February 8, 2022 at 12:00 PM
Minor Notes: Sox sign Taylor Cole, announce Player Development moves
With the Lockout still ongoing, there was not a whole lot going on in the baseball world this past month. There were, however, a few moves on the minor league side of things.
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Re-signed Johan Mieses to a minor league contract
The 26-year old Mieses will be back in 2022 for his second full season in the Sox organization. The outfielder split time this past year with Portland and Worcester and hit .233/.323/.484 in 82 games. He has bounced around organizations in the minors, starting out with the Dodgers and moving to the Cardinals for a couple seasons. The outfielder has always showed a good amount of pop, as he has hit 22 or more home runs three times in the minors. He belted 19 long balls and 12 doubles last year. Mieses got three plate appearances in the Dominican League this winter.
Signed Izzy Wilson to a minor league contract
Wilson is a left-handed hitting outfielder who began his career at 17 years old in 2015. He spent the first four and a half years with Atlanta before being signed by the Rays in 2019. He spent 2021 in Double-A for the Angels and hit .247/.328/.487 with 21 home runs in 83 games with the Rocket City Trash Pandas. He also got three plate appearances in the Dominican Winter League this past year.
Signed Taylor Cole to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training
Cole is a right-handed relief pitcher with nearly 90 MLB innings under his belt. He last appeared in a big league game in 2019 for the Angels when he struck out 50 batters in 51 1/3 frames. He had a shoulder injury that kept him off the field in 2020 and 2021. He did, however, toss 8 2/3 innings this past winter for Licey in the Dominican league and posted a 2.08 ERA with eight strikeouts.
Re-signed Roldani Baldwin to a minor league contract
The catcher will be back in the Sox organization for an eighth season in 2022. He signed as an international free agent late in 2013 and has been with Boston ever since. Baldwin played in 45 games with Portland in 2021 and posted a .711 OPS with 13 extra-base hits. He also played for Licey this winter and went 7 for 17 with a pair of doubles and a pair of walks.
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Coaching and front office moves
The Red Sox finalized their minor league coaching staffs for 2021, as well as some Player Development moves. Darren Fenster is now the Infield Coordinator, Corey Wimberly was promoted to Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator, and Ralph Treuel is now a Pitching Advisor.
Anthony Iapoce, who spent six years as a hitting coach for the Cubs and Rangers, is joining the Sox as a Senior Hitting Coordinator. He will be assisted by Lance Zawadzki and Reed Gragnani.
Jordan Elkary was promoted to Coordinator, Baseball Development, while Kevin Avilla is now the Minor League Rehab Coordinator and Joel Harris is the Minor League Athletic Training Coordinator.
Kirby Retzer was promoted to Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, Jeffrey Dolan is now the Minor League Strength and Conditioning Rehab Coach, and Jonathan Jenkins, who is a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, joined the organization as a Mental Skills Coordinator.
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Where are they now
Rusney Castillo, who spent six seasons with the Red Sox, has signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. The outfielder spent the 2021 season in Japan, where he hit .295 in 63 games.
Raynel Espinal, who logged a couple innings for the Red Sox in 2021, has signed a minor league deal with the Giants.
Jose Espada has signed a deal with the Brewers. A pick in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, He pitched very well for Greenville in 2021, with a 3.09 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings.
Colten Brewer signed with Kansas City, Matt Carasiti signed with the Giants, and Joey Meneses has signed with Washington. Brewer saw time in Boston in 2019, 2020, and 2021, while Carasiti spent a year in the organization but did not play due to injury. Meneses will be joining his fourth organization after a terrific 2021 that saw him hit .284 with 15 home runs, 31 doubles, and 70 RBI between Portland and Worcester.
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Photo Credit: Johan Mieses by Kelly O'Connor