Minor Notes: Boles not returning to the PawSox

Here are Monday's minor league notes:

• With the minor league season over, the SoxProspects.com staff has voted on season-end All-Stars and award winners. The results will be posted throughout the week, with the All-Star hitters coming out on Monday, the All-Star pitchers on Tuesday, the Graduate of the Year, Homegrown Player of the Year, and Ex-Prospect of the Year posting on Wednesday, Rookie of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year coming on Thursday, and the Pitcher and Hitter of the Year wrapping things up on Friday.

• Brendan McGair of the Pawtucket Times reported that PawSox manager Kevin Boles (pictured, right) will not be returning to the team. Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald reported that this was Boles's decision. Boles was not under contract for 2019 and he decided to pursue other opportunities. Boles was with the organization for 11 years, with the last five coming as Pawtucket's manager. He won the Governors' Cup in 2014 with the PawSox and was named the Best Managerial Prospect in the International League this summer by Baseball America. 

• SoxProspects.com Executive Editor Chris Hatfield jumped on with Matt McCarthy to recap the minor league season on the Hardcore Baseball podcast. 

• While Trey Ball's at-bats at the end of the year seemed to signify a position switch, Red Sox vice president of player development Ben Crockett said no decision had been made with regards to moving Ball off the mound. Crockett considered the at-bats to be more "exploratory" than anything else. 

• One main hurdle was cleared for the PawSox to move to Worcester, as the Worcester City Council Economic Development Committee unanimously voted to approve the agreement. 

• With the bullpen struggling for Boston, many fans have been asking why Travis Lakins or Durbin Feltman were not called up and given a chance to prove themselves. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reached out to Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, and Dombrowski made it clear that he did not believe that Lakins or Feltman would be upgrades from the players currently on the roster. 

Photo Credit: Kevin Boles by Kelly O'Connor

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