August Players of the Month: Nick Sogard and Yhoiker Fajardo

With the fifth full month of the minor league season behind us, it is time to present the SoxProspects.com Players of the Month Awards for August to utility man Nick Sogard (pictured, left) and right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo (pictured, bottom right). The former has already graduated from his prospect status, while the latter has steadily been on the rise since making his organizational debut earlier this year.

Sogard, who turns 28 next week, spent most of August at Worcester and put up strong offensive numbers. The versatile switch-hitter slashed .348/.463/.472 with five doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs, 21 runs scored, three stolen bases, 19 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 24 games (110 plate appearances). He also appeared in one game for Boston on Aug. 29 but was sent back down when Nathaniel Lowe returned from paternity leave the following day. Overall, Sogard is batting .276/.393/.385 with 22 doubles, five home runs, 28 RBIs, 64 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 64 walks, and 73 strikeouts through 91 games (409 plate appearances) for the WooSox this season. In that time, he has made 47 starts at shortstop, 21 starts at third base, 16 starts at second base, four starts at first base, and three starts in right field.

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Cup of Coffee: Arias debuts in Portland; Campbell drives in six runs

9/3 Cup of Coffee: Franklin Arias made his Double-A debut and Ronald Rosario blasted two home runs in a blowout win for the Sea Dogs. Kristian Campbell (pictured) finished a single short of the cycle and Connelly Early struck out 10 in an excellent outing but Worcester was unable to hold onto the lead and fell short in their series opener. The Drive lost a pitching duel despite four strong innings apiece by Brady Tygart and Luis Cohen. Salem had an off day after a rare Monday game to celebrate Labor Day. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 8, Worcester Red Sox 7

Kristian Campbell did his best to keep the WooSox in the game but a mammoth seventh inning for the RailRiders was too much for Worcester to overcome. Campbell finished the game just a single short of the cycle, as he went 3 for 5 with a double, a triple, a home run, and six RBI. Nick Sogard had an excellent game out of the leadoff spot in the lineup, going 3 for 4 with a walk and three runs scored. Mikey Romero hit a solo home run in a 1-for-5 game. 

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Minor Notes: Tolle strikes out eight in MLB debut; Gonzales promoted to Greenville

The big story of the week is Payton Tolle's electric MLB debut. Tolle hit 99 mph and struck out eight Pirates. Tolle's promotion was part of a larger shakeup with the big league pitching staff, while Justin Gonzales got promoted and Juan Valera returned from injury. 

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Tolle dazzles in big league debut

Left-hander Payton Tolle (pictured, left) quickly became a fan favorite after going toe-to-toe with Paul Skenes on Friday night at Fenway. Tolle struck out eight and walked two over 5 1/3 innings. He left with a shutout, but the bullpen allowed two inherited runners to score. Tolle figures to remain in the big league rotation for the rest of the year, though the Red Sox may choose to keep him on five days rest. SoxProspects.com Director of Scouting Ian Cundall did a Transaction Analysis on Tolle's promotion which includes a full scouting report on the 6-foot-6 left-hander. 

Tolle is also the focus of the most recent episode of the podcast. Ian was joined by Geoff Pontes of Baseball America to discuss Tolle's journey to the majors, his MLB debut, and where he ranks among best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball. 

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Cup of Coffee: Ortiz tallies 3 hits, 3 RBIs for Salem on Labor Day

9/2 Cup of Coffee: Salem was the only Boston affiliate in action on Labor Day. Behind a three-hit effort from D'Angelo Ortiz (pictured) and solid offensive performances from Jack Winnay, Enddy Azocar, and Gerardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox defeated the Fayetteville Woodpeckers by a final score of 8-5 to begin their final series of the season. 

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Salem Red Sox 8, Fayetteville Woodpeckers (HOU) 5

Griffin Kilander got the start and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Calvin Bickertsaff surrendered three additional runs, while Nicolas De La Cruz (who was credited with the winning decision) and Eyberrson Polanco (who recorded the save) combined to strike out five over four scoreless frames of relief. At the plate, D'Angelo Ortiz led the way by going 3 for 4 with three RBIs, one run scored, and one stolen base. Jack Winnay and Enddy Azocar each went 2 for 4 with one double and two runs scored. Azocar stole one base as well. Gerardo Rodriguez and Natanael Yuten each doubled, with the former driving in two runs and scoring another, and the latter scoring once. Starlyn Nunez tripled for his lone hit of the afternoon.

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Podcast Ep #379: Rolling with Tolle

Ian is joined by Geoff Pontes of Baseball America to breakdown all things Payton Tolle! They do a deep dive into Tolle’s journey to the majors and his MLB debut and after that discuss what the future looks like for him and where he ranks on the list of top left-handed pitching prospects in all of baseball. Finally, Ian wraps the show up by going through the latest transactions.

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Cup of Coffee: McDonough hits two home runs; Harrison held out for Wednesday

9/1 Cup of Coffee: The minor league season is winding down as Greenville and Salem are entering the last week of the regular season. In Worcester, Kyle Harrison is a top option to pitch on Wednesday for Boston, as he was held out of his scheduled start on Sunday. Tyler McDonough (pictured) combined with Abraham Toro to lead Worcester's offense, while Brooks Brannon went deep for Portland. 

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Worcester Red Sox 10, Durham Bulls (TB) 1 

Two home runs and six RBI from Tyler McDonough led the way in a rout of Durham. McDonough set the tone for the day with a grand slam in the first inning, and he followed it up with a two-run shot in the sixth. A solo home run from Max Ferguson and a three-run home run off the bat of Abraham Toro accounted for the other four runs. Kristian Campbell scored three times as he went 1 for 3 with two walks. Kyle Harrison was the scheduled starter, but he is being held back in case the Red Sox need a spot start on Wednesday. Chris Murphy took the ball instead and fired three innings of one-run ball. The win went to David Sandlin, who followed with two hitless frames. It marked the first scoreless multi-inning appearance with the WooSox for Sandlin. 

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