![]() We’d love to see him make better swing decisions. ![]() I mean, his numbers aren’t awful (.642 OPS). Look, I love the fact he thinks he can hit everything. “But he’s such a competitor and there’s a different gear when me and him or (hitting coach Doug Clark) are talking to him, and then when he steps in that box, that gear just goes (up a notch). “He’s aware of it, and it gets pounded to him every single day,” Epperson said. The team could eventually clear some of the logjam by promoting Rafaela to Triple-A Worcester, but Rafaela - an elite defender with great speed and surprising power - is still trying to improve his plate discipline and strike zone awareness. McDonough and Rafaela also moonlight in the infield, while Scott can play some first base if necessary, and Dearden (a DH and left fielder by trade) has been taking grounders at first base as well. 861 OPS and an Eastern League-leading 16 stolen bases (he stole another one on Tuesday). 31 and 28 on the SoxProspects list) also need center field reps, and those two can’t just slide into the corners every night because regular right fielder Corey Rosier has earned everyday playing time with an. Ceddanne Rafaela, a top-five organizational prospect, is the regular center fielder, but McDonough and Phillip Sikes (Nos. Lugo has already started getting some reps in the outfield to improve his own versatility (which creates further room for Meidroth).īut the outfield is also packed. Farm director Brian Abraham said the Red Sox plan to keep giving Meidroth playing time at second and third, and might occasionally play him at shortstop. Meidroth, 21, has been primarily a second baseman while getting regular reps at third, but those two spots are currently occupied in Portland by Nick Yorke (a first-round pick in 2020) and Matthew Lugo (a second-rounder in 2019). Hickey’s promotion was necessary but inevitably will take playing time away from Stephen Scott, who’d shown enough as a bat-first catcher to be assigned to the Arizona Fall League last year. 990 OPS in Greenville before his promotion and will now get to work on his defense with Epperson, one of the go-to catching instructors in the organization. A source familiar with the team’s thinking said the Red Sox were not exactly on the verge of promoting Mayer to Portland, but he was at least making them think about it. ![]() Those hits included three homers and six doubles. Mayer, 20, had 16 hits in six games for Greenville last week. Meidroth and Hickey are the newest additions, having just arrived from Greenville on Tuesday, and it may be only a matter of time before the system’s top prospect, Marcelo Mayer, joins them. And right now, the Portland roster is loaded with guys trying to do just that. Of course, not every Sea Dogs player will pass the test, but those who do will put themselves on the big league radar. If A ball is the filter, Double A is the proving ground. There is naturally a lot of boom-or-bust at that level. In Double A, players have begun to prove themselves. Low-A Salem also has a lot of notable prospects on a nightly basis, but most of those are teenagers who are just now being tested against elite competition. It is, of course, a good problem to have. It might not be on their (preferred) time, but they’re going to get what they need.” And these guys are going to find a way to play. “They know they’re not always getting the opportunity to play every single day, but when they’re not playing, they’re rooting (their teammates) on. “I think what makes this group special in the early going is that they’re pulling for each other,” Portland manager Chad Epperson said. Portland’s rotation includes the system’s breakout pitching prospect ( Shane Drohan), while a handful of the organization’s most notable young relievers ( Luis Guerrero, Ryan Fernandez, Theo Denlinger, Ryan Zeferjahn) vie for key innings out of the bullpen.Īt 19-9, the Sea Dogs have the best record in the Eastern League, and in the Red Sox minor league system. Tuesday night’s Double-A bench included arguably the system’s top catching prospect ( Nathan Hickey), a third-round pick who stole 21 bases last year ( Tyler McDonough), the guy who holds High-A Greenville’s home run record ( Tyler Dearden), plus Meidroth, who likely will make his debut on Wednesday. Of the organization’s top 30 prospects according to, a third play for the Sea Dogs (so do numbers 31, 34 and 35). It’s a good problem to have, because Portland has become the epicenter of the Red Sox minor league system. It was time to challenge him, and so on Tuesday, the Red Sox promoted Meidroth to Double A. ![]()
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