Fort Report: Chavis highlights first cuts from big league camp

Here are Thursday's minor league notes:

• The SoxProspects podcast team eagerly previewed their upcoming trip to Fort Myers in their most recent episode. Chris and Ian discussed the prospect standouts so far in major league camp, as well as the players they are most excited to see this spring. The guys will be in camp from Wednesday, March 20, through Sunday, March 24. Be sure to follow their reports here on the News Page, on Twitter (@SoxProspects, @IanCundall, @SPChrisHatfield, @MikeAndrewsSP, @JamesDunneSP), and of course on the Podcast!

• Also included in this weeks podcast was the introduction of SoxProspects newest feature, Patreon Game Updates! This feature will provide exclusive audio recaps of live games attended by the SoxProspects staff, providing unparalleled coverage of the systems top prospects and beyond. For details on how you can gain access to this Patreon exclusive feature see this article, and of course, tune in to this weeks episode of the podcast to hear what you can expect from the staff themselves.

• The  #SP40 social media countdown marched on this week, with number nine prospect CJ Chatham, number eight prospect Antoni Flores, and number seven prospect Bryan Mata all being featured.

• Elsewhere in the world of podcasts, SoxProspects’ own Ian Cundall made an appearance on the NESN Red Sox Podcast hosted by Dakota Randall and Ricky Doyle. Topics discussed include the futures of Darwinzon Hernandez and Durbin Feltman, Triston Casas’ ceiling, and Trey Ball.

• Minor league spring training kicked off this Wednesday, with Sox affiliates from Pawtucket all the way down to Lowell beginning game action. For those able to attend a schedule can be found here, on Mike Antonellis’ Inside the Clubhouse blog. 

• The Red Sox made a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday, assigning a total of 11 players to minor league camp. Notable prospects reassigned include Michael Chavis, Travis Lakins, Austin Rei, Mike Shawaryn, and Josh Ockimey

• Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald wrote a piece about the struggles of the Red Sox bullpen so far this spring. Mastrodonato goes on to argue that if the bullpen’s struggles continue into the regular season, the door could be left open for prospects such as Darwinzon Hernandez.

• As part of an ongoing feature, Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required) reviewed the Boston Red Sox 2018 international signings. Badler specifically mentioned twelve of the Red Sox 52 international signings, singling out top signing Eduardo Lopez.

• On MiLB.com, Josh Jackson discusses the success of the LIFT (Leaders Inspiring Future Talent) program in supporting women in baseball. Highlighted in the article were Amanda Medlin (business operations manager for the Greenville Drive), Samantha Fletcher of the Portland Sea Dogs, and Samantha Saccoia-Beggs of Pawtucket.

• Jake Devereaux and Matt Collins of Over the Monster recently recorded their most recent episode of The Red Seat podcast, where topics of discussion included Darwinzon Hernandez, Michael Chavis, and their respective proximity to the big leagues.

• Also on Over the Monster, Matt Collins analyzed Jarren Duran’s meteoric rise up the ranks of the Red Sox farm system. This analysis was a part of the site’s community prospect rankings, where Duran came in at number 14.

• With the question marks surrounding the Red Sox bullpen, Durbin Feltman has been a hot topic of discussion so far this spring. While much has been said of his advanced stuff, one scout went so far as to compare him to Mark Melancon in a chat with NBC Boston’s Justin Leger.

• In the same vein, WEEI’s Rob Bradford asked whether Durbin Feltman could be a secret weapon for the unproven Red Sox bullpen. 

• One player who has survived the first round of roster cuts is third baseman Bobby Dalbec. Nick Friar of the Worcester Telegram spoke with Dalbec, who described how he is taking full advantage of his time with the big club, especially his proximity to J.D. Martinez.  

• In a recent piece for The Athletic (subscription required), Jen McCaffrey detailed a conversation she had with Michael Chavis. Chavis discussed his long road to the major leagues, and hints that he will be ready if called upon sooner rather than later. 

• Several minor leaguers made appearances in big league spring training games this week. That group included Bobby Dalbec, Tate Matheny, C.J. Chatham, Mike Miller, Bobby Poyner, Darwinzon Hernandez, Joseph Monge, Chad De La Guerra, Cole Sturgeon, Colten Brewer, and Adam Lau. 

Photo Credit: Michael Chavis by Kelly O'Connor

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