November 15, 2021 at 8:00 AM
Fall/Winter League Roundup: Casas, Cottam are AFL Fall Stars
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Arizona Fall League
Casas got the start at first base in the AFL Fall Stars Game for the East side, batting sixth. In his first at-bat, he hit a line drive, ground rule double down the right field line and scored when the next batter doubled. In his other two at-bats, he grounded out to second twice before being removed in the top of the sixth with most of the starters as the East went on to win 6-5. Kole Cottam caught the last two innings of the game and reached on a fielder's choice in his lone plate appearance.
That wasn't the top-ranked Casas' only action this week. Prior to the All-Star game, Casas went 7 for 14 with two doubles, three runs, two RBI, two walks, and a strikeout over four other games.
Jeter Downs, the other highly ranked prospect in Arizona, only saw action in two games, going 1 for 7 with two strikeouts. Cottam finished the week 3 for 8 with a double and a home run, and infielder Christian Koss went 1 for 6 with a walk.
In the desert, the arms were busy as well. No. 8-ranked Connor Seabold got the start for the Scottsdale Scorpions on Thursday, throwing three scoreless innings allowing three hits, one walk, and six strikeouts in his best AFL start thus far. Two relievers saw action as well, with Brendan Cellucci throwing 2 1/3 innings over two appearances with two walks and two strikeouts, and AJ Politi throwing twice, totaling two innings, two hits, one walk, one strikeout, a hold and a save.
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Dominican Professional Baseball League
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Victor Santos threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for Escogido allowing only a single hit. Outfielder Franchy Cordero also saw action for Escogido, going 2 for 4 with a run and walk on Thursday. He also added a 1-for-4 effort with a home run and three RBI on Saturday, then was 1 for 3 with a walk on Sunday.
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Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
In Venezuela, Pedro Castellanos continued to start every day for Lara. This week was a bit of a mixed bag -- the good was that he hit .320 over 25 at-bats with two home runs and three doubles, and the bad news was that he continued to strike out at a high rate, with another six strikeouts. On the mound, Oddanier Mosqueda threw two innings for los Caribes on Saturday, giving up a solo home run as his only blemish to go with two strikeouts.
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Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Puerto Rico)
The season has been underway for more than a week in Puerto Rico, and 20-year old Henry Nunez was the first Red Sox prospect to appear in a game. On Friday, the right-hander entered the game to start the sixth, working around two walks to escape without conceding any runs. He started the seventh, but after allowing two more walks (one intentional) and a groundout, he was pulled after throwing only six of 19 pitches for strikes. The two subsequent relievers walked two more and hit two batters, leaving Nunez charged with two earned runs. Shortstop Matthew Lugo and catcher Juan Montero still have yet to appear for Caguas.
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Mexican Pacific League
Jorge Rodriguez is Boston's only prospect in Mexico. On Wednesday, he entered the game at the top of the fourth inning. After giving up a leadoff single, he forced a double play, then allowed another single and a walk before being removed. Despite the three baserunners, he escaped without an earned run.
Photo Credit: Triston Casas and Kutter Crawford by Kelly O'Connor.
Will Woodward is a Co-Owner and Senior Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPWill.