Its an off-day and its time to take a look at this season's Portland Sea Dogs roster going into their season opener. Mostly due to injuries and trades, the 2025 Portland Sea Dogs went 64-71 on the season so they're looking to improve this season. With Craig Breslow's insistence on power arms, the pitching might be better than last year. One thing's for sure, they're going to be interesting to watch.
Its one thing to say someone came out of nowhere, but in the case of 25 year old right handed pitcher Cooper Adams you would be right. He wasn't drafted back in 2023 after a season of Mt. Saint Mary's but was picked up by the Sox organization in February of 2024. He didn't look good for the Greenville Drive going 2-5 with a 5.08 ERA between starting and relieving, but somehow turned it around last year. He started the 2025 season 2-3 with a 3.95 ERA and then got called up to Portland where he allowed just 4 runs in 26 innings out of the bullpen. He can hit 98 on the gun so if he's found his niche as a closer or set up man, that might work.
Time is running out for 27 year old right handed pitcher Caleb Bolden. Drafted in the seventh round back in 2022, he's barely shown any promise since. He was 1-2 with a 3.67 ERA for the Salem Red Sox but bottomed out in Greenville in 2023. In 2024 he was 4-2 with a 4.12 ERA between Greenville and Portland. Last year he was 3-6 with a 5.74 ERA and looked totally lost. What's worse, he's starting this season on the Injured List to boot. If he doesn't come off the Injured List throwing bullets, they just may cut him. 27 years old and in AA is a bad look, especially with the class of 2025 coming up and this year's incoming draft.
Speaking of guys that might be hanging around too long, 25 year old right handed pitcher Isaac Coffey might be another. Drafted in the 10th round back in 2022, he did show some promise in 2023 when he went 11-6 with a 3.37 ERA in 22 starts between Greenville and Portland. In 2024 he was 11-4 with a 3.17 ERA for Portland but battled injuries in 2025. He was 1-3 with a 5.51 ERA between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox in just 12 starts. This year if he's healthy, he might be able to take the next step. If not, there's more than enough people to replace him.
If you like reclamation projects then we've got em right here! 26 year old Patrick Halligan was drafted in the 13th round back in 2021 by the Kansas City Royals three picks after the Sox drafted Zach Erhard who ended up not signing. Halligan made it to AAA with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2023, in 2024 with the Gwinnett Stripers and 2025 with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys but didn't do very well. He's going to start with the Sea Dogs this year but most likely will get called up to Worcester at some point. Maybe the fourth time will be the charm!
You gotta feel for 23 year old right handed pitcher John Holobetz. He will be forever linked to the lopsided trade which sent Quinn Priester to the Milwaukee Brewers where he became a stud in 2025. He was a 5th round pick in the 2024 draft 8 selections after the Sox took Brandon Clarke (who was traded for Sonny Gray) and started the 2025 season 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA for the Carolina Mudcats before the trade to Boston. He was arguably the Greenville Drive's ace going 4-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 11 starts before getting the call to Portland. He was 1-2 with a 2.39 ERA to finish the season with the Sea Dogs and might be ready to take the next step with a strong start. Critics can say Priester was pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates at 23 while Holobetz hasn't made it out of AA, but that's on the front office, not Holobetz.
Here comes another reclamation project! 27 year old right handed pitcher Jorge Juan signed as a Dominicn teenager with the Oakland A's back in 2018 and was horrible up until they released him after the 2023 season where he went 1-4 with a 5.66 ERA for the AA Midland Rockhounds. He signed with Atlanta in 2024 and was 2-4 with a 5.11 ERA for the Mississippi Braves. He had pitched in just 7 games in 2025 when Atlanta gave him the boot. The Sox picked him up in May and he went 1-5 with a 4.78 ERA. Why keep this guy around? He can hit 99 on the gun. Too bad its straight as an arrow. He won't be here long unless a miracle happens.
Instead of a reclamation project, we got another undrafted rookie free agent! 26 year old Danny Kirwin was Rider University's closer in 2023 and if you don't know what college that is, you're not alone. Kirwin went undrafted but Sox GM Craig Breslow took a flyer on him when he learned he could hit 99 on the gun. Well he didn't hit 99 but was 4-3 with a respectable 3.63 ERA for the Salem Red Sox in 2024. Last year he regressed going 6-5 with a hideous 5.18 ERA as his velocity dropped to 95. Well, that's on Breslow for signing a guy who thought he could hit 99 consistently but ultimately couldn't. Who knows, maybe he'll bounce back in 2026.
If you thought Noah Song had a frustrating career so far, 26 year old right handed pitcher CJ Liu is right there with him. He was signed as a 20 year old out of Taiwan following the 2019 season but Covid wiped out his 2020 season. He was 5-1 with a 4.29 ERA for Salem in 2021 but was straight batting practice in 2022 and 2023. He pitched in just 7 games in 2024 and missed all of last year with shoulder injuries. He's starting the season on the 60 day Injured List so he might not even pitch this year either. If he does, history doesn't bode well for him. Who knows, maybe the rehab will fix him.
How about even MORE injured pitchers? 23 year old Yordanny Monegro was a Dominican teenager signed on the eve of the 2020 season ruined by Covid. He showed promise in 2023 going 6-3 with a 2.06 ERA for the Florida Complex Sox, Salem and Greenville Drive and was Greenville's ace in 2024. He went 6-2 with a 2.73 ERA in 13 starts and started 2025 in Portland where he was 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA....and his UCL gave out. Not only did he miss the rest of 2025 he might miss all of this year too. Its a shame because he was really starting to bust out the last couple of years.
Portland's Opening Day starter will be 26 year old left handed pitcher Hayden Mullins. He would have been a 1st round pick in the 2022 draft but injuries derailed him at Auburn University. He was taken in the 12th round after having Tommy John surgery and pitched in just 4 games in 2023. In 2024 he was 3-5 with a 3.94 ERA but turned it on in 2025. He was 8-2 with a 2.21 ERA between Greenville and Portland last year and with injuries behind him, he might make an impact this year. If he can stay healthy that is.
Injury woes continue for the Sea Dogs with 24 year old right handed pitcher Cade Feeney. Drafted in the 13th round back in 2023, he pitched in 20 games for the Greenville Drive in 2024 before having Tommy John surgery that wiped out not only the second half of 2024 but all of 2025. When healthy he's a junkballer that tops out at 95 so it wasn't like he was throwing gas to begin with. He's listed as active and ready to go so let's see what 2026 brings.
Making his AA debut this season will be 24 year old right handed pitcher Max Carlson. Taken one round before Cade Feeney in the 2023 draft, Carlson looked great in 2024 going 6-2 with a 2.73 ERA for Salem and Greenville. Unfortunately he regressed in 2025, going 3-1 with a 4.08 ERA for the Drive in just 11 games. Like Feeney, he's active and ready to go so one way or another we're going to find out if 2024 or 2025 was the fluke, hopefully 2025.
Talk about a "late" bloomer. 22 year old left handed pitcher Eduardo Rivera was drafted in the 11th round back in 2021 by the Oakland A's 22 picks after the Sox took Niko Kavadas. He wasn't ready for prime time in 2023 as he went 2-7 with a 5.35 ERA as a starter for the Stockton Ports. He allowed 13 runs in 8 innings for the High A Lansing Lugnuts in 2024 before being released. The Sox picked him up in June of 2024 and he posted a 1.99 ERA in 6 games with the Salem Red Sox. Last year he was 4-6 with a 2.48 ERA between Greenville and Portland and he might be turning the corner. Can't say he's a true late bloomer at only 22 years old but kudos to Craig Breslow's scout team that saw he just needed some time.
Happy 25th birthday to left handed pitcher Erik Rivera. Another reclamation project and all you need to know is he was drafted in the 4th round by the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. He's pitched in exactly 39 games since. He showed some promise in 2024 for the High A Tri-Cities Rust Devils by posting a 3.31 ERA in 8 starts but was released anyway. He was straight batting practice for the Greenville Drive last year posting a 7.33 ERA in 21 games. He's listed as healthy so let's see how he does at the AA level in 2026.
In a case of "now or never", 25 year old left handed pitcher Dalton Rogers is running out of time. The highest pitcher drafted by the Chaim Bloom regime in the third round back in 2022 was 2-7 with a 4.84 ERA in 2023 between Salem and Greenville. He was even worse in 2024 going 2-7 with a 5.12 ERA for Greenville but started to figure it out in 2025. He allowed 6 runs in 20 innings to earn a call-up to Portland. He was 4-5 with a 3.52 ERA for the Sea Dogs in 15 starts. With the 2024 and 2025 draft classes ready to step up, this might be it for Rogers if he doesn't come out of the gate firing.
In another case of "now or never" we got 26 year old left handed pitcher Michael Sansone. Originally an undrafted rookie free agent for the Tampa Bay Rays, he was released in April of 2024 and the Red Sox signed him. He was 7-4 with a 3.11 ERA in 2024 with Salem and was 4-7 with a 3.46 ERA between Salem, Greenville and Portland in 2025. 26 years old at AA isn't good but maybe this is where he takes the next step.
Another guy looking to have a bounce back season in 2026 is 25 year old right handed pitcher Blake Wehunt. Taken in the 9th round back in 2023, he went 3-7 with a 3.88 ERA in 22 starts between Salem, Greenville and Portland. Last year he was 2-8 with a 5.68 ERA and looked lost. When current Sox GM Craig Breslow made the shift to power arms, guys like Wehunt were the holdovers. He might not last long under this current regime unless he comes out of the gate with a hot start.
What a sad career its been for 26 year old left handed pitcher Jeremy Wu-Yelland. He was drafted in the 4th round back in 2020 and was 1-3 with a 4.03 ERA for the Salem Red Sox in 2021. In April of 22 he had Tommy John surgery and pitched in just 3 games for the Florida Complex in 2023. He got hurt again in 2024 and was batting practice for the Greenville Drive. He only pitched in 25 games between Greenville and Portland last year but went 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA. This might be his last chance to show what he can do considering he's last man standing from the 2020 draft class.
Last but not least of the pitchers is 22 year old right handed pitcher Gage Ziehl. Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 4th round in 2024, he was sent to the Chicago White Sox in the Austin Slater trade. He was 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA in 6 starts with the Winston/Salem Dash to end 2025 and he was the centerpiece in the trade that sent Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin to Chicago. He only hits 95 on the gun and is primarily a junkballer. He wasn't regarded as one of Chicago's best prospects so that trade was more or less a salary dump to get rid of Hicks. If Ziehl makes it to AAA or beyond, it'll be a miracle.
Portland's starting catcher will be 25 year old right handed hitting Nate Baez. Drafted in the 12th round back in 2022 for the Minnesota Twins, he hit .268 for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in Low A in 2023. In 2024 he hit .239 with 12 home runs with the Cedar Rapids Kernels in High A. Last year he hit .237 with 5 home runs for the AA Wichita Wind Surge and was traded for Tristan Gray in January. He wasn't a highly touted catcher, he was just what they could get for Gray. If he hits above .240 this season it'll be a miracle.
The Portland Sea Dogs might possibly be the oldest team in AA and 27 year old first baseman Drew Ehrhard doesn't help that. He was an undrafted rookie free agent signed in July of 2023 and played in just 27 games in 2024. Last year he hit .235 with 3 home runs in 65 games and doesn't look like he'll improve any further. Maybe trading his brother wasn't the best idea.
One of the youngsters on the team is 21 year old second baseman Marvin Alcantara. Signed as a Dominican teenager in 2022, he hit .248 in 108 games for Salem in 2024. Last year between Greenville and Portland combined he hit .238 with 3 home runs. Not a lot of power and not a lot of speed either. Still, he's only 21 so he has plenty of time to make an impression.
Continuing the trend of light hitting infielders is 22 year old third baseman Ahbram Liendo. Signed as a Dominican teenager in 2021, he's hit just .222 in 397 games with only 10 home runs since then. The good news is he's solid defensively and swiped 42 bags for Portland last year. He could be a potential pinch runner in the higher levels...if he can learn to hit just adequately.
One of the highly touted prospects in the system is 20 year old shortstop Franklin Arias. He signed as a Dominican teenager in 2023 and last year blew through Salem and Greenville to get to Portland. He hit .278 with 8 home runs combined and might take the next step this coming season. The Sox need bats with their lack of offense in the big club with the draft seemingly to have turned into a pitching factory thanks to Craig Breslow. Arias might be able to pick up the slack.
Want more light hitting players? Here's another one! 23 year old outfielder Will Turner was taken in the 7th round back in 2024 and has just 29 hits in 221 at-bats. He hit just .161 in 43 games last year for the Greenville Drive and will start this year in left field for the Sea Dogs. Part of the problem was he broke his hand last season and spent half the year injured. Let's see how he does when healthy.
Guess what we got here. ANOTHER LIGHT HITTER! 23 year old outfielder Nelly Taylor was taken in the 11th round back in 2023 and he hit .216 in 108 games for Greenville last year. He did battle a hamstring injury last year and did manage to belt 7 home runs. If he can make better contact this season, maybe he'll be in Worcester sooner rather than later.
One of the only real prospects on this team is 22 year old outfielder Miguel Bleis. He was signed as a Dominican teenager in 2021 and he only hit .222 between Greenville and Portland last year but belted 14 home runs combined. If he can get that average up and keep the power stroke, he could be one of the first promoted to Worcester from this crew. Otherwise, he fits right in on this team.
Remember when the Red Sox received Eric Hosmer and prospects for Jay Groome at the 2022 trade deadline? One of them is 26 year old infielder Max Ferguson. Ferguson was drafted in the 5th round in 2021 and also doesn't hit for a high average. He hit just .191 in 99 games for Portland to start last year but actually performed well in a 19 game cup of coffee with the Worcester Red Sox hitting .279 with 2 home runs. If he can ride that momentum at the beginning of the season in Portland, he'll be back in Worcester in no time.
Someone who's due for a breakout season is 21 year old first baseman Brooks Brannon. Drafted out of high school in the 9th round in 2022, Brannon had a breakout year last season. He hit .251 with 10 home runs between Greenville and Portland and the only thing holding him back is health. If he has a full healthy season, the sky is the limit.
The team's backup catcher is 23 year old Ronald Rosario. Drafted as a Dominican teenager in 2019, Rosario hit .244 with 8 home runs in Greenville in 2024. Last year he hit just .201 but with 11 home runs. Talk about a young Doug Mirabelli in terms of all of nothing. Still, many teams will take that tradeoff if he continues to hit it out of the yard. Not swinging for the fences every single pitch would help too.
One of the guys the Sox got in the Rule 5 Draft this past off-season was 23 year old catcher Raudelis Martinez. He bottomed out in 2024 where he had just 3 hits in 43 at-bats for the Bowling Green Hot Rods after hitting .224 for the Charleston River Dogs. Last year he hit .239 with 4 home runs for the Hot Rods and I have absolutely no idea what Breslow sees in him to think he could be a starting catcher in AA. Then again, a lot of the guys on this team can't hit well anyway.
Rounding out the team is 24 year old outfielder Caden Rose. He was drafted in the 7th round back in 2023 and played in just 35 games in 2024 between Salem and Greenville. Last year he hit a pathetic .160 in 86 games for Portland. Amazing how this team has a lineup of guys who simply can't hit. Maybe it was down year, maybe not. Either way don't expect much out of him,
Quite frankly the Sea Dogs this season are in big trouble. The pitchers are either low level prospects or reclamation projects and very few of the batters can hit for average or power. Maybe last year was a down year for a lot of guys but the bottom line is this team is in trouble out of the gate. When Hayden Mullins is your ace to start the year, things don't look good. Still, the name of the game is development and maybe this season things will turn around. Head over to Hadlock Field to see the 2026 Portland Sea Dogs.
