Off-Day News: 2021 Draft Revisited (6/27/24)

It's another off-day and its time to take a look at former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom's 2021 MLB Draft choices. With Covid in the past, this time there was going to be 20 rounds and the Red Sox owned the fourth overall pick due to their garbage 2020 season. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did.

1st round - INF Marcelo Mayer

The fourth overall pick turned out to be Eastlake High School shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer has lived up to his billing so far, hitting .275 for the Florida Complex league to end 2021. In 2022 he hit 13 home runs and drove in 53 runs between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive. He stalled a bit in 2023 as he tore up Greenville hitting .290 with 7 home runs and 34 rbis but faltered for the Portland Sea Dogs. He hit just .189 with 6 home runs and 20 rbis. This year he's apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel, hitting .308 with 6 home runs and 34 rbis so far. The 21 year old is on the fast track to Worcester and could be competing for a Boston job in Spring Training next year if he's not traded.

2nd round - OF Jud Fabian

Chaim Bloom goofed with his second round pick. Jud Fabian was a hell of an outfielder for the Florida Gators hitting 20 home runs and driving in 46 runs his junior year. The Sox took him with the 40th overall pick but he refused to sign, staying for his senior year. Apparently its come out since that the Baltimore Orioles had a 3 million dollar deal ready for him with the 41st pick but Bloom beat the O's to the punch. Guess who drafted Fabian in the second round of the 2022 draft? That's right. This season Jud is hitting just .235 but with 13 home runs & 36 rbis for the Bowie Baysox and could be promoted to AAA soon. Talent wise Fabian was the right pick to make, too bad he had his heart set on playing for Baltimore. Big mistake by Bloom.

3rd round - 2B Tyler McDonough

The Sox third round pick in this draft was North Carolina State Wolfpack second baseman Tyler McDonough. Tyler showed promise hitting .300 between the Florida Complex League and Salem Red Sox at the end of 2021 but hit just .230 for Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit an even .250 shuffling between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox. This year he hit .261 with the Sea Dogs before being called up to Worcester. In 10 games he's hit .242 which isn't going to get him called up to Boston. Still, at 25 he's in Worcester and hopefully he can turn the jets on to make it to Boston.

4th round - RHP Elmer Rodriguez

The first pitcher chosen in the draft wasn't until the first round and it was a Puerto Rican high school JUNIOR named Elmer Rodriguez. He graduated in 2021 and made his debut in 2022 where he allowed just 8 earned runs in 33 innings between the Complex and Salem. Last year he was Salem's best pitcher, going 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 starts. This year he's 2-3 with a 2.74 ERA and it might be time to promote him to Greenville. He doesn't turn 21 until August but they're moving him along slowly. It better work out because you don't want him in the minors at 24-25 if he has nothing left to prove.


5th round - C Nathan Hickey

When Nathan Hickey was picked in the fifth round out of Florida University, he instantly became one of the top catchers in the system automatically. Unfortunately he may not be the chosen one anymore with Kyle Teel being the top ranked guy. Hickey didn't accomplish much at the Complex and Salem in 2021 but in 2022 he rebounded to crack 16 home runs and drive in 62 between Salem and Greenville. He spent 2023 in Portland where he hit just .258 but hit 15 home runs while driving in 56. Now he's in Worcester hitting just .211 with 8 home runs and 38 rbis. Kyle Teel may leapfrog him eventually but as of right now, he could be the emergency catcher in Boston if something happens to Connor Wong or Reese McGuire. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but he's one step away from the majors.

6th round - C Daniel McElveny

This might be one of Chaim Bloom's worst draft picks when all is said and done only for who was drafted around him, but I'll get to that in a second. Daniel battled a ton of injuries, playing just 43 games between the Complex and Salem in 2022. Last year he played just 9 games again and now he's healthy, but he's hitting just .189 in 29 games for Salem as a backup catcher. Sixth round picks shouldn't be expected to bring first round production but here's the kicker....McElveny was the fourth selection of the 6th round, Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo was taken 12th in the round. Carlos Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers this year at 15th. Spencer Arrighetti made his debut this year with the Houston Astros picked one slot after Rodriguez. Sox pitching prospect Dick Fitts was taken 21st in the round and another Sox prospect Taylor Broadway was taken 23rd. Not a good look when three guys picked after you have already reached the majors and two more that got traded to Boston are ranked higher than you in your own organization. Hopefully Daniel can turn it around, otherwise this could be Bloom's biggest whiff not counting Jud Fabian.

7th round - RHP Wyatt Olds

24 year old right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds was a classic case of "What were you expecting?" Olds had a horrible senior year at Oklahoma University going 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA, getting pulled from the rotation at the end of the year. Chaim Bloom took him in the seventh round anyway. He pitched in only 6 games in 2021 and was straight batting practice in 2022. He was 4-9 with a 6.01 ERA for Greenville although he allowed 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings for Portland. In 2023 he was even worse, going 0-7 with a 8.47 ERA before getting pulled from the rotation. This year he's 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA. The guy simply is not good and Bloom knew it when he drafted him. To make matters worse, 7 picks after Olds was taken, the Washington Nationals took Jacob Young who made his MLB debut in 2023. Five picks after Young, the Houston Astros took Joey Loperfido who made his MLB debut in April of this year. Its one thing to pick a guy and he doesn't pan out, its another thing to pick a guy who wasn't good and expect anything different.

8th round - RHP Hunter Dobbins

Speaking of crapshots, the Sox took one with their 8th round pick. Hunter Dobbins showed promise at Texas Tech before his 2020 season was cut short due to Covid. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and was 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 17 starts for Salem in 2022. He started to turn it around in 2023 going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA for Greenville before going 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA for Portland to end the season. This year he's 4-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts so far and a promotion to Worcester might be coming soon. Its a shame its taken him this long to get to AA, needing elbow surgery sucks.

9th round - 3B Tyler Miller

The Sox took Auburn third baseman Tyler Miller in the 9th round in 2021 and looked to be on the fast track when he hit .300 between the Complex and Salem at the end of 2021 with 3 home runs and 20 rbis. Then in 2022 he hit just .219 with 13 home runs and 59 rbis for Salem. Last year he hit .263 with just 9 home runs and 51 rbis in 91 games for Greenville. He started this year hitting .275 with 4 home runs for Greenville before getting promoted to Portland. He's played 24 games and has just 1 home run with 11 rbis while batting .247. He's been perfectly mediocre since the end of 2021 and at 24 years old, he may get leapfrogged by future picks. Least he's made it to AA, more than others on this list can say.

10th round - RHP Matt Litwicki

What an unfortunate career for 10th round pick Matt Litwicki. He pitched in just 22 games for the Indiana Hoosiers due to injuries and didn't make his Sox debut until June of 2023....where he was awful for the Complex and Salem before getting released again. He pitched in just 28 games going back to 2019 due to injuries. Just like Hunter Dobbins, Bloom drafted Litwicki knowing he was an injury risk. This one just didn't pan out.

11th round - 1B Niko Kavadas

The Sox looked to have scored with their 11th round pick when they chose hulking first baseman Niko Kavadas. He hit 24 home runs and drove in 76 runs between Greenville and Portland in 2022 and hit 22 home runs with 69 rbis between Portland and Worcester in 2023. This year he's hitting .276 with 14 home runs and 49 rbis and fans are mad that he's not in Boston. After Triston Casas went down, the Sox have relied on the trio of Bobby Dalbec, Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper and only Smith looks even halfway competent. Maybe the Sox will come to their senses and bring up Kavadas at some point once Casas comes back. Either way, he's the closest of anyone to reach the majors of this draft group.

12th round - RHP Christopher Troye

Just like Wyatt Olds, 12th round pick Christopher Troye another guy that had sub-par stats in college when he was drafted. He allowed 31 runs in 51 innings for U-Cal Santa Barbara while having mediocre seasons in 2021 for the Complex and 2022 for Salem. He started to figure it out of the bullpen last year when he posted a 1.96 ERA for Greenville and 3.77 for Portland. This year he fell apart, allowing 12 runs in 11 innings so far this year. Compounding this is 8 picks after Troye, the Seattle Mariners took Corey Rosier who's now with Portland as well. The killer was 10 picks after Troye, the San Francisco Giants took Landen Roupp who just made his ML debut with the Giants this year. There's still time to turn it around for Troye but once again, what were the Sox expecting when looking at his college stats?

13th round - SS Zach Ehrhard

The Sox rolled the dice and crapped out with their 13th round pick, Wharton High School shortstop Zach Ehrhard. Ehrhard spurned the Sox and went to play in college for Oklahoma State. He had a good freshman year but a lousy sophomore year. He took a big step this year hitting .330 with 14 home runs and 57 rbis. One more year of this and he could be in the first five rounds of next year's draft. Hopefully he's not the next Mark Teixeira.

14th round - RHP Jacob Webb

For two years it looked like 14th round pick Jacob Webb would be the first to make the majors. He allowed 2 runs in 12 innings between the Complex and Salem to end 2021 then ended the 2022 season in Portland. Then last year he was 8-3 but had a 5.03 ERA out of the bullpen. This year he's 6-1 but with a mediocre 4.35 ERA. Going 14-4 in Portland is fine, but not with that ERA. He might get a crack at Worcester before the year is over but he looked on the fast track in 2022 only to falter this year. To make matters worse, the last pick of the 14th round was Jordan Leasure, chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Leasure was traded by the Dodgers last year as part of the package for Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox and made his debut for the hapless ChiSox this year. Still, getting a major leaguer out of the 14th round is an accomplishment, Webb could be there eventually.

15th round - SS Payton Green

Once again the Sox wasted a draft pick when their 15th round selection, shortstop Payton Green decided to go to North Carolina State instead. After two years at NC State, he transferred to Georgia Tech this season where he hit .309 with 12 home runs and 42 rbis. Just like Ehrhard, he might increase his draft stock next year. What's worse, the Cincinnati Reds took outfielder Blake Dunn with their 15th round pick and he made his ML debut earlier this month. Another swing and a miss by Bloom.

16th round - 2B BJ Vela

Speaking of wasted picks, one of the weirdest was 16th round pick BJ Vela. Vela looked to have things figured out when he hit .342 in 21 games for the Complex but was surprisingly cut before Spring Training last year. It was never revealed why they gave up so quick on him but to make matters worse, the San Diego Padres took Gonzaga pitcher Alek Jacob with their 16th round pick. Jacob had a cup of coffee with the Padres last year making the Vela pick look even worse. Something must have happened with Vela, oh well.

17th round - RHP Luis Guerrero

The Sox finally got one right in the 17th round when they picked Luis Guerrero out of Chipola Junior College. He went 4-3 with a 4.18 ERA for Salem in 2022 before posting a 2.08 ERA for Greenville. Last year he was Portland's closer going 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA with 18 saves before getting the late call to Worcester. This year he's 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA for Worcester and just like Kavadas, Guerrero is knocking on the door to the big leagues. Not bad for a 17th round pick to be one of the closest to the majors.

18th round - OF Phillip Sikes

In the 18th round the Sox picked Texas Christian outfielder Phillip Sikes. Sikes batting average has dipped at every level. He hit .392 for the Complex in 2021 before he hit .258 in Salem & .248 in Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit .210 for Portland although he rebounded so far this year to hit .256 with 4 home runs and 19 rbis. The fact he was leapfrogged by Roman Anthony shows that this might not have been a great pick. Still, what are you expecting out of the 18th round?

19th round - RHP Tyler Uberstine

What a sad career for 19th round pick Tyler Uberstine. Just like Wyatt Olds and Christopher Troye, Tyler was a bum for Northwestern going 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA his last year in college. Tyler was 4-4 with a 4.63 ERA for Salem to start 2022 but was better in Greenville, going 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He started 2023 on the Injured List and had to have Tommy John surgery in June. He may not pitch this year either and its a shame, but injuries are part of the game.

20th round - SS Josh Hood

Just like Zach Ehrhard and Payton Green, Pennsylvania University infielder Josh Hood didn't sign with the Red Sox. He instead transferred to NC State and was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. Last year he hit 13 home runs between A and A+ ball and began this year with the Everett AquaSox hitting just .237 with 6 home runs & 31 rbis. Still, to go from the 20th round to the sixth and making it to High A is nothing to sneeze at.....too bad its not with the Red Sox.

URFA - OF Kier Meredith

The Sox did sign two rookie free agents after the 2021 draft, one of which was Clemson outfielder Kier Meredith. He hit .265 for Salem in 2022 with just 1 home run and 22 rbis and .178 for Greenville in 2023 with 1 home run and 10 rbis. After the 2023 season he retired and is now a scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It takes a smart man to realize he's not gonna make it and do something else, good luck to Kier as a scout.

URFA - RHP Jhonny Felix

The other undrafted free agent was right handed pitcher Jhonny Felix who went to high school in Brighton, Mass before going to West Oklahoma State. Felix was straight batting practice at every level he was at. He allowed 10 runs in 3 innings for the Complex in 2021, 42 runs in 38 innings between the Complex and Salem in 2022 and 36 runs in 45 innings for Salem in 2023 before he was mercifully released in August. Can't even be mad at the signing, he went undrafted for a reason.

That's going to do it for this 3 year look back at the 2021 draft. So far Payton Green, Josh Hood, Zach Ehrhard and Jud Fabian never signed while Matt Litwicki, BJ Vela, Kier Meredith and Jhonny Felix are gone. The two closest to the majors are Guerrero and Kavadas while Mayer is still the chosen one. Fringe guys like Webb, Dobbins, McDonough and Sikes are still out for the jury to decide. Either way, not a single guy in this draft has made the majors yet, that's an indictment on Bloom.

Game Postponed Until August (6/26/24)

Tonight's Boston Red Sox game has been suspended and postponed as apart of a doubleheader on August 26th. Here's what happened leading up to it.

                                                            So much for this one

Kutter Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Bo Bichette struck out swinging to start. Spencer Horowitz flied out to right and Vladimir Guerrero Jr walked. Justin Turner grounded out to second to end the inning. Yariel Rodriguez got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded back to the mound to start. David Hamilton grounded out to second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

George Springer was rung up for strike three to start the top of the second before Davis Schneider drew a walk. Crawford threw a first pitch strike to Danny Jansen and that's when the came was called. The funny thing is, the game won't be played until two months from now. Who knows what will be in the lineup by then.

Despite the game being postponed, the New York Yankees lost meaning the Sox remain 43-37 but are now 8 games back of first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox are back in action Friday night as the San Diego Padres come to town. Nick Pivetta (4-4, 4.06 ERA) takes on Randy Vasquez of San Diego at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bats Bash Reds (6/23/24)

How about those red hot Boston Red Sox? After losing to the Chicago White Sox the Red Sox have won 10 of their last 13 games including today's tilt with the Cincinnati Reds. The Sox employed a bullpen game with Zack Kelly as the opener and held the Reds to four runs combined. Meanwhile the Sox got two big innings which was all they needed. Connor Wong belted a two run home run off Cincy starter Nick Lodolo in the top of the fourth before Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran drove in runs. Two innings later, Duran drove in another run before Rob Refsnyder hit a 2 run shot to ice the game. The Reds got 3 runs off Brad Keller but Chris Martin, Justin Slaten and Kenley Jansen slammed the door to give the Sox a 7-4 victory over the Reds at Great American Ballpark.

                                              The "Bloodline" approve of the win

Lodolo got the ball in the top of the first inning after a 12 minute rain delay and Jarren Duran hit a roller to first that was bobbled, yet he was ruled safe. Reds manager David Bell challenged that Duran was out and replays showed he was. Rob Refsnyder drew a walk and Tyler O'Neill ripped a base hit to center, but Rafael Devers forced Tyler at second to put runners at the corners. Connor Wong forced Devers at second to end the inning. Kelly got the ball in the bottom of the first and TJ Friedl flied out to right to start. Elly De La Cruz struck out swinging on a nasty changeup and Jaimer Candelario grounded out to first to end the inning.

Romy Gonzalez led off the top of the second by grounding out to second to start. Dominic Smith flied out to right and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. The Reds threatened in the bottom of the second as Spencer Steer got a base hit to left to start. Tyler Stephenson moved Steer to second with a grounder to short but Rafaela ran down a 380 foot line drive by Jonathan India. Will Benson struck out swinging to end the inning.

David Hamilton led off the top of the third by grounding out to second. Duran beat out a grounder in the hole at short but Refsnyder struck out swinging on a great curveball. Duran swiped second but O'Neill grounded out to short to end the inning. Santiago Espinal grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Stuart Fairchild took strike three. Sox manager Alex Cora felt Kelly had done enough and yanked him for Brennan Bernardino after just eight outs. Friedl struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                            Short and sweet

Devers walked to start the top of the fourth and Wong blasted his seventh home run of the season to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Gonzalez missed a home run by 5 feet off the right field wall and settled for a double. Smith walked on a questionable ball four and Reds manager David Bell stormed out of the dugout completely irate. He started ripping his clothes off and was ejected by home plate umpire Todd Tichenor. Rafaela hit a routine double play ball to short but India threw the relay throw away for an error to score Gonzalez. Rafaela ended up on second but Hamilton struck out swinging. Duran doubled off the centerfield fence to score Cedanne but Refsnyder popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                         Wong jacks one

Naturally the Reds rallied in the bottom of the fourth as De La Cruz doubled to the left field wall to start. Candelario drilled a base hit to left to score Cruz and that was it for Bernardino. Greg Weissert came in and Steer struck out swinging before Stephenson flied out to center. India doubled down the left field line but Benson flied out to right to end the inning with the Reds down 4-1.

                                                                 Reds get a run back

O'Neill walked to start the top of the fifth but was forced at second by Devers. Devers took second on a wild pitch but Wong grounded out to third. Say goodbye to Lodolo as Buck Farmer came in to face Gonzalez....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Wilyer Abreu for Gonzalez but he popped up to second to end the inning. Cam Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Espinal flied out to right to start. Fairchild got a base hit to left but Friedl lined out to a running Abreu. De La Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning.

Smith struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Rafaela flied out to center. Hamilton doubled past the diving Candelario to chase Farmer. Brent Suter came in to face Duran and Jarren poked a base hit just past De La Cruz to score Hamilton. Refsnyder then blasted his third home run of the season to ice the game. O'Neill also singled in the hole at short and took second on a wild pitch, but Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                         Another big fly for Refsnyder

The Reds rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Brad Keller came in to pitch. Candelario flied out to left but Steer was hit with a pitch. Stephenson doubled to right but Abreu booted the ball to allow Steer to score. India beat out a roller to Devers to put runners at the corners but Benson struck out swinging. Naturally Espinal ripped a base hit to center to score Stephenson and move India to third. Fairchild poked a base hit to center to score India and move Espinal to third. Friedl flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning with the Reds down 7-4.

                                                                   Reds inch closer

Wong lined out to short to start the top of the seventh before Steer made a hell of a sliding catch to rob Abreu of extra bases. Smith grounded out to first to end the inning. Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and De La Cruz grounded out to first to start. Candelario flied out to center and Steer grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Rafaela grounded out to third to start the top of the eighth before Hamilton lined out to center. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Stephenson flied out to center to start. India struck out swinging but Benson was hit on the elbow. Espinal grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Refsnyder struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth before O'Neill also went down hacking. Devers got a base hit to right but Wong took strike three to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Fairchild popped up to third to start. Friedl grounded out to second but De La Cruz got a base hit to right. Elly took second on defensive indifference but Candelario flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-4.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rob Refsnyder. His two run shot essentially ended the game.

                                                           Rob The Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with a stolen base, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Zack Kelly tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

Cam Booser tossed a scoreless inning.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 15th save.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning despite getting the win.

Brad Keller allowed 3 runs in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Not bad for the Red Sox to go 5-1 on the road trip and 10-3 in their last 13 games. The Reds aren't that good but you have to beat the teams in front of you. To survive a bullpen game against the other team's best pitcher is remarkable. The teamwide attack of Rob Refsnyder, Connor Wong and the start by Kelly showcases how hot the Sox are. If only the Sox had an ace pitcher to put it all together, they'd be right there with the New York Yankees. The Sox are also due to get Triston Casas after the All-Star break which is going to mercifully end the Dominic Smith experience. The only question is can the Sox keep up this momentum? If they can, all of a sudden the trade deadline narrative changes. Rather than sell off Tyler O'Neill, Kenley Jansen and Masataka Yosida, they may just bundle some prospects for an ace pitcher. Still, in the last two years (three really) the Sox faded in June and July so we're going to find out the character of this team very shortly one way or the other. The win improved the Sox to 42-36, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel home for a three game set with the Toronto Blue Jays. Tanner Houck (7-5, 2.14 ERA) takes the mound against Captain TBD of Toronto. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News: 2020 Draft Revisited (6/20/24)

As we are about a month out from the 2024 MLB Draft, its time to take a look at the Chaim Bloom era and the success....or lack thereof, his drafts brought to the table. The 2020 draft was the transition draft as 2019 and previous drafts were 40 rounds but the elimination of rookie league also cut 20 rounds from the draft. Then the pandemic happened and there were only 5 rounds in the 2020 draft. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did four years later even though he's no longer the Boston Red Sox GM.

1st round - INF Nick Yorke

                                                                     

With the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft, the Red Sox took Archbishop Mitty High School third baseman Nick Yorke. Yorke was considered one of the best high school infield prospects in the draft and although he didn't get to play rookie ball in 2020, he shined in 2021. He hit .323 with 10 home runs and 47 rbis for the Salem Red Sox and .333 with four home runs and 15 rbis for the Greenville Drive. 14 homers and 62 rbis for a 19 year old sounds promising. Unfortunately competition caught up with Nick in 2022 as he hit just .232 albeit with 11 homers and 45 rbis. In 2023 he spent the entire year in Portland where he hit .268 with 13 home runs and 61 rbis. He was hitting just .251 for the Portland Sea Dogs when he got the call to Worcester this year where he's thrived. Currently he's hitting .362 with 2 homers and 9 rbis in 12 games with the WooSox. The 22 year old looks to be right on schedule when Bloom drafted him as a teenager. Now a lot of his contemporaries have already made their MLB debuts, but with the crowded infield the Red Sox have, he's more of a numbers casualty than a lack of talent. He's currently the 17th ranked prospect and the smart move would be to move Rafael Devers to the DH slot while putting Yorke at third base. That might be the end-game in 2025.

3rd round - Blaze Jordan

The Sox had no second round pick as it was forfeited due to the sign stealing accusations. Their third round pick was another teenage phenom, DeSoto Central High School third baseman Blaze Jordan. Jordan went viral as a teenager for hitting tape measure home runs at Arlington Park. Just like Yorke, he had no 2020 rookie ball season and spent 2021 playing just 28 games between Florida Complex and Salem. In 2022 he played 120 games between Salem & Greenville hitting 12 home runs and 68 rbis. In 2023 he was once again Greenville's best player, hitting .324 with 12 homers and 55 rbis before getting promoted to Portland. He hit 6 home runs and knocked in 31 runs in 49 games for a total of 18 home runs and 86 rbis. This year he's hitting .280 for Portland with 4 home runs and 27 rbis. He doesn't turn 22 until December so the Sox are bringing him along slowly. Just like Yorke, its more due to a crowded situation than a talent performance. Bloom drafting nothing but position players for four years led to a log jam. Time will tell if and when Blaze makes the majors.

4th round - LHP Jeremy Wu-Yelland

Fourth round pick Jeremy Wu-Yelland his been marred by injuries almost since day one. He graduated from Hawaii University in 2000 and made his organizational debut going 1-3 in 20 stars with Salem in 2021. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and made just 3 starts in the Florida Complex in 2023. He's only pitched in 6 games for Greenville this year with a hideous 5.68 ERA. He's already 25 years old and may get cut if he doesn't show improvement pretty soon. Too bad he got hurt.

5th round - LHP Shane Drohan

Fifth and final pick Shane Drohan has had an interesting baseball odyssey. After graduating from Florida State University, Drohan started 2021 like a house of fire going 7-4 in 23 starts with a 3.96 ERA for the Salem Red Sox. In 2022, he went 7-8 between Greenville and Portland in 25 starts. 2023 looked like a breakout season when he started 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 6 starts but he proceeded to crash and burn in Worcester. He went 5-7 with a 6.47 ERA in 19 starts before getting claimed by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. He posted a 7.36 ERA with the Charlotte Knights before being returned to Boston just eight days ago. That technicality is the only reason all five draft picks are still with the organization. Whether or not he makes the majors is if he can figure out AAA pitching or not.

RFA - RHP Brian Van Belle

There were 16 rookie free agents signed after the draft but only three remain. The first is right handed pitcher Brian Van Belle. He only made 4 starts for the Miami Hurricanes in 2020 but was 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in those games. In 2021, he was 4-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 18 starts for the Salem Red Sox and was 9-6 with a hideous 5.43 ERA combined between Greenville and Portland in 2022. He was 11-7 between Portland and Worcester last year but has been straight batting practice this season. He's 2-2 with a 6.65 ERA so far this year and at 27 years old, time's up. They got prospects coming up and they can get a 4A veteran anywhere. Still, for a guy who might have been a low round pick or still not even drafted, getting this far is an accomplishment.

RFA - RHP Robert Kwiatkowski

27 year old right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski has had an unsung career for sure. He graduated from Marshall University at 23 years old and looked like a future stud when he went 6-0 with a 3.58 ERA out of the bullpen for the Salem Red Sox. Unfortunately he was batting practice for Greenville in 2022 when he went 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA out of the bullpen. In 2023 he started off slow in Greenville but rebounded in Portland posting a 3.78 ERA for the Sea Dogs. This year he's posted a mediocre 4.40 ERA out of the bullpen for Portland but did throw 6 1/3 scoreless innings for Worcester. If he stays in Worcester, he might actually be useful. Just like Van Belle, he's 27 years old and he can easily be replaced by a better prospect or a 4A pitcher.....unless he continues to get guys out in Worcester.

RFA - Catcher Juan Montero

22 year old catcher Juan Montero was an interesting project started by Bloom. He was an undrafted free agent signed at 18 out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy and only played 34 games combined in 2021 and 2022 for the Florida Complex. In 2023 he hit .247 in 23 games for Salem but is only hitting .187 in 29 games for Salem. He's still only 22 but hitting .187 in Low A ball is a bad sign. Still, to not even be drafted and going straight from PRBA to the pros is a tough process. Hopefully he turns it around, but if not, there's always another catcher to be drafted or signed.

So there's your seven prospects remaining from the 2020 draft/rookie haul. The problem was three of them (Yorke,Jordan,Montero) were out of high school when they were drafted, one of them got injured (Wu-Yelland) and the others just haven't performed good enough (Drohan/Kwiatkowski/Van Belle). It looks like Yorke will have a place if he's not traded and the word is still out on Jordan, but it doesn't look good for the others. If only one of them makes the majors, that's a bad look for Chaim Bloom's first draft. Then again, the whole season was a waste anyway with Covid. 

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in Cincinnati to face the Reds. Kutter Crawford (2-6, 3.54 ERA) looks to get Boston to six straight wins against Andrew Abbott of the Reds. The game begins at 7:10 PM Eastern time at Great American Ball Park.

Crochet, White Sox Stop Red Sox (6/7/24)

The lack of starting pitching depth reared its ugly head again as the Boston Red Sox were forced to send Cooper Criswell (3-3, 4.13 ERA) up against Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox did take a 2-1 lead on Crochet on an error by Garrett and a straight steal of home by Jarren Duran. Then the White Sox got three runs off Criswell in the bottom of the fourth to pretty much put the game away. Greg Weissert served up back to back home runs to Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn and Paul DeJong hit an rbi off Brad Keller to wrap it up. The White Sox had beaten the Red Sox 7-2 at Comiskey Park.

                                                          Losing to the White Sox now?

Crochet got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Rob Refsnyder lined out to second but Connor Wong got a base hit in the hole at second. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Criswell got the ball in the bottom of the first and Corey Julks grounded out to third to start. Nicky Lopez lined out to left but Luis Robert Jr hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to put the ChiSox up. Gavin Sheets struck out swinging to end the inning with the White Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Robert goes yard

Tyler O'Neill flied out to center to start the top of the second before Jamie Westbrook struck out swinging. Garrett Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Andrew Vaughn lined out to left to start the bottom of the second before Paul DeJong lined out to right. Oscar Colas was hit with a pitch but Korey Lee struck out swinging to end the inning.

The BoSox struck back in the top of the third as Bobby Dalbec walked to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Crochet threw a grounder by Duran away for an error to score Dalbec. Duran somehow stole home and Refsnyder got a base hit to center. Refsnyder was picked off and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-1.

                                                    "I really fooled em" - Duran

Disaster struck in the bottom of the third when Lenyn Sosa hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Suddenly Tyler O'Neill collapsed and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU with knee discomfort. David Hamilton took Tyler's spot and Julks lined out to right. Lopez grounded out to first to end the inning.

The BoSox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Devers singled to left to start. Hamilton dropped down a bunt but Devers was thrown out at second. Hamilton swiped second and stole third on the walk to Wesbrook. Cooper struck out swinging and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning. The White Sox surged ahead in the bottom of the fourth as Robert Jr flied out to left to start. Sheets walked but Vaughn singled past the diving Hamilton. DeJong got a base hit to left and Duran threw the ball away allowing Sheets to score. Colas singled off the glove of Westbrook to score Vaughn and DeJong. Lee grounded out to first and Sosa forced Colas at third to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                           Chicago takes the lead

Rafaela struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth before Duran went down hacking. Refsnyder was plunked but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. Julks popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth but Lopez got a base hit to center. Naturally here came Sox manager Alex Cora at the first sign of trouble to remove the starter before completing the fifth inning, Criswell was charged with 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings off 5 hits and a walk. Greg Weissert came in to strike out Robert Jr swinging to end the inning.

                                                          Need more from Criswell

Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Hamilton flied out to left. Westbrook flied out to center to end the inning. The White Sox iced it in the bottom of the sixth as Sheets hit a home run all the way to Nashville to start. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Knoxville for back to back jacks. DeJong flied out to left, Colas grounded out to short and Lee grounded out to second to end the inning with the ChiSox up 6-2.

                                                            Back to back home runs

Jonathan Cannon came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Cooper got a base hit to left to start. Dominic Smith pinch hit for Dalbec and struck out swinging before Rafaela singled to center. Duran struck out swinging and Refsnyder lined out to left to end the inning. Brad Keller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Sosa struck out swinging to start. Julks took strike three and Lopez flied out to center to end the inning.

Duke Ellis took over for Julks to start the top of the eighth and Wong got a base hit to left to start. Devers struck out swinging, Hamilton took strike three and Westbrook grounded out to short to end the inning. The ChiSox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as Robert Jr flied out to right to start. Sheets walked but Vaughn lined out to left. DeJong doubled to left to score Sheets and Colas grounded out to short to end the inning with Chicago up 7-2.

                                                              DeJong with an rbi

Cooper popped up to first to start the top of the ninth before Smith grounded back to the mound. Ellis bobbled a pop up from Rafaela for an error before Ceddanne took second on defensive indifference. Duran grounded out to short to end the game. The White Sox had won it 7-2.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. The Sox were in the game until he served up back to back jacks.

                                                             Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Cooper Criswell was charged with 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out 2.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and an error but stole a base and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but stole two bases.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Brad Keller allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox just can't go on any sustained win streak because of how bad their pitching is. With Lucas Giolito out for the season and Sox GM Craig Breslow hampered by Sam Kennedy financially, they have to throw out guys like Cooper Criswell against aces like Garrett Crochet. The results spoke for themselves in this one. The offense wasn't going to do much but the bullpen allowing 3 runs on top of Criswell getting knocked around in the fourth didn't help. There's not much you can do but hope to survive the fifth spot in the rotation but that's not going to get you to the playoffs. The loss dropped the Sox to 32-32, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox look to bounce back against Chicago tomorrow when Brayan Bello (6-2) takes on Nick Nastrini of the White Sox. The game begins at 4:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Red Sox Crush White Sox (6/6/24)

It was a great night all around as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and the Boston Red Sox smashed the hapless Chicago White Sox. The Boston bats woke up big time today as they hammered out 24 total hits and 17 total runs. Jarren Duran, Rob Refsnyder and Dominic Smith all had 3 hits or more with Duran hitting a home run. Speaking of home runs, Enmanuel Valdez clobbered a 3 run shot and Jamie Westbrook went yard as well. On the other side, Tanner Houck (6-5, 1.91 ERA) pitched great, holding the White Sox to 3 hits and just two runs. Cam Booser slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth and the BoSox crushed the White Sox 14-2 at Comiskey Park.

                                                Krystaps Porzingis approves of the win

The BoSox wasted no time tagging Colas in the top of the first inning as Jarren Duran led off with his fifth home run of the season to put Boston on top. Enmanuel Valdez lined out to right but Rob Refsnyder doubled to center. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill walked. Dominic Smith lined out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 1-0.

                                                                Duran starts the party

Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Zach Deloach took strike three to start. Nicky Lopez grounded out to first and Luis Robert Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

The BoSox rallied in the top of the second as Connor Wong was plunked to start. David Hamilton doubled to right and Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Wong & Hamilton. Duran flied out to center and Valdez flied out to right, but Refsnyder beat out a roller to third. Devers flied out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 3-0.

                                                               Rafaela drives in a pair

Gavin Sheets lined out to center to start the bottom of the second before Andrew Vaughn struck out swinging. Paul DeJong was hit with a pitch but Korey Lee grounded out to second to end the inning. 

O'Neill struck out swinging to start the top of the third inning but Smith got a base hit to short. Wong flied out to left and Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. Lenyn Sosa grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Ellis grounded out to second. DeLoach grounded out to first to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the fourth as Rafaela dumped a base hit to center...booted by Ellis for an error to move Ceddanne to second. Duran walked and Valdez smashed his fifth home run of the season to ice the game. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Vaughn made a diving stab to rob Devers of a single, but O'Neill ripped a base hit to center. Smith walked and Wong got a base hit to right to score O'Neill. Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 7-0.

                                                            Valdez jacks one

Lopez grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth before Robert Jr struck out swinging. Sheets lined out to center to end the inning.

Tim Hill came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Duran got a base hit on a roller to second before moving to second on a grounder to second by Valdez. Refsnyder flied out to right to end the inning. Vaughn struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before DeJong grounded out to short. Lee flied out to left to end the inning.

The BoSox struck again in the top of the sixth when Devers lined a base hit to left to begin. O'Neill got a base hit to right and Smith drilled a base hit to center to score Devers. Wong got a base hit to center to score O'Neill before Hamilton grounded back to the mound to move the runners over. Rafaela hit a seeing eye single into left to score Smith and chase Hill from the game. Jared Shuster came in and Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Wong with another un before Valdez walked. Refsnyder took strike three to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 11-0.

                                                              Smith drives in a run

With the game out of reach, Bobby Dalbec came in for Devers to start the bottom of the sixth and Sosa got a base hit to center to start. Ellis grounded out to first to move Sosa to second and Lenyn scored on the double to left by DeLoach. Lopez struck out swinging and Robert Jr took strike three to end the inning but the White Sox were down 11-1.

                                                        Chicago gets a run back

The BoSox struck again in the top of the seventh as Dalbec lined out to short to start. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for O'Neill and hit his first home run to increase the lead. Smith got a base hit to center then took second on a wild pitch. Wong walked and Hamilton beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Smith and chase Shuster. Duran singled in the hole at short to load the bases but Valdez flied out to left to end the inning with Boston ahead 13-1.

                                                           First homer for Westbrook

Houck returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh and Sheets lined out to left to start. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to cut the lead but DeJong struck out swinging. Lee took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Houck who tossed 7 strong innings allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits.

                                                             Good work by Houck

Oscar Colas came in for Sheets to start the top of the eighth and Refsnyder doubled to left to start. Dalbec blooped a single past Lopez and both runners moved over on the fly ball to center by Westbrook. Smith grounded out to short to score Refsnyder and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston ahead 14-2.

                                                     Another rbi for Smith

Cam Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Sosa lined out to left to start. Ellis took strike three and DeLoach watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Danny Mendick the third baseman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hamilton got a base hit to center to start. Rafaela lined out to right but Duran got a seeing eye single into left. Valdez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Booser returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lopez struck out swinging to start. Mendick walked and Colas got a base hit to right, but Vaughn popped up to first. DeJong flied out to right to end the game. The Red Sox had won 14-2.

                                                           Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tanner Houck. He tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball to earn the win. He allowed just 3 hits while striking out 9.

                                                           Hero Houck

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 4 for 5 with a walk, a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 2.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Dominic Smith was 3 for 5 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 3 runs scored.

David Hamilton was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 4 for 6 with 4 rbis and a run scored.

Cam Booser pitched two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 6 with a walk but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a total massacre and much needed for the Red Sox. If the Sox have any chance of getting back in the AL East race they need to beat up the bad teams and they did that today. Everything they hit found a hole or left the yard and you don't get too many days like that. The great news was Tanner Houck once again looked great and only needing Cam Booser saved the bullpen for tomorrow. Rafaela finally busted out in a hurry and kudos to Jamie Westbrook for getting his first career home run. Hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum to a nice hot streak as the month of June heats up. The win improved the Sox to 32-31, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Boston looks to make it two in a row against Chicago tomorrow night when Cooper Criswell (3-2, 3.92 ERA) takes on Garrett Crochet of Chicago. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.