Fort Report: Lin homers off Scherzer, Feltman set to debut

Here are Thursday's minor league notes:

• Tzu-Wei Lin (pictured) has gotten off to a great start this spring, hitting .389 with a 1.172 OPS while playing second base, shortstop, and center field. Lin homered off of Max Scherzer on Tuesday as part of a 2-for-4 performance. 

• Lin was part of this week's #SP40 social media countdown, coming it at number 22. Also included were Chase Shugart at number 21, the high-upside Gilberto Jiménez at 20, hard-throwing right-hander Alex Scherff at 19, 2018 High School All-American Nick Northcut at 18, power-hitting first baseman Josh Ockimey at 17, and, this morning, speedy outfielder Jarren Duran at 16. 

• While Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec are both off to strong starts at the plate, Chavis has struggled with his glove, whereas Dalbec has impressed at the hot corner. Christopher Smith of MassLive.com noted that Red Sox manager Alex Cora referred to Dalbec as a plus defender, and Cora also stated that Chavis will keep getting work at second base on the back fields. 

• Smith also interviewed Antoni Flores this week, and Flores told Smith that he dedicates the first hit of every level to Daniel Flores, who died at the age of 17 while being treated for an aggressive form of cancer. Though they are not related, the two players were signed by the Red Sox out of Venezuela on the same day and they grew to be very close friends. 

• Smith also posted video of Antoni Flores, Nick Decker, and Danny Diaz taking batting practice. Diaz looks to be in great shape after some concerns that he would need to maintain his conditioning after a prodigious growth spurt arose after signing. 

• Darwinzon Hernandez had electric stuff in his most recent outing, but Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (subscription required) reported that the Red Sox plan on bringing Hernandez along slowly. Cora mentioned working on attacking the strike zone as an area of focus for Hernandez this spring.

• It looks like Durbin Feltman's MLB spring debut is coming this weekend, as the 2018 third-round pick looks to prove that he is ready for the big leagues. 

• Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (subscription required) talked with Tate Matheny about growing up around baseball and how that has helped develop his instincts for the game. Matheny made a terrific catch in center field on Tuesday, and he also noted in the article that he has worked with J.D. Martinez on his swing this spring. At this point, Martinez has earned at least an Unofficial Assistant Hitting Coach title. 

• One of the more intriguing arms in the system is Denyi Reyes, who has arguably the best control and command combination in the system but an underwhelming arsenal. Matt Collins of Over the Monster dug into Reyes' profile to see what fans can expect in 2019. 

• Drafted one round after Jalen Beeks in 2014, Chandler Shepherd may have had a window open with the suspension of Steven Wright. Similar to Wright, Shepherd has worked as both a starter and a reliever, and he is on the 40-man roster. Christopher Smith sat down with Shepherd to talk about the differences between preparing to start and coming out of the bullpen, and if he learned anything by watching his former teammate Beeks pitch in the majors this year. 

• Red Sox minor leaguers called up from the back fields to appear in major league games from Monday through Wednesday included Jarren Duran, Roldani Baldwin, Jeremy Rivera, Brett Netzer, Danny Mars, Joseph Monge, Adam Lau,  Matthew Gorst, Brian Ellington, Chris Madera, Mike Miller, Jordan Wren, Trevor Kelley, Jenrry Mejia, Jagger Rusconi, and Dan Runzler. 

Photo Credit: Tzu-Wei Lin by Kelly O'Connor

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