June Players of the Month: Devlin Granberg and Brandon Walter

A pair of players who parlayed big Junes into promotions are our SoxProspects.com Players of the Month. Devlin Granberg (pictured), a first baseman and outfielder who climbed from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, terrorized pitchers at both levels and earned recognition among a crowded field of position players. Lefty Brandon Walter, an unheralded 26th-round pick out of Delaware in 2019, stood out from the pack with a nearly unhittable month. 

Granberg, a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft, had reached High-A for 25 games back in 2019. Given a relatively conservative placement in the level again following the lost 2020 campaign, the Dallas Baptist dominated the circuit, following a productive May with a .415/.500/.829 line in 12 games to kick off June. Promoted to Portland on June 16th, Granberg debuted with the Sea Dogs the following day and went on to hit safely in his first four games. He hit .297/.297/.459 in 10 games after moving up. Overall, he hit 359/.416/.654 between the two levels with six doubles, five homers, and 21 RBI. 

Walter began the season in a more traditional bullpen role but pitched himself into longer relief outings before closing June with a pair of starts. In 22 innings across eight appearances, the 24-year-old lefty allowed just two runs on 12 hits, good for a 0.82 ERA. He struck out 33, walked five, did not surrender a home run, and held Low-A East batters to a woeful .154/.212/.205 line. In his two starts at the end of the month, Walter gave up one run on five hits in eight innings, striking out 15 against just one walk. The effort earned him a promotion to Greenville, where he made his debut on Tuesday evening. 

Honorable mentions for the month include Greenville third baseman Brandon Howlett, who surged 15 spots in the SoxProspects.com rankings in part due to his .297/.409/.662 line on the month; Outfielder Franchy Cordero, who slumped badly with the major league club but seems to be getting himself on track with Worcester, hitting .380/.472/.641 and leading the organization in doubles (10) and walks (16); and fellow Worcester outfielder Jarren Duran, the second-ranked player in the system who returned from the Olympic qualifier to blast eight homers on his way to a .286/.378/.607 month. On the mound, other notable performers included Greenville starter Chris Murphy, who posted a 1.66 ERA and 0.646 WHIP in 21 2/3 innings, striking out 21 while walking just two; Brayan Bello, the May Pitcher of the Month and in the midst of a breakout season, had a strong June that included a 2.95 ERA in 21 1/3 innings, 29 strikeouts, and promotion to Double-A Portland; and Worcester starter Raynel Espinal, who turned in a 2.50 ERA while winning each of his three starts.

Photo Credit: Devlin Granberg by Kelly O'Connor

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