Fall/Winter Roundup: Chavis named Fall Star; Brentz mashes

This continues our series of weekly roundups of the Fall/Winter Leagues. Coverage will continue every Monday into January. 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 January. This week's roundup covers the period of October 23-29.

Arizona Fall League

Michael Chavis continued to make hard contact, delivering a solo home run as part of Peoria's 17-hit barrage on the 23rd. More important than his 3-for-17 offensive week was his spot on the field. The 2014 first-round pick got the first two starts of his career at first base. Chavis played first on both Monday and Thursday, making an error there in the latter contest. The continued strong play has earned Chavis a spot in the league's Fall Star game when rosters were announced Monday afternoon. Unlike most regular season leagues, the AFL takes prospect status into account when selecting its All-Star teams. Chavis hit .282/.347/.563 between High A Salem and Double-A Portland, blasting 31 homers on the year.

Peoria also got boosts from Josh Tobias (4 for 8) and Chad De La Guerra (3 for 7).

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Fall/Winter Roundup: Chavis and Swihart start off strong

This is the first in our series of weekly roundups of the Fall/Winter Leagues. Coverage will continue every Monday into January. 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 January. This week's roundup covers the period of October 9-22.

Arizona Fall League

With 10 games in the books, the Peoria Javelinas are in first place in the Arizona Fall League West division with a 6-4 record. Michael Chavis (pictured) is the highest ranked player of the seven Red Sox prospects that are on the team, and he has impressed over the first two weeks. Chavis is currently batting .314/.351/.429 over 35 at-bats, with two walks and six strikeouts. Daren Willman, the Director of Baseball Research & Development for MLB, tweeted that Chavis has recorded two of the four highest exit velocities so far in Arizona, with his hardest hit coming in at 113.5 mph. 

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2017 SoxProspects.com All-Stars

As the Red Sox look back on clinching a playoff berth for the second consecutive season, the roster is a clear indication of the value the franchise has gotten from its farm system in recent years. Eight of the nine regular starters in the lineup made their major league debuts with Boston, and its top two starters were both acquired in 2016 in deals included a trio of top prospects. Highlighted by current major league third baseman and graduated top prospect Rafael Devers, we present the 2017 SoxProspects.com All-Star selections:

Catcher: Roldani Baldwin

A year after struggling with an aggressive placement at Greenville in 2017, the 21-year-old returned to the South Atlantic League to have a breakthrough season. Baldwin tied for the organization lead with 35 doubles, and he blasted 14 homers after totaling only 11 in his first three pro seasons. The Dominican product also spent the season as a full-time backstop after previously splitting times between catcher and third base, throwing out 33% of potential base stealers. Baldwin also earned recognition as South Atlantic League All-Star for his .274/.310/.489 campaign.

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SoxProspects.com 2017 season-end award winners

After having arguably the top farm system in baseball in 2016, a combination of trades and graduations has the Red Sox sitting more in the middle of the pack for 2017. With Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers contributing to Boston's American League East title, the top two prospects entering the season did their part, but a few of the other players who started the year in the top 10 saw their season get derailed by injuries. There were several bright spots on the farm this year, with none being brighter than Breakout Player of the Year Michael Chavis.

Player of the Year: Rafael Devers
Devers entered the year ranked second in the system behind Andrew Benintendi, and the 20-year-old phenom did nothing but impress as he worked his way up to the big leagues. Starting the year in Portland, where he was the youngest player in the Eastern League, Devers mashed to the tune of .300/.369/.575 over 77 games. He was called up to Pawtucket, and after going 14 for 35 with two home runs, he was called up to Boston to fix the big issues Boston was having at third base. Devers proved to be exactly what Boston needed, batting .268/.319/.449 in 52 games. His strikeout rate was a tad high and his walk rate was a bit low, but very few, if any, people his age can come up to the major leagues and provide above-average offense. The one area that remained a weak spot for Devers is his defense, as he committed 12 errors in only 58 games in Boston after committing 16 in 86 games in the minors.

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Minor Notes: Chavis, Beeks, others nab year-end honors

Here are this week's minor league notes:

• The Red Sox announced their year-end minor league award winners. Michael Chavis (pictured) was named the system's minor league offensive player of the year, backed by his 31 home runs on the season. Between Salem and Portland, Chavis bounced back in a big way from last season, finishing with a .282/.347/.563 slash line. Jalen Beeks was named Red Sox minor league pitcher of the year, finishing with a record of 11-8 with a 3.29 ERA between Portland and Pawtucket. In 145 IP, Beeks struck out 155 and walked 55.
• In other categories, Austin Rei was named the defensive player of the year. Tate Matheny was named the system's baserunner of the year. Keibert Petit was named the Latin Program offensive player of the year, while Luis Rivero was named that program's pitcher of the year.

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