October 3, 2023 at 2:00 PM
2023 SoxProspects.com All-Stars: Pitchers
Following up on Monday's position player All-Stars, today brings the SoxProspects.com 2023 All-Star pitchers. While several of the hitters had previously achieved All-Star status, the pitching selections represent a changing of the guard in the system - none of the eight selections had previously been chosen. Greenville was your best bet for catching one of the system's stars in 2023: six of the eight spent time with the Drive.
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The 21-year-old righthander from Venezuela pushed his way into the system's top ten on the strength of a 2023 season in which he was nearly unhittable. In 25 outings between Greenville and Portland, Gonzalez led the organization with 168 strikeouts, and his .190 opponents' batting average was the lowest among pitchers with at least 60 innings. He gave up just seven home runs in 111 1/3 innings, and his 3.96 ERA on the year is even more impressive when considering his slow start. In four April appearances, Gonzalez surrendered 15 earned runs in just 8 2/3 innings, entering May with an unsightly 15.58 mark. He had a 3.48 ERA in his next 11 outings, forcing the promotion to Portland where he gave up just 13 runs in 48 1/3 (2.42). He is currently ranked eighth in the system.
Unranked before the 2023 season, the sidearming Coffey brewed up a surprising All-Star campaign. The 2022 10th-round pick out of Oral Roberts drew an assignment to High-A Greenville where he racked up the strikeouts, punching out 83 batters in 60 1/3 innings. Particularly impressive was a three-start stretch in late May to early June in which he went 18 scoreless innings, striking out 30 hapless South Atlantic League batters against just one walk. With a 2.83 ERA in mid-June, he earned a promotion to Double-A Portland, where he appeared in 12 games, posting a 3.92 ERA ERA. He was named a South Atlantic League All-Star for his efforts and finished the year with 155 strikeouts, good for second in the organization.
Monegro likely took the largest step forward in terms of prospect status of any arm on this list, going from an FCL repeater to a top-30 prospect and one of the highest-upside pitchers in the system. Coming off a 2022 season in which he allowed 24 runs in 25 2/3 innings, the 6-foot-4 righty quickly established himself with five perfect innings in the FCL opener. In three starts he allowed two runs on just five hits in 15 innings, striking out 20 against four walks. He then struck out 11 and gave up just two hits in five innings in his Carolina League debut on his way to a 2.43 mark in nine starts at that level. Monegro got a final boost to Greenville to finish the year, giving up just two runs in 10 innings in two starts. It was in his final start of the year that Monegro surrendered his first home run. His final 2023 line across three levels: a 2.06 ERA, 93 strikeouts, 26 walks, and a .194 opponents' average in 65 2/3 innings.
The Red Sox made Dobbins an eighth-round pick in 2021 and gave him a slightly above-slot $197,500 bonus despite the fact he had just undergone Tommy John surgery that spring. He returned to the mound in 2022 with an intriguing, though understandably inconsistent, professional debut. Dobbins further validated the organizations trust as one of the system's most reliable hurlers in 2023. After missing the season's first month, he joined Greenville and posted a 2.63 ERA in seven starts, striking out 44 batters against just five walks in 41 innings. He earned a late-June promotion to Portland, where he appeared in 13 games, finishing with a 4.27 ERA and delivered 78 more strikeouts. Dobbins, who began the season unranked, is currently 28th on SoxProspects.com.
At just 19, Paez earned his spot as the youngest pitcher to gain All-Star recognition through his outstanding control. Paez appeared in 18 games for Salem, walking only 12 batters in 84 1/3 innings on his way to a 3.31 ERA. His 6.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the best in Boston's system, a number he supplemented with just a .230 opponent batting average. During one nine-start stretch from mid-May into July, Paez issued just three walks while striking out 34 in 43 2/3 innings. The Venezuelan-born righty was signed in January 2021 and won the organization's Latin Program Pitcher of the Year before coming stateside. He is currently ranked 41st in the system.
Unlike many prospects, Guerrero was used in something closely resembling a traditional closer role in 2023. He appeared in 49 games across two levels, recording more than three outs just 13 times and picking up 19 saves on the year. The Eastern League found him all but unhittable, managing a meager .150 opponents average and .249 slugging percentage as Guerrero struck out 59 in 49 2/3 innings. He got an end-of-season promotion to Worcester where he struck out nine of 25 batters in six outings but struggled some with his control, walking seven. He finished the season with a 2.32 ERA across the two levels and currently sits as the system's 29th-ranked prospect.
While Paez earned All-Star status largely through avoiding walks, Troye gets recognition for the way he piles up the strikeouts. He dominated hapless South Atlantic League hitters in his initial placement in Greenville, fanning 37 of the 76 batters he faced (48.7%) on his way to a 1.96 ERA in 14 appearances. After a rough initial adjustment to Portland in which he gave up six runs in 2 1/3 innings in his first three outings, he quickly adapted. He struck out 50 batters in 31 Double-A innings but did battle control issues, walking 27. On the year, Troye recorded 87 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA, placing him 39th in the system.
After two years of uneven performance, Cepeda flashed a glimpse of his potential in 2023, particularly in his strong finish to the season. The 23-year-old right-hander began the year where he spent the 2022 campaign, in the Salem bullpen. It was a far different result for Cepeda, however, as he slashed his ERA more than in half, going from a 6.20 mark to 3.03 in 32 2/3 innings. He was even more impressive after a mid-July promotion to Greenville, going unscored upon in his first nine outings on his way to a 1.33 ERA. He struck out 21 batters in 20 1/3 innings after the move while only walking six batters. The late-season performance had him re-enter the system's top 60 for the first time since April 2021.
Photo Credit: All photos by Kelly O'Connor