Minor Notes: Drive win SAL title; Arizona Fall League begins

The season has officially come to an end in the minor leagues. The WooSox were the last team to finish up, missing the playoffs. The Greenville Drive ended their season on a very high note, capturing the South Atlantic League championship. The offseason is underway and the fall leagues are already starting up. 

Drive Sweep the Postseason 

Greenville went 4-0 in the 2023 playoffs, winning each of their series in two games. Kristian Campbell (pictured), Ronald Rosario, and Allan Castro each played in all four games and posted an OPS north of 1.000. Rosario and Campbell each homered in the clinching game. Zach Penrod and Felix Cepeda were standouts on the mound in the playoffs for Greenville. Cepeda tossed three shutout innings with five strikeouts, and we'll have more on Penrod in a bit. It was the Drive's second SAL championship. 

Sox Announce Minor League Awards

Seven Sox minor leaguers were honored with the organization's awards. Roman Anthony was named Offensive Player of the Year, David Hamilton was named Defensive Player of the Year, Wikelman Gonzalez was named Starting Pitcher of the Year, Luis Guerrero was named Relief Pitcher of the Year, Ceddanne Rafaela was named Baserunner of the Year, Yoelin Cespedes was named Latin Program Position Player of the Year, and Gilberto Batista was named Latin Program Pitcher of the Year. Brandon Walter was also recognized with the Lou Gorman Award, which goes to the Sox minor leaguer who represented dedication and perseverance on their way to the big leagues.

Links

This is the 20th season of SoxProspects.com, and Chris Hatfield was joined by the founder, Mike Andrews, for an anniversary podcast. In part one, they discuss the origins of the site and are also joined by Jon Meoli, who has had a successful career writing about the Orioles in his post-SoxProspects.com days. In part two, Chris and Mike were joined by Ian Cundall, James Dunne, and former Director of Scouting Chris Mellon to talk about the 20-year run for SP.

It's awards week here at SoxProspects.com. Over the next few days, we will be rolling out several pieces recognizing great performances in the system. To start it off, we named an all-star at each position. Four of the top six prospects in the system earned the honor. Be on the lookout for the Graduate of the Year, Homegrown Player of the Year, Ex-Prospects of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Player of the Year, and Pitcher of the Year over the coming days. 

Arizona Fall League:

The AFL has gotten underway, as the Sox have sent eight players to play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Brainer Bonaci, Felix Cepeda, Nathan Hickey, Bryan Mata, Wyatt Olds, Zach Penrod, Corey Rosier, and Christopher Troye will all see action in Arizona. Mata will be looking to get some more innings under his belt after missing four months with an injury. He came back in September for the first time since May and appeared in two games.  

Ryan Sherriff Retires

Red Sox lefty Ryan Sherriff has decided to call it a career. The 33-year-old had a long career after originally being drafted by the Nationals in 2010 and then the Cardinals in 2011. Boston picked up Sherriff this past offseason as a minor league free agent. He threw 22 1/3 innings for Worcester and had an ERA of 2.82 to go along with 24 strikeouts. He saw action in five games for the Red Sox and pitched well, allowing just two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings. Boston was the third MLB club Sherriff saw big league time with, along with the Cardinals and Rays.

Sox Legend Tim Wakefield Passes Away

The Red Sox community is mourning the tragic loss of Tim Wakefield. We want to send our condolences to the Wakefield family as well as his friends and former teammates. 

Players of the Week 

Kristian Campbell, INF/OF, Greenville Drive

1 G, 4 AB, 3 H, 1 HR, 1 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB, 0 BB, 1 K

We'll do things a bit differently for the final week acknowledging Players of the Week. Worcester played a few games after the Drive's season ended, but we'll recognize a couple of players who had phenomenal games in the title-clinching game for Greenville. Campbell, who had a monster run in the playoffs, collected three hits, including a massive three-run homer to give the Drive a ton of breathing room in the seventh inning. In four playoff games, Campbell went 7 for 12 (.583) with a 1.560 OPS. He homered, tripled, and knocked in six runs. The 2023 fourth-round pick also had a very good regular season, hitting .309 with a .911 OPS in 22 games between the FCL Sox and Greenville. He played 15 games at second base, four in left field, and two in right field.

Zach Penrod, LHP, Greenville Drive

1 G, 1-0, 3.60 ERA, 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Penrod was also a huge reason for Greenville's Game Two win over the Renegades. He entered the game in the fourth inning, after three solid frames from Dalton Rogers, and pitched through the eighth. He allowed just two runs on three hits and only one walk. He punched out seven. The lefty was credited with two of the Drive's four playoff wins, going five innings with seven strikeouts in each of his postseason appearances. Penrod went undrafted out of college in 2018 before signing with Texas, where he played one season of rookie ball. He then played independent ball in 2021, 2022, and 2023 before signing with Boston. The 26-year-old threw 20 1/3 innings for Greenville during the 2023 regular season with an impressive 2.18 ERA. He struck out 20 and walked 11. 

Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell by Kelly O'Connor

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