June 11, 2024 at 4:00 PM
Minor Notes: Perales, Lugo, Portes highlight ranking updates; Yorke, Bleis promoted
Ranking updates
The updated SoxProspects.com rankings were published on Friday, and it was a bit of a shakeup. While the top three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel held steady, there were quite a few big movers down the list. For an in-depth discussion of the update and the process behind it, check out Podcast #319. Here are a few of the notable changes:
- Luis Perales (pictured) making the step up to the No. 4-ranked position. Ian Cundall detailed the improvements that have allowed Perales to tap into more of his unlocked potential in a Scouting Scratch back on May 31, and the ranking update reflects that step forward. All the more impressive is that the move up the board comes at a time when both Miguel Bleis and Yoeilin Cespedes, now ranked 5th and 6th respectively, have been playing excellent baseball as well.
- Kristian Campbell, one of the standouts in spring training and the South Atlantic League Player of the Month in May, jumped up from No. 20 to No. 10.
- Matthew Lugo, who had fallen out of the rankings entirely headed into the season and snuck back in at No. 50 in the May update, rocketed up to No. 13 with his continued excellent play. Much of his underlying profile and scouting feedback was even stronger in May than it was in his statistical breakout in April. This is not Lugo's first time in the Top 20--he debuted at No. 11 when he was taken as a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, and he was as high as No. 12 in May 2023.
- Ovis Portes debuted at No. 29, having never been previously ranked. Portes signed to a modest $25,000 bonus in March 2022 out of St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda, a country that has never produced a major league player. He dominated in his short stint in the Florida Complex League, surrendering just five hits over 13 innings across four appearances, striking out 16 and walking four.
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Transactions
Promotion season is here, and this week saw three Top-30 prospects on the move: Miguel Bleis (No. 5 in the system) is going from Salem to Greenville, Nick Yorke (No. 17) up to Worcester from Portland, and the aforementioned Ovis Portes (No. 29) to Salem from the FCL Sox.
Bleis began 2023 with Salem but missed most of the season with a right shoulder subluxation that required surgery. Healthy to start 2024, the 20-year-old outfielder sputtered some as he got back up to speed, going 8 for 46 (.174) without a homer in his first 12 games. He hit .288/.369/.440 in 31 games thereafter, closing with a 16-game hitting streak.
Yorke's repeat of Portland was a mild surprise, as the 2020 first-round pick had a solid-if-unspectacular year in the Eastern League in 2023 with a .268/.350/.435 in 110 games. His base stats had actually been weaker with the Sea Dogs this season, but some strong underlying batted ball data convinced the team the time was right for a promotion. He's rewarded that confidence with a hot start for the WooSox, going 7 for 19 with two homers in five Triple-A contests. Over at the Boston Globe, Alex Speier went into depth on the process for evaluating when to promote Yorke.
Portes made quick work of the FCL, not just with his dominant performance but also with stuff that demanded some toughter competition. The 6-foot-4 righty has reportedly touched 98 with his fastball, supplementing that with a slider and changeup. His scoreless streak continued with 2 1/3 scoreless frames in his Salem debut on June 4.
Three prominent pitchers were also placed on the injured list. Less than 48 hours after his jump up the rankings, Luis Perales tweaked his right elbow and he was placed on the IL with inflammation. Angel Bastardo also left his start Wednesday with an elbow injury, one that appeared potentially more serious than Perales'. Zach Penrod departed from his start after getting hit on the wrist with a batted ball, but it is left shin inflammation that has him on the 7-day IL.
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Players of the Week June 3 - 9
Roman Anthony, OF, Portland Sea Dogs
5 G, 8-19, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, .421/.500/.947
The system's top prospect showed why he remained there in the latest rankings, posting a monster week to win for the first time this season and the second in his time in the organization. Anthony had missed 10 days due to rib cage irritation, but showed no lingering effects, blasting a home run in his return to the lineup on Wednesday. The 20-year-old phenom had 18 total bases in 19 at-bats while managing to strike out only once.
Noah Dean, LHP, Salem Red Sox
5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.200 WHIP, .000/.059/.000 opponent's line
Dean was also awarded the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Award for his five no-hit innings in Sunday's win against the Down East Wood Ducks. He retired the first nine batters he faced and threw 45 of his 70 pitches for strikes. The 2022 fifth-round draft pick out of Old Dominion has excellent stuff but has shown inconsistent control as a pro. He has 91 walks in 96 2/3 career innings, but has cut from a 28.5% rate in 2023 to a much more reasonable 14.0% this year, including just one free pass total in his last two starts.
Photo Credit: Luis Perales by Kelly O'Connor