What Can We Expect From These Red Sox Prospects?
Ok, everyone, the homer hat is on, and this time I’m talking prospects. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of tweets from the account SoxProspects.com and its director of scouting Ian Cundall, and they’ve made me really excited about the future of the Red Sox.
Red Sox RHP Wilkelman Gonzalez today in the FCL: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. 35 K:5 BB in 25.1 IP this season. Reports I'm getting are very encouraging. He is going to be one of the biggest risers in the August @SoxProspects rankings, which should be live in the next week.
— Ian Cundall (@IanCundall) August 2, 2021
As we await the “official” rankings from the site, I thought I’d highlight a couple prospects that I’ve seen mentioned by them and my thoughts on what they could potentially provide the team.
Johan Mieses, OF, 26
Mieses is a little on the older side for a prospect, having just turned 26. But he has been mashing in the minors this year. He’s played 23 games each with Portland (AA) and Worcester (AAA), hitting .286/.368/.714 and .277/.367/.506 respectively. His strikeout rate is a little high, but not abnormal in today’s age. You would like to see him hit a couple more home runs in AAA, as he had just 4 compared to 11 in AA, but he just crushed one earlier today for the Dominican Republic’s Olympics team. He’s only ranked 56th as of now on SoxProspects’ list. But if he can keep up his good season there’s a shot for him to be a 4th outfielder on in the majors next year.
If anyone was wondering what Johan Mieses is up to… 💪 pic.twitter.com/wsUMttUpAI
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) August 3, 2021
Brainer Bonaci, SS, 19
Brainer’s the highest ranked prospect I’ll be talking about, at #13. But that’s because I think he’s the only one in SoxProspects’ top 20 that I’ve heard very little on previously. Signed as an international free agent in 2018, he made his pro debut in 2019 and played 61 games in the Dominican Summer League, slashing /.282/.360/.401. He’s only 18 games into his season this year in the FCL, so there’s not too much to take from his stats so far. I’m curious where he’ll end up sticking with some combination of fellow prospects Marcelo Mayer, Jeter Downs, and Nick Yorke seemingly being the future of the middle infield for the Sox. He doesn’t have the power of a typical third baseman either. If the team likes what it sees from the young player, there may be a position change on the horizon to the outfield, given his plus arm.
Yairo Muñoz, 26, IF/OF
Muñoz has spent a total of 208 games in the major. But I think he’s notable to mention as he’s currently hitting .303/.333/.441 in AAA right now, including a .404/.442/.596 July. He’s not currently on the 40 man roster, solidifying his “prospect” status. If he keeps playing like he has I wouldn’t be surprised if they DFA someone to get him up later in the season. He has experience at essentially every position as well, which is something Chaim Bloom is a huge fan of. Honestly, why is this man not playing for Boston already? He’s looking like someone who can be a great bench piece for this team.
Durbin Feltman, 24, RHP
Ranked #30 on the SoxProspects list, Feltman has had a good season for Portland this year, with a 3.29 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 37 Ks in 27.1 IP. His 5 innings in Worcester have not gone according to plan. In his first outing, he gave up 3 runs. But he hasn’t let up a run in the other two outings. Hopefully, he keeps that up. He’s already 24, so if he can put it together and join the bullpen in ’22. Time will tell if he can fulfill his potential.
That’s it for these Red Sox prospects! Let me know if there’s anyone else that you’re interested in seeing in the comments.
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– Pat Shuman (@PShu1996 on Twitter) Check out my other articles here!
Photo courtesy of the @WooSox twitter page