Fall/Winter League Roundup: Kopech continues to dominate

Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our Fall & Winter Leagues page, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of October 31 - November 6.

Arizona Fall League

The highlight of the week was Michael Kopech's (pictured) dominance in the AFL Fall Stars game, as the right-hander struck out three over two hitless innings. His fastball touched 101 mph, while he also showcased an upper-80s slider and low-90s changeup. Trey Ball also made an appearance in the game, retiring the only batter he faced, and Mauricio Dubon, who had won a fan vote for a spot in the contest, reached base in his lone plate appearance on a catcher's interference. 

That was not Kopech's only dominant outing of the week, as he struck out six over four scoreless innings in his start on Tuesday. He allowed only one hit and did not walk a batter. Ball allowed two runs over 1 2/3 innings in his two appearances, walking three without notching a strikeout. Jamie Callahan threw two scoreless innings and picked up a save, while Jalen Beeks struck out two over two scoreless innings. 

The offensive players had a good week despite being part of a no-hitter on Tuesday. Dubon and Danny Mars combined to go 0 for 7 in that game, but Dubon went 2 for 8 with a walk and a home run in his other two starts, and Mars went 4 for 7. 

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

It was a light slate of action in Venezuela this week, with only Carlos Tovar and pending free agent William Cuevas seeing action. Tovar went 1 for 12 while Cuevas improved to 2-0 after firing six innings of one-run ball. Tovar's average has dipped to .189 while his OPS sits at .481. Dedgar Jimenez and Deiner Lopez have been sent down to their teams' respective Development Program squads (see below).

Dominican Baseball League

Marco Hernandez made his debut with Licey, going 4 for 20 with two walks and six strikeouts. This was his first game action since appearing in the postseason with the Red Sox. Rafael Devers had a solid week, going 5 for 18 with two doubles to improve his line to .220/.264/.300, and Aneury Tavarez saw his playing time tick up this week, going 5 for 12 with a double and a home run. 

On the mound, Justin Haley had a strong start, tossing five shutout innings while allowing only three hits and striking out five. Roenis Elias did not have the same success, allowing six runs, three earned, over 5 1/3 innings, giving up six hits while walking four. Chandler Shepherd came out of the bullpen for two appearances, allowing only one hit while striking out four over two scoreless innings. His ERA now sits at 1.42 over six appearances. 

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League

Jeremy Rivera made his first appearances for Mayaguez last week, going 0 for 3 in three pinch-hit at-bats. Joseph Monge saw the most playing time, going 2 for 10 with three strikeouts, while free agent Henry Ramos went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his lone appearance. 

Colombian Professional Baseball League

The only Red Sox prospect currently rostered in this league is Dawill Aponte, who is playing for Barranquilla. The season kicked off on Friday and he went 0 for 4 with a walk in his only start. 

Venezuelan Liga Paralela

The Boston squad played three games this week and had three games rained out. They went 3-0, and are now in first place at 11-4. The offense was the story of the week, putting up 24 runs on 44 hits. Luis Alexander Basabe went 8 for 14 with two walks and two home runs, Raiwinson Lameda went 5 for 9 with a double, and Ricardo Cubillan went 5 for 12 with a walk. 

The pitching was not as sharp, but it was led by Ryan Oduber who picked up a save after going three scoreless innings in his only appearance. Jhonathan Diaz was roughed up in his start, giving up three runs on seven hits over three innings, and Eduard Bazardo gave up three runs on four hits over three innings.

Elsewhere, Red Sox prospects have popped up on other teams in the league. Most notably, Luis Ysla has gotten some tune-up innings for the team his Bravos de Margarita share with the Caribes de Anzoategui, tossing three hitless, scoreless frames, striking out four and walking two. His teammate, Ramses Rosario, has allowed one run on eight hits and four walks in 8 1/3 innings, striking out three. As for the above-mentioned demoted players, Jimenez threw four innings in relief for Magallanes for making his first appearance for Boston's club this past week, while Lopez has put up a .333/.350/.389 line in 18 at-bats for Lara.  

Photo Credit: Michael Kopech by Kelly O'Connor

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