Cup of Coffee: Potts, Koss with big offensive nights for Portland

7/31 Cup of Coffee: It was a rough night for the system, as Worcester and Portland both lost late leads, while Greenville and Salem combined to score one run. Hudson Potts (pictured) and Christian Koss were offensive bright spots for Portland, each grabbing three hits and a home run. Triston Casas picked up two hits for Worcester, and Brian Van Belle had nine strikeouts for the Sea Dogs. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 5, Worcester Red Sox 3

Ronaldo Hernandez put the Sox ahead in the fourth inning with a two-run single, but the bullpen surrendered that lead in the eighth. Triston Casas went 2 for 5, while newly reacquired Jose Peraza singled, doubled, and scored a run. The team was just 1 for 18 with runners in scoring position. On the mound, Connor Seabold started and went the first four, giving up two earned runs with four strikeouts and no walks. Jake Thompson tossed a pair of scoreless innings before the wheels fell off in the eighth for Eduard Bazardo, who gave up three runs. 

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Cup of Coffee: Rafaela does it all in Portland victory

7/30 Cup of Coffee: If you're into offense, Ceddanne Rafaela (pictured) was the player to watch on Friday night. If you enjoy defense, your eye would be on another highlight-reel play by Ceddanne Rafaela. And if you enjoy players making an impact on the bases, Ceddanne Rafaela would have been the player for you. Portland owed its victory largely to the versatile Curacao native who continued to make his presence felt in a variety of ways. Elsewhere, Worcester and the FCL Sox both fell to one-run losses despite home runs off of top prospects Triston Casas and Miguel Bleis. Niko Kavadas continued to rampage the South Atlantic League despite a tough night for Greenville, while Salem was the victim of a late rally, suffering a comeback loss.

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 7, Worcester Red Sox 6

Worcester staged a five-run rally in the eighth but fell short on Friday night. Abraham Almonte hit a grand slam as part of the comeback attempt, adding to his single and walk earlier in the evening. Triston Casas had staked the WooSox to an early 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the first, his seventh of the year. Chris Murphy took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in four innings. He walked four, struck out two, and was taken deep twice by leadoff hitter Otto Lopez. Darwinzon Hernandez struck out two batters in a perfect seventh inning, throwin nine of his 12 pitches for strikes. Zack Kelly followed with a scoreless ninth, giving up one hit and striking out a pair.

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Podcast Ep. #256: Dawn of the deadlines

The draft signing deadline is coming up. So is the trade deadline. And you all sent us so many emails we had to cut them from the last episode and put them in this one. Sounds like we've got ourselves a podcast!

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Cup of Coffee: Barnes, Hill rehab with Portland; Kavadas belts walk-off homer in Greenville

7/29 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 4-3 on Wednesday. Brian Keller and Ronaldo Hernandez played key roles in Worcester's win over Buffalo, Tyler Dearden homered for the second consecutive night in Portland's win over Hartford, and Niko Kavadas (pictured) played hero in Greenville's walk-off victory over Bowling Green. Additionally, Kier Meredith enjoyed a productive day at the plate in Salem's loss while Johnfrank Salazar extended his hitting streak down at the complex. 

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Worcester Red Sox 3, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1

Some early action in Buffalo to kick off the afternoon. Brian Keller led the way on the mound by tossing five innings of one-run ball in his 14th start of the season for Worcester. The 28-year-old right-hander allowed just one run on three hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts on 84 pitches (49 strikes). He finishes his month of July having posted a 1.35 ERA across 22 innings of work. Out of the Worcester bullpen, Geoff Hartlieb and A.J. Politi each earned holds while Franklin German notched his third save of the season by stranding a pair of base runners in a scoreless ninth inning. 

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Cup of Coffee: Bonaci drives in eight, Northcut clubs first Double-A homer

7/28 Cup of Coffee: While the big-league club fell under .500 for the first time since early June, Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 3-2 on Wednesday night. Jay Groome made his third start of the season for Worcester in a loss to Buffalo, Tyler Dearden and Nick Northcut both homered in Portland's win over Hartford, Alex Erro enjoyed a three-hit night in Greenville, and Brainer Bonaci (pictured) collected six hits in Salem's doubleheader sweep of Fredericksburg. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 7, Worcester Red Sox 2

In his third start since being promoted to Worcester earlier this month, Jay Groome allowed three runs on seven hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with five strikeouts over five innings of work. The 23-year-old left-hander threw 95 pitches while raising his ERA at the Triple-A level to 3.94. James Norwood took over for Groome and yielded just one hit across two scoreless frames. The same cannot be said for Chase Shugart, who got shelled for four runs on four hits while only recording the first two outs of the eighth; Durbin Feltman got the third to end the inning.

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzalez, Mayer shine for Salem in rain-suspended game

7/27 Cup of Coffee: It was a split day on the farm, as the three complex-level teams went 4-0 on the day. Salem had a 5-0 lead on the shoulders of a sterling Wikelman Gonzalez (pictured) start and the continued hot hitting of Marcelo Mayer, but rain in the bottom of the fifth caused the game to be suspended only three outs before becoming official. Eduard Bazardo continued his excellent season, drawing the first straw in Worcester's victorious bullpen game. Greenville fell despite Nick Yorke and Niko Kavadas home runs, while Bryan Mata labored in Portland's loss. 

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Worcester Red Sox 2, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1

The WooSox prevailed despite a lineup that managed just five hits. A quartet of hurlers were led by Eduard Bazardo, who was tasked with the rare start. Bazardo scattered three hits across three scoreless frames, striking out two, walking one, and lowering his ERA to 2.43. Jake Thompson went two hitless frames, striking out three, before the Bisons finally got on the board with one run against Caleb Simpson in his two innings of work. Zack Kelly got credit for the win with his two scoreless frames. The effort snaps a streak of four straight appearances in which Kelly had surrendered a run. 

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Minor Notes: First draft signings announced, Abraham Almonte acquired

Now that the MLB Draft has concluded, the focus has turned to signing those that were selected, in addition to adding undrafted free agents.

Signing draftees

On Tuesday, the Red Sox officially announced the signing of Mikey Romero and Cutter Coffey, the organization's top two selections in the 2022 MLB Draft. According to Chad Jennings of The Athletic, Romero received a $2.3 million signing bonus, while Coffey received $1.8475 million. The team also announced Alex Hoppe, Caleb Bolden, Jonathan Brand and Isaac Coffey. While it has not been announced, it has also been reported that No. 79 overall selection Roman Anthony will sign for $2.5 million. The Red Sox also signed Matt Donlan and Bryant Zayas as undrafted free agents.

The deadline to sign draftees is August 1, so more bonus figures and official announcements should come fast and furious over the next few days.

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Cup of Coffee: Salazar extends hit streak; Guzman cruising in DSL

7/26 Cup of Coffee: Complex League Monday was back, as Boston's short-season affiliates took a win, a loss, and an outcome to be determined later. The Florida Complex League squad fell despite the continued hot bat of Johnfrank Salazar (pictured) and a big day for Juan Chacon. The first-place Red Sox Blue team got back in the win column in the Dominican, while Smil Guzman was interrupted in the midst of hurling a gem for team Red.  

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FCL Pirates 7, FCL Red Sox 6

The FCL Sox drew eight free passes but fell in a back-and-forth contest. Juan Chacon led the way at the plate, going 2 for 4 with two runs driven in and a stolen base. Johnfrank Salazar extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a second-inning triple. Salazar is 15 for 31 during his streak. Lyonell James scored two runs as part of a 1-for-2 effort that included a pair of walks. It was a rare afternoon where Jedixson Paez was off his mark. The 18-year-old righty had gone at least four innings in each of his seven previous appearances, but he was knocked out after just 1 2/3 on Monday, having surrendered three runs on four hits. He walked three batters after previously issuing only seven in 34 innings, and struck out a pair. Nate Tellier took the loss after giving up a decisive three-run homer in the eighth.

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Podcast Ep. #255: 2022 Draft Recap with MLB.com's Jim Callis

Once again, we had the pleasure of hosting MLB.com's very own Jim Callis to recap the Red Sox draft class! Listen in to hear what Jim thought of Boston's haul, what question Jim posed to Chris to make him hem and haw for about five minutes attempting to dodge the question, and of course, some talk about the Red Sox system over the first half.

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Cup of Coffee: Dobbins strikes out eight; Ward allows first runs

7/25 Cup of Coffee: Chris Murphy could not make it out of the first inning, but Worcester's offense scored 10 runs to win it. Stephen Scott (pictured) had the best offensive performance of the day, reaching base five times, while Matt Barnes and Thad Ward made rehab appearances. Matthew Lugo and Phillip Sikes homered for Greenville, and Hunter Dobbins had another great start for Salem. 

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Worcester Red Sox 10, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 8

The WooSox picked up Chris Murphy after a rough start. Murphy walked three, gave up four hits, and recorded only one out while throwing 36 pitches. Every Worcester batter recorded at least one hit, and eight batters reached base at least twice. Ronaldo Hernández drove in three runs and went 2 for 3 with two doubles. Christin Stewart added a double and two walks, and Triston Casas went 2 for 4 with a walk. Johan Mieses, Nick Sogard, and Grant Williams each drove in two runs. 

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Cup of Coffee: Sikes, Davis homer to lead Greenville to win

7/24 Cup of Coffee: Greenville out-slugged Aberdeen, as they were led by Phillip Sikes (pictured) and Joe Davis, who each hit home runs and combined to drive in five. Alex Binelas also went deep for Portland, while Juan Daniel Encarnacion pitched very well in Salem's win. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 7, Worcester Red Sox 3
Brian Keller and James Norwood opened up this one well for the Sox, each tossing two scoreless frames. Keller struck out four and did not allow a hit, while Norwood struck out two. Durbin Feltman struggled, allowing four earned runs with three walks and got just two outs. Eduard Bazardo struck out four in 2 1/3, and Phillips Valdez threw a clean ninth with a pair of strikeouts. At the plate, Pedro Castellanos went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. He's hitting .320 in 20 games with Worcester. Devlin Granberg also had two hits, including a double. 

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Cup of Coffee: Bonaci shines as games restart; Casas, Yorke return to lineup

7/23 Cup of Coffee: The good news: nobody allowed 28 runs. On a day in which the major league club opened the second half by setting a franchise record for runs allowed, the results on the farm were more positive. Most important were the returns of Triston Casas and Nick Yorke to the Worcester and Greenville lineups, respectively. Casas had been out since mid-May with an ankle sprain, while a combination of back issues and turf toe had kept Yorke on the shelf since July 3. Brainer Bonaci (pictured) had a big night despite a Salem loss, while Ceddanne Rafaela helped key an 18-hit barrage in Portland's win.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 6, Worcester Red Sox 5

Worcester came out of the break by welcoming back Triston Casas. The system's second-ranked prospect got the start following a brief rehab in Fort Myers, playing first base and hitting third. Casas was 0 for 5 in his return but scored a run after reaching base on a force out in the fourth. Ronaldo Hernandez was 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Connor Wong returned from a brief call to Boston, going 2 for 5 with a run scored. 

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Cup of Coffee: Bleis extends hitting streak, James reached base three times

7/22 Cup of Coffee: On the day before the big-league club returns to action, it was a relatively quiet Thursday for Boston's minor-league affiliates. Down in Florida, Miguel Bleis extended his hitting streak to five straight games while Lyonell James (pictured) got on base three times and scored one run. Down in the Dominican, the rain threw a wrench in the plans of the DSL squads. 

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FCL Pirates 6, FCL Red Sox 3

After a five-day break, the FCL squad fell to 20-11 in Bradenton on Thursday. Lyonell James led the way offensively by reaching base three times on a pair of singles and a walk. He also scored a run. The same can be said for Juan Chacon, who went 1 for 4 with a single while also stealing his sixth base of the season. Despite hitless performances, Ahbram Liendo and Allan Castro each drove in a run. Miguel Bleis, meanwhile, went 1 for 4 with a ninth-inning RBI double.

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Minor Notes: MLB Draft and Futures Game highlight busy week

In one of the most exciting weeks for minor league baseball fans, the MLB Draft and All-Star Futures Game were mixed in with several exciting performances on the farm. SoxProspects.com Editor-in-Chief Mike Andrews kicked off the draft week with his 2022 Red Sox Draft Preview, but the Red Sox surprised fans and experts alike with their selections on day one.

2022 MLB Draft

The Red Sox grabbed several high-ceiling high school position players and intriguing college pitchers. The list of draftees is available on the Draft History page, and a full write-up of picks in rounds one through 10 is available on the News page. Chris and Ian also recorded a podcast on Sunday night detailing their instant reactions to the selections of Mikey Romero, Cutter Coffey, and Roman Anthony on day one. 

With the signing deadline of August 1 already fast approaching, many experts have wondered how the Red Sox will fit all of the high-upside talent into their bonus pool. Andrews posted his signing projections in the SoxProspects.com Forum, and he will keep the projections updated up until signing day. 

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Eight former Red Sox draftees selected in 2022 draft

Eight previous Red Sox draftees who did not sign were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft. This is a significant jump from the mere two draftees in 2021 and zero in the shortened 2020 draft, but below the 13 picked in the 40-round 2019 draft. Seven of these players went in the top 10 rounds, led by Tennessee outfielder Jordan Beck, a Red Sox 14th-round pick in 2019, who was selected by Colorado with the 38th overall selection, while Connor Prielipp, who was originally selected in the 37th round in 2019, went to Minnesota 10 picks later after having missed the 2022 season following Tommy John surgery in May 2021.

Here is the complete list of former Red Sox draftees selected this week:

2021 Draft

2. Jud Fabian, OF, Florida - Competitive Balance Round B by Baltimore

20. Josh Hood, SS, NC State - 6th round by Seattle

2019 Draft

11. Sebastian Keane, RHP, Northeastern - 18th round by New York (AL)

14. Jordan Beck, OF, Tennessee - Competitive Balance Round A by Colorado

30. Nathan Martorella, 1B, California - 5th round by San Diego

37. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Alabama - 2nd round by Minnesota

39. Trey Faltine, SS, Texas - 7th round by Cincinnati

2018 Draft

34. Jared Poland, RHP, Louisville - 6th round by Miami

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Cup of Coffee: De Leon hits first pro homer; five grads shine in LA

7/20 Cup of Coffee: With almost all stateside baseball on hold in deference to the All-Star game and related festivities, the only minor league game action came in the Dominican Republic. Boston's two DSL affiliates played against each other, with the first-place Blue squad coming out victorious. Several other players familiar to SoxProspects.com readers were also in action on Tuesday night, with five players who came though the system getting into the Midsummer Classic.

DSL Red Sox Blue 5, DSL Red Sox Red 1

In intrasquad action, Team Blue got the victory to move to 26-6 on the season. Fraymi De Leon, Boston's top international free agent in the most recent signing period, blasted a two-run homer in the fifth inning. It was the first professional home run for the 17-year-old product of Santiago. Kelvin Diaz had a pair of hits out of the leadoff spot, submitting a double and a pair of runs scored. Cristian Nunez allowed one run on two hits in 3 1/3 innings in his start. Wandy Abreu went 1 2/3 scoreless frames to get credit for the win.

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2022 Draft Recap: How Boston's picks ranked

Of Boston's 20 selections in the 2022 Draft, nine were ranked in the Baseball America Top 500, 11 in the Perfect Game Top 616, and six in the MLB Pipeline Top 250 list. 12 Red Sox selections appeared on at least one of the lists.

See below for a listing of the 2022 Red Sox draftees who were ranked by BA, PG, or MLB.com. The full list of this year's draft selections can be found over at the SoxProspects.com Draft History page.

Round-Pick: Player, Position (Rank)

1-24: Mike Romero, SS (BA: 54; MLB: 65; PG: 54)

2-41: Cutter Coffey, SS (BA: 65; MLB: 105; PG: 98)

CO-79:  Roman Anthony, OF (BA: 72; MLB: 56; PG: 43)

3-99: Dalton Rogers, LHP (BA: 361; PG: 198)

4-129: Chase Meidroth, SS (BA: 258; PG: 350)

5-159: Noah Dean, LHP (BA: 140; MLB: 124; PG: 168)

8-249: Jonathan Brand, RHP (PG: 388)

9-279: Brooks Brannon, C (BA: 155; MLB: 158; PG: 97)

11-339: Marques Johnson, RHP (BA: 328)

12-369: Hayden Mullins, LHP (PG: 512)

13-399: Gavin Kilen, SS (BA: 149; MLB: 100; PG: 99)

14-429: Travis Sanders, SS (PG: 354)

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Welcome to the 2022 Draft Signing Period!

Now that the 2022 First-Year Player Draft is in the books, the signing period is upon us. With some limited exceptions, this year's signing deadline is 5:00 pm ET on August 1, 2022. As most of our readers know, each team's spending on draft pick bonuses is capped. The overall bonus cap is determined by the number and placement of each team's selections.

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Draft Day 3 Recap: Rounds 11-20

The 2022 MLB draft has concluded with the final 10 rounds. It is the second season in which the draft has been limited to just 20 rounds.  The Red Sox signed seven of their 10 selections on the third day of the draft in 2021. 

Here are brief recaps of selections 11 through 20:

11. Marques Johnson, RHP, Long Beach State
Johnson (pictured) was mostly a relief pitcher in college, both at Riverside Community College as well as Long Beach State, where he spent his final two years of school. He made 14 appearances during his senior campaign, six of them starts. In 44 1/3 innings, he tallied 51 strikeouts, 21 walks, and posted a 3.25 ERA. Most of his starts came at the end of the year, as he lasted at least five innings in four of his final five outings of the year, striking out six or more four times in his six starts. Johnson also made two appearances for Wareham in the Cape Cod League in 2021. He is ranked #328 by Baseball America, and according to them, his fastball sits 91-93 MPH, touching 95. His fastball is a high-spin fastball, and he also has a slider and a changeup. The 22-year old right-hander had not been drafted prior to this selection. 

12. Hayden Mullins, LHP, Auburn University
The Sox go with another college arm here, this time a junior left-hander. According to an article by Lindsay Crosby of Auburn Daily, Mullins has had injury issues with his forearm since high school. He did not pitch much early in his collegiate career, making 12 appearances out of the bullpen, totaling 18 2/3 innings, during his freshman and sophomore years combined. In his junior season, he started the year in the bullpen again, but ended up making eight starts before his forearm caused him to miss more time in 2022. He threw 34 2/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA and 43 strikeouts to 25 walks. He is not ranked by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline, but according to the article above, he has a three-quarter arm slot with a fastball, slider, looping curveball, and a changeup. 

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Cup of Coffee: Weather spoils Dominican Summer League, all-star breaks begin

7/19 Cup of Coffee: It was a light day on the farm as the MLB Draft wore on, with Day 2 taking place on Monday. In addition to the typical off-day for the full-season affiliates, the FCL is off between July 17 and July 20, leaving just the Dominican Summer League teams. Even then, Blue's contest was suspended in the top of the fifth and Red's game went final after four and a half innings. The two teams combined for just four hits and surrendered six runs each.

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DSL Guardians Blue 6, DSL Red Sox Blue 0 (Suspended)

The Red Sox went hitless through its first four at-bats and had just two baserunners, one on a walk and one due to an error, while also going down on strikes eight times. On the mound, Jean Carlos Reyes struggled in his start, allowing four runs on six hits in two innings of work. He also walked two hitters and did not record a strikeout. It was not much better for Ali Ascanio, who was touched for an additional two runs on four hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.

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DSL Astros Orange 6, DSL Red Sox Red 1 (5 Innings)

The Red Sox were able to scratch a run across, but did not have much in the way of offense, with just four hits. The team scored in the third on a single from Yosander Asencio, plating Freili Encarnacion (pictured). Smil Guzman and Carlos Reyes were each tagged for three runs, with Asencio permitting the tallies over three innings on four hits, while Reyes did so on three hits in one frame. Guzman did strike out three Astros, while Reyes contributed an additional punchout.

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Red Sox select Isaac Coffey with 10th-round pick

With their 10th-round pick in the 2022 draft, Boston has selected Isaac Coffey, a right-handed pitcher out of Oral Roberts University.

Coffey was named the 2021 Summit League Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore after striking out 92 batters over 86 1/3 innings with an ERA of 2.81. He entered 2022 with high expectations, earning a Second Team Preseason All-American nod from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. His performance took a step back, as he went 7-6 with an ERA of 3.77. His walks increased while his strikeouts decreased. 

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Red Sox select Brooks Brannon with ninth-round pick

With the 279th overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Brooks Brannon, a catcher out of Randleman High School in North Carolina. He is a North Carolina commit.

Brannon is ranked No. 88 by ESPN, No. 155 by Baseball America, and No. 158 by MLB Pipeline.

According to Baseball America, Brannon has two above-average tools: his arm and raw power. Baseball America also thinks he has potential plus raw power, showing that with 20 home runs and 91 RBI in 34 games this spring. MLBPipeline is higher on his arm, calling it a plus tool. 

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Red Sox select Jonathan Brand with eighth-round pick

With its eighth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Boston has selected Jonathan Brand, a right-handed pitcher out of Miami University (Ohio). Brand is not ranked by MLB.com or Baseball America but is ranked 388th by Perfect Game USA.

Despite only being listed as 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, Brand has operated exclusively as a starter during his last two years time at Miami. Over his 3 seasons, he has thrown a combined 155 and 1/3 innings with a 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts with 73 walks. He struggled in 2021 posting a 4.90 ERA but rebounded in 2022 with a 1.40 ERA (good for third in the nation), and 1.13 WHIP over 77 and 1/3 innings, and continued that success into his season in the Cape Cod Baseball League this summer. Playing for Wareham for the second straight season, he has made five starts with a 2.57 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 21 strikeouts in 21 innings. Coming off that strong year he was named a Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Mac.

Brand has three seasons as a Red Hawk and previously played a season for East Georgia State College. Brand is committed to transfer to the University of Auburn. 

Photo Credit: University of Miami (Ohio).

Will Woodward is a Co-Owner and Senior Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPWill.

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Red Sox select Caleb Bolden with seventh-round pick

With its seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft, Boston has selected Caleb Bolden, a right-handed pitcher out of Texas Christian University.

Bolden is a fifth-year senior who spent his first four seasons at the University of Arkansas. He underwent Tommy John surgery with the Razorbacks and missed the 2019 season. He pitched just 16 innings in 2020 as the season ended early due to the pandemic. In 2022 with TCU, Bolden pitched to a 6.23 ERA over 39 innings. The Red Sox are projected to get some cap savings with Bolden as he will likely get an under-slot deal. 

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Red Sox select Alex Hoppe with sixth-round pick

With the 189th overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox have selected Alex Hoppe, a right-handed pitcher out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Hoppe is not regarded by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline as one of the top prospects in this year's draft class.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Hoppe spent five seasons on campus at UNC Greensboro, so he is older for his class at the age of 23. This past spring with the Spartans, the native Iowan posted a 3.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP to go along with 84 strikeouts to 30 walks over 26 relief appearances spanning 66 2/3 innings of work en route to being named the Southern Conference's Pitcher of the Year.

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Red Sox select Noah Dean with fifth-round pick

With the 159th overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Noah Dean, a left-handed pitcher out of Old Dominion.

Dean is ranked No. 124 by MLBPipeline, No. 134 by ESPN and No. 140 by Baseball America.

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Red Sox select Chase Meidroth with fourth-round pick

With its fourth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Boston has selected Chase Meidroth, a shortstop out of the University of San Diego. The 20-year-old is a redshirt sophomore and was ranked 258th by Baseball America, 350th by Perfect Game USA, and was unranked by MLB.com.

Meidroth dealt with injuries over his first two years at San Diego before finally having a healthy 2022, playing 56 of 57 games and hitting .329/.440/.544 with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, and 40 walks to only 25 strikeouts. He finished off the season by hitting .455 in the WCC Tournament and playing in the NCAA Corvallis Regional while earning First Team All-WCC honors. He led the WCC in doubles and was second in hits, walks, and OBP. 

Listed at only 5-foot-10, Baseball America notes that his offensive game is built more on line drives rather than power with exit velocities supporting that. He does have average bat speed and the ability to make lots of contact and spray balls around the field. Despite being listed as a shortstop, he played almost exclusively second base this season, starting 49 of his 57 games at the keystone with seven additional starts at third base.

This summer he is playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League for Yarmouth-Dennis and over his 22 games has hit .286/.434/.381 while playing all but one game at second base. He still has yet to turn 21 and therefore is young for this college class, and he continues the Red Sox draft trend of valuing players that have good contact skills and a good approach.

Photo Credit: Chase Meidroth by the University of San Diego.

Will Woodward is a Co-Owner and Senior Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @SPWill.

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Red Sox select Dalton Rogers with third-round pick

With the 99th overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Dalton Rogers, a left-handed pitcher out of the University of Southern Mississippi. Rogers is ranked 361st in the draft class by Baseball America and is unranked by MLB Pipeline. 

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, Rogers posted a 1.95 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 57 strikeouts to 23 walks over 23 relief appearances for the Golden Eagles this season. The Flowood, Miss. native also made two starts for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League earlier this summer, striking out eight of the 24 batters he faced.

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Podcast Ep. #254: Draft night 1 instant reax

With the first night of the draft extending into the wee hours, Chris and Ian provided their kneejerk reactions to the Red Sox selections of Mikey Romero, Cutter Coffey, and (eventually) Roman Anthony. More Cali high school shortstops, eh? Here's what the guys think!

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Cup of Coffee: Binelas homers twice; Ward shines again

7/18 Cup of Coffee: All three games were decided by one run, with Portland and Salem picking up walk-off wins. Chris Murphy and Thad Ward turned in great starts, while Alex Binelas (pictured) hit two home runs for Portland. Christian Koss also homered for the Sea Dogs, while David Hamilton notched his 40th steal of the season.

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Norfolk Tides (BAL) 1, Worcester Red Sox 0

The WooSox were stifled by DL Hall, a top-50 prospect in baseball. Chris Murphy was excellent in his third Triple-A start, firing five shutout innings with three strikeouts. AJ Politi added two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Johan Mieses and Grant Williams each had two hits, and Ronaldo Hernández added a double. 

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Red Sox select Roman Anthony with second-round compensation pick

With the 79th overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Roman Anthony, an outfielder out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Anthony is ranked 72nd in the draft class by Baseball America, and 56th by MLB.com.

Anthony stands six-foot-three, 190 pounds, bats from the left side, and throws right-handed. He gained a measure of notoriety in high school for his tape-measure home runs, with a particularly strong showing at the National High School Invitational where he led all position players with seven hits. Anthony sports a strong, athletic frame that may continue to add strength. Baseball America rated his power potential as "easily" plus.

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Red Sox select Cutter Coffey with second-round pick

With the 41st overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Cutter Coffey, a shortstop out of Liberty High School in Brentwood, California. Romero is ranked 65th in the draft class by Baseball America, and 105th by MLB.com. The pick was compensation for the Red Sox due to their inability to come to terms with 2021 second-round pick Jud Fabian out of Florida. 

The six-foot-two, 185-pound Coffey is a standout athlete who was also considered a strong draft prospect on the mound. A strong 2022 season raised his draft stock at the plate as he displayed excellent athleticism and good raw power, hitting .442 with 12 home runs. He will look to develop more consistency with his hit tool. Per Baseball America, he "flashes the bat speed, strength and ability to make adjustments to project to be an above-average hitter" but struggles when his swing gets on the long side. 

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2022 MLB First Year Player Draft Picks No. 1-30

The 2022 MLB First Year Player Draft is underway from Los Angeles, the site of this year's All-Star Game festivities. While this year's 20-round affair is the same as last year's, the first two rounds will be on Sunday night, rather than just the first round. While the top picks were heavy on high school talent, including four of the top five selections, the first round itself was balanced between prep and collegiate players. Boston added one to the prep column, selecting Mikey Romero out of Oswego East High School in Illinois. 

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Red Sox select Mikey Romero with the 24th overall pick

With the 24th overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox selected Mikey Romero, a shortstop out of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif. Romero is ranked 54th in the draft class by Baseball America (BA), and 65th by MLB.com.

This is the third straight year that Boston has selected an infielder from California in the first round of the draft, following Nick Yorke in 2020 and Marcelo Mayer in 2021. BA lists Romero at 5-foot-11 and 168 pounds, and he is committed to LSU. Romero's calling card is his advanced hit tool, which is considered one of the best in the high school class. While he has sure hands at shortstop, fringe-average speed and a fringe-average arm make a move to second base possible down the line. 

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Follow the Draft at SoxProspects!

The MLB Draft is just a few hours away! You can follow along with the draft this evening at SoxProspects.com, where we'll bring you up-to-the-minute coverage of the first round. Look for a preview of the best players available on Day Two tomorrow . Similar coverage will continue through Day Three as well.

2022 Red Sox Draft Preview

Red Sox 2022 Draft Board

SoxProspects News

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Cup of Coffee: Rafaela plays in Futures Game; Hernandez, Mieses lead Worcester to win

7/17 Cup of Coffee: Worcester got both good pitching and good offense, as Ronaldo Hernandez and Johan Mieses each had big days at the plate to lead them to a win. Brayan Bello also pitched for Worcester for the first time since returning from the big leagues. The Sox FCL and DSL Blue teams had big offensive days, led by Kelvin Diaz. 

Ceddanne Rafaela (pictured) was also the lone member of the Red Sox to play in the Futures Game in Los Angeles. He came in the game late as a pinch-hitter and struck out in his two plate appearances. He also played shortstop and converted his only chance. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Norfolk Tides (BAL) 3
Brayan Bello made his first start back in Worcester after a two-start stint in Boston. He went three innings, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Philips Valdez tossed a couple hitless innings, Eduard Bazardo pitched a perfect frame, and Zack Kelly struck out a pair in his lone inning. Every single Worcester starter recorded at least one hit, with seven of nine picking up multiple hits. Ronaldo Hernandez belted a two-run shot, his ninth of the year, while Devlin Granberg and Nick Sogard each had three hits. Johan Mieses also went 2 for 5 with two doubles and two runs scored. 

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Cup of Coffee: Groome shines in WooSox debut; Mata, Casas impress

7/16 Cup of Coffee: Pitching was the big story on Friday, as none of the five stateside starting pitchers surrendered an earned run. Across 22 innings, starting pitchers gave up 14 hits, walking nine, and striking out 25 while surrendering two unearned scores. Jay Groome (pictured) went six innings in his introduction to International League play. Bryan Mata and Juan Daniel Encarnacion went five scoreless apiece as the Portland and Salem bullpens completed both shutouts. Nathanael Cruz was supported in his strong outing by the also-rehabbing Triston Casas in the FCL. Greenville got yet another Niko Kavadas homer but suffered the organization's lone defeat.

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Norfolk Tides (BAL) 2

It was a strong Triple-A debut for Jay Groome. The 2016 first-round pick fired six shutout innings, allowing five hits, striking out five, and walking three. He faced a season-high 25 batters and threw 61 of his 95 pitches for strikes. The Tides reached Chase Shugart for a pair of runs (one earned) in two innings of relief, followed by a hitless ninth inning from Frank German. Christin Stewart provided plenty of support at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a walk, double, run scored, and three RBI. Devlin Granberg added a pair of hits, while Grant Williams reached base three times with two singles and a hit batsman. 

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Cup of Coffee: Paulino comes through with clutch homer in Salem, Kavadas and Northcut power Greenville

7/15 Cup of Coffee: As the big-league club continues to slide in the standings, Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 4-5 on Thursday. Christin Stewart homered for the 16th time this season as Worcester got swept in a doubleheader, Alex Binelas and Christian Koss accounted for Portland's only two runs in a loss at home, Niko Kavadas and Nick Northcut both went deep in Greenville's convincing win, and Eddinson Paulino (pictured) delivered a clutch two-run homer to lift Salem to a come-from-behind win over Kannapolis. At the rookie-league level, Triston Casas and Miguel Bleis each enjoyed multi-hit games down at the complex. 

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Norfolk Tides (BAL) 2, Worcester Red Sox 1 (Game 1)

In Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader in Norfolk, the Worcester lineup managed all of one run. That lone run came in the top of the fourth inning, when Christin Stewart clubbed his 16th home run of the season off big-league veteran Matt Harvey. Opposing Harvey was Brian Keller, who was making his 12th start of the season for Worcester. The 28-year-old right-hander pitched well, allowing one run on four hits, two walks, one hit batsman, and five strikeouts over five solid innings. Forty-five of the 77 pitches he threw went for strikes. Eduard Bazardo, on the other hand, took the loss as he gave up a walk-off single to Terrin Vavra in the bottom of the seventh. 

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2022 Red Sox Draft Preview

It’s that time of year again! The MLB Draft gets underway Sunday evening at 7:00 pm ET. Day One will include the first two rounds; Day Two will be Monday at 2:00 pm, covering rounds 3 through 10; and Day Three will be Tuesday at 2:00 pm, covering rounds 11 through 20.

This year, the Red Sox have four picks in the top 100, including #24 (first round), #41 (second round compensation pick for not signing 2021 second-round pick Jud Fabian), #79 (third round, compensation for losing Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency), and #99 (fourth round). Our predictions for some possibilities for those picks are below. The team previously forfeited the #61 pick (second round) for signing Trevor Story in free agency.  Boston’s bonus pool cap is $8,078,300 this year, down from roughly $11 million last year when the club had the fourth overall pick. 

At SoxProspects, we’ve been covering the draft in-depth since 2005. During that time, the team’s best selections have included Jacoby Ellsbury (2005, 1st round), Clay Buchholz (2005, 1st), Justin Masterson (2006, 2nd), Daniel Bard (2006, 1st), Josh Reddick (2006, 17th), Anthony Rizzo (2007, 6th), Christian Vazquez (2008, 9th), Jackie Bradley, Jr. (2011, supplemental 1st), Matt Barnes (2011, 1st), Mookie Betts (2011, 5th), Michael Kopech (2014, supplemental 1st), Andrew Benintendi (2015, 1st), Bobby Dalbec (2016, 4th), and Tanner Houck (2017, 1st). They have also successfully selected several relievers, part-time contributors, and trade chips over that period, and there is a bevy of recent selections at the top of the club's current top prospect rankings. 

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Cup of Coffee: Northcut sets single-season home run record for Greenville

7/14 Cup of Coffee: The WooSox were rained out in Norfolk and the Florida Complex League squad had the day off, so Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 3-3 on Wednesday. In Portland, Brett Kennedy was solid on the mound while David Hamilton stole another base as the Sea Dogs saw their eight-game winning streak come to a halt. For Greenville, Nick Northcut (pictured) made history while Wyatt Olds tossed four one-run innings. And Salem split its impromptu doubleheader against Kannapolis while the Dominican Summer League squads went .500 on the day. 

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Worcester Red Sox, Norfolk Tides (BAL) (PPD)

Wednesday's game between Worcester and Norfolk was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up as part of a single-admission, seven-inning doubleheader on Thursday. First pitch for Game One of the twin bill is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. eastern time.

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Somerset Patriots (NYY) 5, Portland Sea Dogs 1

Portland saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday night. Brett Kennedy got the start and pitched well, yielding two runs on seven hits, two walks, and five strikeouts over six-plus innings of work. Jacob Wallace took over for the veteran right-hander and allowed one of the runners he inherited to score in the seventh. The UCONN product then issued a bases-loaded walk in the eighth before making way for Rio Gomez, who allowed another inherited runner to score while also giving up a run of his own in the ninth. 

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Podcast Ep. #253: Director of Player Development Brian Abraham

It's been a while since we've had an interview episode, but this is a good one as we welcome Red Sox Director of Player Development Brian Abraham! Our discussion hit on a number of topics on the ins and outs of player development, Brian's path to being the Sox farm director, and his thoughts on a number of current players in the system (and big leagues)! Plus, the guys opened with some quick draft thoughts and discussion of Brayan Bello's MLB debut. 

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Cup of Coffee: Casas begins rehab stint; Wilson powers Portland

7/13 Cup of Coffee: As Chris Sale made his long-awaited return to the major league squad, a bevy of banged-up major and minor leaguers took steps forward on Tuesday night. Triston Casas joined the FCL Red Sox after missing nearly two months with an ankle injury. Thaddeus Ward moved from the FCL to Salem, turning in a strong start, joined by a successful return to the lineup by Marcelo Mayer. Major leaguers Garrett Whitlock, Josh Taylor, and Matt Barnes also made appearances. Outside of the MASH tent, Izzy Wilson (pictured) homered twice to lead Portland, while Chris Murphy continued to impress on the mound in Worcester. 

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Worcester Red Sox 2, Norfolk Tides (BAL) 1

Chris Murphy was outstanding in his third Triple-A start. The left-hander went seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits, walking two, and striking out three. He lowered his ERA to an even 3.00 since his promotion and 2.66 across the two levels. Darwinzon Hernandez tossed a scoreless eighth before Norfolk reached Zack Kelly on a solo home run in the ninth. Worcester had to scrape for its runs, with Devlin Granberg racing home on a wild pitch in the third and a Ronaldo Hernandez sacrifice fly plating Nick Sogard in the seventh.

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Minor Notes: Downs impacts the majors & minors and Bello makes 2nd MLB start

This past week was an exciting one with some high-profile Red Sox prospects making impacts on the major league team. It is also a time of excitement in the prospect world as we prepare for the 2022 MLB Draft, which will kick off this Sunday, July 17, at 7:00 pm with Round 1 and Round 2. Rounds 3-10 will follow on Monday beginning at noon, and Rounds 11-20 will commence on Tuesday.

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2022 All-Star Futures Game

MLB announced that two Red Sox prospects have been selected to participate in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game -- outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela and righty Brayan Bello (pictured, right). No team had more than two players selected.

Bello makes second major league start

Making his second major league start on Monday night, Bello again struggled early in the game, giving up two runs in the first inning and three in the second inning with three of those runs being scored with two outs in the inning. However, he turned it around after that point, throwing two more scoreless innings and buying the Red Sox enough time to tie up the game when he exited after four innings. His final line on the night was four innings pitched, five earned runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

Downs makes a major impact

Jeter Downs did not know he would be called up until after 5pm on Saturday. Once he got to Fenway, manager Alex Cora put him to good use. Downs entered the game in the eighth, pinch running for J.D. Martinez after a double. After a Xander Bogaerts walk, Alex Verdugo singled, bringing Downs around to tie the game at 3. Downs was not done yet. There are few better ways to secure your first major league hit than to plate a run in the bottom of the 10th inning, singling to right, but Downs still was not done for the night. After a groundout moved Downs up to second and Rob Refsnyder to third, Verdugo singled, first bringing in Refsnyder and then scoring Downs who crossed the plate on an impressive head-first slide to score the winning run against the archrival Yankees. 

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Cup of Coffee: Perales strikes out eight of nine hitters, Bleis knocks two homers

7/12 Cup of Coffee: The summer affiliates played a pair of blowouts, as the FCL team took down the Rays before headed to Tampa to watch Brayan Bello face the Rays. Luis Perales had an incredible start, striking out eight of the nine hitters he faced across three perfect innings. Meanwhile, Miguel Bleis (pictured) was one of three hitters, along with Luis Ravelo and Johnfrank Salazar, to have three hits. Bleis had three extra-base knocks, including two home runs. In the Dominican, Blue took Red to the woodshed in an intra-organizational battle on the back of a six-run first inning. 

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FCL Red Sox 8, FCL Rays 1

Luis Perales threw three perfect innings, striking out eight hitters, to set the tone for a dominating victory for the FCL squad. In between Perales and two no-hit innings with five strikeouts by Michael Valera was Francis Hernandez. The right-hander had a strong outing in his own right, scattering one run and three hits over four frames, punching out seven Rays, but was overshadowed by those that started and finished the contest. Overall, the trio combined to notch 20 strikeouts.

Strong performances were not limited to the mound, either. A trio of hitters recorded a three-hit day, including Luis Ravelo and Johnfrank Salazar. However, the most impressive was surely Miguel Bleis. The center fielder drilled a pair of home runs and a double as part of a 3-for-5 day. Naysbel Marcano also went yard for the Red Sox, while Alexis Hernandez and Eduardo Vaughn each had a pair of singles.

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Cup of Coffee: Eovaldi rehabs with Worcester, Van Belle stifles Binghamton

7/11 Cup of Coffee: A rehab start for Nathan Eovaldi was a welcome sight as the Boston rotation struggles with injuries. Eovaldi went three innings and threw 54 pitches for Worcester. Ryan Fitzgerald and Connor Wong each homered for the WooSox, and Ronaldo Hernández racked up four more hits. Both Brian Van Belle (pictured) and Hunter Dobbins turned in their second great starts of the week, and Marcelo Mayer may be dealing with another injury. 

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 3

Making his first rehab start after missing a month with low back inflammation, Nathan Eovaldi allowed two runs over three innings, including a solo home run. He struck out four without walking a batter. AJ Politi got the win with two innings of one-run ball, then four relievers followed with scoreless innings. One was Josh Taylor, who struck out one without allowing a hit. 

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Cup of Coffee: Uberstine dominates in Greenville debut

7/10 Cup of Coffee: Last night was headlined by a pair of pitchers making their debuts with new teams. Jake Thompson made his first appearance at Triple-A, while Tyler Uberstine (pictured) started in Greenville for the first time and was tremendous. Ceddanne Rafaela collected four more hits, while Matthew Lugo hit a huge home run for the Drive. Armando Sierra also had a huge game for the DSL Blue team. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 3, Worcester Red Sox 2

Brian Keller was great in his start, going the first five innings and allowing just one run with seven strikeouts and one walk. Jake Thompson made his Triple-A debut out of the bullpen and threw a couple really good innings. He surrendered just one hit, did not allow a run, and struck out a hitter. Darwinzon Hernandez also punched out two in a clean inning. At the plate, Worcester had just five hits, two of them from Devlin Granberg. Ronaldo Hernandez singled and drove in a run, while Ryan Fitzgerald walked twice, stole a bag, and scored. 

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Cup of Coffee: Rafaela makes highlight-reel catch, collects two hits in Portland comeback

7/9 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough Friday night for the major league club, and those struggles extended down to the farm. Only a wild comeback by Portland prevented an organization-wide sweep. Ceddanne Rafaela (pictured) showed off his defensive chops before helping flip a 4-0 eighth-inning deficit into a 7-4 win. Jeter Downs stayed hot in Worcester, while Bryan Gonzalez had a big night for Salem, but both squads saw comeback bids fall short. It was a rare winless night for the complex league squads. The DSL Blue team fell for only the fourth time this season, while the FCL Sox managed only one hit.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 5, Worcester Red Sox 3

A late rally fell short as the WooSox dropped their third straight to the Yankees Triple-A squad. Jeter Downs continued his resurgence, blasting a three-run homer in the ninth to end the Scranton shutout bid. Downs also doubled as part of a 2-for-4 effort that brought his line in seven July games to .500/.567/1.115. Ryan Fitzgerald joined his partner on the left side of the infield, picking up a double as part of his two-hit night.

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Cup of Coffee: Sogard leads offensive onslaught for Portland, Ward's rehab continues in Fort Myers

7/8 Cup of Coffee: While the big-league club welcomed the Yankees to Fenway Park for the first time this season, Boston's minor-league affiliates went a collective 5-2 on Thursday. Chris Murphy made his home debut and Jeter Downs homered again in Worcester, Nick Sogard (pictured) and Co. feasted on Binghamton pitching for Portland, Big Joe Davis went deep for Greenville, and Eddinson Paulino stole two bases for Salem. At the rookie-league level, Thaddeus Ward impressed in his second rehab start down in Fort Myers.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 5, Worcester Red Sox 3

Chris Murphy made his Polar Park debut on Thursday night. The 24-year-old left-hander allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks to go along with seven strikeouts over five innings of work. All three runs he gave up came in the top half of the fifth. A.J. Politi took over for Murphy and retired the side in order in the sixth. A rehabbing Josh Taylor surrendered two runs while only recording the first out of the seventh inning. Zack Kelly recorded the final two outs of the seventh and tossed a scoreless frame in the eighth before making way for Chase Shugart, who did the same in the ninth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Sale rehabs in Worcester, Kavadas and Northcut homer for Greenville

7/7 Cup of Coffee: While top pitching prospect Brayan Bello was busy making his major-league debut in Boston, it was another action-packed Wednesday for the club's minor-league affiliates. In Worcester, Chris Sale continued on with his rehab assignment while Christin Stewart (pictured) and Jeter Downs both went deep. A 13-hit effort that included home runs from David Hamilton and birthday boy Tyler Dearden propelled Portland to a commanding win over Binghamton. Niko Kavadas and Nick Northcut also put on a power display for Greenville while Jonathan Diaz drove in a team-high three runs and Marcelo Mayer hit another double for Salem. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 4, Worcester Red Sox 2

On Tate Matheny Bobblehead Night, Chris Sale made his return to Polar Park on Wednesday. In what could be the final start of his rehab assignment, the veteran left-hander surrendered one run on three hits and five walks to go along with five strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings of work. The Red Sox were hoping to get five innings out of Sale, but the number of walks ended his outing early. Also rehabbing with Worcester was Josh Taylor, who struck out the side in a scoreless sixth inning. Eduard Bazardo, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Frank German combined for 3 1/3 shutout frames of relief. Caleb Simpson, on the other hand, took the loss, yielding three runs on three hits in a rough seventh inning. 

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Podcast Ep. #252: Bello at Fenway-o

Our new number 3 prospect is set to make his MLB debut on Wednesday night, so Chris and Ian hopped on for an episode to discuss the latest rookie arm to matriculate to the big leagues for the Red Sox in 2022. The guys talked about the pitching pipeline starting to bear fruit, what to expect from the Dominican right-hander against the Rays, and what plans might be for him the rest of the season. Plus, Ian gives a report on Bryan Mata in Portland, some promotions, and a discussion of the July 1 rankings update!

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Cup of Coffee: Bleis triples twice to power FCL Sox

7/6 Cup of Coffee: With all but the rookie leagues moving their usual slate to Monday to celebrate the Fourth, it was a rare quiet Tuesday. The rookie teams made plenty of noise, however, pulling off the organizational sweep. Miguel Bleis led the way in Fort Myers, while Yizreel Burnet returned to give the already-loaded Red Sox Blue squad some reinforcements.

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FCL Red Sox 5, FCL Orioles 4

Miguel Bleis tripled twice to key the FCL Sox victory. Bleis scored twice and drove in two, his second straight multi-hit game. Johnfrank Salazar added a pair of hits, while Cam Cannon doubled as part of his ongoing rehab from an oblique injury. Luis Perales made his first appearances since June 24 and first start since June 10. He fired three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, striking out four, and walking one. Henry Nunez and Railin Perez pitched 1 2/3 and 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief. Neither right-hander has been scored upon this season.

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Minor Notes: Bello to make MLB debut, July rankings released with a new number one

There's a lot to cover this past week, as there have been some big moves in the SoxProspects.com rankings as the calendar flips to July. There have also been some major transactions, with Brayan Bello (pictured, right) getting the call to Boston to replace Rich Hill. 

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New Rankings

The July rankings are officially out here at SoxProspects.com, and there's a new number one. Boston's 2021 first-round pick Marcelo Mayer (pictured, below) has jumped Triston Casas for the top spot. He has certainly earned it, as the 19-year-old shortstop has hit .291/.371/.525 across 43 games for Salem this season. He has been bit by the injury bug, missing a little over 40% of Salem's games this year, but when healthy he hasn't missed a beat. He has 21 doubles, seven home runs, and 10 stolen bases without being caught. This is not a knock on Casas, who slides into the number two spot, as he has also run into injuries in 2022 that have kept him off the field since May 17. He is hitting .248/.359/.457 in 36 games, although those numbers look a little worse than they probably should, as he has been hitting the ball very hard all year. 

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