Tag: prospects

Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut has hit 6 home runs in first 13 games for High-A Greenville

Alongside fellow Greenville Drive teammates Alex Binelas and Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut currently leads the South Atlantic League in home runs with six of them on the young season.

Northcut hit two solo homers as part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate in High-A Greenville’s 10-6 loss to the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers affiliate) at L.P. Frans Stadium on Tuesday night.

Nearly three weeks into the 2022 minor-league season, the right-handed hitter finds himself batting .264/.328/.642 with two doubles, those six homers, 12 RBIs, seven runs scored, three walks, and 17 strikeouts over 13 games spanning 58 plate appearances.

Among qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League, Northcut ranks fourth in slugging percentage, 15th in OPS (.969), second in isolated power (.377), and 17th in wRC+ (148), per FanGraphs. Power is clearly a big part of the 22-year-old’s game, though his 5.2% walk rate and 29.3% strikeout rate are not nearly as encouraging.

Defensively, Northcut has seen playing time at both corner infield positions for the Drive so far this year. The 6-foot-1, 205 pounder has logged 70 innings at first base and 44 innings at the hot corner while committing a total of two errors.

A native of Mason, Ohio, Northcut was a highly-touted prospect coming out of William Mason High School when the Red Sox selected him in the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft. He was committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University, but signed with Boston for an over-slot deal of $565,000. Since then, he has clubbed 26 home runs in 210 professional games and his raw power is probably his top carrying tool.

Northcut, who turns 23 in June, is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in the Red Sox’ farm system. He can, however, become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time this winter and is certainly making an early case for a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster come late November.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Alex Binelas is mashing at High-A Greenville

If it weren’t for Orioles prospect Cesar Prieto, Alex Binelas likely would have become the second member of the Greenville Drive to earn South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors in as many weeks.

In the Drive’s last series against the Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox affiliate) at Fluor Field, Binelas went 6-for-17 (.353) with one double, three home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, five walks, and eight strikeouts while appearing in five of a possible six games.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, the left-handed hitting infielder is slashing a stout .306/.435/.714 with two doubles, six homers, 14 runs driven, 14 runs scored, two stolen bases, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts across 13 games spanning 62 trips to the plate.

Nearly three weeks into the minor-league season, Binelas has been among the top hitters in the South Atlantic League thus far. The 21-year-old currently ranks 16th in walk percentage (17.7%), 19th in batting average, ninth in on-base percentage, second in slugging percentage, second in OPS (1.150), first in isolated power (.408), and third in wRC+ (195), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Binelas has seen an almost equal amount of playing time at first base and third base at the High-A level. The 6-foot-3, 225 pounder has logged 54 innings at the hot corner, 45 innings at first, and has yet to commit an error.

Binelas, who turns 22 next month, is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 17 prospect and by MLB Pipeline as the No. 22 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system. He is undoubtedly one of the top power hitters in the organization.

This is Binelas’ first full season in pro ball. The Oak Creek, Wis. native was originally selected by his hometown Brewers in the third round of last year’s draft out of the University of Louisville but was traded to the Red Sox with Jackie Bradley Jr. and fellow prospect David Hamilton for Hunter Renfroe in December.

From the outside, one might think transitioning to a new organization may be a tough task for a player still getting his feet wet as a professional. For Binelas, though, going from the Brewers to the Sox over the winter hardly seems to be affecting him.

With that, a mid-to-late-season promotion to Double-A Portland certainly seems within reach for Binelas if he can maintain this kind of production at the plate in Greenville.

(GIF of Alex Binelas via the Greenville Drive)

Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela named South Atlantic League Player of the Week

Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela has been named the South Atlantic League’s Player of the Week for April 11-17, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Rafaela, 21, has gotten his 2022 season with High-A Greenville off to scorching start. Over his last six games against the Asheville Tourists, the right-handed hitter has batted a ridiculous .433/.452/.900 (241 wRC+) with five doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs, 10 runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and six strikeout across 31 plate appearances with the Drive.

Since the South Atlantic League season began on April 8, Rafaela ranks fourth among qualified hitters in batting average (.395), 21st in on-base percentage (.422), third in slugging percentage (.860), third in isolated power (.465), second in doubles (5), first in home runs (5), and first in RBIs (11), per FanGraphs.

The Red Sox originally signed Rafaela out of Curacao for just $10,000 in July 2017. The Willemstad native came into 2022 regarded by Baseball America as both the No. 22 prospect and top defensive outfielder in Boston’s farm system.

Initially signed as a shortstop five years ago, Rafaela has since become an extremely versatile player. The 5-foot-8, 150 pounder played six different positions (second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field, and right field) with Low-A Salem in 2021 en route to being named the organization’s Minor League Defensive Player of the Year.

So far with the Drive this season, Rafaela has logged nine innings at short and 63 in center. Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham recently told The Athletic’s Chad Jennings that Rafaela will “be mostly confined” to those two positions in 2022, though he is still capable of playing anywhere.

That Rafaela, who turns 22 in September, appears to be in the midst of a breakout campaign at the plate should be an encouraging sign for both the player and the Red Sox. After the 2021 Rule 5 Draft was cancelled as a result of the lockout, Rafaela can once again become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter.

If the Sox would like to prevent that from happening, they would need to add Rafaela to their 40-man roster by the deadline in late November. As of now, the odds of Rafaela being added and receiving protection from the Rule 5 seem high.

(Picture of Ceddanne Rafaela: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Tyler McDonough hits first home run of season for High-A Greenville

Versatile Red Sox prospect Tyler McDonough hit his first home run of the season in High-A Greenville’s 9-6 victory over the Asheville Tourists (Astros affiliate) on Thursday night.

Batting leadoff and starting in center field, McDonough went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, four RBIs, one run scored, and one strikeout at McCormick Field.

After beginning the 2022 season 0 for his first 13 with seven punchouts, McDonough has gone 4 for his last 11 with four extra-base hits, four runs scored, and seven runs driven in across the Drive’s last two games, both of which were wins.

McDonough, who turned 23 earlier this month, is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The North Carolina State product is in the midst of his first full season as a pro after being selected by the Sox in the third round of last summer’s draft.

During his three seasons with the Wolfpack, McDonough saw playing time at second base, third base, and center field. That sort of usage has continued with the Red Sox organization, as the 5-foot-10, 180 pounder has already logged nine innings at second base, nine innings in center field, and 28 innings at new position in left field early on this year.

Offensively, McDonough was known for his bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline during his time at North Carolina State. So far as a pro, the switch-hitter has proven capable of handling left-handed and right-handed pitchers alike. Between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem last year, the Ohio native batted .277/.371/.446 against righties and .400/.478/.750 against southpaws.

Given his ability to play multiple positions and hit from both sides of the plate, McDonough could prove to be a valuable asset within Boston’s farm system who has the potential to rise through the organizational ranks quickly.

(GIF of Tyler McDonough via the Greenville Drive)

Red Sox pitching prospect Brandon Walter ahead of Portland Sea Dogs debut: ‘Everybody says Double-A is the separator. I’m kind of excited to see how I match up, how I’m going to attack these hitters’

Red Sox pitching prospect Brandon Walter is slated to make his first start of the season for Double-A Portland on Sunday afternoon as they go for a series victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field.

Update: It was a quality 2022 debut for Walter, who allowed zero runs on one hit, no walks, and one hit batsman to go along with seven strikeouts over five solid innings of work. 40 of the 62 pitches he threw went for strikes.

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Walter, 25, burst onto the scene in 2021 while putting together a stellar season between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville. The left-hander was not even regarded by Baseball America as one of the top 30 prospects in Boston’s farm system at this point last year.

After breaking minor-league camp with Salem, though, Walter proceeded to put up a 1.45 ERA and 1.78 FIP with 46 strikeouts to just six walks over his first 13 appearances (two starts) and 31 innings of the season before earning a promotion to Greenville in early July 6.

With the Drive, Walter was used primarily as a starter. The lefty posted a 3.70 ERA and 3.13 FIP to go along with 86 strikeouts to 14 walks across 12 starts and 58 1/3 innings pitched at the High-A level. He was recognized by MLB Pipeline as the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in October.

The Red Sox originally selected Walter in the 26th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware. As a late-round senior sign, the New Castle native received a modest $35,000 bonus from the club.

Two years removed from Tommy John surgery at the time of signing with the Sox, Walter made his professional debut in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He appeared in 13 games for the GCL Red Sox before the season came to a close.

The following spring, Walter fell victim to the fact that the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the Red Sox did not invite him to their alternate training site that summer, Walter was left to develop on his own time. But he went on to take advantage of his time away from affiliated ball.

“I just used that whole time [to my advantage],” Walter told MLB.com’s Ian Browne back in December. “I wanted to add on some weight. I put on 15 pounds of muscle during that time to try to make myself a better athlete. I kept the arm going, I kept throwing. I just trained. I mean luckily for me, there was a bunch of Minor Leaguers from my area that were in the same situation. So we all just kind of looked at it as a time to get better.”

On the heels of what had the makings to be a lost year in 2020, Walter came into camp last spring and made immediate strides by displaying an increase in fastball velocity to coincide with his changeup and slider.

Among High-A East pitchers who accrued at least 50 innings on the mound in 2021, Walter ranked fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (13.27), 16th in walks per nine innings (2.16), second in strikeout rate (36.3%), 18th in walk rate (5.9%), eighth in batting average against (.211), seventh in WHIP (1.03), fifth in swinging strike rate (17.6%), fourth in FIP, and first in xFIP (2.58), per FanGraphs.

For as dominant as Walter was in Greenville last summer, he was — on average — facing hitters who were slightly less than a year younger than him. That will likely not be the case for 6-foot-2, 200 pound southpaw in 2022.

As he recently explained to The Portland Press Herald’s Travis Lazarczyk, Walter is aware of the significance that comes with the jump from pitching at High-A to pitching at the Double-A level.

“Obviously, Double-A is a big jump up from High-A. It’s one of the biggest jumps you’re going to make in professional baseball,” Walter said. “The hitters are just smarter. They’re older. They’re not going to chase as much stuff outside the zone as younger guys in the lower levels. They’ll do more damage when you make mistakes in the middle.

“Everybody says Double-A is the separator,” he added. “I’m kind of excited to see how I match up, how I’m going to attack these hitters.”

Walter, who turns 26 in September, enters the 2022 season as Baseball America’s No. 11 Red Sox prospect, which ranks fifth among pitchers in the organization.

Beyond the jump from High-A to Double-A, the 2022 campaign is undoubtedly an important one for Walter since he can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career by the end of the year.

So, you can make the case that Walter will be pitching for a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster this season while also auditioning for 29 other teams in the event that he is not added to the Sox’ 40-man come late November.

(Picture of Brandon Walter: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox infield prospect David Hamilton shines in organizational debut with Double-A Portland

Red Sox infield prospect David Hamilton made quite the first impression in his organizational debut for Double-A Portland on Friday night.

Batting leadoff and starting at second base in Portland’s opener against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field, Hamilton went 4-for-5 with a triple, two home runs, seven RBIs, three runs scored, and one stolen base while leading the Sea Dogs to a commanding 11-6 victory.

Matched up against Fisher Cats starter Elvis Luciano to begin things on Friday, Hamilton got his productive night at the plate started by ripping a leadoff triple to right field and scoring on an RBI double off the bat of Izzy Wilson.

An inning later, Hamilton followed up a leadoff double from Kole Cottam by taking Luciano deep to right field for a two-run home run and his first big fly of the young season.

In the third, Hamilton came through with runners on second and third base and greeted new Fisher cats reliever Parker Caracci by lacing a run-scoring single to right field that plated Hudson Potts and gave the Sea Dogs a 7-1 lead.

After Tyreque Reed, Potts, and Cottam loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth, Hamilton took a 1-1 pitch from right-hander Joey Murray and proceeded to deposit a bases-clearing grand slam into Portland’s bullpen in right field.

Hamilton’s second homer of the contest put the Sea Dogs up 11-1. It was also the last time on the night Hamilton reached base, as he came up short of completing the cycle by flying out to right field in his final at-bat in the bottom of the sixth.

Hamilton, 24, comes into the 2022 season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 25 prospect in the Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox acquired Hamilton, fellow prospect Alex Binelas, and Jackie Bradley Jr. from the Brewers in the trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee last December.

A former eighth-round draft pick of the Brewers coming out of the University of Texas in 2019, Hamilton missed the entirety of the 2019 minor-league season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles and the entirety of the 2020 minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The speedy left-handed hitter finally made his professional debut last year and impressed, slashing .258/.341/.419 (110 wRC+) with 48 extra-base hits (eight home runs), 43 RBIs, and 52 stolen bases across 101 games (459 plate appearances) between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi. He also participated in the Arizona Fall League and posted a .916 OPS in 14 games (53 plate appearances) with the Salt River Rafters.

Defensively, Hamilton is well-regarded for his skills as a middle infielder. In 2021, the 6-foot, 175 pounder logged 746 2/3 innings at shortstop and 112 2/3 innings at second base. He figures to see time at both positions with Portland in 2022.

Hamilton, who turns 25 in September, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this December. The Red Sox would need to add the native Texan to their 40-man roster between now and late November if they wish to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

With that being said, the 2022 campaign should prove to be an important one for Hamilton. He certainly did not waste any time in getting things off to a hot start on Friday.

(Picture of David Hamilton: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox still have high hopes for power-hitting prospect Hudson Potts, Brian Abraham says

After claiming right-hander Kyle Tyler of waivers from the Angels on March 22, the Red Sox needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster. They did so by designating infield prospect Hudson Potts for assignment.

Three days later, the Sox announced that Potts had cleared waivers and had been outrighted to the minor-leagues. He was officially reassigned to Double-A Portland this past Tuesday.

Potts, 23, was one two prospects (the other being Jeisson Rosario) the Red Sox acquired from the Padres in the trade that sent Mitch Moreland to San Diego in August 2020.

After closing out the COVID-compressed 2020 season at the alternate training site, Potts was added to Boston’s 40-man roster that November to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft. He came into spring training last year ranked by Baseball America the No. 27 prospect in the Sox’ farm system.

Potts, a former first-round draft pick of the Padres in 2016, broke camp with Portland but missed the first month or so of the 2021 season due to an oblique injury.

Once healthy, Potts debuted for the Sea Dogs in June 10 but could never quite find his footing. The right-handed hitter struggled, particularly against righties, to the tune of a .217/.264/.399 slash line (76 wRC+) to go along with 18 doubles, 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 16 walks, and 100 strikeouts over 78 games and 307 plate appearances. He put up those numbers while playing nothing but third base.

Considering how poorly he fared at the plate in 2021, it was not much of a surprise to see Potts lose his spot on the 40-man roster last month. That being said, the Red Sox are pleased with the fact that the corner infielder remains in the organization after clearing waivers.

Boston’s director of player development Brian Abraham expressed these feelings in a recent conversation with The Athletics’ Chad Jennings while noting that Potts still has plenty of potential.

“I think we’re excited to see what we have here,” Abraham said of Potts. “We see a guy who’s an athletic third baseman, he shows power, (and) we just want to see a little bit more consistency. Obviously, the player wants to be on the 40-man, and there are circumstances that took him off, but we’re excited to get the player back, and excited to maybe take some of the pressure off him.”

Abraham told Jennings that the plan is to give Potts everyday at-bats with Portland. Third base will be his primary position, though he is likely to see some playing time at first base as well for the first time since 2018.

Potts, who does not turn 24 until October, may have lost his status as one of the top 30 or so prospects in the Red Sox farm system in 2022, but there is still plenty to like about his game when you take into account the raw power he offers from the right side of the plate.

On that note, Potts will be batting eighth and starting at first base for the Sea Dogs in their series opener against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field on Friday night.

(Picture of Hudson Potts: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox infield prospect Ahbram Liendo drives in 3 runs in Grapefruit League debut

Red Sox infield prospect Ahbram Liendo certainly made the most of his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday afternoon.

With the majority of Red Sox minor-leaguers leaving Fort Myers for the start of the 2022 season with their respective affiliate, Liendo was one of eight players Boston added to its roster ahead of Tuesday’s spring finale against the Twins at JetBlue Park.

After replacing Trevor Story at second base at the onset of the fifth inning, Liendo got his first crack at the plate in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs in the frame and runners at second and third, Liendo kept things going by ripping a line-drive, two-run single off Twins reliever Griffin Jax. He scored from third base himself later in the inning.

Fast forward to the seventh, and Liendo again came to the plate with two outs and runners on base. This time around, he drove in Jonathan Arauz on an RBI groundout to second. That gave Boston a 9-6 lead in what would turn out to be a 10-6 victory over Minnesota.

All told, Liendo went 1-for-2 off the bench with his single, one run scored, and a team-leading three RBIs in the Sox’ final exhibition game of the spring.

Liendo, 18, was originally signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela last January. The Maracay native received a signing bonus of $450,000, making him one of the more notable additions from the 2021 class.

Upon going pro last winter, Liendo had to wait a bit to make his organizational debut. In July, the Sox assigned Liendo to their Dominican Summer League Red affiliate and he debuted for the team on July 13.

Over the next two-plus months, the switch-hitting infielder slashed .251/.349/.353 (102 wRC+) with six doubles, four triples, one home run, 21 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 25 walks, and 30 strikeouts across 46 games spanning 195 plate appearances.

Among the 90 DSL hitters who made at least 190 trips to the plate last season, Liendo ranked 45th in stolen bases, 43rd in walk percentage (12.8%), 33rd in strikeout percentage (15.4%), and 28th in speed score (7.6), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Liendo saw the majority of his playing time come at second base last year and logged 338 1/3 innings at the position. But the 5-foot-8, 170 pounder also made two appearances (17 innings) at third base and one appearance (7 innings) at shortstop while recording six errors and turning 23 total double plays.

At the time of his signing, Baseball America’s Ben Badler noted that Liendo was “a baseball rat with an outstanding arm. He’s a headsy player who could move all around the field — some scouts thought about him as a catching conversion candidate — and an average runner. He’s a switch-hitter with gap power who is more advanced from the right side of the plate.”

Liendo, who just turned 18 in February, is not currently regarded by any major publication, including Baseball America, as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. That is understandable given his age and lack of experience.

With that being said, though, Liendo still has plenty of room to grow physically and developmentally on the field. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 season in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and could be an intriguing player to watch once the FCL gets underway in June.

(Picture of Ahbram Liendo via his Instagram)

Who is Red Sox prospect Allan Castro? Get to know the organization’s 2021 Latin Program Position Player of the Year

Red Sox outfield prospect Allan Castro comes into the 2022 season fresh off being recognized as the organization’s Latin Program Position Player of the Year in 2021.

Castro, 18, was originally signed by the Sox as a middle infielder coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019. The Santo Domingo native received a signing bonus of $100,000, but has since made the move to the outfield.

After the start of his professional career was pushed back on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, Castro made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League last year. Upon being assigned to the DSL Red Sox Red affiliate in July, the switch-hitting outfielder proceeded to bat .232/.335/.421 (110 wRC+) to go along with eight doubles, seven triples, three home runs, 19 RBIs, 24 runs scored, three stolen bases, 21 walks, and 43 strikeouts over 46 games spanning 194 plate appearances.

Among all DSL hitters who made at least 190 trips to the plate last season, Castro ranked tied for first in triples, 28th in slugging percentage, and 13th in isolated power (.189), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Castro saw playing time at all three outfield positions in 2021. The 6-foot-1, 170 pounder logged 95 innings in left field, 32 innings in center, and 175 1/3 innings in right while recording a total of six outfield assists and turning a total of two double plays.

Back in September, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall identified Castro as “one of the Red Sox’ most promising hitters in the DSL, showing the potential to hit for average and power.”

“He has some swing-and-miss in his game, but could get to above-average raw power eventually and an average defensive profile in right field, including a potential above-average arm,” Cundall wrote. “Scouts identified Castro as having one of the best pure bats in the Red Sox’ DSL program and as one to watch when he makes the jump stateside.”  

As Cundall alluded to, Castro is slated to begin the 2022 minor-league season in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero indicated as much in a recent email exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com.

“Regarding Castro, his career was delayed by the pandemic lost season, and he was really standing out from the offensive end until he tired later in the DSL summer,” wrote Romero. “Encouraging to see a position change to the outfield not affect him, and he ended up with a good range of extra-base hits. We have a talented group of outfielders expected to play in the FCL, and he’ll be in the mix for priority at-bats within that group.”

Castro, who turns 19 in May, is not currently regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. Given that he still has room to grow and develop, though, it would not be surprising to see Castro gain some notoriety and rise up the rankings a bit this summer if he impresses in the FCL.

(Picture of Allan Castro via his Instagram)

Who is Oddanier Mosqueda? Red Sox relief prospect made his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday

Red Sox pitching prospect Oddanier Mosqueda made his Grapefruit League debut in Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Twins at JetBlue Park.

The left-hander came on in relief of Michael Wacha in the fifth inning and struck out three of the six batters he faced while working in and out of a bases-loaded jam.

Mosqueda, 22, was originally signed by the Sox as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2015. The Caracas native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League and progressed as far as Low-A before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season.

After making 10 appearances for Caribes de Anzoategui of the Venezuelan Winter League that off-season, Mosqueda came into 2021 and broke minor-league camp with High-A Greenville.

Spending the entirety of the 2021 campaign with the Drive, Mosqueda posted a 3.61 ERA and 3.43 FIP to go along with 66 strikeouts to 25 walks over 32 relief appearances spanning 47 1/3 innings of work. He spent some time away from the team in late May/early June to pitch for Venezuela in the 2021 Americas Olympic Qualifier.

As of August 10 of last year, Mosqueda’s ERA on the season stood at 5.29. From that point forward, though, the lefty strung together 10 consecutive scoreless outings (15 innings) in which he struck out 21 and walked just four to end his season on a high note.

Among all High-A East pitchers who accrued at least 40 innings on the mound in 2021, Mosqueda ranked 20th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.55), 13th in strikeout rate (33.8%), ninth in batting average against (.182), and 13th in FIP, per FanGraphs.

While his strikeout numbers are undoubtedly impressive, Mosqueda also struggled with his command at times and gave up his fair share of walks as a result. The fact he averaged 4.75 walks per nine innings and walked nearly 13% of the batters he faced last year speaks to this.

At the conclusion of the 2021 minor-league season, Mosqueda returned to his home country to suit up for Caribes de Anzoategui once more, though he struggled to the tune of a 11.05 ERA in 11 outings (7 1/3 innings pitched) with the club.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Mosqueda operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball, a 79-81 mph curveball, and an 83-84 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Mosqueda, who turns 23 in May, is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system coming into the 2022 season, including SoxProspects.com.

That being said, the Venezuelan-born southpaw is projected by the site to begin the year with Double-A Portland. Should Mosqueda prove capable of handling a more advanced level of competition, he has the chance rise through the organization’s relief prospect ranks.

(Picture of Oddainier Mosqueda via his Instagram)