2019 Donation Drive - We Need Your Help!

Dear readers,

We're asking for your help to raise $7,000 to keep SoxProspects.com up and running for another year. We have kept the site 100% free for over 15 years now, and we hope to do so for the foreseeable future. As we scout dozens of games first-hand each year, travel costs pile up. Our other costs to run the site often go up on an annual basis as well, and our ad revenue only covers a portion of those costs. So we're reaching out to the community for donations to help us keep the site going. Donations help cover site costs in two primary areas: (1) first-hand coverage travel costs for scouting and player columns; and (2) general IT costs (hardware, software, internet costs, hosting fees, etc.).

Your donations help us travel to Fort Myers in March to cover spring training and in the fall to cover the Instructional League each year, which are vital to get “one-stop shopping” for prospects across the system at levels we can’t see regularly. They also help cover the costs of travelling to affiliate games for regular first-hand coverage. We anticipate that our total costs will exceed $16,000 in 2019. While we may cover about half that from online advertising revenue, your donations help us ensure we can cover those costs in order to keep the site going.

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Cup of Coffee: Kent fires seven scoreless innings, Darwinzon's Pawtucket debut rained out

6/19 Cup of Coffee: With Pawtucket rained out and both the Carolina League and South Atlantic League having their All-Star games, it was a lighter slate on Tuesday. Matthew Kent (pictured, right) had by far the best performance of the day, while some recent draftees made their professional debuts for Lowell. 

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Durham Bulls @ Pawtucket Red Sox, PPD (rain)

It was going to be an exciting night in Pawtucket, with Steve Pearce getting a rehab start and Darwinzon Hernandez making his Triple-A debut. The weather did not cooperate, and the game will be made up on Wednesday as single-admission doubleheader starting at 5:05 pm.

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Cup of Coffee: Northcut rakes as affiliates sweep

6/18 Cup of Coffee: Strong offensive performances were the flavor of the day as all four affiliates in action won their contests Monday night. The Sea Dogs were the low scorers with six runs, but a solid outing from Tanner Houck was enough to earn them the win. In Lowell, Nick Northcut's (pictured) torrid start continued as he drove in three, and Bryan Gonzalez and Brainer Bonaci continued to tear up the DSL. 

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Portland Sea Dogs 6, Erie SeaWolves (DET) 3

The Sea Dogs overcame a first-inning deficit to win their fourth game in a row. A power display put Portland over the edge, with both Luke Tendler and Jeremy Rivera launching two-run blasts. Out of the leadoff spot, Jarren Duran smacked his third double of the season and scored a run. Jhon Nunez continued his strong season with a double as part of his two-hit night, while CJ Chatham notched a pair of hits batting behind him.

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Minor Notes: Sox sign 16 draft picks

Here are Monday's minor league notes:

• The 160th episode of the SoxProspects.com podcast is now available. Listen to Chris Hatfield and Ian Cundall discuss Bryan Mata, Marco Herandez, Mike Shawaryn, and Michael Chavis. They also recap the draft and talk about the June rankings update. 
• The Red Sox have signed 16 of their draft picks, including six of their top eight selections. Their top pick, Cameron Canning, signed for under slot value at $1.3 million. They also signed their battery from Kansas, Ryan Zeferjahn and Jaxx Groshans, and did not have to go over slot for either. 
• Other players the Sox have signed include Chris Murphy, Brock Bell, Will Dalton, Alex Erro, Jacob Herbert, Joe Davis, Dylan Spacke, Dom D'Alessandro, Leon Paulino, Dean Miller, Brandon Walter, Devon Roedahl, and Luke Bandy. Bell will play for the GCL Sox, while Zeferjahn, Groshans, Dalton, Erro, and Bandy have joined the Lowell Spinners. 

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Cup of Coffee: Castillo, Dalbec shine in Father's Day twinbills

6/17 Cup of Coffee: It was an eventful Father's Day down on the farm, with two teams in doubleheader action and two other squads closing out first-half play. Strong pitching was the story down the system, with no starter allowing more than three runs. Teddy Stankiewicz tossed a shutout as Rusney Castillo (pictured) kept raking in the PawSox split. Portland got quality starts on both ends of its twinbill, with Bobby Dalbec and a returning CJ Chatham helping to break out the brooms. A huge offensive day sent Salem into the All-Star break as winners, while Greenville could not break through heading into the break. Lowell gave another look at why it is the most interesting affiliate in the system, with Gilberto Jimenez and Aldo Ramirez leading the way. 

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Indianapolis Indians (PIT) 5, Pawtucket Red Sox 3 (Game 1)

A pair of rehabbing hurlers took the mound in the first game of the PawSox doubleheader. Steven Wright went the first two innings, allowing a run on two hits as he struck out one and walked a pair. Tyler Thornburg took the loss, allowing a run and walking two in 2/3 of an inning. Daniel McGrath made his Triple-A debut in a long-relief role, allowing three runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Rusney Castillo cut a four-run deficit in half with a sixth-inning two-run homer. Sam Travis doubled twice in his return from a two-week stint with the major league club. 

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Cup of Coffee: Casas rakes, Scherff dominates in Greenville win

6/16 Cup of Coffee: On a weather-stricken day for the Red Sox system, three of the four affiliates in action came out on top of their contests. A team effort saw Salem emerge victorious over Frederick, while a heroic performance from Triston Casas (pictured) helped Greenville overcome their South Atlantic League rivals. Lowell fell despite a strong offensive showing, and Brainer Bonaci stayed hot to see the DSL Red Sox1 come out on top.

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Pawtucket Red Sox @ Indianapolis Indians (PIT) PPD, Inclement Weather

The PawSox had their contest with the Indians postponed due to rain. The game will be made up Sunday as part of a doubleheader starting at 12:05 p.m.

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Cup of Coffee: Mata deals, Lowell opens season

6/15 Cup of Coffee: Red Sox affiliates won seven of eight games last night, as Salem swept a doubleheader and Lowell opened up their season with a solid win. Nick Northcut had a big day for Lowell, while Bryan Mata (pictured) dominated again for Salem. Kyle Hart also turned in a good start for Pawtucket.

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Pawtucket Red Sox 4, Indianapolis Indians (PIT) 2

Kyle Hart bounced back from a couple tough outings with seven innings of two-run ball. He struck out five and did not issue a free pass. Dan Runzler picked up the two-inning save without surrendering a hit or a run. Jantzen Witte had a good night at the plate by going 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Rusney Castillo went 3 for 4 and Cole Sturgeon added two knocks.

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Cup of Coffee: Brentz homers twice in slugfest; Granberg spoils no-no

6/14 Cup of Coffee: A monster game by veteran mainstay Bryce Brentz (pictured) powered the PawSox in their offensive explosion. Salem also had a big night at the plate, while the DSL squads both came away victorious. Portland and Greenville suffered the organizations two losses, with Devlin Granberg saving the Drive from ignominy. 

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Pawtucket Red Sox 10, Louisville Bats (CIN) 8

Every starter reached base at least twice in the PawSox 17-hit outburst. Bryce Brentz hit two-run homers in the third and sixth inning to lead the attack. Josh Tobias was 4 for 5 with a double and pair of RBI, while Chad De La Guerra ripped his fourth double in six games. Rusney Castillo blasted his fifth homer of the season during his 3-for-5 night. It was the third consecutive multi-hit effort for Castillo, bringing him to 9 for 13 in that stretch.

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Podcast Ep. #160: The G-forces will make you lose consciousness

The 2019 draft is in the books, and it’s time for Chris and Ian to break it all down! Off the heels of our recap of the first two picks, we examined trends and discussed noteworthy players selected in rounds 3-40. Plus, we’ve got new June rankings, including a new top prospect, and the guys broke it all down. And as always, we answer your listener emails!

Listen in!

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Minor Notes: Talented Spinners squad set to play on Friday

Here are Thursday's minor league notes:

• The Red Sox had a few interesting draft picks this year, but arguably none have a more fascinating background than fourth-rounder Noah Song. Song told Joon Lee of ESPN that he intends to sign with the Red Sox and play with the Lowell Spinners this summer. He will then attend flight school in November to start training as a naval flight officer. 

• Lowell's season begins on Friday, and the projected roster is available on the SoxProspects.com Team Rosters page. The team is stacked with talented players, and it will get even better once some of the 2019 draftees sign. 

• With recent graduations, Triston Casas and Jarren Duran each made it onto the Baseball America top 100 prospects list at 98 and 99, respectively. 

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Cup of Coffee: De La Guerra knocks grand slam; Castillo notches 4 hits

Cup of Coffee 6/13: It was a productive night on the farm, as Red Sox affiliates went 4-2 on Wednesday. Rusney Castillo (pictured) was 4 for 4 and scored twice in Pawtucket's loss, while Chad De La Guerra drilled a grand slam. Tanner Houck and Chase Shugart each had strong performances on the mound for Portland and Greenville, while each DSL squad was successful at the plate with varying degrees of effectiveness on the mound.

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Cup of Coffee: Ward's scoreless streak ends at 34 2/3 innings

6/12 Cup of Coffee: Thaddeus Ward allowed a run for the first time since May 9, Bobby Dalbec hit his sixth home run in the last 10 games, and Kole Cottam  (pictured) added a double and a home run for the Drive.

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Pawtucket Red Sox 3, Louisville Bats (CIN) 2
This game turned into a nail-biter, as Domingo Tapia struck out the final two batters with the bases loaded to pick up the save. Teddy Stankiewicz pitched well to start the game striking out six while allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings. Trevor Kelley followed with 1 2/3 shutout innings, and Tapia cruised through the eighth before running into trouble in the ninth. Kelley has been one of the top performers in the system this year, allowing only four earned runs over 31 2/3 innings with Pawtucket.

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Cup of Coffee: Casas, Scherff drive Greenville

6/11 Cup of Coffee: It was a slow day for the Red Sox system, with just one full season affiliate in action. Both Portland and Pawtucket had days off while Salem saw its game delayed due to weather. However, due to an offensive barrage by Triston Casas (pictured), it was far from a quiet night, as Casas nearly single-handedly willed the Drive to victory. Alex Scherff was excellent on the mound for Greenville, while Bryan Gonzalez continued to dominate DSL pitching with another impressive performance.

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Salem Red Sox @ Winston-Salem Dash (CWS) PPD (Inclement weather)

Monday night's contest was postponed after the field conditions were deemed unplayable due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday starting at 5:00 PM.

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Minor Notes: Ortiz shot, signings, and De La Guerra/Ward win POTW

Here are Monday's minor league notes:

• While it does not involve minor leaguers, the biggest Red Sox news over the weekend was that retired superstar David Ortiz (pictured, right, from 2013) was shot while in the Dominican Republic last night. While there are still many unknowns, he is believed to have come out of surgery okay and is resting. Details about his status and recovery as well as the motive for the shooting have not been fully revealed, but the latest reports indicate he is supposed to fully recover. The Boston Globe has a summary of the events to date. After retiring in 2016, Ortiz has held the position of Special Assistant to Fenway Sports Group.
• Thaddeus Ward and Triston Casas took home the SoxProspects.com Player of the Month honors with dominant Mays. Ward has certainly not slowed down as you can see in the weekly honors below.

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Cup of Coffee: Granberg powers Drive; Wright on mound in Pawtucket

While this post was in process, the news emerged from the Dominican Republic that Red Sox legend David Ortiz had been shot during a robbery attempt. While we remain hopeful waiting for updates on Ortiz's condition, he and his family are in the thoughts of the SoxProspects.com team. 

6/10 Cup of Coffee: The affiliates earned a split of their four games on Sunday, with the two Class A teams coming out victorious. Devlin Granberg (pictured) led an 11-hit attack as the Drive prevailed while the rain and Kutter Crawford preserved a win for Salem. Pawtucket fell despite a bevy of ringers while Portland endured a long, frustrating day at the plate.

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Rochester Red Wings (MIN) 5, Pawtucket Red Sox 3 

Despite the presence of four rehabbing major leaguers for the PawSox, Rochester completed the four-game sweep at McCoy Stadium. Starter Brian Johnson turned in his best outing since starting his assignment, giving up a run on four hits in four innings, striking out six and walking two. Steven Wright made his first rehab appearance as he comes back from an 80-game suspension, allowing a solo homer and striking out two in 1 2/3 innings. Tyler Thornburg was also in his first action since being placed on the Injured List, striking out one in a perfect seventh. Finally, Tzu-Wei Lin went 2 for 3 as the shortstop after going 0 for 2 on Saturday.

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