Minor Notes: Greenville advances to championship series, Chaim Bloom fired

Even though the end of the minor league season for the Boston organization is likely on Sunday, there has still been plenty of goings on around the system, as Greenville moved past Hickory in two games in the division series and is now one win away from a South Atlantic League championship over Hudson Valley. That's not even the biggest news, as the Red Sox are searching for a new head of baseball operations, with the news that Chaim Bloom was fired on Thursday.

Chaim Bloom, Red Sox part ways

It was quite the bombshell on Thursday, as Red Sox ownership announced just prior to the start of a doubleheader against the Yankees that Chaim Bloom had been fired as Chief Baseball Officer. Bloom had been hired in 2019, seemingly as a direct response to the freewheeling and big spending ways of the Dave Dombrowski era, as he had built the Rays into a perennial contender through drafting and developing inexpensive talent.

It came as a surprise to the public. This offseason is critical for Boston as a solid core is in place with control among position players, including Triston Casas, Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida, but the pitching lags behind. With a solid offseason prime for big splashes, Bloom's plan to rebuild the farm while cutting payroll and not going full rebuild could have worked out. Instead, ownership determined that he wasn't the man for the job to lead the Red Sox into the next era.

Bloom has always come off as very principled and disciplined in the process he's set forth. This seems to be both a positive and negative, as Sean McAdam of MassLive, among others, reported that he was unwilling to negotiate with regard to trade and free agents, instead sticking strictly to the value they put on players with little wiggle room.

Chris Hatfield and Ian Cundall released an emergency podcast on the topic, which has wide-ranging impacts on the system that won't be fully realized until a replacement is found and they implement their own vision.

Greenville onto South Atlantic League championship series

The Drive will be the second-to-last minor league affiliate playing games in 2023, as Greenville, by virtue of its first-half South Division title, made the four-team South Atlantic League playoffs. In the Division Series, which was against second-half winner Hickory, the Drive won the best-of-three set two games to zero.

Kristian Campbell was the Game 1 hero, as he was 3 for 4 with a double. He would score on the play after a two-base throwing error and Gilberto Jimenez knocked home the game-winning win with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Zach Penrod allowed just one run in five innings of work, while Franklin German and Feliz Cepeda each had no-hit frames to slam the door in a 3-2 final.

The Crawdads scored a run in the ninth of the deciding Game 2, but Greenville celebrated at home with a 6-3 win, despite mustering only five hits. Of those five, Eddinson Paulino's bases-clearing double with the bases loaded in the second was the biggest. When combined with a Campbell single, the Drive scored five in the frame and were able to cruise.

Game 1 of the Championship Series was in New York against Hudson Valley on Sunday. The pitching staff, led by six innings of one-hit ball by Luis Perales, spun a two-hit shutout. He was followed by Casey Cobb in the seventh, then German in the eighth and Cepeda in the ninth. Both of Greenville's runs came on bases-loaded walks.

Greenville now has a pair of chances at home to take home the South Atlantic League crown. Game 2 is on Tuesday, with a potential Game 3 slated for Wednesday.

Transactions

Bobby Dalbec is back in the big leagues, as he was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Saturday to replace Triston Casas on the active roster. He was placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. That was not the only roster movement in Boston, as Kenley Jansen was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on Wednesday, with Brandon Walter coming up to replace him. His stint in Boston was just two days, as he traded places with Chris Murphy on Friday.

Zack Kelly is also working his way back, as he's been on the injured list since April with right elbow inflammation. His rehab journey began September 1 and he was promoted to Worcester on Wednesday. He's pitched 5 2/3 innings so far, with seven strikeouts against six walks. Six runs have also come in to score, though it's mostly about getting game reps for him, as he missed nearly five months with injury. He is joined in Worcester on a rehab assignment by Kaleb Ort, who was placed there on Saturday.

Bryan Mata has also been activated from the injured list, as he was placed on Worcester's active roster on Sunday. The Red Sox have six games remaining and there's a possibility he gets into game action. The front office must make a decision on him this winter, as he is out of options and must be with the big club to start the year or he'll be exposed to waivers.

Players of the Week

Niko Kavadas, 1B, Worcester Red Sox

6 G, 19 AB, 6 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 4 R, 8 RBI, 0 SB, 4 BB, 7 K

The penultimate week of the regular season was a big one for Niko Kavadas (pictured, top), who led the system with a 1.224 OPS and was the only player with multiple home runs. The Notre Dame product has done nothing but hit since being drafted in the 11th round in 2021 but seems to have met his match in the upper minors, as he has a .207/.363/.415 slash line in Triple-A, showcasing his elite patience, but his fringe-average hit tool has been challenged. If he can improve his contact skills, a great eye and plus-plus raw power should be able to shine through.

Luis Perales, RHP, Greenville Drive

1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. Luis Perales (pictured, bottom) was the starter in Game 1 of the South Atlantic League Championship Series on Sunday and he led the way for a two-hit shutout, with one of the hits on his tab, enabling his team to get to within one win of a league title. He retired the first eight batters he faced and didn't let a runner reach second base safely. He has three potential above-average or better pitches, but can stand to improve his command and control, as demonstrated by his two walks.

Photo Credit: Niko Kavadas and Luis Perales by Kelly O'Connor

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