Tag: spring training

Red Sox pitching prospect Durbin Feltman on Rule 5 Draft getting cancelled: ‘It was kind of a gut punch’

Under normal circumstances, Red Sox pitching prospect Durbin Feltman likely would have been targeted by other clubs this off-season. Not via trade, but via the Rule 5 Draft.

After a bounce-back 2021 season in which he posted a 2.96 ERA and 3.87 FIP with 62 strikeouts to 14 walks over 39 relief appearances (51 2/3 innings pitched) between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, Feltman was left off Boston’s 40-man roster last November.

That decision left the right-handed reliever up for grabs in the 2021 Rule 5 Draft, which was set to take place the following month. Instead, the months-long MLB lockout postponed the Rule 5 Draft indefinitely until it was cancelled altogether last week.

As a result of that move, players who could be on the verge of the major-leagues but are blocked by others in their organization were denied the opportunity to go elsewhere and potentially thrive with a new team. The Red Sox were the beneficiaries of this last year when they scooped up Garrett Whitlock from the Yankees.

Unable to live out his own Whitlock-like dream as a Rule 5 pick this year, Feltman — who turns 25 next month — recently expressed his frustration to WEEI’s Rob Bradford.

“It was frustrating and disappointing when they made that decision to not put me on the 40-man in November,” Feltman said. “So my goal my whole off-season was do everything I can to be a Rule 5 Draft pick. And then to see that canceled was kind of a gut punch — kind of like making the playoffs and them canceling the whole postseason. That’s out of my control now, so now it’s going back to work and trying to debut with the Red Sox.

“It was really frustrating when they came out with the news,” he added. “It’s kind of heart-breaking. You can’t control it anymore, so just keep going from there. Everybody hopes for an opportunity, especially with the Rule 5. It’s almost like a lottery ticket. … [When the lockout was extended], I could kind of read the writing on the wall, but I didn’t want to believe it until they actually came out with it and then it hurt even more. Yeah, it sucks.”

A former third-round draft pick of the Red Sox out of Texas Christian University in 2018, Feltman is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 48 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

While he may not have been added to the Sox’ 40-man roster last fall, the hard-throwing righty did just receive an invite to major-league spring training in Fort Myers after participating in minor-league camp. Earlier last week, Alex Cora remarked that Feltman “physically looks really good.”

The 24-year-old hurler is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Worcester’s bullpen for the start of the 2022 season. As he told Bradford, though, his goal is to make his big-league debut with the Red Sox this year.

(Picture of Durbin Feltman: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

Former Red Sox outfielder Tim Locastro returns to Yankees on one-year deal

Former Red Sox outfielder Tim Locastro is returning to the Yankees on a one-year deal for the 2022 season, the club announced earlier Sunday afternoon.

Locastro, 29, never appeared in a game for the Red Sox after Boston claimed him off waivers from New York last November. The Auburn, N.Y. native spent less than a month on the Sox’ 40-man roster before being non-tendered on Nov. 30.

As a result of not being tendered a contract, Locastro became a free agent. At that time, it was reported that the Red Sox were interested in bringing back the speedster on a minor-league pact, though nothing came to fruition during or immediately following the MLB lockout.

After being traded from the Diamondbacks to the Yankees last summer, Locastro tore his right ACL in a game against the Red Sox on July 17 that prematurely ended his season. Prior to suffering the injury, the right-handed hitter had batted .180/.263/.252 with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, 15 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 64 games (156 plate appearances) between Arizona and New York.

Known primarily for his speed, Locastro underwent knee surgery on July 21 and was rehabbing from his injury by early November. In an exchange with BloggingtheRedSox.com via email, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom described Locastro as “great depth for us to add at the beginning of the off-season.”

Things obviously did not work out in Locastro’s favor there, but the 6-foot-1, 190 pounder has bounced back by netting himself a major-league deal for the upcoming campaign.

With that being said, though, it would have at least been interesting if the Red Sox held on to Locastro throughout the winter and gave him a chance to compete for a spot on their 2022 Opening Day roster this spring. He will instead aim to do that with Boston’s top division rival.

(Picture of Tim Locastro: Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Red Sox to sign left-handed reliever Jake Diekman, per report

The Red Sox have reportedly agreed to sign free-agent reliever Jake Diekman, pending a physical, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The details of the contract are not yet known, though Cotillo reports it is believed to be a multi-year deal.

Diekman, 35, has spent the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Athletics after getting traded from the Royals in July 2019. Most recently, the left-hander posted a 3.86 ERA and 4.46 FIP to go along with 83 strikeouts to 34 walks across 67 appearances (60 2/3 innings pitched) for Oakland in 2021.

A former 30th round draft pick of the Phillies out of Cloud County Community College in 2007, Diekman has previously played for five different teams in the Phils, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Royals, and A’s. The Red Sox have been linked to the Nebraska native in the past and now acquire his services via free agency.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, Diekman operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, a sinker, and a changeup. His 31.7% strikeout rate and 35.1% whiff rate were among the top marks in the majors last year.

Against right-handed hitters in 2021, Diekman held opponents to a .200/.289/.421 slash line. Against left-handed hitters, he yielded a slash line of .229/.379/.337.

By adding Diekman, the Sox have truly bolstered the left side of their bullpen after reportedly inking fellow southpaw Matt Strahm to a one-year deal earlier on Sunday.

Beyond those two, Boston currently has three other left-handed relievers on their major-league roster in Austin Davis, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Josh Taylor. That being said, it’s likely that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. are not yet done when it comes to adding bullpen depth ahead of Opening Day.

(Picture of Jake Diekman: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox add 12 non-roster invitees to spring training roster

The Red Sox have added 12 non-roster invitees to their spring training roster, the club announced earlier Saturday. The list of invitees consists of catcher Kole Cottam, infielders Triston Casas, Ryan Fitzgerald, David Hamilton, and Christian Koss, outfielder Franchy Cordero, and pitchers Chris Murphy, Durbin Feltman, Geoff Hartlieb, Brian Keller, Kaleb Ort, and John Schreiber.

Of these 12 minor-leaguers, four (Cordero, Hartlieb, Ort, and Schreiber) have already played in the majors while two (Hamilton and Keller) were acquired by Boston in some capacity this off-season.

Casas, 22, is undoubtedly the top prospect on this list. The left-handed hitting first baseman enters the 2022 season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Sox’ farm system behind only Marcelo Mayer. He is coming off a year in which he played for Double-A Portland, Triple-A Worcester, Team USA in the Summer Olympics, and the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League.

Kottam and Koss played alongside Casas in Arizona last fall. Hamilton, meanwhile, suited up for the Salt River Rafters before he and fellow infielder Alex Binelas were traded from the Brewers to the Red Sox in December.

Among the pitching contingent, Murphy — a left-hander — and Feltman are the only two true prospects listed. That being said, Keller is certainly appealing seeing how he was scooped up from the Yankees in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft earlier this winter.

With the addition of these 12 players, the Red Sox now have 23 non-roster invitees on their spring training roster.

BOSTON RED SOX NON-ROSTER INVITEES (23)

PITCHERS (12): Silvino Bracho, Taylor Cole, Tyler Danish, Michael Feliz, Durbin Feltman, Darin Gillies, Geoff Hartlieb, Brian Keller, Zack Kelly, Chris Murphy, Kaleb Ort, John Schreiber

CATCHERS (2): Roldani Baldwin, Kole Cottam

INFIELDERS (6): Triston Casas, Ryan Fitzgerald, David Hamilton, Christian Koss, Roberto Ramos, Yolmer Sánchez

OUTFIELDERS (3): Franchy Cordero, Rob Refsnyder, Christin Stewart

According to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, Boston will officially open big-league camp in Fort Myers on Sunday, though their first official workout is not expected until Monday or Tuesday.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox sign left-hander Thomas Pannone to minor-league deal for 2022 season

The Red Sox have signed free agent left-hander Thomas Pannone to a minor-league contract for the 2022 season, per the team’s transaction log on MLB.com. It seems likely that the deal includes an invite to major-league spring training, though Pannone has already been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.

Pannone, who turns 28 next month, is a native of Rhode Island who spent the entire 2021 season with the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels after inking a minors pact with the Halos in November 2020.

In 24 appearances (21 starts) for the Salt Lake Bees last year, Pannone posted a 7.07 ERA and 6.25 FIP to go along with 82 strikeouts and 40 walks over 118 1/3 total innings of work.

A former ninth-round selection of the Guardians out of the College of Southern Nevada in 2013, Pannone was traded to the Blue Jays four year later. The lefty made his big-league debut for Toronto the following August and made a total of 49 appearances for the club.

Across those 49 outings — 13 of which were starts — with the Jays from 2018-2019, Pannone yielded an unsightly 5.43 ERA and 5.14 FIP with 98 strikeouts to 46 walks over 116 innings pitched.

After beginning the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at Toronto’s alternate training site, Pannone was outrighted off the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster that August. He then became a free agent less than three months later, allowing him to spent the 2021 campaign with the Angels in the first place.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Pannone — as of 2019 — operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, curveball, changeup, and cutter, per Baseball Savant. The 27-year-old southpaw is also out of minor-league options, according to FanGraphs.

Assuming he does indeed have an invite to big-league camp, Pannone becomes the 12th non-roster invitee the Red Sox have added to their spring training roster. He joins the likes of fellow pitchers Silvino Bracho, Taylor Cole, Tyler Danish, Darin Gillies, Michael Feliz and Zack Kelly, catcher Roldani Baldwin, infielders Roberto Ramos and Yolmer Sanchez, and outfielders Rob Refsnyder and Christin Stewart.

(Picture of Thomas Pannone: Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

New Podding the Red Sox episode: Red Sox infield prospect Nick Sogard joins the show

On this week’s installment of Podding the Red Sox: A BloggingtheRedSox.com Podcast, I am joined by Red Sox infield prospect Nick Sogard.

Sogard, 24, was traded from the Rays to the Red Sox last February alongside catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez. The switch-hitting infielder spent the 2021 season between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland and batted .276/.346/.461 with 13 home runs, 42 RBIs, and eight stolen bases over 80 games.

Among the topics Nick and I discussed are how he found about the trade and his initial reaction to it, his relationship with his older cousin Eric Sogard, what he thought of his 2021 season, his defensive versatility, the key differences in the level of competition between High-A and Double-A, going back-and-forth between the two levels, how he spent part of his off-season in Nashville, what he has made of spring training in Fort Myers so far, getting to work with Alex Cora a little bit, his expectations for the 2022 season, and much more!

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

My thanks to Nick for taking some time out of his spring schedule to have a conversation with yours truly. You can follow Nick on Twitter (@NickSogard22) by clicking here and on Instagram (@Nick_Sogard) 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 Nick Sogard: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

What to expect from power-hitting Red Sox prospect Tyreque Reed in 2022

Red Sox first base/outfield prospect Tyreque Reed was recently identified by Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes as a minor-league hitter who displayed power and on-base skills in 2021 and should be worth monitoring in 2022.

Reed, 24, was selected by the Sox in the minor-league phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft after spending the first four years of his professional career in the Rangers organization.

A former eighth-round draft pick of the Rangers out of Itawamba Community College in 2017, Reed had made it as far as the High-A level in his time with Texas before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season.

Upon joining the Red Sox organization that December, Reed returned to the High-A level for the start of the 2021 campaign as he broke minor-league camp with the Greenville Drive.

In his first 48 games for Greenville, the hulking right-handed hitter batted an impressive .296/.405/.587 (160 wRC+) to go along with eight doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs, 40 runs scored, four stolen bases, 30 walks, and 55 strikeouts across 215 plate appearances.

Following a 3-for-3 showing against the Asheville Tourists on July 15, Reed was promoted to Double-A Portland on the very same day fellow first baseman Triston Casas left the Sea Dogs to play for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics.

With an uptick in competition level, Reed saw his strikeout rate rise (25.6% to 33.5%) and his walk rate fall (14.0% to 11.2%) with Portland while slashing .239/.335/.370 (95 wRC+) with nine doubles, three homers, 21 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 18 walks, and 54 strikeouts over 44 games spanning 161 trips to the plate.

On the 2021 season as a whole, Reed interestingly fared far better against right-handed pitching (.933 OPS in 291 PAs) than he did against lefties (.634 OPS in 85 PAs).

Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 250 pounder saw the majority of his playing time between Greenville and Portland come at first base. He committed a total of three errors while logging 499 innings at that position and also logged 148 innings as a left fielder in Portland.

Reed, who turns 25 in June, is not regarded by any major publication as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. As noted by Pontes, the Mississippi native’s “carrying tool has long been his power, but his struggles with contact have led to struggles against spin and more advanced pitching.”

With all that being said, Reed is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2022 season, which begins in one month. Perhaps he can use what he learned last year and make the necessary adjustments to get off to a fast start this spring.

(Picture of Tyreque Reed: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Alex Cora on pitching prospect Chris Murphy: ‘He is a guy I’ve been looking at. He has a good fastball’

Chris Murphy has drawn the attention of Red Sox manager Alex Cora so far at minor-league spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.

Cora, who under normal circumstances would have likely been preparing for a Grapefruit League game against the Yankees on Monday, was instead seen roaming the backfields of the Fenway South complex and watching the action unfold in front of him.

In a brief conversation with the few reporters on-hand, Cora noted that Murphy “is a guy I’ve been looking at. He has a good fastball.”

Murphy, 23, is regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the Sox’ farm system, ranking sixth among pitchers in the organization. Boston originally selected the left-hander in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of San Diego.

After impressing in his pro debut with the Lowell Spinners that summer, Murphy missed the entirety of the 2020 minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The California native did, however, participate in fall instructs and carried the momentum he gained there into the following spring.

Upon breaking minor-league camp with High-A Greenville in May, Murphy posted a 4.21 ERA and 5.81 FIP to go along with 81 strikeouts and 23 walks through his first 14 starts (68 1/3 innings pitched) of the year before earning a promotion to Double-A Portland in late July.

In seven outings (six starts) with the Sea Dogs, Murphy pitched to the tune of a 5.45 ERA — but much more respectable 3.52 FIP — with 47 punchouts to just 13 walks over 33 innings of work to close out the year. The southpaw was named Double-A Northeast pitcher of the week on two separate occasions during that stretch (August 22 and September 12) thanks to two superb performances against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Among all Double-A Northeast pitchers who compiled at least 30 frames on the mound last season, Murphy ranked 22nd in strikeouts per nine innings (12.82), 20th in strikeout rate (34.1%), 26th in swinging strike rate (15.3%), 35th in FIP, and 27th in xFIP (3.56), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Murphy is a four-pitch pitcher who works with a 90-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 80-82 mph changeup, a 73-75 mph curveball, and an 80-84 mph slider. It should be noted that his arsenal fared far better against left-handed hitters (.401 OPS against) than right-handed hitters (.914 OPS against) between High-A and Double-A in 2021.

Back in January, Murphy was one of 12 Red Sox pitchers who took part in the team’s Winter Warm-Up program. The lefty was also just one of two players (the other being Triston Casas) to speak with the media that week and he emphasized the importance of attacking the strike zone as well as tunneling his pitches.

“Especially right now, I’m all about the analytics like where does my fastball play and what plays off of it and how can I create tunnels,” said Murphy. “Changeup/slider. Something that we’re getting big on this offseason is making two pitches go (releasing them) looking the same and breaking two different ways. So that’s what we call tunneling. And how to make a fastball up look appealing to a hitter when it’s not really in the zone; get swings-and-misses up in the zone.”

Murphy, who turns 24 in June, is projected to return to Portland’s starting rotation for the start of the 2022 minor-league season. He has a chance to emerge as the top left-handed pitching prospect in the organization, which is important considering the fact he can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this December.

The Red Sox, of course, would need to add Murphy to their 40-man roster by the November deadline if they intend on protecting him from the 2022 Rule 5 Draft.

(Picture of Chris Murphy: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Don’t forget about Red Sox outfield prospect Juan Chacon

After the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season, the Red Sox did not get their first official look at outfield prospect Juan Chacon until fall instructs began that October.

Boston originally signed Chacon, then a 16-year-old outfielder, out of Venezuela for $900,000 in July 2019 to make him the highest-paid player in their 2019-2020 international signing class.

Though the pandemic forced Chacon to miss what would have been his first taste of pro ball, he clearly did enough while at home to earn an invite to fall instructs and impress the Red Sox in Fort Myers.

With Minor League Baseball returning in full last year, Chacon — now 18 — was assigned to the Dominican Summer League Red Sox Blue affiliate in early June and spent the entirety of the 2021 season there. Across 47 games, the right-handed hitter batted .311/.426/.384 to go along with five doubles, two triples, one home run, eight RBIs, 45 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 26 walks, and 26 strikeouts over 197 plate appearances. He also went 37-for-127 (.291) against right-handed pitchers and 14-for-36 (.389) against lefties.

Among all DSL hitters who made at least 190 trips to the plate in 2021, Chacon ranked fourth in runs scored, 22nd in strikeout rate (13.2%), 14th in batting average, ninth in on-base percentage, 30th in OPS (.811), and 24th in wRC+ (136), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Chacon saw action in both center and right field while splitting time at each position with fellow Venezuelan Jhostynxon Garcia. All told, the 6-foot-2, 171 pounder logged 216 2/3 innings in center and 119 1/3 in right in the process of registering four outfield assists and turning a pair of double plays.

As far as how evaluators feel about his game, SoxProspects.com’s Ian Cundall wrote in September that “scout feedback on Chacon has been tepid, with scouts praising the looseness in his swing but worried about a lack of physical projection and power potential.”

On the other side of the ball, Cundall notes that Chacon profiles best as a corner outfielder due to his average speed and arm strength as well as a need to improve in the route-running department.

Chacon, who turned 19 in December, still has plenty of room to grow physically and developmentally. The Valera native is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 60 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is projected by the site to begin the 2022 season with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox and is already in Fort Myers for the start of minor-league spring training.

(Picture of Juan Chacon via his Instagram)

Red Sox sign right-handers Silvino Bracho, Darin Gillies to minor-league deals for 2022 season

The Red Sox have signed right-handers Silvino Bracho and Darin Gillies to minor-league contracts for the 2022 season, the club announced on Sunday. The deals also include invites to major-league spring training.

Bracho, 29, is a veteran of five big-league seasons (2015-2018, 2020) with the Diamondbacks. He missed all of the 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery that March and made just one appearance for Arizona in 2020 due to a bout with COVID-19 pandemic.

The Giants inked Bracho to a minors pact in December 2020 and he spent the entirety of the 2021 season with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, posting a 4.14 ERA and 5.19 FIP to go along with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks over 49 relief appearances spanning 50 innings of work.

A native of Venezuela, Bracho returned to his home country this off-season to pitch for Aguilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League. The veteran righty yielded just a 1.99 ERA in 19 outings (22 2/3 innings) for Zulia before representing Venezuela in the Caribbean Series.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Bracho operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and sinker, per Baseball Savant. He is out of minor-league options but should provide the Red Sox with intriguing and experienced bullpen depth at Triple-A Worcester.

Gillies, on the other hand, is another 29-year-old right-hander who was originally selected by the Mariners in the 10th round of the 2015 amateur draft out of the esteemed Arizona State University.

This past season, Gillies spent the first half of the year with Seattle’s Double-A affiliate in Arkansas before being promoted to Triple-A Tacoma in late July. With the Rainiers, he posted a 3.74 ERA and 5.09 FIP with 22 strikeouts to nine walks over 18 appearances (one start) and 21 2/3 innings pitched.

A native of California, Gillies became a minor-league free agent at the conclusion of the 2021 campaign after spending the first seven years of his professional career with the Mariners organization. The 6-foot-4, 220 pounder has yet to make his major-league debut, but he does throw up to 96-97 mph.

In addition to Bracho and Gillies, the Red Sox also announced that they had signed fellow righty Tyler Danish to a minor-league contract for the 2022 season. With these three officially on board, Boston has now invited 11 players to major-league camp as non-roster invitees.

They join the likes of pitchers Taylor Cole, Michael Feliz, and Zack Kelly, catcher Roldani Baldwin, infielders Roberto Ramos and Yolmer Sanchez, and outfielders Rob Refsnyder and Christin Stewart.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)