Minor Notes: Sox save on Song, top pick Cannon debuts

Here are Thursday's minor league notes:

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• The 2019 draft class is continuing to sign, with fourth-rounder Noah Song (pictured, right), 10th-rounder Stephen Scott, and 13th-rounder Blake Loubier all agreeing to terms. Song and Scott had interesting reasons for the delay in their signings, with Song waiting on the Navy to approve his contract, and Scott waiting for his college (Vanderbilt) to win the College World Series.

• Song signed for only $100,000, which is $306,000 below slot. This savings was unexpected as Song was ranked as high as 22nd in the draft by Perfect Game USA. Scott, a senior, signed for for $50,000, so the Red Sox picked up $92,200 in savings there. These savings went towards Loubier, who signed for $500,000 to forgo his commitment to Wake Forest. 

• The club now has $398,305 remaining to use for over-slot signings before the draft pick penalties kick in. The slot value for picks after the 10th-round is $125,000, so the Red Sox could offer one player as much as $523,305 to sign, or they can spread that money around to multiple picks. 

• The odds of 11th-rounder Sebastian Keane signing look slimmer by the day, and his rumored price tag is $1 million to forgo his commitment to Northeastern. That leaves a group of players picked in rounds 12-16 as the likely recipients of that extra money. That list includes Brendan Cellucci, Jordan Beck, Aaron Roberts, and Oraj Anu. Full details of the draft picks and signings are included on our Draft History page. 

• The 2019 MLB All-Stars Futures Game was held on Sunday, with Jarren Duran going 1 for 2 with a stolen base for the American League side. His steal was the only successful stolen base attempt in the game.

• SoxProspects.com Executive Editor Chris Hatfield reported that top 2019 draft pick Cameron Cannon had been dealing with turf toe which caused his debut to get delayed for almost a month. Cannon got his first two plate appearances with the GCL Red Sox on Wednesday, and he figures to head up to Lowell once he shakes off some rust. 

• Hatfield was also in Aberdeen when the Spinners were in town on Sunday, and he gave a promising report on 21-year-old right-hander Bryan Lucas. Lucas, who was signed for only $5,000 back in 2017, sat 92-93 with a good breaking ball, and he also has a very projectable frame. 

• Tyler Thornburg's Red Sox career came to an end on Wednesday as the team released him after he refused an assignment to the minor leagues. Thornburg spent the last month rehabbing with the PawSox, and he was tattooed for 15 runs on 17 hits in only 10 2/3 innings. 

• Seventh-ranked prospect Jay Groome may be pitching in a game before the end of the season per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. 

Players of the Week (July 1 through 7)

Bobby Dalbec, 3B, Portland

8 G, 28 AB, 6 H, 4 HR, 9 R, 8 RBI, 1 SB, 7 BB, 8 K, .214/.371/.643

It is not often that someone with a .214 batting average is in contention for the Player of the Week award, but Dalbec's (pictured, right) prodigious power helped his six hits do a lot of damage. He launched four home runs, and he is now in sole possession of first place in the system with 19 home runs. Dalbec is currently striking out in a little over 33 percent of his at-bats, and that number has jumped up to about 38 percent over the last six weeks. He hits the ball hard enough to make it work right now, but that is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. 

Jhonathan Diaz, LHP, Salem

2 G, 12 2/3 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 11 K, 0.47 WHIP

Diaz has been on fire over his last five starts, allowing only three runs over 26 2/3 innings. He has 26 strikeouts and a 48 percent groundball rate over this stretch as he has done a good job of missing bats and keeping the ball on the ground. Diaz had a rough patch in May, including one start that saw him allow 10 runs in only 2 2/3 innings. That outing is the main reason why his ERA sits at 5.09 right now, but he has pitched much better than that as of late. 

Photo credit: Noah Song and Bobby Dalbec by Kelly O'Connor

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