February 15, 2023 at 8:00 AM
2023 Countdown to Spring Training: 55-51
We've made it through the bulk of the offseason and spring training is here! To celebrate the return of baseball, we'll be counting down by posting our scouting reports for the players on our Top 60 three times a week from February 13 until March 15—not coincidentally, the same day the SoxProspects brass arrive in Fort Myers for the start of games in minor league camp.
#55: Hunter Dobbins, RHP
2022 Teams: Salem
Final Stats: 69 IP, 5.22 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 68 K, 22 BB, 11% swinging strike rate
2023 Projected Level: Greenville
Scouting Report
Physical Description: Medium, athletic frame with projection remaining.
Mechanics: Throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot. Starts on the first base side of the rubber. Medium-to-high leg left. High-effort delivery. Arm is short behind and quick forward. Hides the ball well behind. Falls off hard toward first base.
Fastball: 91-94 mph. Tops out at 96 mph. Velocity increased to where he was touching 98 mph in fall 2020 and February 2021 before getting injured during preseason scrimmages. During 2020 season, sat in the low-90s, topping out at 94. Sometimes pitch will show natural cut. Potential average pitch.
Curveball: 74-78 mph. Long, 12-to-6 breaking ball with depth. Has confidence in the pitch and will throw it in any count. Potential above-average pitch.
Changeup: 83-85 mph. Circle changeup evolved from a split-fingered change. Some will show drop. Clear third pitch. Potential below-average pitch.
Slider: High-80s. Throws sparingly.
Career Notes: Father, Lance Dobbins, played baseball at Alabama and in the Diamondbacks system. All-State in high school. Pitched as a reliever in the College World Series as a freshman in 2019. Midweek starter as a sophomore in pandemic-shortened season. Injured his UCL during a preseason scrimmage in 2021 and missed the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021 as a rehabber. Returned in June 2022 to make his pro debut in Salem. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian.
Summation: Potential organizational depth arm. Ceiling of an up-and-down reliever. Has shown an intriguing fastball/curveball combination after returning from surgery, including holding most of his Fall 2020 velocity increase. Changeup lags behind and combined with delivery, likely future is in the bullpen. Will continue working as a starter and further improvement in stuff could change projection.
2022 Teams: Worcester
Final Stats: 520 PA, .219/.304/.400, 16 HR, 9.4% BB, 26% K
2023 Projected Level: Worcester
Scouting Report
Physical Description: Lean, athletic frame without much projection. Looks the part of a middle infielder.
Hit: Starts slightly open with his hands up. Utilizes a leg lift timing device. Keeps his hands inside the ball. Uppercut swing. Does not get cheated. Has bat speed and some feel for hit. Knows the strike zone. Makes hard contact. Has a tendency to pull and will get shifted by some teams. Has significant swing-and-miss in his game that predictably has been tested by Triple-A pitching, and would be even more so by MLB pitching. Struggles against left-handed pitchers, especially with off-speed pitches. Potential below-average hit tool.
Power: Above-average raw power. Swing has loft. Can drive the ball, especially to the pull side. Swing is now geared towards making hard contact in the air. Has the potential for average in-game power.
Run: Fringe-average speed. Good instincts. Will take an extra base, but not a stolen base threat.
Field: Potential fringe-average defender at short, but at this point has been developed as a true utility defender, starting at least 8 games in 2022 at every position but center field, catcher, and pitcher. Can be slotted into the lineup at whatever non-catcher position is available. Average range and soft hands. Smart, heads-up defender; gets himself in position to make plays. Comfortable throwing on the run and ranging to his right or left. Initial reads are a work in progress in the outfield, but once he locates the ball will usually make the play. Will not be a standout defender in the outfield, but should be a capable defender out there, as well as in the infield.
Arm: Solid-average arm. Can make the most of the throws from short. Arm is good enough to profile anywhere on the diamond with limited exposure. Quick release. Throws carry well.
Career Notes: Undrafted out of Creighton and signed out of independent ball. Has been old for his level since signing as a result. Was reportedly a launch angle adjustment success story and continues to approach hitting from a very analytical perspective. Participated in the Fall Instructional League in 2018 and 2019. After mostly sticking to shortstop through 2019 save for a handful of games at second and third, the organization began introducing him to the outfield in Fall Instructs in 2019 to begin developing him for a utility role. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB spring training in 2022, where he hit four home runs in 11 games and put himself on many fan’s radars, but was returned to minor league camp early enough to signal that he was not seriously considered for an opening day roster spot. Collaborated with the Worcester Red Sox on a line of "Fitzy" merchandise in 2022. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB spring training in 2023.
Summation: Potential organizational utility player. Ceiling of an emergency utility player. Smart player with good baseball sense who makes the most of his ability. No standout tools, but all five tools will show usable potential. Has some feel for hit and power, mainly against right-handed pitchers.
#53: Dalton Rogers, LHP
2022 Teams: FCL Red Sox
Final Stats: 2 IP, 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 3 K, 2 BB
2023 Projected Level: Salem
Scouting Report
Physical Description: Undersized with minimal remaining projection. Athletic, moves well on the mound.
Mechanics: Throws from a three-quarters arm slot. Medium leg kick. Some effort in delivery. Jerky arm action with a hook behind. Deception in delivery, hides the ball well behind his body.
Fastball: 92-94 mph. Tops out at 96 mph. Pitch has many characteristics teams look for, including carry and vertical break. Pitch shows life and bat-missing potential. Command and control need work. Can be wild at times and walks too many hitters. Potential plus pitch.
Changeup: 81-83 mph. Good separation from fastball. Shows drop and fade.
Slider: 82-84 mph. Sweepy breaking ball with horizontal shape. Does not throw very often.
Career Notes: Attended three different colleges during his three years of college baseball. Started at Southeast Louisiana before transferring to Division III Jones College and eventually ending up at Southern Mississippi. Participated in the 2021 Cape Cod League. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian.
Summation: Potential left-handed reliever. Fastball and changeup are intriguing, but improving his command and control and developing consistency with his secondary pitches are keys for him to reach his potential. Stuff grades out well analytically and was very appealing for model-driven teams.
#52: Juan Chacon, OF
2022 Teams: FCL Red Sox and Salem
Final Stats: 205 PA, .207/.327/.290, 12 XBH, 14.1% BB, 32.2% K
2023 Projected Level: Salem
Scouting Report
Physical Description: Tall, projectable lanky frame. Athletic with the type of physical projection you look for in a prospect.
Hit: Short, linear swing. Fringe-average bat speed. Makes a lot of contact on the ground. Pull-heavy approach at present. Passive at the plate, taking a lot of pitches, but also will expand the zone and struggles to recognize spin. Really struggles with velocity.
Power: Fringe-average raw power at present. Should grow into more raw power as he physically matures and gets stronger. Will need to add some loft to his swing in order to reach his power potential.
Run: Fringe-average speed.
Field: Routes and reads need work. Profiles best in an outfield corner.
Arm: Average arm strength. Has the arm for the corner outfield.
Career Notes: Received the largest bonus in Boston’s 2019-20 international class. Participated in the 2020 Fall Instructional League and 2021 Fall Performance Program. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian.
Summation: Raw, physically projectable outfielder. Does not have a strong defensive profile, so there is a lot of pressure on his bat to develop. Wide gap between what he is now and could be in the future. Has the type of frame you look for when projecting future development, but has yet to show the type of upside at the plate as other bats from the same 2022 FCL squad.
#51: Wyatt Olds, RHP
2022 Teams: Greenville and Portland
Final Stats: 111 IP, 5.92 ERA, 1.550 WHIP, 133 K, 64 BB, 13% K
2023 Projected Level: Portland
Scouting Report
Physical Description: Slightly undersized with an average frame. Minimal remaining projection. Athletic.
Mechanics: Throws from a low three-quarters arm slot. Effort in delivery. Pitches exclusively from the stretch. Medium-high leg kick and long arm action. Solid front-side deception. Has trouble repeating his delivery.
Fastball: 93-96 mph. Tops out at 98 mph. Will sit 93-94 after the first inning or two when he is starting. Has shown the ability to miss bats with the pitch. Pitch will show sink sometimes, arm-side run at others. Will also throw a two-seam fastball at 92-93 mph. Command and control need work. Below-average command and control profile. Struggles locating arm-side. Has the tendency to yank the pitch glove-side when his arm gets out ahead of the rest of his delivery. Potential above-average offering.
Slider: 85-88 mph. Hard breaker with tilt. Pitch shows sharp, 10-to-4 shape and depth. Has shown the ability when ahead in the count to land it in the zone or bury it down and away from righties or in on the hands of lefties to generate swinging strikes. Will flash plus potential, but needs to improve consistency.
Changeup: 87-89 mph. Clear third pitch that he has not incorporated often. Poor pitch at present. Has thrown early in counts in what seems to be an effort to work on the pitch, but he lacks feel for the pitch and confidence. Will throw also with two strikes on occasion. Well below-average potential.
Career Notes: Was a top high school prospect in Oklahoma in 2018. Big-12 All-Freshman Team in 2019. Started 2021 in the Oklahoma rotation, but was moved to the bullpen after he struggled. May have changed his pitch mix in 2021 as part of his planned move into a full-time starting role, but Red Sox preferred his 2020 pitch mix, which they hoped to return to while attempting to maintain the ability to turn a lineup over he showed at times in 2021. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021.
Summation: Potential up-and-down relief arm. Ceiling of a middle reliever. Command and control need refinement for him to reach his potential. Even though he is being developed as a starter initially, his size, delivery and arsenal point to bullpen role long-term. Has a quality fastball/slider combination and could move quickly in a pure bullpen role. Needs to improve his changeup and show he can stay healthy over a full season as a starter to be considered in that role. Will be developed in the rotation initially to force him to use all of his pitches and work on his fastball command.
Photo Credit: Hunter Dobbins, Dalton Rogers and Wyatt Olds by Kelly O'Connor.
Ian Cundall is Director of Scouting for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @IanCundall.