Fall/Winter Roundup: Mata re-signed to minor league deal; Rivera stands out in Puerto Rico

Entering the week, two players were in flux as Bryan Mata was designated for assignment and Alex Speas was a minor league free agent. Both got resolved, with Mata re-signing to a minor league deal (along with Isaiah Campbell), while Speas signed a minor league deal with Minnesota. The action was a bit lighter this week with the Arizona Fall League done for the season, but there were some notable performances. 

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Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC/Puerto Rico)

Eduardo Rivera (pictured), a 21-year-old left-handed pitcher, continues to shine for Santurce. In two appearances this week, including one start, he allowed one run over five innings while walking one and striking out seven. His ERA sits at 0.93 after nine innings, and he has two walks to 16 strikeouts. Brian Van Belle lost his only appearance after allowing three runs on three hits over four innings. 

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Podcast Ep #342: End of Season Rankings Discussion

Chris and Ian are back this holiday week to talk about the official SoxProspects end of season rankings! They go through the entire list from 1-60 and discuss all the major risers and fallers and why certain players ended up where they did. They also briefly discussed the latest transactions and answered your emails!

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Podcast Ep #341: Things Are Happening, Sort Of

Chris and Ian are back with an action packed episode! They start out by reacting to the recent Red Sox news including Nick Pivetta declining the qualifying offer and all the Rule 5 deadline movement. They discuss why Hunter Dobbins and Jhostynxon Garcia were added to the 40-man, why Bryan Mata was removed and why players like Yordanny Monegro and Allan Castro weren’t. After that, they discuss the Justin Wilson signing and all the latest Red Sox rumors, including what’s going on with Juan Soto and Garrett Crochet. Finally, they end with a massive emails segment.

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Fall/Winter Roundup: AFL season ends; Mata debuts in Venezuela

With the 2024 Arizona Fall League season ending on Saturday, eight Red Sox minor leaguers saw their years draw to a close. Several other members of the organization continue to play winter ball across the Caribbean. That includes a former top pitching prospect taking the mound in his native Venezuela. This update covers all the game action from November 11-17. Please also visit our SoxProspects.com Fall/Winter page, updated daily.

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Arizona Fall League

The sixth and final week of the AFL regular season was a quiet one at the plate for Boston's position-playing contingent on the Mesa Solar Sox, who fell short of advancing to the playoffs. Brooks Brannon appeared in two games and went 1 for 8 with one RBI, and three strikeouts. Caden Rose appeared in three games and went 1 for 8 with one double, four walks, and five strikeouts. Max Ferguson appeared in two games and went 1 for 7 with one stolen base and one walk.

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Podcast Ep #340: Geoff Pontes returns to talk about Roki Sasaki

Ian is joined by Geoff Pontes of Baseball America to discuss the huge news that Roki Sasaki is being posted this offseason. First, they discuss the timing of him coming over and why that matters. They then discuss his performance over in Japan and if there are any concerns about his workload and health, before a deep dive into his arsenal. Finally, they speculate on the factors that will go into his signing process and how much money teams will have to spend on him. To end the show, Ian briefly discusses the AFL including the three Red Sox who made the Fall Stars team and previews the next week with Nick Pivetta’s QO decision looming.

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Fall/Winter Roundup: Brannon, Ferguson, Kirwin named Fall Stars; LBPRC kicks off

The Winter Leagues continue to ramp up in the Caribbean, with four Red Sox players suiting up as the Roberto Clemente League in Puerto Rico got started this week. The Arizona Fall League reached its All-Star Break, with a trio of Sox participating. This week's update covers the period from November 4 through 10. Please also visit our SoxProspects.com Fall/Winter page, updated daily. 

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Arizona Fall League

Three members of Boston's Mesa Solar Sox contingent were named to the American League for the annual Fall Stars game: pitcher Danny Kirwin, catcher Brooks Brannon, and utilityman Max Ferguson (pictured). All three got into the action in Saturday's contest. Ferguson got the start at shortstop, going 0 for 1 with a walk and a run scored. Brannon entered as a pinch hitter for the DH position, going 0 for 2. Kirwin pitched the sixth inning, surrendering a game-tying run on two hits. The American League emerged victorious on a ninth-inning home run by Tigers' catcher Thayron Liranzo.

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Podcast Ep #339: Offseason Preview!

With the World Series over and free agency open, Ian and Chris get together to preview the offseason. They start out talking about the decision to give Nick Pivetta the qualifying offer and the other players who received them, before moving onto a Red Sox specific discussion about what they should do this offseason. First, they start out discussing how to improve the rotation and what is the best route to go to add a front line pitcher. They then briefly discuss how to upgrade the bullpen, before an in depth discussion how upgrading the lineup isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Finally, they wrap up the show by answering your emails!

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Fall/Winter Roundup: Brannon stays hot; Valdez homers

It was a tough week for the Mesa Solar Sox in Arizona. They went 2-4 to drop to third place after sitting in a tie for first place on Monday. Every Red Sox player got into at least one game this week, with Brooks Brannon (pictured) again leading the way. In the Dominican, Enmanuel Valdéz hit his first home run. 

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Arizona Fall League

After posting an 8-for-20 week, Brooks Brannon is hitting .333 with a .875 OPS this fall. He notched three doubles while driving in two runs. He struck out four times without drawing a walk, and on defense, he had one caught stealing while allowing eight stolen bases and a passed ball. Caden Rose turned in a solid week, going 7 for 23 (.304) with three runs scored, three RBI, two doubles, a walk, three strikeouts, and an outfield assist at home. That helped push his average up to .226 with an OPS of .656. Max Ferguson saw his numbers regress, as he went 1 for 14 with one run scored, one walk, and four strikeouts. He committed an error, stole a base, and hit two sacrifice flies as his OPS dropped to .697. 

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