Tag: tyler mcdonough

How did versatile Red Sox prospect Tyler McDonough fare in 2023?

There is a case to be made that versatile Red Sox prospect Tyler McDonough got better as the year went on in 2023.

After spending the entirety of his first full professional season at High-A Greenville, McDonough graduated to the upper-minors by breaking camp with Double-A Portland last spring. The 24-year-old struggled out of the gate, slashing just .200/.287/.297 through his first 42 games (168 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

In the midst of a 2-for-23 (.087) skid that dated back to late May, McDonough broke out for two hits and two RBIs as part of a 9-1 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on June 17. The switch-hitter proceeded to end the month of June on a relatively high note before making a brief one-game cameo with Triple-A Worcester after the calendar flipped to July.

At that point in time, the WooSox found themselves in need of infield depth, and so McDonough spent about a week with the affiliate during their road trip in Buffalo. He made his Triple-A debut against the Bisons on July 3 and went 0-for-3 while serving as Worcester’s starting third baseman.

Shortly after the WooSox returned home from that trip, McDonough was sent back down to Portland. He returned to the Sea Dogs’ lineup on July 5 and began to pick things up offensively from that point forward. Over the next two-plus months, McDonough batted a solid .286/.354/.429 with seven doubles, three triples, three home runs, 16 RBIs, 28 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 18 walks, and 43 strikeouts in 50 games (177 plate appearances) through the end of the Eastern League regular season.

With Portland done for the year, McDonough again made the jump to Worcester and joined the WooSox for their final series of the season in Lehigh Valley. He got into three of six possible games and went 3-for-9 (.333) with a double, a triple, a run scored, a walk, and three strikeouts.

Altogether, McDonough slashed .250/.325/.375 with 16 doubles, five triples, five homers, 35 runs driven in, 51 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 36 walks, and 100 strikeouts in 101 total games (379 plate appearances) between Portland and Worcester last season. While those numbers may not necessarily be eye-opening, it is worth mentioning that — after his second stint with the Sea Dogs commenced in early July — McDonough hit a more respectable .288/.357/.442 over his final 53 games (188 plate appearances) of the year.

Among the 27 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 350 trips to the plate in 2023, McDonough ranked seventh in stolen bases, third in speed score (8.1), sixth in wSB (1.0), ninth in line-drive rate (21 percent), and 12th in swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, McDonough started games at six different positions last year. In total, the 5-foot-8, 180-pounder logged 135 innings at second base, 16 innings at third base, 195 innings at shortstop, 49 innings in center field, 316 innings in left field, and 129 innings in right field. He recorded a team-high six outfield assists while with the Sea Dogs and was used strictly as an infielder by the WooSox.

Though it initially appeared as if McDonough’s season ended in September, he was actually a late addition to the group of prospects the Red Sox sent out west to play in the Arizona Fall League. He effectively took the place of infielder Brainer Bonaci, who was placed on the restricted list in October for violating MLB’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy, but certainly made the most of the opportunity.

In 16 games with the Glendale Desert Dogs, McDonough batted .254/.366/.424 with four doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, 11 runs scored, five stolen bases, 11 walks, and 17 strikeouts over 71 plate appearances while seeing playing time at second base, shortstop, and left field.

In its entirety, the 2023 season was an eventful one for McDonough, who was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (75th overall pick) of the 2021 amateur draft out of North Carolina State. The Ohio native signed with the club for an under-slot $828,600 and was viewed by outlets like Baseball America as “perhaps the most polished player drafted” by Boston that year.

After putting forth a strong debut season (.884 OPS) in a 31-game sample between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021, however, McDonough has struggled to reach that same level of success in recent years. He was able to take a step forward last year after posting a .667 OPS in 114 games with Greenville in 2022, so that represents a positive development.

McDonough, who turns 25 in April, comes into 2024 ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is currently projected by the site to return to Portland for the start of the upcoming minor-league season, though it would not be surprising if he were to make his way back to Worcester at some point given his speed and versatility.

With that being said, McDonough can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his career next winter if the Red Sox do not add him to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. As such, McDonough has the opportunity to elevate his profile over these next seven or so months.

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

Chris Sale hurls two scoreless innings in spring debut as Red Sox roll past Tigers in 7-1 win

Powered by a four-run first inning, the Red Sox continued their winning ways this spring by taking care of business against the Tigers on Monday. Boston defeated Detroit by a final score of 7-1 at JetBlue Park to remain unbeaten and improve to 7-0-3 in Grapefruit League play.

Despite the strong showing from the lineup out of the gate, Chris Sale was undoubtedly the headliner in Monday’s win. Making his first start of the spring and his first start of any kind since last July, the veteran left-hander scattered two hits and zero walks to go along with two strikeouts over two scoreless innings of work.

Sale began his day by giving up a leadoff single to Matt Vierling to begin things in the top of the first. He then got Riley Greene to ground into a force out at second base before getting Javier Baez to fly out to center field. Greene successfully stole second to put a runner in scoring position with two outs, but Sale stranded him there by fanning Eric Haase.

In the bottom of the first, the first three Red Sox hitters to face Tigers starter Matt Manning all reached to fill the bases with no outs. Adam Duvall then plated his side’s first run on a sacrifice fly to center and Raimel Tapia followed by lacing an RBI ground-rule double into the triangle. Jorge Alfaro capped off the four-run frame by scoring both Niko Kavadas and Tapia on a two-run single that was misplayed by Greene in right.

Taking a 4-0 lead into the second, Sale picked up where he left off by nonchalantly recording the first two outs of the inning. He then gave up a two-out single to Zach Short, but ended the frame himself by getting Nick Maton to ground out to him in front of the pitcher’s mound.

All told, 24 of the 31 pitches Sale threw on Monday went for strikes. The 33-year-old southpaw retired six of the eight batters he faced and reached 95-96 mph with his fastball, according to the JetBlue Park radar gun.

In relief of Sale, Ryan Brasier got the first call out of the Boston bullpen and worked his way around a one-out walk of Vierling in the top of the third. The Red Sox then added to their lead in the latter half of the inning when Tapia took Tigers reliever Brendan White deep to right field for his first home run of the spring.

After Brasier got the first two outs of the fourth, Taylor Broadway took over and tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of his own through the middle of the fifth. Zack Kelly saw the shutout bid come to an end when he served up a leadoff homer to Greene in the sixth, but the Red Sox quickly responded by pushing across two more runs.

Niko Goodrum reached base on a two-out single off Mason Englert and promptly scored all the way from first on an RBI double off the bat of Kavadas. Fellow 2021 draftee Tyler McDonough followed that up by driving in Kavadas and simultaneously displaying his speed on a run-scoring triple off the center field wall.

That sequence of events gave the Red Sox a commanding 7-1 lead going into the seventh. Three different relievers kept the score that way as Jake Faria struck out two of the three Tigers he faced, Durbin Feltman maneuvered his way around a two-out walk, in an otherwise clean eighth inning, and Norwith Gudino stranded two runners by punching out the side in the ninth.

Turner’s scare:

Before the Red Sox mounted their four-run rally in the first inning, a scary moment arose while Justin Turner was at the plate for his first at-bat of the afternoon. On the first pitch he saw from Manning, Turner took a fastball to the face and fell down immediately with blood spewing from his mouth.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora and head athletic trainer Brandon Henry immediately tended to Turner, who was conscious and left the field under his own power while holding a towel to his face. The 38-year-old was transported to a local hospital in Fort Myers and was replaced at first base by Kavadas.

Other observations:

Alfaro and Tapia combined to go 5-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored in Monday’s contest, which took two hours and 31 minutes to complete. The two non-roster invitees are hitting .700 (7-for-10) and .412 (7-for-17) this spring, respectively.

Next up: Houck looks to rebound

The Red Sox will travel to North Port to take on the Braves at CoolToday Park on Tuesday evening. Right-hander Tanner Houck is slated to make his second start of the spring for Boston while left-hander Jared Shuster will take the mound for Atlanta.

First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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 prospect Tyler McDonough could add more versatility to his game by playing some shortstop in 2022, Brian Abraham says

Tyler McDonough may not have been the top selection the Red Sox made in this summer’s draft, but he has already emerged as one of the early standouts from the class.

Boston took McDonough — a 5-foot-10, 180 pound second baseman — in the third round of the 2021 amateur draft out of North Carolina State University, where he was well-regarded for for his offensive production and consistency at the plate.

Upon signing with the Sox for $831,100 in late July, McDonough was assigned to the club’s rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate in Fort Myers. It did not take long for the 22-year-old to get acclimated to pro ball, as he was promptly promoted to Low-A Salem on August 3.

It took a little more than two weeks for McDonough to make his Salem Red Sox debut, but the switch-hitter wound up slashing .296/.397/.491 (141 wRC+) with four doubles, four triples, three home runs, 14 RBIs, 23 runs scored, three stolen bases, 17 walks, and 24 strikeouts over 27 games (126 plate appearances) to close out the minor-league season.

In his three seasons at North Carolina State, McDonough saw his playing time come at second base, third base, and center field. In his first exposure to the pros, he saw all his playing time come at either second base or center field.

That being said, the Red Sox do believe McDonough can add even more defensive versatility to his profile. The Cincinnati native did play shortstop while attending the prestigious Moeller High School and — as noted by The Athletic’s Chad Jennings — “regularly took pregame groundballs at shortstop” this past season.

When speaking with Jennings over the weekend, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham indicated that McDonough “could play some shortstop next year, perhaps not as a primary position but to explore the possibility of backing up at the position” if the occasion arises.

“If you can play shortstop and center field, that’s pretty valuable,” said Abraham. “There aren’t too many guys who can do that. What we’ve seen — the athleticism, the footwork, the arm strength — all those things give us reason to think he could play some shortstop. But I think you have to walk before you run as well. I think we’re certainly open to it, and if he shows us he has the ability to do that, we’ll certainly give him that opportunity.”

Under chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, and perhaps even before then, Boston has clearly placed an emphasis on players who can play multiple positions, and that — from an in-house perspective — starts from the bottom of the player development ladder.

“We’ve definitely been — I don’t want to say more aggressive, but we’ve definitely been a little bit more open to allowing guys to play in multiple areas,” Abraham said. “(We are) allowing them to get (experience) at a position where, at the upper levels, they don’t get there for the first time and say, ‘Wow, I’m uncomfortable here.’ So, I think that’s definitely been strategic on our end. But again, we’ve also been very lucky to have some very good players who can play multiple positions.”

McDonough, who does not turn 23 until April, was recently identified by Baseball America as the fastest runner and best athlete in Boston’s 2021 draft class. He is projected by SoxProspects.com to begin the 2022 campaign at High-A Greenville.

(Picture of Tyler McDonough: Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports)

Red Sox sign third-round pick Tyler McDonough for $831,100, per report

The Red Sox have signed third-round draft pick Tyler McDonough, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Per Cotillo, McDonough — a second baseman out of North Carolina State — will sign with the Sox for $831,100.

McDonough, 22, was selected by Boston with the 75th overall pick in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft on Monday afternoon.

The recommended slot value for the 75th overall selection in this year’s draft was $831,100, meaning the young infielder will sign for full slot value, as Cotillo noted.

Coming into the week as Baseball America’s 127th-ranked draft-eligible prospect, McDonough is listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds and proved to be a versatile weapon in his time with North Carolina State.

This past season alone, the switch-hitting junior slashed an impressive .339/.423/.631 to go along with 21 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 45 RBI, 58 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases across 55 games (267 plate appearances) for the Wolfpack while seeing playing time in both center field and at third base. He has prior experience at second base as well.

A product of the same high school that produced the likes of Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin in Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, McDonough — an Ohio native — did not waste any time in going pro, as he could have opted to return to campus in Raleigh for his senior season if he so chose.

Per his MLB Pipeline scouting report, McDonough draws a comparison to former Red Sox utility man and fan favorite Brock Holt for the way he goes about his business on the field.

“A switch-hitter, McDonough was more of a hit-over-power guy in the past but has gotten stronger and is driving the ball more consistently this spring, especially against left-handers,” his scouting report reads. “He has taken a more aggressive approach but still controls the strike zone well and could develop into a .270 hitter with 15 homers per season. He has slowed a bit as he has added muscle but still has solid speed and good savvy on the bases. 

“McDonough’s quickness and instincts also translate into range in center field, where he’s a solid defender. He has an average arm and may profile best in a super-utility role where he’d shuttle between all three outfield spots as well as second and third base as needed. Scouts love his makeup and compare his game to those of grinders Adam Eaton and Brock Holt.” 

Since he is coming out of college, one would have to wonder if McDonough will be assigned to Low-A Salem out of the gate, though he certainly could start out for the Florida Complex League Red Sox in Fort Myers depending on what the club wants to do with him.

(Picture of Tyler McDonough: NC State Athletics)

Red Sox select versatile North Carolina State second baseman Tyler McDonough with No. 75 pick in 2021 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected North Carolina State second baseman/outfielder Tyler McDonough with their third-round pick in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft at No. 75 overall.

McDonough, 22, was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 127 prospect headed into the draft.

Listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, the Ohio native proved to be a versatile fielder in his time with the Wolfpack.

This past season alone, McDonough saw time at center field (50 games) and third base (six games) in addition to some past experience at second base.

Over the course of the 55 games he played for North Carolina State this spring, the switch-hitter posted an impressive .339/.423/.631 slash line to go along with 21 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 45 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 33 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 267 total trips to the plate.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, McDonough “doesn’t jump out at you with loud tools, but he’s become a player who scouts appreciate the more they watch him” as “he does everything on the field at a high level” and has a certain appeal to him.

“McDonough controls the zone well, doesn’t swing and miss much and takes his share of walks, and this season he hit a career-high 15 homers,” his scouting report reads. “Scouts have said those homers have come with a longer swing and more aggressive hacks, and his 17% strikeout rate was the highest of his career, which shows a slight shift in his approach. McDonough has spread his homers all over the field and his exit velocities are impressive for a player of his size, so perhaps solid power will be part of his game at the next level as well.

“McDonough has spent most of his time in center field for the Wolfpack, but he has the defensive versatility to play all over the place, including second base, third base and perhaps even shortstop in a pinch. He’s a better runner underway than he is out of the box and went 30-for-36 (83%) over his career in stolen base attempts.”

Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo projected McDonough to come off the board in the second-to-fourth round range, and that is what winds up happening as Boston selects the right-handed thrower with their lone third-round selection.

As a junior who does not turn 23 until next April, McDonough does have some flexibility in that he could return to campus if he wanted to since he does have at least one year of eligibility remaining.

With that being said, the recommended slot value for the 75th overall pick in this year’s draft is $831,100, so it should be interesting to see if a deal between McDonough and the Red Sox — whose drafting efforts are led by chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and amateur scouting director Paul Toboni, among others — can be agreed upon sometime in the near future.

(Picture of Tyler McDonough: NC State Athletics)