksburg Nationals at Virginia Credit Union Stadium on Wednesday night.

Batting eighth and starting in center field, Sikes went 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, one double, four RBIs, three runs scored, and one walk. He also picked up an outfield assist and helped turn an inning-ending double play by gunning down top Nationals prospect Brady House at first base in the bottom of the third.

Both of Sikes’ homers were solo shots that came off two different Nationals relievers in the fourth and sixth innings. His double came in the top half of the seventh and plated an additional two runs to lift Salem to their 21st win of the year.

After getting his first full professional season off to a rough start in April (73 wRC+), Sikes — like many in Salem’s lineup — has turned things around for the better in May. Following Wednesday’s performance, the right-handed hitter has slashed .265/.351/.592 (152 wRC+) with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, nine RBIs, nine runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and 15 strikeouts over 14 games (57 plate appearances) this month.

Defensively, Sikes has already seen playing time at all three outfield positions this year, logging 71 2/3 innings in left, 123 innings in center, and 40 innings in right. The 6-foot-2, 190 pounder recorded his second outfield assist of the season on Wednesday.

Back on May 4, Sikes made his professional debut as a pitcher in Salem’s 24-6 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The right-hander needed just nine pitches (seven strikes) to toss a perfect ninth inning in what was his first appearance on a mound since 2019.

Sikes, 23, was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of last year’s draft out of Texas Christian University. The native Texan is not yet regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system, though he may be already be one of the quickest players in the organization.

According to FanGraphs, Sikes has posted a Speed Score of 8.3 this season. First developed by Bill James, Speed Score measures a player’s speed and baserunning ability on a 0 to 10 scale. Sikes’ 8.3 Speed Score, then, is quite good.

Among Carolina League hitters with at least 110 plate appearances under their belt in 2022, Sikes ranks 13th in Speed Score and 14th in isolated power (.194). Among minor-leaguers in the Red Sox organization who have made 110 or more trips to the plate, Sikes ranks fourth in Speed Score and 12th in isolated power, per FanGraphs.

Coming into play on Thursday, Sikes has multiple hits in three of his last seven games. He will look to keep things going as Salem goes for its fourth straight win beginning at 7:05 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Phillip Sikes via the Salem Red Sox)

Red Sox prospect Tyler Miller caps off productive weekend with Low-A Salem by crushing walk-off home run

Tyler Miller’s fifth home run of the season came at just the right time for Low-A Salem on Sunday night.

After Adenys Bautista blew a save opportunity by allowing the Lynchburg Hillcats to score two runs in the top half of the ninth inning, Miller was set to lead off the bottom of the ninth in what had become an 8-8 ballgame.

Having already gone 0-for-1 with one strikeout and a pair of walks on a rain-filled evening at Salem Memorial Ballpark, Miller found himself matched up against Hillcats right-hander Brauny Munoz. The left-handed hitter worked a 2-2 count before crushing a walk-off homer well over the right field wall to lift the Salem Sox to a 9-8 victory.

The 2022 season has been a tough one for Miller to date. It’s the 22-year-old’s first full campaign as a pro after being selected by Boston in the ninth round of last summer’s amateur draft out of Auburn University.

Following Sunday’s clutch performance, Miller is batting .193/.271/.370 (80 wRC+) with four doubles, one triple, five homers, 15 RBIs, 17 runs scored, three stolen bases, 10 walks, and 50 strikeouts over 31 games (133 plate appearances) this year.

After closing out the 2021 season with Salem, Miller returned to the Carolina League affiliate earlier this spring. The Alabama native held his own in April (122 wRC+), but had seen his production at the plate crater up until the latter half of Salem’s latest series with Lynchburg.

Miller played in the series opener last Tuesday and then rode the bench for two straight days. Since returning to Salem’s lineup on Friday, Miller has reached base in seven of his last 14 trips to the plate while putting together a three-game hitting streak.

Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 193 pounder has logged 62 innings at first base, 97 2/3 innings at third base, and 55 innings in left field. He has yet to commit an error at either of the three positions.

Miller, who does not turn 23 until December, is not yet regarded as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. He will likely spend the rest of the season in Salem before working his way up to High-A Greenville next year.

On that note, though, it will be interesting to see if Miller can use the momentum he gained over the weekend to turn his 2022 season around for the better beginning in Fredericksburg, Va. on Tuesday.

(Picture of Tyler Miller courtesy of the Salem Red Sox)

Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata reaches 100 mph in first competitive action since undergoing Tommy John surgery

For the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April, Red Sox pitching prospect Brayan Mata faced off against batters from another organization on Thursday, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Down in Fort Myers, Mata threw two innings in an extended spring training game. The right-hander did not allow a run or hit over those two frames while recording five strikeouts, two walks, and topping out at 100 mph with his fastball.

Mata, 23, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fifth among pitchers in the organization.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for just $25,000 in 2016, Mata was added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in November 2020. The following spring, it seemed as though the righty had a good chance to break camp in Triple-A Worcester’s starting rotation before it was revealed he would require season-ending surgery.

Fast forward 13 months, and Mata is back on the mound and working his way towards getting into minor-league games again. Per Speier, Mata will likely begin a rehab assignment in early June, when the Florida Complex League season begins.

From there, the Red Sox plan to keep Mata on a starter’s schedule and get to a point where they could possibly pair him with fellow right-hander Brayan Bello in Worcester this summer.

Prior to going under the knife, the 6-foot-3 and 229 pound hurler worked with a five-pitch mix that consisted of a 94-96 mph four-seam fastball, a 91-93 mph two-seam fastball, an 86-90 mph slider, a 78-80 mph curveball, and an 84-86 changeup.

There were some questions whether Mata could stick as a starter or would be better suited for a move to the bullpen. But, as noted by Speier, he is considered to have a high ceiling in either role.

While the Red Sox will understandably take their time when it comes to his rehab, the possibility remains that Mata — who is already on Boston’s 40-man roster — could make his major-league debut by the end of the 2022 season if all goes well.

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

Red Sox top prospect Triston Casas tweaks right ankle in Worcester

Red Sox top prospect Triston Casas was removed in the seventh inning of Triple-A Worcester’s 4-3 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park on Tuesday night.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Casas was visited at first base by WooSox manager Chad Tracy and trainer David Herrera before being lifted in favor of Roberto Ramos.

To that point in the contest, Casas had gone 1-for-2 with one walk and one strikeout. Following Worcester’s come-from-behind victory that snapped a 10-game losing streak, it was revealed why the 22-year-old had to come out of the game.

As reported by The Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Joe McDonald, Casas tweaked his right ankle on the first base bag while recording the final out of the fifth. In the bottom half of the frame, he rolled that very same ankle as he attempted to get back to third base before getting doubled up.

“I played the next two innings and felt fine,” Casas explained. “They told me if I felt it at all, whether it was hurting a little bit, to let them know. The same motion I made injuring it, or hurting it, was the same motion I need to do to hit, so I was telling them to get (Roberto) Ramos to come into hit for me.”

Ramos did end up taking over for Casas at first base, but it does not appear as though the promising infielder sustained any sort of long-term injury that will require him to miss an extended period of time.

“It was just for precautionary reasons,” said Casas. “I feel good now. We’re going to see how I come in tomorrow, and we’ll take it slow. I feel good.”

Through 36 games with the WooSox this season, Casas is batting .248/.359/.457 with nine doubles, six home runs, 22 RBIs, 22 runs scored, 23 walks, and 35 strikeouts over 156 plate appearances.

The left-handed hitting 22-year-old is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the 19th-ranked prospect in all of baseball. He is expected to make his major-league debut for the Red Sox at some point this year.

(Picture of Triston Casas: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan named Carolina League Player of the Week

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for May 9-15, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Appearing in five games in Low-A Salem’s most-recent series against the Delmarva Shorebirds at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, Jordan went 9-for-22 (.409) with four doubles, two home runs, four RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts.

After batting just .162 in the month of April, Jordan has turned things around for the better in May and is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak. Over the course of this torrid stretch, the right-handed hitting corner infielder has batted .367/.407/.592 (174 wRC+) to go along with five doubles, two homers, eight runs driven in, nine runs scored, four walks, and seven strikeouts across 54 trips to the plate.

Defensively, Jordan has seen time at both first base and third base with Salem this year. The 6-foot-2, 220 pounder has logged 68 2/3 innings at first and 161 innings at the hot corner thus far while recording a total of four errors and five double plays.

Jordan, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top power hitter and No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the Mississippi native in the third round of the 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School and swayed him away from his commitment to Mississippi State University by signing him for $1.75 million.

Given the fact that he does not turn 20 until December, it seems likely that the Red Sox will take a deliberate approach with Jordan’s development. Put another way, he could spend most — if not the entirety — of the 2022 campaign in Salem before moving up to High-A Greenville.

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

Red Sox shortstop prospect Matthew Lugo is thriving with High-A Greenville

Before the minor-league season began, The Athletic’s Keith Law identified Matthew Lugo as a potential sleeper prospect within the Red Sox farm system. A little more than five weeks into the 2022 campaign, Lugo has shown why he is worthy of more recognition.

In High-A Greenville’s 6-3 loss to the Asheville Tourists at McCormick Field on Tuesday, one day after celebrating his 21st birthday, Lugo went 1-for-4 with his lone hit being an eighth-inning two-run home run.

Through 24 games with the Drives this season, the right-handed hitting shortstop has batted a stout .333/.385/.576 with eight doubles, three triples, four home runs, 19 RBIs, 16 runs scored, five stolen bases, six walks, and 17 strikeouts over 109 plate appearances.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Lugo ranks eighth in strikeout percentage (15.6%), fifth in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage, eighth in OPS (.961), 14th in isolated power (.242), 20th in speed score (7.6), and seventh in wRC+ (155), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 185 pounder has seen all his playing time on the field this year come at shortstop. He has logged 203 1/3 innings at the position thus far and has committed six errors while turning five double plays.

The nephew of former big-leaguer Carlos Beltran, Lugo was originally selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico. The Barceloneta native signed with the club for $1.1 million and made his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League.

As things stand now, Lugo is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. And, as noted in the above tweet, it certainly seems as though the 21-year-old will earn a promotion to Double-A Portland sooner rather than later.

(Picture of Matthew Lugo: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer returns to Low-A Salem’s lineup

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer returned to Low-A Salem’s lineup for the first time since April 23 on Tuesday morning.

Batting third and serving as designated hitter, Mayer went 1-for-4 with a single, two strikeouts, and a stolen base in Salem’s 1-0 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Mayer’s 3 1/2 week absence initially came as a result of what the Red Sox described as workload management. During that time, however, the 19-year-old shortstop began experiencing minor soreness in his right wrist that further delayed his return to action.

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Sox preferred to wait things out with Mayer and have him back at full strength as opposed to having him “running uphill for the rest of 2022.”

Including Tuesday’s performance, Mayer is now batting .328/.388/.475 with six doubles, one home run, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored, four stolen bases, six walks, and 19 strikeouts through 14 games (67 plate appearances) this season. Tuesday marked just the second time this year the left-handed hitter has been used as Salem’s DH.

The Red Sox originally selected Mayer with the fourth overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, so this is the Southern California native’s first full professional season. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the 14th-ranked prospect in all of baseball.

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

Red Sox outfield prospect Devlin Granberg batting .367 to begin season with Double-A Portland

In Double-A Portland’s doubleheader sweep of the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field on Thursday night, Red Sox outfield prospect Devlin Granberg went 3-for-5 with one triple, one RBI, one run scored, one walk, and one strikeout while batting third and starting in center field for both contests.

After beginning the season on the injured list, Granberg made his 2022 debut on April 16. Since then, the right-handed hitter has batted a stout .367/.475/.531 to go along with four doubles, two triples, three RBIs, eight runs scored, three stolen bases, eight walks, and five strikeouts over 14 games (59 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs.

Among Eastern League hitters who have made at least 50 trips to the plate this year, Granberg ranks tied for first in strikeout rate (8.5%), first in batting average, first in on-base percentage, 12th in slugging percentage, sixth in OPS (1.005), 18th in speed score (7.6), and sixth in wRC+ (185), per FanGraphs.

If there were any reason to be concerned about Granberg’s offensive production thus far, it would have to do with the fact that he is pulling more than 54% of the balls he is putting into play while also hitting groundballs at a 51.2% clip.

Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 224 pounder who once came up as a first baseman/corner outfielder has seen all of his playing time this season come in center field. Coming into play on Friday, he has logged 120 innings at the position and has yet to commit an error there.

Granberg, 26, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Dallas Baptist University. As a college senior, the Colorado native signed with the club for just $40,000 and made his professional debut for the Lowell Spinners that summer.

Nearly four years to the day after making his pro debut, Granberg earned a promotion from High-A Greenville to Portland last June. Since that time, he has slashed .299/.356/.479 with a 129 wRC+ in 83 games (340 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs while playing first base and all three outfield positions.

Granberg, who turns 27 in September, is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system, which is understandable given his age. That said, he has drawn some attention on account of his unique approach at the plate and could be working his way towards a promotion to Triple-A Worcester at some point this summer. Only time will tell.

(Picture of Devlin Granberg: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox first base prospect Niko Kavadas boasting top walk rate (27.5%) and fourth-best on-base percentage (.475) in Carolina League

You could say that Red Sox first base prospect Niko Kavadas is in the midst of a slump. Over his last six games with Low-A Salem dating back to April 27, Kavadas is batting just .133 (2-for-15) with one extra-base hit.

While a .133 batting average is certainly not an eye-opener, Kavadas has still managed to get on base as of late despite the lack of hits. In his last 24 trips to the plate, the left-handed hitter has drawn nine walks, which translates to a 37.5% walk rate as well as a .458 on-base percentage.

Through the first month of the 2022 minor-league season, which is also his first full professional season, Kavadas is slashing .263/.475/.474 with six doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, 10 runs scored, one stolen base, 22 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 18 games spanning 80 plate appearances with Salem.

Among qualified Carolina League hitters, the 23-year-old currently ranks second in walks, first in walk rate (27.5%), 29th in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, 17th in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.949), 10th in isolated power (.211), and seventh in wRC+ (174), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Kavadas has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this year come at first base. The 6-foot-1, 235 pounder has logged 111 innings at the position thus far and has registered four assists while turning seven double plays.

The Red Sox originally selected Kavadas in the 11th round of last summer’s amateur draft out of the University of Notre Dame. The Indiana native officially signed with the club for $250,000 on the first day of August. Around that same time, Kavadas was identified by Baseball America as an underrated draft selection on account of his power and ability to draw walks.

While he has only hit four home runs in 33 professional games, Kavadas has already shown that he can be productive in other ways via ball four. Since being promoted from the Florida Complex League to Salem on August 25 of last year, Kavadas has drawn 30 walks while only striking out 32 times.

Kavadas, who does not turn 24 until late October, is currently regarded by FanGraphs as the No. 28 prospect and by SoxProspects.com as the No. 48 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Under the assumption that he can break out of his quote-unquote slump and continue to get on base at a high rate, it seems likely that Kavadas could make his way to High-A Greenville before season’s end.

(Picture of Niko Kavadas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox outfield prospect Tyler Esplin set to make Double-A debut for Portland Sea Dogs

Red Sox outfield prospect Tyler Esplin will make his Double-A debut for the Portland Sea Dogs on Wednesday night when they go up against the Somerset Patriots (Yankees affiliate) at TD Bank Ballpark in New Jersey.

Esplin, who will bat eighth and start in right field for Portland, was promoted from High-A Greenville on Tuesday after the Sea Dogs placed fellow outfielder Wil Dalton on the 7-day injured list.

In his first eight games of the 2022 season with Greenville, where he spent the entirety of the 2021 campaign, the left-handed hitting Esplin batted .323/.400/.581 (158 wRC+) with four doubles, two triples, seven runs scored, four walks, and 11 strikeouts over 35 trips to the plate.

Defensively, the 6-foot-3, 230 pounder has played all over the outfield with the Drive while logging 17 innings in left, nine innings in center, and 45 innings in right. He has committed one error and registered one outfield assist thus far.

Esplin, 22, was selected by the Red Sox in the seventh round of the 2017 amateur draft out of the esteemed IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Boston swayed the Illinois native away from his commitment to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte by signing him for $250,000.

Once regarded by Baseball America as a top-30 prospect within Boston’s farm system on two separate occasions (2018, 2020), Esplin — who turns 23 in July — is a lifetime .235/.316/.347 at four different minor-league levels since making his professional debut in July 2017. He has 12 career home runs and 16 career stolen bases under his belt.

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