Fall/Winter Roundup: Fitzgerald debuts for Licey; Santos continues to impress

This week's roundup features a familiar face in Ryan Fitzgerald (pictured) spreading his wings in the Dominican Republic and a newcomer to the organization in Jorge Benitez pitching well down in Puerto Rico. Speaking of encouraging performances on the mound, Victor Santos remains a steady presence for the Leones del Escogido.

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Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM)

Victor Santos was solid yet again in his third start of the winter for Escogido last Wednesday. Going up against Estrellas on the road, the 23-year-old righty picked up the winning decision while allowing just one earned run on three hits and one walk to go along with a season-high of seven strikeouts over five strong innings of work. In five appearances for the Leones this season, Santos is now 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 18 2/3 total frames.

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Fall/Winter Roundup: Santos throws five scoreless innings

A tropical storm hit the Dominican Republic, which disrupted games on Friday and Saturday. With parts of the island suffering significant power outages and flooding, it would not be surprising if games were affected into this week. Two players saw action in the Dominican earlier in the week, while the other leagues remained quiet from a Boston perspective. Full rosters are available on our Fall and Winter Leagues page. 

Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM)

Victor Santos (pictured) picked up the win for Escogido in his only appearance of the week.  He threw five shutout innings, striking out two without walking a batter. His ERA now sits at 0.66 after 13 2/3 innings. Enmanuel Valdez did not make an appearance, while Pablo Reyes went 0 for 4 in his lone start. His line dropped to .257/.350/.657 over 35 at-bats. 

Photo Credit: Victor Santos by Kelly O'Connor

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Podcast Ep. #300: Messed with the Drohan

So it turns out the Rule 5 protection and non-tender deadlines led to a somewhat eventful week! First, the Red Sox turned some heads by declining to add Shane Drohan to the 40-man roster on Tuesday. Then, they swung a minor trade with Seattle on Friday in addition to non-tendering Wyatt Mills. Analysis of all this and some minor league comings and goings, plus your emails, await!

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Podcast Shorts Ep. 1: 2023 Rule 5 Protection Deadline

Welcome to SoxProspects Shorts, Episode 1! We'll explain what it means further on the episode, but as for the matter at hand, Tuesday at 6pm is the deadline to protect players from selection in the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster, so Chris and Ian hopped on to give their thoughts on who might be protected, who might not, and why.

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Fall/Winter Roundup: AFL comes to close, McDonough goes deep

The Glendale Desert Dogs' season has ended, with their final three games being played this past week. The Dominican Professional League is also still in full swing. The Roberto Clemente Professional League, Venezuelan League, and Mexican Leagues are also in action, but no Red Sox players have played in those three. 

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Arizona Fall League

Glendale dropped their final three games to end their season with a 12-18 record, which landed them in last place on the year. Corey Rosier ended the year on a tough note, going 0 for 13 with four strikeouts over the final three games. He did take two walks and steal his third bag of the season. In 89 AFL at-bats, Rosier ends with a .258/.355/.344 slash line. Nathan Hickey caught one of Glendale's final three games, and he went 1 for 5 with a single and four strikeouts. He ends the fall with a .182 batting average and a .557 OPS in 55 at-bats. Shortstop Tyler McDonough (pictured) was a bright spot at the plate. Although he went just 2 for 11, he smoked a three-run home run and drove in four runs. He also drew a pair of walks. He finishes the fall with a solid .254/.366/.424 line and two home runs over 59 at-bats. 

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Fall/Winter Roundup: Rosier and Penrod help AL win Fall Stars Game

The Arizona Fall League enters its final week with the last games set for Saturday, November 11. However, the Dominican Republic is just starting to ramp up. Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League also started on Friday, but the three Red Sox listed on rosters have yet to play in a game. Similarly, the leagues in Venezuela and Mexico have both started but no Red Sox prospects are in the league. This recap covers games from October 30-November 5.

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Arizona Fall League

The Desert Dogs had one of their best weeks as a team this fall, going 3-1 in the short week. Despite the team's strong record, the hitters struggled a bit with Nathan Hickey, Tyler McDonough, and Corey Rosier (pictured, right) going 5 for 34 (.147) with 6 runs, 1 RBI, 8 walks, and 12 strikeouts over the four games. Despite the tough week, McDonough has had a strong fall season, hitting .271/.379/.417 over 48 at-bats.

Another player that has had a good year despite a slow week is Rosier. He has spent much of the year leading off for the Desert Dogs, hitting .300/.391/.400 over 80 at-bats. That performance had the outfielder secure an invite to the Fall Stars Game, and there he started and hit ninth, going 1 for 2 with a run and a strikeout for the victorious AL Team. Joining him in the Fall Stars game was lefty Zack Penrod who pitched the 2nd inning for the AL, allowing no runs with a hit and a strikeout. That outing continues a strong fall for the 26-year-old.

 

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Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM)
Enmanuel Valdez, who is playing for Toros, had a rough first week last week, going only 3 for 13. Things did not get much better this week as he now has only 4 hits in 30 at-bats overall on the young winter season. He was joined this week by fellow Red Sox prospect, infielder Pablo Reyes. Reyes saw much more success in his first week, hitting .313/.353/.813 with two home runs over the week.

The only Red Sox pitcher in the league is now Victor Santos, who is pitching for Leones del Escogido. Thus far, he has thrown five shutout innings, allowing two walks and two hits while striking out six.

Photo Credit: Corey Rosier by Kelly O'Connor.

Will Woodward is a Co-Owner and Senior Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com.

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