Minor league thread 2023

LoLsapien

LoLsapien

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 5, 2022
204
This is the happiest place to be on the whole of SoSH. Thanks to the Sox org for bringing in all this exciting talent, and thanks to JM3 and others for keeping us all updated!!!
 
Jed Zeppelin

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,751
It's so hard to develop catchers—really hope some of these guys can keep the momentum as they move up the system. Hickey has gone a little under the radar with so much else going on in the system but he has done nothing but hit—defense may be shaky though.

Speaking of, Daniel Flores would be 22 right now, what a shame.
 
AlNipper49

AlNipper49

Huge Member
Dope
SoSH Member
Apr 3, 2001
45,006
Mtigawi
I'm relatively close to a former Drive catcher (he coaches my son). He speaks pretty highly of the resources that the Sox are now laying out to develop catching.
 
Fishy1

Fishy1

Head Mason
SoSH Member
Nov 10, 2006
6,237
Jed Zeppelin said:
It's so hard to develop catchers—really hope some of these guys can keep the momentum as they move up the system. Hickey has gone a little under the radar with so much else going on in the system but he has done nothing but hit—defense may be shaky though.

Speaking of, Daniel Flores would be 22 right now, what a shame.
Click to expand...
K-rate dropping to 21% despite the promotion is a good sign for Hickey. BB rate still hovering around 10%. By WRC+ he's only behind Chase Meidroth and Nick Yorke at AA (and neck and neck with Kavadas, who has a laughable 37% K rate, and Stephen Scott, who's in AAA).

The bad news: Hickey has had 7 passed balls in ~340 innings this year (that's not good) and did not catch a single person stealing at A+, against 37 steals, this year. On the other hand, he's caught six people stealing against 38 steals since the promotion, so that's an improvement. Compared to Connor Wong -- 23 SB against 14 CS -- that still looks awful. Doesn't look so bad compared to Reese this year (24 against 2), though Mcguire has been better in the past.

I think there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about Stephen Scott, though, who will make it to the bigs to catch before Hickey. He's got terrific plate discipline -- we're talking BB rates over 15% at every stop in the minor leagues - some pop, low K rates, though he's had low BABIP for a few straight seasons, suggesting a middling contact profile... so I'm not sure what's going on there. But he seems to be a halfway decent defender. He's another left-hander, fwiw. Wong has had a weird little reverse split in the majors that didn't really exist in the minors, so it'll be worth seeing how that bears out.

I like Reese Mcguire, and he's cost-controlled and all, but the guy has a miserable plate approach and a terrible noodle bat.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
Today's Minor League Starters...

View: https://twitter.com/SoxProspects/status/1674068647407394819


AAA - Brandon Walter. #13 on SoxProspects. Had an interesting bulk relief appearance with the Red Sox last turn around. Let's see if he can keep some momentum going.

AA - Isaac Coffey. #51 on SoxProspects. Was really good at Greenville (2.83 ERA in 60.1 innings, 83 strikeouts/10 walks), but struggled in his first appearance at Portland allowing 4 runs in 2 innings - allowing 7 hits & 2 walks. Hopefully he can bounce back today.

A+ - Dalton Rogers. #30 on SoxProspects. Pitched great at Salem & got promoted. Was pitching well at Greenville until last week's disastrous outting where he allowed 7 runs in 2.2 innings. He is also hoping for a bounceback.

A - Jedixson Paez. #37 on SoxProspects. The 19 y/o from Tinaquillo, VZ was signed as an IFA in 2021 for $450k. He has not had a great season so far...5.94 ERA, but he has room to grow & is quite young for the level.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
I thought this MassLive article on the recruitment of Brian Van Belle after the 5 round 2020 draft, along with the work that has gone into his pitching since being drafted, was pretty interesting.

“Come Sunday, it was pretty insane. The phone was ringing off the hook,” Van Belle said. “To start, it was a lot of south Florida area scouts. And then within the first hour, (Red Sox chief baseball officer) Chaim Bloom had called me on the phone and we talked for like an hour. He was telling me everything the Red Sox value and what they’re looking for and how they would develop me. He’s very personable. And I thought it was special just to have him call me directly. That’s the first GM or chief baseball officer I’ve ever spoken to.”
Click to expand...
https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2023/06/meet-red-sox-prospect-who-alex-cora-roasted-and-chaim-bloom-recruited.html
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
moondog80

moondog80

heart is two sizes two small
SoSH Member
Sep 20, 2005
8,315
Here's what the SP writeup says about Anthony's glove:

"Red Sox believe he can stick in center field long-term, but others believe he ends up in a corner. Does not project as a standout defender in either location. Average defensive profile. "

If he has the potential to stick in CF, wouldn't that give him the potential to be a standout in a corner spot, especially LF at Fenway?
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
JM3 said:
I'm kinda hoping Perales & Wikelman each get bumped up a level soon.

Here's a name not previously mentioned...

View: https://twitter.com/brendan_camp/status/1673163418520416258


Brand is 5'9 & 23 & appears to have been mostly drafted in the 8th round for budget purposes ($7,500 signing bonus). According to SoxProspects he has pretty good fastball & curveball, but not so much slider & changeup, but is a big sports science guy?

https://soxprospects.com/players/brand-jonathan.htm

View: https://twitter.com/IanCundall/status/1549127302788825088


View: https://twitter.com/PPA_Ohio/status/1614370436699295744
Click to expand...
Brand got the save for Salem in their 7-4 win tonight. 1-2-3 9th inning with 2 strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 0.96.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
Lots of games today...

View: https://twitter.com/SoxProspects/status/1674430000865619968?cxt=HHwWgMDRrdvN4rwuAAAA


Some semi-interesting pitchers:

AAA - Can Walter keep the positive momentum?

AAA - Bear Claw coming off 6 scoreless in his debut

AA - Gambrell, from Benny trade fame, has done ok since being promoted to Portland (4.10 ERA). Needs to strikeout more people, walk less people, & get better stuff. He's 25 already. Could be an organization filler type guy.

A+ - Blalock posted a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings at Salem before being promoted to Greenville. Allowed 4 runs in 3.2 in his 1st start. Hopefully he can turn it around today. 32nd round pick in 2019, but signed to a $250k signing bonus. Missed last season due to TJ. 22 y/o.

A - Dean seems not very good right now. But how can I tell? Well...in 11 starts he has pitched 30.2 innings with an ERA of 8.51. He has allowed 28 hits and THIRTY-FIVE (35) walks. 43 strikeouts at least? The Red Sox obviously had some expectations for him. He was a 5th round pick in '22 & signed to a $322,500 signing bonus out of Old Dominion. Was a reliever in his 1 year playing in college & they are trying to make him a starter. Maybe they're working on some stuff? Idk.

FCL - Olds is another struggling prospect. He was doing so bad at Portland they sent him to the FCL to work things out. Olds was a 7th round pick out of Oklahoma in '21 & signed for $236,500. He posted a 6.01 ERA in Greenville last season, which included 59 walks in 106.1 innings (he also put up 5 walks in 4.2 IP, allowing 2 runs, in 1 game at Portland). He has been even more brutal this year. In 10 games (8 starts), he has pitched 25.2 innings with an ERA of 10.17 and has FORTY (40) walks. He struggled in his 1st FCL start as well, allowing 5 runs in 4.1 IP. He did walk only 3, though? He turns 24 in August & is going in the wrong direction.

DSL Red - De La Cruz was signed as an IFA out of Santa Domingo, DR in January '23 for $75k. He's listed at 6'4 250 lbs, despite not turning 18 until November. He has a 2.61 ERA in his 1st 10.1 innings.

DSL Blue - Geiser turned 17 in March. He was signed as an IFA, also from Santa Domingo, also in January '23, for $55k. He's listed at 6'4 170. He has a 4.09 ERA in his 1st 11 innings.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
Fraymi De Leon was promoted from DSL to FCL.

View: https://twitter.com/SoxProspects/status/1674445837911425024


Fraymi is 18 & as mentioned in the Tweet, signed for $1.2m in January '22. He has a .600 OPS in DSL last year, & .637 OPS so far this season...so not exactly crushing it, but we shall see if he develops more of a hit tool. He's listed at 5'10 155 lbs & his primary skill is being a very good defensive shortstop.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
DSL Blue went all-in with De La Cruzes today...to their detriment.

Nicolas De La Cruz, who according to SoxProspects was starting for DSL Red, started & allowed 2 unearned runs in 2 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.17.

From there they went to Darlyn De La Cruz, 20, from Puerto Plata, DR, who was signed as an IFA in January '22 for $8k. Darlyn pitched 4.1 innings & only allowed 1 hit, but 3 walks & 2 earned runs to raise his ERA to 2.87

From there they swerved, pitching Cesar Ruiz, 20, from Puerto Cabello, VZ, who was signed as an IFA in July '19 for $200k. In 2.2 IP, Ruiz allowed 3 walks, 2 hits, 0 strikeouts & recorded a blown save, but did not allow a run & lowered his ERA to 0.73.

DSL Blue got back on task after that, bringing in Ruben De La Cruz, 18, who like Nicolas is from Santa Domingo, DR, & who signed as an IFA in March '22 for $10k. Nicolas is 10 months younger than Ruben. Anyway, Ruben allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, in 1 inning to raise his ERA to 4.76 & they lost 7-4.

I tried to find out if Nicolas & Ruben were related & came across this:

6/16 Cup of Coffee: It was a busy day on the farm, with all seven teams in action and one participating in a doubleheader. The DSL Blue game produced one of the more eye-catching box scores you'll see, with three unrelated pitchers named De La Cruz -- Nicolas, Darlyn, and Ruben -- combining on a four-hit shutout victory.
Click to expand...
http://news.soxprospects.com/2023/06/cup-of-coffee-blalock-rolls-in-salem.html

So I guess this is just a thing they do.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
Red Sox Red lost 4-3 & the only thing that really stood out to me was Andres Jimenez pitched 2 innings with no base runners & 3 strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 1.74. He's 18 from Valencia, VZ & signed as an IFA for $10k in April 2022.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
FCL Red Sox won 2-1. Wyatt Olds notably didn't walk anyone in 5 shutout innings, 4 hits, 2 k's.

Mikey Romero went 0-3 with a walk.

Natanael Yuten had a big game going 3-3 with 2 doubles & a walk, raising his average to .391 & his OPS to 1.003 in 53 PAs. Yuten, 18, is from La Romana, DR & was signed in January '22 for $400k. Looks like he could stand to gain a little weight, but seems to be a very solid hitter.

View: https://twitter.com/NSSportsMGMT/status/1590402072796860416


Additionally, JOHNFRANK Salazar continues to rake, going 2-2 with a double & a walk, raising his average to .370 & his OPS to 1.010 in 49 PAs. Salazar, 19, is from Barcelona, VZ & was signed in August '19 for $400k. He had 79 PAs with Salem last year so I assume he'll be back up soon?

JOHANFRAN Garcia was a disappointing 1-4 with an RBI, lowering his average to .361 & his OPS to 1.065 in 69 PAs.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
Bear Claw allowed 2 runs in 5 IP, 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, raised his ERA to 1.64.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
JM3 said:
Bear Claw allowed 2 runs in 5 IP, 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, raised his ERA to 1.64.
Click to expand...
WooSox won game 1 of the Doubleheader (7 innings each game), 5-2. Bear Claw now 2-0. Brendan Nail pitched the last 2 innings for his 2nd save. Lowered his ERA to 3.09 at Worcester. It was 0.99 in 27.1 innings for Portland before being called up. At both levels combined, he has pitched 39 innings, allowing 25 hits & 13 walks, & striking out 41, with a 1.62 ERA.

Nail is a 27 y/o lefty who was signed as a UDFA for $125k in 2017. He's Rule V eligible in December & it seems like there should be a place for a lefty like him with the Red Sox next season.

Guys like Nail, Guerrero, & Fernandez seem like legit bullpen arms that could be helping the Red Sox over guys like Ort & Garza, but it feels like they don't want to risk putting them on the 40-man this year & creating an even larger roster crunch, so they keep cycling through JAGs. Really feels like they're building more for next year than this year in so many ways.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
JM3 said:
Lots of games today...

A - Dean seems not very good right now. But how can I tell? Well...in 11 starts he has pitched 30.2 innings with an ERA of 8.51. He has allowed 28 hits and THIRTY-FIVE (35) walks. 43 strikeouts at least? The Red Sox obviously had some expectations for him. He was a 5th round pick in '22 & signed to a $322,500 signing bonus out of Old Dominion. Was a reliever in his 1 year playing in college & they are trying to make him a starter. Maybe they're working on some stuff? Idk.
Click to expand...
Noah Dean amazingly walked 6 batters & allowed 1 hit in 1.2 IP...& didn't allow a single run.

They brought in 20 y/o Luis De La Rosa to finish the 2nd inning. He is also from Santa Domingo, DR, but is not a De La Cruz. De La Rosa was acquired in the Benny trade & turns 21 next Thursday (hbd). The Royals originally signed him as an IFA on his 16th birthday for $147,500 (hbd). Coming into this game he had a 3.82 ERA & 39 strikeouts in 35.1 innings.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
JM3 said:
Noah Dean amazingly walked 6 batters & allowed 1 hit in 1.2 IP...& didn't allow a single run.
Click to expand...
How did he do this?

Groundout
Walk
Walk
Walk
GIDP

Walk
Flyout
Single
Caught Stealing
Walk
Walk
Change of Pitcher - fly out

& that is how you allow 6 walks & a hit while getting 5 outs, but don't allow a run. Hitters were 1-3 against Dean with 6 walks, .700 OBP. He threw 47 pitches, 16 for strikes.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
JM3 said:
A+ - Blalock posted a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings at Salem before being promoted to Greenville. Allowed 4 runs in 3.2 in his 1st start. Hopefully he can turn it around today. 32nd round pick in 2019, but signed to a $250k signing bonus. Missed last season due to TJ. 22 y/o.
Click to expand...
Blalock did in fact turn it around. He pitched 6 innings & allowing 1 run on 5 hits, 0 walks & 4 strikeouts.
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
16,018
JM3 said:
AA - Gambrell, from Benny trade fame, has done ok since being promoted to Portland (4.10 ERA). Needs to strikeout more people, walk less people, & get better stuff. He's 25 already. Could be an organization filler type guy.
Click to expand...
This was yet another incorrect starter on the list (Walter started neither game for Worcester today...maybe he's coming up?). But Isaac Coffey started for Portland & pitched 6 scoreless innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts.

View: https://twitter.com/Hunter_Noll/status/1674582302054051840
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom