Tag: red sox

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan could be ready to break out in 2022

Is Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan primed to break out in 2022? The experts at MLB.com seem to think so.

Earlier this week, MLB Pipeline published an article in which three writers — William Boor, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra — picked one potential breakout candidate from each team’s farm system.

For the Red Sox, that turned out to be Jordan, the club’s third-round selection in the 2020 amateur draft who just completed his first full season as a pro in 2021.

After breaking minor-league spring training with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox, Jordan got his 2021 campaign off to a blazing start.

The right-handed hitting corner infielder slashed a blistering .362/.408/.667 (170 wRC+) to go along with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 runs scored, one stolen base, six walks, and 13 strikeouts over 19 games (76 plate appearances) in the FCL before earning a promotion to Low-A Salem in early August.

It took quite a while for Jordan to debut for Salem, but the then-18-year-old made his first appearance for the Red Sox on Aug. 19. One of the youngest position players at the Low-A level, he proceeded to slash .250/.289/.444 (95 wRC+) one double, two homers, seven RBIs, seven runs scored, two walks, and eight strikeouts across nine games spanning 38 plate appearances. A trip to the injured list prematurely ended his season in early September.

Defensively, Jordan logged 41 innings at first base and 146 2/3 innings at third base between the complex league and Low-A last year. The native Mississippian committed a total of two errors at the hot corner but did not make any miscues at first base.

Jordan, who turned 19 last month, is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among position players in the organization.

In November, Baseball America identified Jordan as the best power hitter in the Sox’ system, citing that the 6-foot-2, 220 pounder’s “plus-plus [70-grade] power is a show-stopper. He hits towering home runs to all fields and gets to his power even with a disconnect in his upper and lower halves that should get smoothed out over time. Though he lacks any real semblance of an approach, he sees the ball well, allowing him to remain more controlled in the batter’s box than might be expected.”  

Since he reclassified in high school to graduate a year early and enter the draft sooner than expected, Jordan is still relatively young for a prospect who is entering his third year of pro ball. Along those same lines, the one-time Mississippi State commit is projected by SoxProspects.com to open the 2022 season where he left off in September: Salem.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Bryan Green/Flickr)

After rough 2020 season with Red Sox, Dylan Covey enjoyed success in Taiwan in 2021

Remember when Dylan Covey was one of 27 pitchers the Red Sox used during a dismal 2020 season that only consisted of 60 games?

A former fourth-round pick of the Oakland Athletics who broke in with the White Sox in 2017, Covey was effectively released by Chicago leading up to the 2020 season and inked a minor-league deal with the Rays shortly thereafter.

On the other side of the COVID-19-induced shutdown that placed a freeze on transactions across Major League Baseball, the Rays traded Covey to the Red Sox in late July.

The right-hander was initially optioned to Boston’s alternate training site, but wound up making the club’s Opening Day roster. He made his Red Sox debut against the Orioles on July 25 and was then sent back down to Pawtucket the following day.

On August 8, Covey was recalled from the alternate training site, paving the way for him to make three more appearances out of the Sox’ bullpen before getting optioned eight days later.

Fast forward nearly four weeks, and Covey’s name was called upon once again. He closed out the shortened campaign on Boston’s big-league roster and made four final relief appearances in the process of doing so.

All told, Covey posted a 7.07 ERA — yet a much more respectable 3.91 FIP — to go along with 11 strikeouts to just two walks over eight outings spanning 14 total innings of work in his three stints with the club.

Following the conclusion of the 2020 World Series, the Red Sox outrighted Covey off their 40-man roster, thus allowing the righty to become a free agent since he had already accrued more than three years of major-league service time.

It’s unclear if Covey — a client of CAA Sports — was pursuing big-league opportunities upon hitting the open market, but he ultimately inked a one-year deal with the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League last May.

Equipped with a five-pitch mix that consists of a slider, four-seam fastball, sinker, changeup, and curveball, Covey debuted for Rakuten’s first-team in late August.

In 10 starts for the Monkeys, the 30-year-old put up a 4.01 ERA and 3.14 FIP with 38 strikeouts and 17 walks across 58 1/3 innings pitched. According to CPBLStats.com, he yielded a minuscule 0.84 ERA over his final five starts of the year.

Last month, it was revealed that Rakuten had re-signed Covey to a one-year contract for the upcoming 2022 season, which begins in April.

If Covey — who turns 31 in August — can put together another productive season in Taiwan, it would be fascinating to see if the 6-foot-1, 214 pound hurler could garner enough interest from MLB teams to ponder a return to the United States next winter.

(Picture of Dylan Covey: CPBL Stats)

New Podding the Red Sox episode: Red Sox pitching prospect Christopher Troye joins the show

On the latest episode of Podding the Red Sox: A BloggingtheRedSox.com Podcast, I am joined by Red Sox pitching prospect Christopher Troye.

Troye, who turns 23 next month, was selected by Boston in the 12th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of the University of California, Santa Barbara and made two appearances in the Florida Complex League last season.

Among the topics Christopher and I discussed are how he was a catcher in high school but converted into a pitcher in college, how he spent his summers playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and Cape Cod Baseball League, working out with major-leaguers such as Shane Bieber and Tyler Glasnow during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting on his first professional season, his goals and expectations for 2022, and much more!

The episode is available to listen to on iTunes and Spotify, among other platforms.

My thanks to Christopher for taking some time out of his off-season schedule to have a conversation with yours truly. You can follow him on Twitter (@cctroye) by clicking here and on Instagram (@christophertroye) by clicking here.

Thank you for listening and we will see you next time! Please make sure to subscribe and leave a five-star review if you can!

(Picture of Christopher Troye: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia coming off solid debut season in Dominican Republic; 19-year-old is projected to begin 2022 in Florida Complex League

The Red Sox had many standout prospects who played for one of their two Dominican Summer League affiliates last season. This piece in particular will focus on outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, who suited up for the DSL Red Sox’ Blue squad.

Garcia began the year as the team’s Opening Day centerfielder against the DSL Royals White on July 12. He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in that particular contest, but really picked it up from there.

Over 45 games, the right-handed hitter batted an impressive .281/.424/.481 to go along with seven doubles, four triples, four home runs, 27 RBIs, 36 runs scored, five stolen bases, 33 walks, and 32 strikeouts across 172 plate appearances in what was his debut season.

Among hitters in the Dominican Summer League who accrued at least 170 plate appearances in 2021, Garcia ranked 12th in triples, 11th in walk percentage (19.2%), 14th in on-base percentage, 18th in slugging percentage, 14th in OPS (.905), 13th in isolated power (.200), and 12th in wRC+ (153), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Garcia played all over the outfield last season. Despite having some experience at shortstop as an amateur, the 6-foot-3, 163 pounder logged 172 1/3 innings in which he recorded one outfield assist and zero errors in center field and logged 110 1/3 innings in which he recorded three outfield assists, zero errors, and one double play in right field.

Garcia, who just turned 19 last month, originally signed with the Red Sox out of San Fernando de Apure for $350,000 back in July 2019. At that time, Baseball America reported that Garcia — then 16 — was “a well-rounded player and one of the better pure hitters this year in Venezuela.”

At present, Garcia is regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 60 prospect in Boston’s farm system. In September, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall wrote that the young outfielder “will show some of the loudest tools on the DSL Red Sox, but he is raw at present with strikeout potential.

“He is passive at the plate and his swing is pull-heavy, but when he makes contact, he hits the ball hard and has power potential,” added Cundall. “In the outfield, he has decent instincts, which he needs to make up for his lack of pure speed.”  

Considering that he is coming off a relatively successful first professional season, Garcia is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 campaign with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox in Fort Myers.

While he still has plenty of room to grow both physically and developmentally, it appears as though Garcia has the athleticism and upside to emerge as an intriguing prospect once he gets settled into the states.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia via his Instagram)

Red Sox bring back power-hitting outfielder Johan Mieses on minor-league deal for 2022 season

The Red Sox have brought back outfielder Johan Mieses on a minor-league contract for the 2022 season, according to the team’s transaction wire. It does not appear as though the deal includes an invite to major-league spring training.

Mieses, 26, originally signed a minors pact with the Sox in November 2019 after spending the first seven years of his professional career between the Dodgers and Cardinals organizations.

While unable to play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mieses did re-up with Boston that year before truly making his impact felt in 2021. After breaking camp with Double-A Portland, the right-handed hitter batted .286/.368/.714 to go along with three doubles, 11 home runs, 22 RBIs, 19 runs scored, nine walks, and 19 strikeouts across 23 games (95 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

On June 2, Mieses was promoted to Triple-A Worcester. He spent nearly two weeks away from the team in June for an Olympic qualifying event, then helped his native Dominican Republic win a bronze medal in the Tokyo Summer Games in August.

Upon returning to the United States, Mieses went on to play a total of 59 games with the WooSox and finished the year by slashing .211/.286/.368 with nine doubles, one triple, eight homers, 26 RBIs, 28 runs scored, three stolen bases, 22 walks, and 64 strikeouts over 230 plate appearances in those contests.

Defensively, Mieses has proven over the course of his career that he is capable of playing all three outfield positions. Last season alone, the 6-foot-2, 185 pounder logged 150 1/3 innings in left field and 230 innings in right field between Portland and Worcester.

As was the case last year, Mieses has presumably been brought back by the Red Sox to provide the club with experienced upper-minors outfield depth alongside the likes of Rob Refsnyder, Christin Stewart, and others.

Mieses, who turns 27 in July, is well-known for his slugging abilities. His .251 ISO ranked third among Red Sox minor-leaguers who accrued at least 300 plate appearances in 2021, per FanGraphs.

(Picture of Johan Mieses: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

New Podding the Red Sox episode: Red Sox co-director of international scouting Todd Claus joins the show

On this week’s installment of Podding the Red Sox: A BloggingtheRedSox.com Podcast, I am joined by Red Sox co-director of international scouting Todd Claus.

Among the topics Todd and I discussed are his playing career in the Angels organization, transitioning from a minor-league player to a minor-league manager, managing the likes of Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, and Jacoby Ellsbury in the minors, how he first started scouting for the Red Sox and how the technology involved with scouting has evolved over the years, and the obstacles the COVID-19 pandemic have created when it comes to scouting.

We also went over some of the Red Sox prospects Claus has helped the Red Sox sign over the years, such as Juan Daniel Encarnacion, Joan Martinez, and Ceddane Rafaela. Additionally, we talked about the possibility of an international draft being implemented in the near future and looked ahead a bit to this year’s international signing period.

The episode — which is the first of 2022 — is available to listen to on iTunes and Spotify, among other platforms.

My thanks to Todd for taking some time out of his busy off-season schedule to have a conversation with yours truly.

Thank you for listening and we will see you next time! Please make sure to subscribe and leave a five-star review if you can!

(Picture of Fenway Park: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Nathan Hickey quickly emerging as one of top catching prospects in Boston’s farm system

The Red Sox have an extensive history when it comes to drafting amateur prospects out of the University of Florida.

Dating back to the 2012 draft, the Sox have selected 12 players from Florida. Of that group of Gators, four (Austin Maddox, Brian Johnson, Bobby Poyner, and Shaun Anderson) went on to make it to the major-leagues.

Most recently, Boston selected Florida outfielder Jud Fabian and Florida catcher Nathan Hickey with its second- and fifth-round picks in last summer’s draft, respectively.

While Fabian ultimately made the decision to return to Gainesville for his senior season, Hickey wound up signing with the Red Sox for an over-slot deal of $1 million last July.

Upon inking his first professional contract, Hickey — a native of Jacksonville — reported to Fort Myers to begin his debut season with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox.

Across eight games in the FCL, the left-handed hitting backstop slashed .250/.429/.350 (124 wRC+) to go along with two doubles, one RBI, four runs scored, six walks, and eight strikeouts over 28 plate appearances before earning a promotion to Low-A Salem on August 27.

Hickey appeared in two games on Aug. 27 and 28, but was placed on the temporary inactive list on September 5. After a near-two-week hiatus, the 22-year-old returned to the field and made his final appearance of the season for Salem on Sept. 17. All told, he went 1-for-8 at the plate in his first exposure to the Low-A level.

Shortly after the conclusion of the minor-league season, it was revealed that Hickey’s father, Mark, passed away in early October.

On the heels of what was presumably an emotional 2021, Hickey comes into 2022 regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system — which ranks tops among catchers in the organization.

Per his MLB Pipeline scouting report, Hickey’s best carrying tool is his raw power. He also utilizes “a mature approach at the plate” that could help him “develop into a solid hitter, though his swing can get long and too uphill at times.”

That being said, Hickey also comes with some questions in regards to his defensive abilities behind the plate. The 6-foot, 210 pounder’s “receiving and blocking will have to improve significantly, and his solid arm strength plays down and resulted in 39 steals in 41 attempts against him during the spring.”

On that note, Hickey does have experience at other positions besides catcher. He saw time at both corner infield positions with the Gators in the spring before catching a total of five games between the FCL and Low-A over the summer.

Whether Hickey — who does not turn 23 until November — is able to stick at catcher has yet to be determined. He does however have an appealing offensive profile, and that should only help him in the long run.

Going off of SoxProspects.com’s roster projections, Hickey is slated to begin the 2022 campaign where he left off in 2021: with Salem. He will likely have a chance to earn a midseason promotion to High-A Greenville depending on the kind of start he gets off to.

(Picture of Nathan Hickey: Bryan Green/Flickr)

 

Red Sox prospect Nick Northcut quietly put together powerful 2021 season with Low-A Salem

When thinking of the more highly-touted infield prospects in the Red Sox farm system, Nick Northcut may not be the first name you come up with since he is not ranked by any major publications.

That being said, Northcut was actually one of the better hitting minor-leaguers in the organization last year, and he may have put together a productive 2021 season while flying under the radar a bit.

Coming out of minor-league spring training, Northcut began the year with Low-A Salem and remained there throughout what was his just his second full professional season.

Across 96 games for the Salem Red Sox, the 22-year-old slashed a sturdy .261/.352/.513 to go along with 32 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 77 RBIs, 68 runs scored, 46 walks, and 91 strikeouts over 402 plate appearances en route to being named a Low-A East Postseason All-Star.

Among qualified hitters in the Low-A East, Northcut ranked first in doubles, third in home runs, second in RBIs, ninth in runs scored, 16th in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, fourth in OPS (.865), first in isolated power (.252), and sixth in wRC+ (129), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, the right-handed hitting corner infielder appeared in a total of 38 games at first base and 47 games at third base with Salem. He committed three errors in 329 innings at first base and 11 errors in 383 innings at the hot corner.

Well before the 2021 season began, the Red Sox selected Northcut in the 11th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Mason High School. At that time, the Ohio native was a well-regarded two-way prep prospect (ranked 69th overall by Baseball America) and was committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt University.

With the help of then-area scout John Pyle, however, Boston was able to land Northcut by signing him to an over-slot deal of $565,000 in June 2018. He made his pro debut in the Gulf Coast League (now the Florida Complex League) shortly thereafter.

After spending the entirety of the 2019 campaign in Lowell, Northcut suffered the same fate as many minor-leaguers when the 2020 season was wiped out of the COVID-19 pandemic. He did not receive an invite to the Sox’ alternate training site that summer, but seemingly took advantage of his time at fall instructs later in the year in Fort Myers.

On the heels of such an impressive year at the plate in 2021, the 6-foot-1, 206 pounder is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the upcoming season at High-A Greenville, though he will likely face plenty of competition for playing time there.

Northcut, who turns 23 in June, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career next winter. In other words, he could be added to Boston’s 40-man roster by November depending on the type of year he has and/or how the team feels about him.

(Picture of Nick Northcut: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Should Red Sox view pitching prospect Wyatt Olds as starter or reliever moving forward?

Over the summer, the Red Sox selected 20 players in the revamped version of the 2021 amateur draft.

Of the 16 draftees Boston wound up signing, eight were pitchers. This piece in particular will focus on University of Oklahoma right-hander Wyatt Olds and the year he put together.

Taken in the seventh round (and with the 196th overall pick) in the draft, Olds signed with the Sox for $239,000 in late July and was promptly sent out to the club’s spring training complex in Fort Myers.

After making just one appearance for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox, Olds was promoted to Low-A Salem on August 20. The 22-year-old closed out his first professional season by posting a 2.45 ERA and 2.52 FIP to go along with 20 strikeouts to six walks over five outings (three starts) spanning 11 innings of work.

Among the 334 pitchers who accrued at least 10 innings on the mound last season, Olds ranked 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (16.4), 23rd in strikeout rate (40%), 26th in FIP, and 43rd in xFIP (3.26), per FanGraphs.

Olds, who was signed out of college by area scout Lane Decker, was used as both a starter and reliever in his three seasons with the Sooners. Most recently, the Oklahoma native opened the 2021 campaign in the team’s starting rotation, but he was moved back to the bullpen in mid-April.

Coming into the draft, Olds was regarded by Baseball America as the 422nd-ranked draft-eligible prospect. According to his Baseball America scouting report from that time, the righty’s “lower arm slot can make it hard for hitters to pick up the ball, and he misses bats, but he also misses the strike zone. He has a long arm action that he has struggled to repeat consistently, especially in longer stints. His fastball picked up a tick after his move to the bullpen, as he went from sitting 91-94 mph to sitting 93-96 mph and touching 97 mph.

In addition to his high-octane fastball, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall writes that Olds works with an 85-88 mph slider and a changeup that still has room for improvement.

Listed at 6-foot and 183 pounds, Olds does not turn 23 until August. He “has definite major-league potential” as a reliever, per Cundall. But he needs “to improve his changeup and show he can stay healthy over a full season as a starter to be considered in that role.”

On that note, Olds is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 minor-league season in Salem’s starting rotation. Cundall suggests that this would force the young hurler “to use all of his pitches and refine his fastball command.”

(Picture of Wyatt Olds: Edward Reali/OU Daily)

Who is Juan Daniel Encarnacion? Red Sox pitching prospect posted 2.96 ERA in Florida Complex League in 2021, is projected to begin 2022 season at Low-A Salem

While Wilkelman Gonzalez may have stood out above the rest in the Florida Complex League last summer, the year fellow Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Daniel Encarnacion put together in 2021 should not be forgotten about, either.

Encarnacion, who turns 21 in March, made 12 appearances — 10 of which were starts — for the FCL Red Sox after being assigned to the rookie-level affiliate out of minor-league spring training.

In those dozen outings centered around the Fort Myers-area, the young right-hander posted a 2.96 ERA and 4.03 xFIP to go along with 56 strikeouts to 11 walks over 45 2/3 total innings of work.

Among the 15 pitchers who accrued at least 40 innings in the Florida Complex League last year, Encarnacion ranked fourth in innings pitched, first in strikeouts, first in strikeouts per nine innings (11.04), fourth in walks per nine innings (2.17), first in strikeout rate (30.3%), fourth in walk rate (5.9%), fourth in batting average against (.199), first in WHIP (0.99), second in ERA, and first in xFIP, per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds in the team’s media guide, Encarnacion originally signed with the Red Sox for just $40,000 out of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic in September 2018.

He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following year and wound up leading the team in both starts (14) and strikeouts (49) before heading off to fall instructs.

After the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Encarnacion returned to fall instructs and showed some flashes of potential there while making preparations for the 2021 campaign.

Between the time fall instructs ended and the ’21 FCL season began, the 20-year-old hurler’s velocity “increased from 88-91 mph to 90-93 mph,” SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall wrote in September.

Cundall noted that Encarnacion’s breaking ball “flashed average in a recent start and he also showed a changeup” while adding that “his best attribute right now is his control, as he throws a lot of strikes and shows some feel for command.” 

Despite his aforementioned height and weight listed in the Red Sox’ media guide, Cundall writes that Encarnacion “has some projection remaining in his 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame.”

On that note, SoxProspects.com projects that Encarnacion will begin the 2022 season alongside Gonzalez at Low-A Salem. Unlike Gonzalez, though, Encarnacion will not become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft until the end of 2023.

(Picture of Juan Daniel Encarnacion: Bryan Green/Flickr)