Dan Altavilla
Dan Altavilla was signed as a minor league free agent on March 30th. We remember him on the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres and he was actually decent in 2018. As a AAA pitcher this is definitely a good signing, maybe he can be their Tim Kester if any old school Pawtucket fans remember that name. Chances to see him in Boston are slim to none, he's not on the 40 Man roster.
Bazardo signed as an International free agent back in 2014 at the age of 19 and he made his ML debut last year, pitching in two games and not allowing a run. He missed most of the season with a strained lat muscle and looks to bounce back this year. You may see him this season at some point if he pitches well enough.
Silvino Bracho was signed as a minor league free agent on March 6th and we remember him being a frequent call-up for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 29 year old isn't on the 40 man roster so he could be just a Worcester only pitcher.
The 32 year old Cole is a journeyman pitcher who's been in a bunch of different organizations. A lot of times, aging pitchers are brought in to be pseudo-pitching coaches to kids on the rise. Having a minor league veteran like Cole on the team could be helpful to some of the prospects on the team. He probably won't see big league action but hopefully he wins a few games for Worcester.
The 27 year old Danish's career minor league record as a pitcher is 32-49 with a 4.29 ERA. Quite frankly that's terrible. He's just another body to fill out the roster they could cut in 15 seconds if they can find someone better on the free agent list or if someone from Double A tears it up. Chances of him pitching for Boston are even slimmer than Altavilla's even though he IS on the 40 man roster.
The 28 year old Feliz was actually on the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros but hasn't pitched well in the majors overall. He fares better in AAA where he could be a set-up man for the WooSox. He's actually on the 40 man roster so if someone were to get hurt or traded, Feliz may be called up at some point.
The first homegrown member of the WooSox on this list is 24 year old Durbin Feltman. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 draft by the Red Sox and was one of Worcester's better relievers by the end of last season. He's not on the 40 Man Roster but if he has a season like he did last year, he may get a call up at some point.
Kyle Hart.....ugh. For those that suffered through the 2020 season when Chaim Bloom turned into Rachel Phelps for two months, Hart was brought up to make his major league debut after being drafted in the 19th round back in 2016. Not surprisingly, he sucked hard and spent last year in Worcester. He went 6-9 with a 4.22 ERA last year as a starter and maybe being converted to a reliever will be better for him. He's not on the 40 man roster and after his shoddy performance in 2020, its doubtful he sees the majors again.
The 28 year old Hartlieb signed as a minor league free agent back on March 12 and was a bum for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets in terms of the majors. As a minor league pitcher he's posted decent enough numbers to stay in AAA. He has no chance to ever see Boston and is just another body.
Darwinzon Hernandez should be on the Boston Red Sox but he's had some really bad control issues. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and looked like he was going to be the next power lefty in the bullpen but it never happened because of his control problem. He can hit 100 on the gun but he doesn't know where its going most of the time. Maybe a stint in Worcester will fix him and he'll be back in Boston soon.
Derek Holland
Kaleb Ort
Here's a name everyone remembers, Derek Holland. The 35 year old pitcher went 16-5 for the American League Champion Texas Rangers in 2011 and damn near strong armed them to the World Series title against St. Louis. Due to injuries and ineffectiveness, he never developed into the ace the Rangers hoped he'd be in 2011. Now he's just a journeyman bouncing around from team to team. Since injuries are inevitable in baseball, there's a very good chance Holland could make a spot start at some point during the season if he's not released or traded first.
Brad Keller
Bryan Mata
As mentioned here, the Red Sox picked up Keller in the Rule 5 draft from the New York Yankees. Unlike Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock, Keller was never a can't miss prospect as he was a 39th round pick in 2016. He did post a 2.77 ERA last year for Scranton so if he actually wins a few games for Worcester against Scranton, I call that a win even if he never makes the majors.
The 22 year old Bryan Mata was on a fast track to the majors before he got hurt. He was signed as a 17 year old International free agent in 2016 and was the Salem Red Sox best pitcher in 2019 before getting called up to Portland at 20 years old. The 2020 season was wiped out by Covid and he underwent Tommy John surgery last season and isn't expected back until June of this season at least. If Mata can rediscover his form he had in 2019, he may make the majors yet.
The 30 year old Kaleb Ort was actually picked up in the Rule 5 draft last season from the Yankees along with Garett Whitlock. While Whitlock became a shut down reliever for the Boston Red Sox, Ort became the closer for the WooSox. It looks like he'll start the season as closer again this season, anything to stick it to the Yankees. He's not on the 40 man but who cares?
The 27 year old Thomas Pannone is a career journeyman bouncing around from organization to organization. He was drafted in the 9th round in 2013 by the Cleveland Indians (made it further than the 7th overall pick Trey Ball to boot) and signed as a minor league free agent on March 10th. He's got no chance to be called up but at least he can start games for Worcester until they can find someone better.
The 28 year old John Schreiber was Worcester's set-up man last year and will be reclaiming his role this season for the time being. He's already 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA this season so Worcester manager Chad Tracy clearly trusts him to get some big outs. He's not on the 40 man roster so he won't be seeing Boston but at least he could help Worcester win.
Connor Seabold
The 26 year old Connor Seabold was the centerpiece of the Brandon Workman trade back in 2020. He is Boston's 14th ranked prospect and he made his major league debut last September. Out of all the pitchers on this list, he's the one expected to make the majors and contribute the most this season. He's already won one of his starts this season already and hopefully this trend continues. He could be a September call-up if he's not brought up for a spot start sooner.
Simpson eh? The 30 year old Caleb Simpson was actually picked up last off-season but only pitched in 13 games with the WooSox due to various injuries. He's starting the season injured this year so who knows if he's going to pitch soon. His best year was in 2018 in Double A in the San Francisco Giants organization so its highly unlikely he's going to get called up to Boston. The fact the WooSox have so many castoffs and only four legit prospects on the pitching staff (not counting Hernandez) is an indictment on the inability of Chaim Bloom's predecessors to draft good pitching or at least not trade it away.
The centerpiece in the Andrew Benintendi trade, the 23 year old Josh Winckowski is one of the only legit prospects starting for the WooSox along with Bazardo, Seabold and Mata (when he's healthy). Winckowski was 8-3 as a starter in Portland before getting called up to Worcester at the end of last year. If he ever learns control, he may be a late season call-up for the Sox or a spot starter. He's on the 40 man roster so unless they trade him, there's a very good chance he sees Boston by the end of this year.
The Worcester Red Sox have a log-jam at catcher but that's going to create the good kind of competition. The first of the four catchers is 26 year old Roldani Baldwin, the only one of the four that was drafted by the Red Sox as a Dominican teenager in 2014. His best season was in 2017 for the Greenville Drive where he hit .270 but in terms of offense, there's not much there as he hit .242 in Portland last season. He's got three other catchers to contend with so hopefully that drives him to compete for the starting job.
Red Sox fans that suffered through the 2020 season remember that Boston picked up the now 26 year old Deivy Grullon in late September as a catching project. Well he did have a cup of coffee with the Red Sox but ended up bouncing around baseball in 2021. He ended the season hitting 10 home runs but only .196. He's back with Worcester this season so it'll be interesting if he can crack the lineup with three other catchers to deal with.
Last off-season the Tampa Bay Rays made a bizarre trade when they sent Nick Sogard and now 24 year old Ronaldo Hernandez to Boston for Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza. Mazza and Springs were apart of the Rays team that fell to the Red Sox in the ALDS and Hernandez is now competing with three others to be the everyday catcher in Worcester. Hernandez hit .280 with 16 home runs last year in Portland and had 9 hits in 7 games as a late call-up. If Grullon and Baldwin fizzle out, Hernandez may compete with the man next on our list for the starting job. He's on the 40 man roster so if God forbid something happens to Kevin Plawecki or Christian Vazquez, Hernandez may get the call if he does well enough.
When the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts in February of 2020, nobody knew if the guys traded for him could ever replace him. Well the 25 year old Connor Wong may never be Mookie Betts but he may make the majors to stay eventually. With Christian Vazquez on the wrong side of 30 and Kevin Plawecki just a backup, Wong needs to have a breakout season if he hopes to crack the Red Sox as a catcher. Last year he hit just .256 for the WooSox although he did well in his cup of coffee with Boston. Carlton Fisk didn't become a regular until he was 25 as well so there's still time for Wong to produce.
The number one ranked prospect in the organization is 22 year old first baseman Triston Casas. Boston's first round pick out of high school in the 2018 draft hit .284 with 13 home runs for Portland before being called up to Worcester last year. JD Martinez is in the final year of his contract and if Casas can tear up Worcester this season, he may be your starting first baseman in Boston next year. He's already hit 3 home runs for Worcester this season so the best may be yet to come.
Jeter Downs
Yolmer Sanchez
The other half of the two prospects acquired in the Mookie Betts trade was 23 year old shortstop Jeter Downs. Downs had an incredible year in 2019 hitting 24 home runs and driving 86 runs.....but fell off a cliff last year. He still hit 14 home runs but he hit an unacceptable .190 and only drove in 36 runs. He's got great speed but if he can't get on base in Worcester, how's he ever going to crack Boston? Its unfair to compare him to Mookie Betts but Sox brass need Downs (and Wong) to develop, otherwise Chaim Bloom will forever be known as the man who traded Mookie Betts for Alex Verdugo and two prospects that didn't develop.
Ryan Fitzgerald
Roberto Ramos
Back in 1999 the Boston Red Sox signed a 27 year old career minor leaguer expecting him just to hit a few home runs for the Pawtucket Red Sox. Instead, Brian Daubach became an integral part of the Red Sox offense up until the end of the 2002 season. Why mention this? 27 year old Ryan Fitzgerald has become a late bloomer in the Sox system. He was a 24 year old minor league free agent when the Red Sox signed him on a whim in 2018. He's become one of the better infielders in the system including swatting 16 home runs last year in Portland and Worcester. He's already got 4 dingers this year 8 games into the season so let's see if he can pull a Daubach.
Remember Earl Snyder of the 2004 Pawtucket Red Sox? Say hello to the modern day version, 27 year old Roberto Ramos. He averaged 30 home runs a season from 2017-2019 before his 2020 season was wiped out by Covid. He spent 2021 out of the minors and Sox general manager Chaim Bloom signed him as a free agent on February 9th. If he rediscovers his form he had for those three seasons, get ready for a power show in Worcester. He may not see Boston but he could make the WooSox offense deadly.
Here's an interesting signing. With the exception of an injury in 2016, the 29 year old Yolmer was the Chicago White Sox starting second basemen from 2015 to 2020. In 2021, Sanchez spent the year in the eventual world champion Atlanta Braves system playing for Gwinnett. The Red Sox signed him as a free agent on February 9th. Just like Derek Holland, Sanchez has the most major league experience of anyone on the team. He's not on the Sox 40 man roster but if anything happens to Christian Arroyo or Trevor Story, you may see Sanchez make an appearance.
If nothing else, if 26 year old second baseman Grant Williams ever makes the majors for the Red Sox, the city of Boston would have had three professional guys named Grant Williams. Offensive tackle Grant Williams was on the Superbowl 36 champion New England Patriots, current Boston Celtics swingman Grant Williams returns to the playoffs this Sunday and here we have the 2018 10th round pick. Williams has absolutely no power but he's a good contact hitter, hitting .270 last season and striking out just 25 times. He's not on the Sox 40 man roster but you never know, a September callup could be in the works.
In the annals of Red Sox lore, there have been some trades that you knew were BAD as soon as it happened. One of them was when Chaim Bloom traded Andrew Benintendi to the Kansas City Royals for Franchy Cordero, Josh Winckowski and 3 players to be named. Cordero was a titanic bust in Boston last year but became a star in Worcester. This season he's already clubbed three home runs and it looks like he's going to be the new Rusney Castillo. All because "analytics" said Benintendi couldn't play anymore.
The number 4 ranked prospect in the Red Sox system is 25 year old outfielder Jarren Duran. The 2018 seventh round pick had a cup of coffee last season in Boston where he displayed demon speed but no bat. If Durran ever learns how to hit he could be a modern day Johnny Damon or the next Jacoby Ellsbury. Hopefully this year Durran takes the next step because he could make the 2022 Red Sox offense deadly with his speed if he could hit consistently.
26 year old centerfielder Johan Mieses was signed as a minor league free agent before the 2020 season was supposed to start after Mieses hit 22 home runs in the 2019 season. Covid wiped out 2020 and he spent 2021 going from Portland to Worcester where he's been a good but not great asset. Its unlikely Mieses will reach Boston but if nothing else, he's in the system for now.
Never would have imagined that former New York Yankees utility infielder Rob Refsnyder would ever be in the Boston Red Sox system. Rob couldn't hit for beans in the majors but he's already got 9 hits in 7 games so far this season. As with many others, its very unlikely that Rob would sniff the Boston Red Sox but you never know. An injury here, an injury there and here comes Rob Refsnyder.
Who knew in 2019 that the Detroit Tigers starting left fielder Christin Stewart would be starting in left field for the 2021 Worcester Red Sox? Stewart has plenty of power that he's shown at every level including the majors, but not much else. His career batting average in the majors is .225 and his minor league average isn't much better at .261. All or nothing seems to be the new norm in baseball so we'll see what happens with Stewart.
The bottom line is the Worcester Red Sox are built on home grown power bats and veteran outside pitching. So far the bats have been producing by winning 7 of their first 8 games. There's a long way to go in the season and who knows who'll still be in Worcester by the end.
The Red Sox play their home opener tomorrow afternoon against the Minnesota Twins. Nick Pivetta (0-1, 6.35 ERA) gets the start for Boston against Joe Ryan of the Twins. The game begins at 2:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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