Minor Notes: Casas highlights Red Sox minor league All-Stars

Here are Thursday's minor league notes:

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  The Lowell Spinners kicked off their season on Friday and have already seen some quality performances from the likes of Nick Northcut and Ricardo Cubillan. Additionally, several 2019 draftees have joined the team with Luke Bandy, Alex Erro, Jaxx Groshans, and Wil Dalton all making their debuts.

• In both Salem and Greenville, the All-Star breaks have come and gone, with Triston Casas (pictured) highlighting the group of Boston prospects to represent their clubs in their respective All-Star game. Also representing the Drive were Devlin Granberg, Jordan Wren, and Logan Browning; while Ryan Fitzgerald, Pedro Castellanos, and Eduard Bazardo represented Salem in the Carolina League All-Star game. 

• Salem will be receiving another erstwhile All-Star in Thaddeus Ward, who has been promoted following a stellar start to his season with Greenville. 

• In the big leagues, Mike Shawaryn has been on a roll to start his major league career, providing crucial innings out of the beleaguered Red Sox bullpen. The 13th-ranked prospect by SoxProspects.com has allowed just one earned run in 10 innings pitched while striking out 15 opposing batters.

• In draft news, the Red Sox have officially signed their second-round draft pick Matthew Lugo to a deal worth $1.1 million, which comes in at a little more than $170k over slot value. The team also signed undrafted free agent reliever Zach Schneider, the all-time leader in saves for Florida Atlantic University. Schneider will join CJ Chatham as the only other former Owl in the Red Sox system. 

• It's that time of year again, and national publications have begun releasing their updated prospect rankings. MLB.com released their mid-season Top 100 and the Red Sox improved their representation, with Triston Casas sneaking on at number 97 following his strong spring. 

• On his blog Notes From the Sally, John Calvagno released an updated Top 40 South Atlantic League prospects, with several Red Sox making the cut. Once again Triston Casas leads the way at number nine, while he was followed by Brandon Howlett at 34 and Alex Scherff at 37. 

• Although the Sea Dogs had an ugly start to their 2019 campaign, Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald argues that things are looking up in Portland as the second half of the season gets underway. Performances have begun improving across the board for Portland, and with the arrival of notable reinforcements, such as Jarren Duran, Thomas argues that a second-half playoff push is not out of the question. 

Photo Credit: Triston Casas by Kelly O'Connor

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